Neo-pagan Winter Solstice

I had the pleasure of attending two distinctly different Solstice celebrations this weekend, both involving food, fire and friends, one private & incorporating birthdays as well, and one very public.

I’ll review the public one, as it covers a few aspects of life dear to my heart.

There’s a fantastic group of people called the Phoenix Astronomical Society, who grew out of staff of the now-defunct Carter Observatory, where I was priviledged to work part-time a few years ago. They decided to set up a stone circle in the southern hemisphere, for the purposes of teaching star-lore to the inhabitants of Aotearoa/New Zealand, as well as visitors.

This is the now well-travelled locus of Solstice and Equinox festivals in New Zealand, and is a locus for Pagan groups (Druidic and Wiccan) from all over the North Island.
I’ve been invited many times, (including the historic Autumn Equinox of 2007, with the High Druid of Britain, Phillip Carr-Gomm, in attendance) but for one reason or another not made the trek – so this time, I thought I’d have a go.
There was a bus from Wellington, a dinner afterwards in Carterton, how hard could it be?

Having been advised to ‘rug up warm’, I layered on as much merino clothing as I could find, under my woolen dress, and got off the bus to find a damp afternoon in the Wairarapa, clouds threatening more rain; and a lot of people in cloaks of many colours under umbrellas, being watched by an even bigger crowd of sensibly dressed locals who’d come to observe the pagans. This was going to be interesting!

I joined with my hosts, members of the Grove of the Summer Stars of Wellington, and was duly offered a citronella torch to bear for the procession. Suitably equipped, I followed our leader and processed to the Henge, circling widdershins once before we entered the Henge to ‘hold’ the Southern placement during the ritual. There was an ‘order of service’, celebrants had parts scripted to play, and a flow of serious proclamations of our commitment to peace and care of the earth followed. I didn’t take as many photo’s as I thought I would, as I became caught up in the meaning of the ceremony.
(For a better explanation than I’m fit to give, see the Woolshed, home of the Grove.)

Grove of the Summer Stars banner

The ceremony began around 4.30pm, and continued through the dusk to true solstice about 6pm, when despite the overcast sky and inability to actually see the sun set directly over the sunstone, there was a very eery sense of power having been raised and then released in the course of the ritual.

Closing ritual - Druids Pamela and Tom

As this photo shows, it was quite dark and cold at the end!

Afterwards, we all piled back into the bus & various cars, and headed back to Carterton, where a dinner for about 200 pagans and sympathisers was held at the RSA. After-dinner entertainment came from Richard Hall, one of the Henge creators, who gave a sound presentation about the origins of modern pagan practice, assisted by Pamela from Wellington and Chris from Auckland.
This has to be the best midwinter feast I’ve ever attended, and I’ll certainly sign up for the next one.

Happy Solstice, everyone, and let’s look forward to longer days now that the longest night has passed. Maybe we’ll even see more sunshine than the fitful streaks going past my window today!
More info (and better pictures) about the Henge here.

 

Welcome, Cath, to Parliament!

It was my utmost pleasure to sit in the public gallery, alongside many whanau, friends and collegues of Cath Delahunty, and hear her maiden speech in the House – a long time coming, but there at last.

The video, from Parliament TV, and the text of the speech, are here.

We all adjourned to the Caucus room in the Green Party suite in Bowen House afterwards, where speeches were made, refreshments were enthusiastically consumed, and much happy mingling occurred.

Cath and Jeanette

Gratuitous picture of Jeanette’s speech of welcome in the Caucus room.

Gifts were given, stories were told, and waiata were sung, and the various threads of Cath’s life as an activist, feminist, supporter of environmentalists, anti-nuclear campaigns, unemployed rights groups, disability activists, unions, teaching programmes and various trusts supporting women in hardship, were woven together.

Visitors from Tamaki, Tauranga, Whakatane, Ruatoki and Te Aupouri, as well as some locals of Whanganui-a-Tara, all gathered to share our esteem for this longhaul, hardworking, green-thinking dynamo, who has touched so many lives on her way to this place and time.

Kia Kaha, Cath, arohatinonui ki a koe.

 

BillBoarding as a Social Support Mechanism.

g.blog just received this letter from a member in Rotorua:

It’s become increasingly noticeable to me that over the last three elections we have received increasing numbers of invitations to erect billboards on front lawns or fences belonging to elderly women and men who live alone.

Last election we had about 7 or 8.  This election it has increased to 10 or 12.

Having erected the BillBoards I routinely offer my contact phone number to be used to let me know should the BillBoard be vandalised or damaged by high winds.

Each morning, almost without fail, I receive at least one call suggesting a visit to a specific BillBoard may be needed because it looks: damaged, floppy, unstable, wet or simply needs attention.

When I turn up with hammer and clouts at the ready, I am offered tea and/or coffee and/or scones and/or cake and or lunch and always conversation. Rarely does the BillBoard need any but minor attention.

As I rapidly approach that age at which I frequently suggest: “this is my last election,” I am starting to accumulate the names and contact numbers for willing election workers and identify locations on my property where BillBoards can be erected – however unstable the location may be. We have got to ensure continuity in our social support system as we grow older I’m told.

Bill (Board) Brislen

Rotorua

 

First time poster…last time polar

Howdy folks. Green candidate for Tukituki here. May I invite you to my Green Hawkes Bay blog.

There you will find a speech I recently wrote for a candidates’ meeting with the NZEI in Havelock North. My blogpost is here, and the full speech as PDF is here but here’s a taster…

The Greens recognise the power of education: that the long-term future sustainability of our society, economy and environment is in the hands of our children. That is why we have prioritised environmental education. It is no coincidence that our election hoardings feature children, thinking and playing, and say: “Vote for me” and “Vote for us”. Children represent the hope for a sustainable and fair future. The Green Party represents that future, and represents children.

We also recognise that the ability of our children to have a sustainable future is in our hands today. If the world we leave them is trashed, and if we do not adequately equip them for the future, then their future is bleak. The contemporary realities of climate change, the end of cheap oil, the pollution of our rivers, declining biodiversity, unaffordable unsafe and unhealthy food, and the continuation of child poverty in New Zealand – these are our issues, today, and the responsibility to address them is also ours. That’s what the Greens will do.

As a friend said to me this week: “If you think telling your kids there’s no Santa is hard, try telling them there’s no North Pole”. For a future worth teaching for, Party Vote Green.