Witchcraft Today

It’s impossible to overlook the significance of holidays to all of us at this time of year. No matter your religious affiliation, there is something about this wintry, dark time of year that is otherworldly and magickal. The Winter Solstice has been a sacred and holy day for what seems like the life of mankind, as we have seen evidence of its celebration far back in our pre-history, and through out the world. Christians celebrate it as Christmas, the birth of the savior, but like so many other Christian holidays, it actually draws its roots and much of its mythology from Europe’s pagan heritage.

Take Santa Claus, for instance. His legends began as a Sami bringer of gifts who would come down the pole in the middle of the communal tent every winter solstice with gifts for everyone (these people lived in cold climates, so he was in furs- these became red furs with white trim over time). As I sit back and remember my childhood, I can still feel the sense of magic and wonder that came every year when my family fished the Christmas decorations out of storage and put them up. While I was excited about the gifts and toys I was received (I was a child of the 80s!), there was a deeper feeling of joy, love, and happiness that was always there, hovering in the background. Over the years, putting up the decorations became a holiday ritual that grew a profound personal meaning to me- it set the tone for the season. To this day, my wife and I continue to decorate the house every year, and it still gives me the same warm fuzzy inside.

The holiday was always filled with magickal things and miracles; from snowmen that came alive, to elves that made toys, to reindeer that could fly. The best part was that the whole thing was centered around this fat guy with a beard and a red furry suit that squeezed his fat ass down the chimney to leave those presents behind. It’s pretty obvious, really, why the Big Guy from the North Pole completely eclipsed Jesus in my mind as the spirit of Christmas. I think this probably goes for others who are reading this. Stop and think about it for a minute- when you think of Christmas time, who pops to mind: Santa or Jesus? Which one makes you smile bigger?

As I grew into adolescence and young adulthood, that sense of the magickal side of Christmas grew more and more important to me. Santa Claus became more than a source of free gifts, he became a symbol of karmic fairness, of universal love, and of unlimited generosity. Not a bad archetype to attune with.

I try to carry that sense of magick and wonder with me today, for it is the true spirit of the holiday in my eyes. Blessed Winter Solstice.