Episode Transcript:

0:00:14 - Jonathan

Hello Dori.

0:00:16 - Dori

Hello Jonathan.

0:00:18 - Jonathan

Here we are at the end of the year. It's our last episode of this 2024 year. How are you doing today?

0:00:30 - Dori

episode of this 2024 year. How are you doing today? I am well, I'm contemplative and well post-holidays.

0:00:33 - Jonathan

How about you? I'm feeling the same. I'm excited for this episode.

0:00:36 - Dori

Me too.

0:00:38 - Jonathan

So, as we are near the end of the calendar year, this is a time of much festivity and celebration all over the world, with many celebrations taking place, including Hanukkah, christmas, kwanzaa, boxing Day, st Nicholas Day, st Lucy's Day, new Year's Day, omisoka, the Winter Solstice and Yule. In the northern hemisphere, this is a time of shorter days and long wintry nights, which I'm definitely feeling, of darkness and the reflections, meditations and slowing down that is innately the part of all living things at this time of year very fast-paced society that doesn't slow down to match nature's rhythms, and this season may also bring added stress and speed in a race against time to make sure that the earnings are high for the last quarter if you're in business, or that you're prepared for all of the obligations of the seasons, which could be gift buying or the hustle and bustle of visiting people or traveling, or you know, I mean at this time of year, there's a lot of stress and a lot of activity.

0:01:51 - Dori

A lot of holiday obligations, family obligations, wanting to find our own way to close up 2024 and invite ourselves openly to 2025. Invite ourselves openly to 2025. And with all this in mind, it's as though we're standing at the entrance of a long, dark labyrinth together. According to the Labyrinth Society, a labyrinth is a meandering path, often unicursal, with a singular walkway leading to a center Used by various cultures and mystical and religious traditions worldwide, dating back 4,000 years or more. Labyrinths are used symbolically as a walking meditation or a site of rituals and ceremony. During the Middle Ages, almost a quarter of cathedrals had them Still today. Walking labyrinths is a method of promoting anti-stress by integrating the mind and the body, among other things. They have been navigated as a tool for personal, psychological and spiritual transformation.

We have chosen to visit this labyrinth at this particular time of year to examine our relation to the darkness that pervades this season. We will use the following words of Wendell Berry, the American novelist, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural critic and farmer, as our guide when he writes To go in the dark with a light is to know the light, to know the dark. Go dark, go without sight and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings. Along the way, we will be sharing reflections, stories and traditions of this time of year. Things to ponder as we take a moment to slow down, pause and reflect and spiral inward to our deepest selves.

And so into the darkness we go. We have crossed the threshold into the labyrinth's spiral. It is very dark, but we have enough light to see. Just in front of ourselves, as the pathway starts to curve, we notice the fragrant scents of the season, including pine, orange, cinnamon and clove, and any warm scent that you recall of this time of year. While we cannot see everything clearly in the inky darkness, our other senses are heightened and with the scents that hang in the air, we start to hear music, as a familiar carol begins to play.

0:05:03 - Jonathan

What you're hearing right now, of course, is the carol, the Twelve Days of Christmas. Now, in medieval and Tudor times, people fasted in the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day, so it's no surprise that there was so much feasting and merriment as soon as Christmas Day arrived. The festival season at that time was known as the 12 days of Christmas, and it's the period in Christian theology that marks the span between Christmas, which is December 25th, and the coming of the Magi. The three wise men on January 6th, known as Epiphany, decorate their homes until Christmas Eve, and they used holly, ivy, mistletoe, evergreens and reeds at that time, but it was considered bad luck to put them up early. Can you imagine what the stores would think if it was bad luck to put out decorations and Christmas gear and holiday drinks before Christmas Eve?

Now, the 12 days were all about hospitality and merriment. After a long year of hard work and harvesting. Most people didn't work throughout the 12 days of Christmas festivities, and the 12 days focused on community games, rest, songs and communal traditions. A few highlights of the 12 days of celebration include that everyone enjoyed a huge feast together on the first day of Christmas. The feast traditionally included roasted meats and stuffing, followed by mince pies, puddings and gingerbread my favorite. The second day of Christmas was Boxing Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Stephen, and was celebrated on December 26th, skipping ahead a few days. The eighth day of Christmas fell on New Year's Day and was the traditional time to give gifts.

