As we descend into the dark days of midwinter, what better thing to do than light a candle and enjoy the soft light and warmth.
I was making candles today to add to my stockpile for the coming weeks, when candlelight is really the best light medium to illuminate the darkness.
Midwinter Sun
Sun worship was a common practice among the Celts…one only has to look at the amazing amount of motifs from that time to see this.
The god Belanos, known as, “the shining one,” had his feast on May 1, also known as Bealtaine!
The festival of Bealtaine was celebrated right up until 1895 at a place known as Mount Callan, near Ennis in County Clare.
There remains a sun altar at this place.
There is another sacred stone near Macroom, a standing stone known as “Stone of the Sun.”
It is easy to see and perhaps understand this Celtic fascination with the sun, when looking at the life and vibrancy exuded by the midwinter sun, on a clear morning at this time of year.
Signs
It’s possible to assess the insulation needs of any house by looking at the roof.
There are obvious signs to look out for!
For example, does the frost or snow remain on the roof as the house heats up?
If it does, then all is well, insulation is adequate up above.
Bealtaine has a double layer of sheep’s wool insulation added this year and it is paying for itself already.
Walking in this weather can identify insulation needs just by looking at the houses…snow or melt on the roof?
Insulation is one of the many ways we can help ourselves to live better and more frugally in these times of hardship.
I think it is time to re-visit what John Seymour, in his wisdom, had to say…
“…We have allowed ourselves to get where we are because of the ‘blind workings of the market’.
But we are not blind, so we must now start using our good sense to ‘break this sorry scheme of things and remould it to our hearts desire,’ as old Omar Khayam had it.
To allow ourselves to be dependent on some vast Thing created by the Merchants of Greed is madness.
It is time to cut out what we do not need so we can live more simply and happily.
Good food, comfortable clothes, serviceable housing and true culture – those are the things that matter.
The only way this can happen is by ordinary people, us, boycotting the huge multinational corporations that are destroying our Earth – and creating a new Age – an Age of Healing in place of the current Age of Plunder.”
