Yulmonath
20th First night of Yule - Mother Night (Módraniht)
Sacred to Frigg, Freya and the Disir
As the night before the Winter Solstice, this is the time
when the New Year is born. We honor the
beginning of the Sun's return and the breaking of Winter's spell. Traditionally, this night belongs to Frigg,
the mother Goddess and mistress of home and hearth. Celebrations center around the wife or mother
of the family as she symbolically cleans the house in preparation of Yule
festivities, invites both the living and the dead to join the party, and
bestows blessings and gifts on her family and friends. Mother Night Parties follow a special blot and
ceremony where the house is lit with candle light. Sometimes, this includes a Yule Wreath of four
candles, the decorating of an evergreen tree with sun wheels, and the lighting
of the Yule Log.
On
this day we also remind ourselves of the virtue of Industriousness. Working to accomplish something. Doing more than the least you can get by with. How have you been productive? Are you ending the year with goals met? What do you plan to do in the New Year?
'Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.' - Benjamin
Franklin
Industriousness: diligence; persevering determination to perform a task. Synonyms:
diligence, hard work, industry, application, conscientiousness,
productiveness, energy.
Industriousness is the willingness to work hard,
always striving for efficiency, as a joyous activity in itself. It is vital that we work hard at what we seek
to achieve, for without consistent and well-directed effort, our goals will not
be reached. But it does not mean that we
should work all the time, indeed one should be industrious in ones leisure
pursuits as well, and avoid the concept of making work for the sake of having
work to do.
Brid
says, “I work hard at everything I do. I owe it to myself, to my family, to my
community and to my Gods. I figure my
ancestors never sat around being lazy - working hard was inherent to their
survival. You didn’t work, you didn’t
eat. Your family might starve if you
were busy loafing instead of doing something. I try to make sure that I keep my mind and
body working at all times - that doesn’t mean I don’t have down time, it simply
means that I am at my best when I feel a sense of accomplishment.”
Being
Industrious develops self-respect. Putting in an honest
day's work lets you look at yourself in the mirror without feeling
ashamed. It is
the same with life; to keep ourselves happy and motivated, we must always keep
moving.
It fights depression. Idleness may be the
devil’s playground, but it is quite possibly depression’s romper room. Have you ever known a man who was unemployed
for a long period of time? Chances are
he sank into a depressed funk. Humans
are wired to want to feel useful, to make and provide things for others.
More time for family and civic engagement. I have a friend at law school who has three
kids. By getting his work done at
school, my friend is able to focus himself completely on his family when he
gets home.
In addition to having more time for family, by being
industrious you’ll have time to devote to your community. Developing the virtue of industriousness not
only frees more time for civic involvement, but it also helps develop the work
ethic needed to contribute to the public welfare.
How
to be Industrious? Plan. Before you go
to bed, sit down and plan the next day. Eliminate distractions. Have a
worthy goal. Every time you make a decision on how you’re going to
spend your time, stop and ask yourself, “Will this action bring me closer to my
goal?” If not, don’t do it.
Being
industrious is good, but if you’re a human being, you’re going to need breaks
to avoid a mental breakdown. Find ways to be industrious, even in leisure. When you have time away from
the work that earns you a living, make use of your leisure time by pursuing
activities that will make you a better man.
True recreation is an activity that leaves you energized and ready to
take on the coming week.
The
idea is to stay busy, but at much more relaxed pace. Remember that the longer you sit around and do
nothing, the harder it is to get yourself motivated when you actually have to
work. Avoid the rut by staying busy with
relaxing, yet constructive recreational activities.
The
idea behind the virtue of industry is to be wholehearted in whatever you do, to
get the most you can from the time and effort you spend. How you judge that depends on what is
important and enjoyable to you. What do
you think is more industrious play, watching TV or playing soccer with your
friends? Reading a good book or watching
a ball game? Watching an ant hill or
dancing to a music video? Hint: there
aren’t any 'right' answers. You choose what is most valuable to you.
Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail!
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