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What cultures celebrate the solstices? Among indigenous North Americans, we find only the Zuni and Hopi of the Southwest; we find no mention of tribes in the U.S. Southeast, but we're open to correction.
When one hears "solstice celebration," one usually thinks of ancient Druids. The Druids were a Celtic people who believed intensely in nature and wore white during their religious ceremonies. The word Druid probably originates from an older word meaning Oak Tree. That explains the ancient English customs of Yule Logs and Mistletoe.
Most people like Christmas, and we can understand that. As the Guess Who once said: Colored lights can hypnotize. So how should we feel about a Greek Orthodox Christmas mass at Pope's Tavern? Don't worry; that's not gonna happen - we hope.
What has been happening for the past two to three years, are CORE celebrations to the "Devine" taking place at the Indian Mound Museum and, according to director Brian W. Murphy, co-sponsored by the Florence museum. The museum is called a "partner" with the CORE Center.
So is this harmful or merely educational? Let's look at a few specifics:
1. Attendees are asked to wear white (this would indicate Druid influence).
2. Attendees are asked to bring offerings of a certain nature to ensure the earth's blessings.
We could go on, but that last one should be enough. Why are we reminded of Joel Osteen and countless other charlatans?
After yesterday's introductory blog, we had several skeptics who thought most of these claims were merely hyperbole. Here are two screen shots:
The bottom line is do we want taxpayer dollars to provide this venue? How about cleanup? Before you ask if these sacrifices to Mother Earth don't simply return to nature, you should consider that corn meal is a danger to many types of wild life, most especially deer and birds.
If you live in Florence and don't want your precious tax dollars to support this voodoo hoodoo, not to mention actually harming Florence's wildlife and ecosystems, please contact your council representative:
Kaytrina P. Simmons - District 1
(256) 760-6401
William (Dick) Jordan - Council President/District 2
(256) 760-6402
Bill Griffin - District 3
(256) 760-6403
Michelle Rupe Eubanks - District 4
760-6404
(256) 760-6405
(256) 760-6406
A final takeaway: Alabama school teachers aren't allowed to say Namaste in class, but we can say Wowmonoma at a city museum?
Namaste to everyone and enjoy the "colored lights":
Being of Celtic ancestry, I thought I knew something of Druidry and the ancient Beliefs, but this website was newly informative to me, and perhaps others.
ReplyDeletehttps://druidry.org/druid-way/what-druidry/what-is-a-druid
If nothing else, we as creatures walking this planet, never lose by at least understanding the past .....whether we agree with it, or not, it's good to be informed.