April 4 is the birthday of Magna Mater, as the Romans called Cybele, an ancient mother goddess. She originated in Turkey, and her followers spread though-out the Middle East and over to Rome. She was a prototype for later goddesses such as Hera and Juno.
Today is also Easter. Unlike Cybele's birthday, which is always on April 4, Easter is all over the place. Originally linked to Jewish lunar cycles, Easter occurs on the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the vernal equinox. The word Easter comes from Eostre, a minor fertility goddess in the grand tradition of Isis, Ishtar, Astarte, Aphrodite and Venus. The animal symbol for Eostre was the rabbit, which became the Easter bunny. In short, Easter is another Christian theft and renovation of pagan concepts. It seems paradoxical, since Christians scorn paganism as barbaric.
The concept of a murdered god being resurrected, was old and often repeated before the Christians wrote their version for the Bible. Being patriarchal, the entire Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition has reduced the role of women in its retelling of ancient myths and legends. The mother goddess usually played a part in the resurrection of the heroes of yore. For example, Isis restoring Osiris is an early, and common, version.
Christianity doesn't represent any improvement over Paganism. In fact, much is lost. Christianity has lost connection with the cosmos, mother earth and timeless cycles.People pay close attention to dates, hours and minutes, rushing around to tax cycles, seasonal fashion pitches and new annual models, demanding heat when cold and cold when hot, rather than acting in accordance to nature.
Here we are in 2010, on the biggest holiday of Christianity, and big time Christians are all over the news. The Pope has announced that humanity is in crisis and deep change is necessary to save us all. It is attempted misdirection away from the sexual predations of his minions. His idea of change is we all quit thinking for ourselves and follow him and his obsolete organization to the grave. My idea of change is everyone who calls themselves a Catholic abandons that bloated bastion of medieval superstition, and accept the fact we live in the 21st century.
I'm still thunderstruck by how people claiming to be Christians can whole-heartedly support war, murder, torture, bigotry, and prejudice. It also amazes me how supposedly intelligent people can watch Fox propaganda and believe they are getting the truth. I wonder what the percentage of overlap is.
A ranking Cardinal said faithful Catholics would not be swayed by all the gossip about sexual abuse. He's probably right, since the faithful seem to think ritual, imitation cannibalism, during mass, contributes to the spiritual life. That sacramental rite was distilled from a first century pot luck, known as agape in Greek. Every body in the church met and shared whatever food they had to make sure no one went hungry. They also shared common property, being early communists, as well as Christians.
OK, I got that bit of peevishness out of the way. I ranted in the previous post in support of gay rights and gender equality. I went off half-cocked with the wrong time on the city council meeting. The Missoula city council will discuss the anti-discrimination bill on Monday, April 12. We wouldn't need anti-discrimination bills or hate crime legislation, if so-called Christians would act like real Christians.
That last statement leads to a question: What is a real Christian?
Showing posts with label Osiris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Osiris. Show all posts
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Original Holiday
Am I the "bah, humbug!" type a friend asked. Oh, yes, indeed I am. I try not to rain on anyone's parade, but Christmas just does not melt my butter. I think the lies about Santa Claus were the beginning of my disaffection, and it grew, as the holiday was an annual disappointment. The music was awful, too.
When my doubts about the existence of the jolly old elf in red led me to ask my parents, they assured me he was real. I launched an energetic defense against my doubting peers, but when I discovered they were right, my parents had lied, and I had born the scorn of my friends for it, Christmas lost it's glow. Years later, my parents resented the grandparents honest answer to my sister, when she asked the same question. I was with the grandparents, because honesty saves embarrassment.
Later, I would discover Santa wasn't the only fraud linked to Christmas. History showed no evidence whatsoever that Jesus was born on that date, or even that time of year. Placing it on the calendar was a political act.
The solstice was the original holiday, and, for me, it is still the true holiday. The ancients studied the heavens, and they knew the movements of the sun and stars, the progression of the seasons and the faces of the moon. Their rituals were linked to those natural cycles.
The winter solstice merges reality and metaphor. It is the turning point of darkness and light. The sun, our primary source of light and warmth, seems to have moved away, and the nights are long. The solstice marks the time when the dark has grown to its greatest point. Now the sun will turn back to the northern hemisphere. Many ancients celebrated the birth or rebirth of their gods at or near that time. Apollo, Baal, and Sol Invictus were all dedicated to the return of the undying sun. The solstice also marked the resurrection of Osiris. Choosing December 25 as Christ's birthday made it easier to convert the worshipers of Mithra, whose birthday was being celebrated on that day, with just a simple name change.
The solstice signifies a turning point in an eternal cycle. It symbolizes revival, renewal, recovery and resurrection. The old is discarded; the new is introduced.
Everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the beginning so that return leads to flowering. Hurry nothing artificially. The flowering of spring is still a distant hope, but we move towards it, and the ripening which will follow.
Ching says return is the stem of character, which leads to self-knowledge, as one turns from the confusion of external things and back towards the inner light. The oracle also says it is always wise to follow the examples of good people. Return leads to success.
I like that bit about turning away from external things. It is a counter-point to the yearly greed fest god's birthday has turned into. As I said, I celebrate the solstice. Darkness has peaked, the sun returns and spring is on the way. It is time to nurture small things and prepare for the new year.
When my doubts about the existence of the jolly old elf in red led me to ask my parents, they assured me he was real. I launched an energetic defense against my doubting peers, but when I discovered they were right, my parents had lied, and I had born the scorn of my friends for it, Christmas lost it's glow. Years later, my parents resented the grandparents honest answer to my sister, when she asked the same question. I was with the grandparents, because honesty saves embarrassment.
Later, I would discover Santa wasn't the only fraud linked to Christmas. History showed no evidence whatsoever that Jesus was born on that date, or even that time of year. Placing it on the calendar was a political act.
The solstice was the original holiday, and, for me, it is still the true holiday. The ancients studied the heavens, and they knew the movements of the sun and stars, the progression of the seasons and the faces of the moon. Their rituals were linked to those natural cycles.
The winter solstice merges reality and metaphor. It is the turning point of darkness and light. The sun, our primary source of light and warmth, seems to have moved away, and the nights are long. The solstice marks the time when the dark has grown to its greatest point. Now the sun will turn back to the northern hemisphere. Many ancients celebrated the birth or rebirth of their gods at or near that time. Apollo, Baal, and Sol Invictus were all dedicated to the return of the undying sun. The solstice also marked the resurrection of Osiris. Choosing December 25 as Christ's birthday made it easier to convert the worshipers of Mithra, whose birthday was being celebrated on that day, with just a simple name change.
The solstice signifies a turning point in an eternal cycle. It symbolizes revival, renewal, recovery and resurrection. The old is discarded; the new is introduced.
Everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the beginning so that return leads to flowering. Hurry nothing artificially. The flowering of spring is still a distant hope, but we move towards it, and the ripening which will follow.
Ching says return is the stem of character, which leads to self-knowledge, as one turns from the confusion of external things and back towards the inner light. The oracle also says it is always wise to follow the examples of good people. Return leads to success.
I like that bit about turning away from external things. It is a counter-point to the yearly greed fest god's birthday has turned into. As I said, I celebrate the solstice. Darkness has peaked, the sun returns and spring is on the way. It is time to nurture small things and prepare for the new year.
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