0:07:00 - Dori

The last day of the 12 days was called Twelfth Night, which you may recognize as a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare. It was believed to have been written around 1601 or 1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The history of the 12 Days of Christmas Carol is somewhat murky. 12 Days of Christmas Carol is somewhat murky. The earliest known version first appeared in a 1780 children's book called Mirth Without Mischief. Some historians think the song could be French in origin, but most agree it was designed as a memory and forfeits game in which singers tested their recall of the lyrics and had to award their opponents a forfeit, a kiss or a favor of some kind if they made a mistake. In any case, the song most of us are familiar with today comes from an English composer named Frederick Austin. In 1909, he set the melody and lyrics and added his own flourish, the drawn-out cadence of Five golden rings.

0:08:06 - Jonathan

I have to tell you, the cadence is more drawn out depending on how much eggnog has been consumed before the song has been sung.

0:08:14 - Dori

As it should be. It can go on for quite a while.

0:08:18 - Jonathan

Another interesting tidbit about this song is that for 41 years, pnc Bank has calculated the prices of the gifts from the 12 days of Christmas. According to the PNC index, the total 2024 value of the gifts the beloved receives, including the partridge in the pear tree and the geese a-laying and the swans a-swimming, etc. Etc. Is $49,263.47, an increase of 5.4% over 2023 last year. Now we won't go over all of the prices, but the most expensive gift of the bunch is the lords a-leaping, of course and, by the way, the lords are like senators in our country and cannot be purchased or persuaded to do anything, bribed to leap. But 10 of them, if you were hiring them to do their leaping, would cost you over $14,500. The cheapest, I hate to say it, but the maids a-milking who, assuming they're earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, which hasn't gone up since 2009, would only cost you $58 total. Here's hoping, dory, that they're making a very large and generous tip with all of their milking.

0:09:39 - Dori

As they should. Here's to the Maids of Milking In the Sacred Path. Companion author Lauren Attriss outlines many ways of walking the labyrinth, including the acts of remembering, releasing, receiving and resolving. The first act, remembering, invites us to gather our thoughts. What are we bringing into the labyrinth with us? Perhaps there are thoughts from this past week, or even this past year? How light or heavy are each of these thoughts? We consider all this. As we turn a corner in the labyrinth and find ourselves on a long path ahead, A blanket of pine needles cushion our way as we move forward step by step. It's truly beautiful to be surrounded by trees and hedges on either side. With a big, deep inhale, we bring our thoughts of gratitude into our hearts.

0:10:47 - Jonathan

So we just discussed the 12 Days of Christmas, but did you know that the original 12 days of Christmas were actually the 12 days of Yule? To understand this, we must first recall that prior to Christianity, there were centuries of celebration at midwinter. In fact, in the Roman Empire, the people celebrated the 25th of December as the rebirth of the sole invictus, the unconquerable sun. It's important to remember that what's in the Bible we know today was actually decided upon by actual people. There's no biblical evidence of Jesus being born at midwinter. But since midwinter is a time when people celebrate the return of the light literally the sun, and the days getting longer and longer, it only made sense to meld the birth of the Christian savior with pre-existing rituals. Christianity couldn't quite do away with long-standing folk traditions, so it just absorbed them, making slight alterations. One of these alterations was to change the dates of the 12 days of Yuletide and give each day to a saint, nice and tidy.

0:12:01 - Dori

The 12 days of Yul is a time for reflection, giving thanks and setting intentions for the new year. Each day has its own focus and energy, and some ways to celebrate include Mother's Night, the first day of Yule, which is dedicated to honoring female deities, ancestors and all the females you know in your life. Mother's Night comes from Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon traditions. In the Norse tradition, this night celebrated the Dessir, or ancestral mothers. The Dessir were the old ones who blessed, protected and provided prophetic counsel to the clan. This is a night for holding vigil through the dark.

