For thousands of years people have gathered to celebrate the winter solstice. This is the day the sun reaches it’s lowest. The tide turns and the sun begins coming back. The days draw out. The rebirth begins.
Celebrate the solstice!
Winter solstice celebrated at Stonehenge as thousands gather – BBC News
I worship the sun! At least you can see the sun! It gives us light and warmth. It gives us life. A good thing to worship!
I’m celebrating the winter solstice! This is the shortest day! After this the days start drawing out. The warmth and light returns. The rebirth of the land.
The pagan solstice celebrations were purloined by the Christians to make Christmas. I prefer the solstice celebrations! Merry Solstice to you all!!
Here comes the sun! Bing Videos
youtube beatles good day sunshine – Search Videos
May the long time sun shine upon you
Today is the shortest day of the year. After today the days start drawing out. This is the turning point to look to create something great out of the new life.
This was a day of pagan celebration!
The Christians purloined it to make into Christmas but the pagans had it first.
I raise a glass of rich red blood wine to you!!
I wish you all a glorious new year full of great possibility!!!
Here’s to the strengthening Sun!!!
Here’s to a year of great joy and triumph!!
MERRRRRRYYYYYYY SOOOOOLSTIIIIICEEEEE!!!!!!!
I wish you love, happiness and fulfilment!!
The Benefits of Immigration
One thing is quite clear: we are all the offspring of immigrants. At one time or another, our ancestors gave up everything to move here. Britain is a mongrel nation. There are numerous nationalities present in our genetic stock – historically German, Norse, French, Italian and Spanish make up the bulk of our genes. Later we include African, Chinese, Indian and others, as the trade routes grew. There is no such thing as a pure Anglo-Saxon breed (and, in my opinion, we’re all the better for that!).
Immigration has enriched our genes (hybrids are sturdier than pure breds) and our culture in so many ways:
To be British is now black, brown, yellow and white! We’re richer, wiser, more expressive, stronger, full of flavours with an enhanced life experience. All due to immigration!!
The only thing about immigration is to find the balance. We need it but not too much or too little! Getting it right, with the right integration, is an art!
Are our politicians and media up to the task?
Who to Venerate
Who should we venerate?
The murderers and the thieves?
The warmongers, slavers
Exploiters and the chiefs?
Why not the poets
The artists, musicians
And the dancers?
The people who create
Not the selfish arrogant chancers.
Put the statues of generals
Into the museum
Next to a statement of the facts
So that everyone can see them.
Opher 5.1.2022
The statues we erect are statements about who we value.
The kings, queens, generals and wealthy merchants.
All they represent is power and wealth.
It’s time we dumped these self-serving exploiters into museums.
We should be venerating the creative people – the artists, musicians, dancers, writers, poets and designers.
We should be venerating the compassionate ones – the doctors, nurses, carers.
We should be venerating the ones who care about the planet – the environmentalists, the biologists and ecologists.
We humans have our priorities all wrong.
May the long time sun shine upon you
Today is the shortest day of the year. After today the days start drawing out. This is the turning point to look to create something great out of the new life.
This was a day of pagan celebration!
The Christians purloined it to make into Christmas but the pagans had it first.
I raise a glass of rich red blood wine to you!!
I wish you all a glorious new year full of great possibility!!!
Here’s to the strengthening Sun!!!
Here’s to a year of great joy and triumph!!
MERRRRRRYYYYYYY SOOOOOLSTIIIIICEEEEE!!!!!!!
I wish you love, happiness and fulfillment!!
We’re tried worshipping most things. The sun makes more sense that most. We live within its atmosphere and it gives us the light and heat that gives us life.
The Green Man and the sun gods Helios, Ra, Kehpri, Atum, Inti, Lugh, Hepa, Garuda, Huitzilopocthli, Apollo, Surya, Sol, Sol Invictus, Shemesh, Sunnya, and a host more, were all widely worshipped.
The longest and shortest days are good reasons for having a great festival and celebration. Nature is what supports us. We should respect it and celebrate its bounty.
