Keep in mind the importance
of the hunters in our lives. On this day
try to remember Skathi and Ullr as Gods of the hunt. Our ancestors still hunted this time of year
to keep meats and nourishment on the table even though hunting in the north
this time of year was difficult and dangerous. While men may no longer have to go out and
spear a mastodon to feed their family, many men remain the primary breadwinners
in the home, and find themselves under increasing pressure to continue to
provide well. Raise a horn to those that
provided the meat on the table as we feast and share.
On this
day we remind ourselves of the virtue of Truth. The quality or state of
being true. Synonyms: veracity, sincerity, candor, honesty.
Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. - Thomas Jefferson
The virtue
of Truth sounds pretty simple. It
basically means that you don’t tell lies. However, there is more to practicing
Truth than that. For example, the
easiest way to avoid telling lies is to never do anything that you aren't
comfortable telling people about. You
need to be honest with yourself, too.
Don’t give
yourself excuses for doing things that you believe are wrong that make them
sound like they are okay. You don’t make
stealing right by saying that no one will miss what you take. Telling lies so you won’t be punished for
doing something you know you shouldn’t have just makes what you did worse, not
better. Part of practicing truth is
having the courage to always own up to what you did.
Truthfulness
means that the speaker should say what is so, as he sees and understands it,
and that he should express what is in his mind. Under certain circumstances this may be
difficult, and may even cause annoyance, harm and danger. But our conscience reminds us that truth is an
obligation, that it is something absolute and sublime.
The owl is a symbol of wisdom and truth. We must also note that in regard to
truthfulness in daily life it makes a difference if one possesses interior
certainty in regard to the various situations, and also if one is a master of
the language and quick to define and distinguish. This is a matter of ethical culture with which
education should deal. Many a lie arises
from shyness and embarrassment, and also from insufficient master of the
language.
Probably
the most important thing to know about practicing truth is that not everyone
agrees about what is true. Sometimes
things that seem to contradict each other can both be true. There is a story about a group of blind men
who 'looked' at an elephant and then argued about whether an elephant was like
a snake, a wall, a tree, or a vine. Each
one had an idea that was true (the elephant’s trunk, body, leg, and tail), but
none of them had the whole picture.
If you
really believe something is true, you don't have to make other people agree
with you. You are only responsible for
yourself. Maybe the people you disagree
with know something you don't. Maybe
they aren't ready to see what you do. Good
friends can "agree to disagree"
on lots of things without having to quit being friends.
Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail!
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