The celebration of Mother's Night taps into the deep-rooted acknowledgement of the power of our maternal lineages Across various cultures. The matriarchal line holds a reservoir of wisdom, strength and resilience. The ancient Germanic and Norse societies believed this strength didn't dissipate after death. It continued to nurture and guide the living. This reverence for maternal spirits links back to the concept of hearth and home as sacred spaces protected and blessed by these ancestors. On day two is a day for restoration, where you can reflect on cycles of life, death and rebirth. On day three is a day to celebrate family.

0:13:34 - Jonathan

Other traditions associated with the 12 days of Yule include the Yule log, which is a bow from a large tree that is kept burning continuously for the 12 days, also lighting fires. The Celts believed that the sun stood still for 12 days, so they lit fires to banish evil spirits and conquer the darkness. Also, feasting was a large part of the celebration, and during Yuletide no work was done. The final day of Yule fell on January 1st, which was the new year, and was marked as a day of renewal and new beginnings. This was a day to embody hope, light and the magic of a fresh start.

0:14:22 - Dori

We've reached the end of this row and have turned to the left. As we look ahead, we see that the shrubs, hedges and trees that line our way are getting a bit shorter, letting in more sunlight. The crisp winter air just begins to touch the top of our heads. As we exhale, we can see our breath. We are shedding the thoughts we have brought into the labyrinth with us, not dismissing them, but simply allowing them to feel lighter and farther away. As we release our negative thoughts, we start to take in the leaves around us, each shape a little different from the other and each one laced with a bit of frost or snow. With our next turn to the right, the trees and shrubs get even lower, letting in more light.

The Myth of Halcyon and Ceix. In Greek mythology, aeolus was the ruler of the winds. He lived in the caves where the winds were imprisoned and chose when to let them out, depending on how the higher gods instructed him. His daughter was the goddess Halcyon. Now, halcyon was married to the mortal king Seax, and their love for each other was known far and wide. Some sources report that they actually affectionately referred to each other as Hera and Zeus, which offended the real gods. Later, when Seax embarked on a journey across the Aegean Sea to consult the oracle Ecleros, the offended gods allowed a storm to capsize his ship, drowning him. The moment that Halcyon found out that Siox had drowned, she ran to the coast to find his body and desperately threw herself into the dark waves toward a most certain death.

0:16:20 - Jonathan

The Olympian gods knew of the strength of Halcyon and Ceix's love for each other and took pity on them by restoring them both to life and transforming the pair into Halcyon birds, a type of kingfisher.

Though their lives were saved, they were not easy. Zeus ordered that Halcyon lay her eggs only in winter, as her nest was near the shore, close to the spot where she found the body of Ceex. The stormy waves kept sweeping her eggs away. Crying and praying endlessly, halcyon finally managed to touch Zeus' heart and he decided to give her 14 days of good and calm weather in the middle of winter each year, and from then on, at the time of the winter solstice, halcyon would make her nest and lay her eggs on the seashore, and her father, aeolus, would hold back the winter winds in his cave to allow the nestlings to be safely nurtured. Even to this day, the Mediterranean is blessed at this time of year with days of still calm weather, the so-called Halcyon Days, still celebrated in Greece in memory of Halcyon and her sacrifice. The phrase Halcyon Days signifies prosperity, joy, liberation and, of course, tranquility.

0:17:44 - Dori

We have just turned another corner to come upon so much spaciousness. At this point in the labyrinth we can just see above the rose at the path ahead, but somehow we are not drawn to look behind us to where we've been, at least not yet. Instead, we start to notice the juniper berries on the trees as we walk and the holly berries, though we imagine winter as a time that is bare. Each pop of color draws us closer to the center of the labyrinth. Each berry is like a sweet surprise for our eyes, bringing more energy to each step and lightness to our hearts. It is amazing how our outside environment impacts our inner thoughts. In the spring, everything seems to blossom, not simply the flowers, but opportunities, romances and the idea of blooming is everywhere. The summer, with its heat, delivers us into a place of energy and excitement, while fall begins to slow our pace and settle our thoughts on harvesting to prepare for the winter. Perhaps that is what makes this time of year unique and sacred the darkness. Often in stories and literature, darkness is perceived as a bad thing, scary, unknown, and gives us all a feeling of apprehension. Personally, once I started investigating this idea and the dark itself, I've come to find so many more layers to winter and this popular moment around the solstice. To me, these darker weeks encourage me to slow down, take stock and be more peaceful and grounded. Instead of running around as I usually do in the summer, I'm investigating what is within me.