I wrote this poem after seeing Nazca Nine on the Summer Solstice. It was a great gig. They were definitely waxing lyrical and many of the monarchs of yore were thought to be incarnations of Sun Gods.
Then there’s the Moon. It’s been a long time since we walked on it. I think some ancient cultures would have shuddered at the very thought.
Solstices are like a rebirth. I like the idea.
Solstice 2
Waxing on the lyrical
Beneath the sacred sun
Getting quite satirical
When God and Queen are one
Verging on the mystical
Beneath the sister moon
Leaning metaphysical
Hope we get there soon
Nineteen Nazca nine
Is looming from the dawn
Me and thee and thine
Are going to be reborn
Opher 31.12.98
Merry Christmas to One and all.
In the sentiment of unity, celebration and harmony.
To people of any faith and no faith.
Inclusively.
As I gather my family around me and enjoy the wonders of loving, caring, giving and receiving in our new home I wish the same happiness for all of you.
To those who have had great losses this year I am thinking about you.
To those who I have angered or wronged I am sorry.
To those who I have offended – well – that’s life. We have to speak our truth as we see it – but not with hatred, animosity or violence.
I wish you all a fruitful, happy new year and hope that despite the many challenges ahead we can find a way to discuss, debate and find a way to make the world a better place for ourselves, humanity and the rest of life on this planet.
All the best
To everyone all over the planet
Opher xxx
I wish you a wonderful celebration with family and friends!
(Yes – even an antitheist can find an excuse to celebrate! There is no religion here just love and sharing.)
I set up this blog, with the help of my good friend Lou, on the 28th of May 2014. I just thought I’d check that date! Since then I have put out 918 blogs. That is about two and a half a day! Wow! Where do I get the time?
Over the course of this year I have accrued over 500 followers – Thank you one and all – you give me energy and hope. I have received a number of ‘likes’ and loads of comments. Thank you to all of you who have taken the trouble to do that. I know that is not easy.
Most of the responses have been heart-warming and supportive. There has been some criticism and abuse but I welcome that too. I wanted this to be a forum for discussion. I love a good argument and if I am wrong, as I have been a few times, I need telling. I am never offended though sometimes I have become a little riled.
How can you change the world if you’re not even prepared to change your own mind?
Part of the reason for setting up this blog was to publicise my books. In that it has failed utterly. But it is early days.
I have been writing for forty odd years and have accumulated forty five books. I am rewriting these and putting them out on Amazon. They are my babies. I was working on the principle that this blog would show people what I am about, the quality of my ideas, thoughts and writing, and might be interested enough to want to find out more by reading my books.
We’ll see.
This year I am going to be looking for a Literary Agent and publisher so that I can take my writing forward. I have great optimism.
It is good that I have almost completed a year. As I have now almost completely run out of space (I put too many photos up) I will have to reassess how I continue.
Thank you all for following, supporting, liking and commenting!
It takes courage to stand up against tyranny, oppression and threats but that’s what this young girl did. She refused to be bullied.
As a twelve year-old Malala campaigned for the right for girls to be educated. That is a basic human right and one that in the 21st century one would imagine would not be contentious. In Pakistan it was contentious enough to warrant death threats, threats of rape and threats to her family.
The Taliban had already blown up over a hundred girls’ schools.
Malala was not cowed by these threats and continued to campaign.
She was shot at point blank range in the head. One bullet hit her in the forehead. She was flown to England for treatment and made a full recovery.
The Taliban called for all Muslims to take up arms and kill her and her father. Asking for female education warrants a death sentence.
Malala is made of stern stuff and brushed off the death threats and continued to campaign. Her cause was taken up by Gordon Brown who, on her behalf, put forward a UN petition to the effect that all people in the world had the right to be educated. It led to Pakistan producing an ‘education for all’ law.
Malala was awarded the Nobel peace prize.
We need more like Malala who are prepared to stand up to inequality and bullying.
Help build a better world with a positive Zeitgeist.
Well done Malala – we are all with you!
