Solstice was several days ago, and when I posted yesterday morning’s Minoan Tarot cards, I glanced at my Substack front page and felt like something was… off.
It wasn’t until much later in the day that I identified the problem: I had somehow forgotten to post here on Solstice as I had planned. How on earth could that have happened?
Oh yeah.
Emergency Dental Shenanigans that began before dawn and involved being at an oral surgeon’s office by 6:30 a.m. on Solstice morning. It was the Spouse’s dental issue, not mine, but I was the driver and caregiver, so in that sense it was also my emergency.
As you might imagine, our plans for the day were thrown into disarray. Being Pagans, we celebrate on Solstice, not Christmas. So the gift exchange, the day trip pilgrimage, and the celebratory dinner were all shifted to the following days, allowing time in between for the Spouse to recuperate from the oral surgery.
Despite the initial chaos, it has actually been quite an enjoyable holiday. It’s been relaxing to take it slow and spread out our usual activities over the course of several days. We may continue in this vein next year. We’ve all been able to appreciate the fun stuff and the sacred stuff without being overwhelmed or exhausted, which is quite marvelous.
This is definitely a win, even if it came in an unexpected form.
So I’ll leave you with the bit that I had intended to share back on the 21st, the Minoan Path blog post I wrote about the Tribe traditions surrounding Winter Solstice. It was pre-scheduled, so it miraculously appeared while I was otherwise occupied.
The Blessed Day of Rebirth
I hope your winter holiday season has been a pleasant and enjoyable one, whatever you happen to celebrate.
The photo is amazing!
Our small proto-coven had to set our celebration a week later, as enough of us had health issues on the day.
Later that night, my throat got scratchy, becoming a head cold by morning—Covid neg—and I had to bow out of a dance gig last Saturday, after rejoining my old dance troupe.
Plans for secular Christmas were likewise postponed due to two people too sick to participate with one other person being too immunocompromised to be with them.
I could stand half an hour breathing in hot tub steam, but I haven’t the energy to get there, so I breathe while the steaming washcloth covers my face.