This year has been a completely surprising journey for me. From beginning to end, there have been many dark moments as I reflect on what is going on in this world politically, economically and environmentally. Despite the weight of all this, I keep finding little pinpoints of light from people, people who share their light with the world Like stars in a dark night sky. So many people friends, family leaders, artists and advocates all find ways to share their inner light with the world. Their gifts from wise words to time spent together, hugs to listening ears and, of course, inspiring art, music and stories all help me to engage in everyday life. Now, with the darkest days of the year, we all need to share our inner light. We may think that our gifts are small or our words inconsequential, but sometimes even the smallest gesture, word or action can have the most profound effect.

Consider the trees. The birch, for example, is a tree which many cultures link to light, especially in European folklore, where it's often referred to as the goddess tree. Its white bark has been seen as a symbol of purity and light. According to Celtic tradition, birch trees are the symbol of new beginnings, regeneration, hope and new dawns. Some use a birch broom to brush out the old year on the morning after winter solstice. Stripped of its bark, birch is the traditional yule log, and cradles were once made from birch wood for the sole purpose to protect the helpless children. The birch tree shares light by simply being. Maybe we can learn from this.

Find a quiet spot to be still for a moment, sitting or standing, facing a tree or plant or window, or not. However you can arrive. Arrive, close your eyes if that feels right to you, with a deep breath in. Imagine the top of your head. Imagine that light radiates from the top of your head. What does that light look like? Is it golden and thick or light and sparkly?

Take in another deep breath and, as you exhale, imagine that light cascades down your head, filling you with warmth. With the next breath, let the light come down further over your neck and shoulders and, with one more breath, let the light roll over your elbows, arms and fingers. One more deep breath and let the light surround your entire upper body, from your head to your torso. Check in with yourself. Where am I holding tension? In my upper body, my neck, my shoulders, my back? Take in a deep breath and send your unique light to wherever it is needed in your body.

As we continue, deepen your breaths. Take your inhales and exhales so that they are even longer. Take a deep breath into your lower belly. Relax that area, pouring light into it. With the next few breaths, let the light glide over your hips, then your legs and finally your feet, then your legs and finally your feet Again. Ask yourself if you are holding tension anywhere. Peacefully, send a deep breath and your unique light to that area of tension. Now your whole body is encapsulated in light. Consider your light for a moment. How can you share your light with another person? Through conversation, a quick check-in text, a handwritten card calling a friend or relative? Is it by joining a service group or writing letters to your local government? Or something else entirely? Perhaps it is simply by being present with one another With one more deep breath. Enjoy the golden light that is around your entire body.

We have reached the center of the labyrinth, where there is a large white birch tree. We finally turn around and see where we came from, feeling more resolved than before. What an accomplishment it is to have come through this path filled with thoughts, challenges and obstacles of every kind. We see the lower hedges, shrubs and trees nearby which offered up their winter berries. Just a bit beyond that are the lower trees with their frosty leaves and crisp air. Beyond that are the dense, taller trees with their sweet smell of pine, orange and cinnamon smell of pine, orange and cinnamon. We recall the thoughts we brought into the labyrinth with us. Yet they all feel much lighter than they did before, rejuvenated and with a bit of joy in our step, we turn around to return, knowing that we can handle every step of the path, having made space for what comes next. This year we are a bit lighter, more open and ready.

0:25:49 - Jonathan

Thank you for that, dory. I feel recharged, full of light and ready for the new year light and ready for the new year.

0:26:01 - Dori

Thank you for your wisdom, Jonathan. We are both so grateful to all of you for joining us and we look forward to every conversation in the coming year.

0:26:09 - Jonathan

Happy new year everyone.

0:26:12 - Dori

Happy new year and thank you for joining Tree Speech today. Thank you.