Toward the Light

Tag: nature

  • Happy Summer Solstice

    Happy Summer Solstice

    In European paganism (Odinism, also known as Heathenry or Asatru), the summer solstice is a significant high holiday celebrating the peak of the sun’s power, fertility, and abundance. The celebration often involves feasting, singing, connecting to nature, lighting bonfires, and performing solar rites. This is a time for celebrations and rituals that invite prosperity to people, crops and animals.

    This major festival is second only to Yule (winter solstice). Historically, the summer solstice is also a time for resolving disputes and making political decisions within the community.

    A summer solstice song sung by Lisa Thiel

    Lyrics

    I am the fire that burns within your soul
    I am the Holy light that fills and makes you whole
    I am the Flame within, that never dies
    I am the sun that will ever arise

    Power of the Sun we honor you this night
    We leap across the fire to keep our spirits bright
    Power of the Sun, fire in the night
    We leave behind, that which blinds, to restore our sight

    I am the fire that clears away the old
    I am the holy light that guides you to your soul
    I am the Flame Of Love for which you yearn
    I am the sun that will always return

    Power of the Sun we honor you this night
    We leap across the fire to keep our spirits bright
    Power of the Sun, fire in the night
    We leave behind, that which blinds, to restore our sight

    I am the fire that burns within your soul
    I am the Holy light that fills and makes you whole
    I am the Flame within, that never dies
    I am the sun that will ever arise

    Power of the Sun we honor you this night
    We leap across the fire to keep our spirits bright
    Power of the Sun, fire in the night
    We leave behind, that which blinds, to restore our sight

    I am the fire that clears away the old
    I am the holy light that guides you to your soul
    I am the Flame Of Love for which you yearn
    I am the sun that will always return

    Power of the Sun we honor you this night
    We leap across the fire to keep our spirits bright
    Power of the Sun, fire in the night
    We leave behind, that which blinds, to restore our sight

  • Essential Religion

    Essential Religion

    As our culture is an expression of shared racial consciousness (genetically predisposed), a foreign culture cannot resonate deep within our mind as our own culture does. An experiment to prove this:

    • Listen to Jewish music1 and attend the service of a Jewish religion, Christianity. Rate your spiritual satisfaction of this experience (0 to 10).
    • Listen to our people’s music, for example Celtic music2, and connect with God via nature as our Forefathers did:
    1. Position yourself (alone or with friends) in nature before sunrise.
    2. As the sun rises, thank God for all that He has provided to sustain your life — the sun, water, air, plants, insects, birds, mammals, fish, all the people you know and love, and more.
    3. Offer a sacrifice, e.g. put out food for wild birds.

    Rate your spiritual satisfaction of this experience (0 to 10).

    The above-mentioned three essential elements (raising Nature-consciousness, thanking God, practically demonstrating gratitude) are easily formalized within regular life, e.g. outdoors as part of organic gardening, countryside walking, bird watching, a picnic, or indoors in a dedicated area with representations of nature such as pot plants, pictures, sculpture, stones, feathers.

    We can formally thank God in such a location any time of the day (doesn’t have to be at sunrise). Ways in which we can show gratitude are innumerable, including feeding wild birds, removing human litter from nature, and sacrificing wasteful aspects of our lifestyle (take less from nature, leave more for other creatures).

    Our names for the Force (God, Oneness, quantum vacuum, consciousness, universe, etc) and our formal relationship with it aren’t important. It’s deeds that count.

    Whatever we might call Essential Religion, it’s so exhilarating that we want to do it regularly, including dates of seasonal (e.g. solstices and equinoxes) and personal (e.g. dates of birth, marriage, death) importance.

    These spiritual experiences can include prayer, prose / poetry reading, traditional music, feasting and merrymaking.

    Music references

    1. Jewish music

    2. Examples Celtic music