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- a collection of essays on Neodruidic Studies
- a journal of Post-Reconstructionist Neopaganism

Sunday, December 18, 2016

A SONG for the SEASON


Carvings and photo by earrach


Here's a holiday a song I've been working on... 
It combines a beautiful old shape-note hymn's tune with my own lyrics, lyrics which are intended to blend-in the feel of our long passage from November's bleak Wasteland to the very heart of Yuletide and the Sun's return. The reasoning and imagery of its mythic theme are detailed in my pieces about the post-Samhain Wasteland, and in particular, my essay titled "The Old Man at the End of the Year".


My song is called "The Great Wheel is Turning" 

and the MP3 of me singing it is HERE... 

- the recording at this point is pretty rough, my "studio skills" are very poor but I couldn't hold on another year to share it, it means very much to me and I'm rather proud of it in concept. Please consider singing it yourself, wherever, if you like it...

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The Great Wheel is Turning
Lyrics (c) 2015 Earrach of Pittsburgh; 

The tune is from the Kentucky shape note hymn Brightest and Best (Ritchie Family version)


Through the grey Wasteland of No-vembers twilight
Long-lost we wandered o’er hilltop and moor...
Thanksgiving’s past and at length we discover
Many miles henceforth the smoke from a hall

    (Could)’this be the hearth of our year-ending mystery?
     Will we meet He who will show us the way?

Trudging long onward through cold rain and snowfall
(With)’hope in our hearts we each persevere-on.

Comes now the Yuletide, the Sun’s de-scent en-ding
Standing astride the threshold ‘tween the years
En-ter the corridor on the Night of the Mo-thers
The sacred old cycle of Twelve Nights begun.

On the first morn of our bright Sun’s returning
let us rejoice and all raise up in song…

With eve-ry day now the Great Wheel’s ascending
(Pro)’claiming-its promise that Life will go on.

On the first morn of our bright Sun’s returning
let us rejoice and all raise up in song...

With ev-ry day now the Great Wheel's ascending
(Pro)claiming its-promise that Life will go on. 


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A printable PDF file of these lyrics can be downloaded here...

With Yuletide blessings to all.

DECEMBER SOLSTICE 
occurs at 5:44 AM Eastern Standard Time
Wednesday, Dec. 21st, 2016




Here’s a trove of Book of Sassafras 

YULETIDE goodies from days of yore…


"Bah- humbug?" - No way... 
Yes, Christians should keep
"the Christ in Christmas", 
but
YULETIDE
belongs to everybody!

The three faces of the Spirit of the Yule and
the Fractal Mystery of the Twelve Nights
between Solstice Eve and New Years Eve...

The oldest records of Yuletide may be from
England of the Dark Ages, not Germany...

Don't overlook these basic themes when creating
ritual celebrations for the December Solstice...

WHY is it the LONGEST NIGHT?
It's just that simple, if you view it from the appropriate angle...

 Yes, it's true, you can hear the year turn...


Looking for  D R U I D  - ish 
Y U L E T I D E   T U N E S  ?
Check these out:
by Steeleye Span 


on their holiday album


EoP

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