12 Days of Yule ~ Day 6

6th Day of Yule – Remembering the Noble Virtue of Fidelity
December 25th

"We must remain loyal to who and what we are. Those around us need to have the ability to take us at our word, and our word needs to be our bond. Our handshake needs to seal the deal. The devotion to our deeds has to be of the utmost importance."

I have four dogs and three parrots, so it will come as no surprise to you when I discuss loyalty in regards to pets. Pets have a large sense of loyalty to their humans which may be more than human-to-human loyalty. There are some famous pets which include Greyfriar's Bobby who attended his master's grave for fourteen years; Hachiko, who returned to the place he used to meet his master every day for nine years after his death; and Foxie, the spaniel belonging to Charles Gough, who stayed by her dead master's side for three months on Helvellyn in the Lake District in 1805. The fact that Gough's body was alledgedly eaten by his dog was ignored in subsequent romantic accounts of the story.

In the Mahabharata, the righteous King Yudhisthira, at the end of his life, appeared at the gates of Heaven. He had previously lost his brothers and his wife to death, and when he appeared at the gates his only remaining companion was a stray dog he had picked up along the way. The God Indra is prepared to admit him to Heaven, but refused to admit the dog. Yudhisthira refused to abandon the dog, and prepares to turn away from the gates of Heaven. Then the dog is revealed to be the manifestation of Dharma, the God of Righteousness and Justice, and who turned out to be his deified self. Yudhisthira enters Heaven in the company of his dog, the God of Righteousness. Yudhisthira is known by the epithet Dharmaputra, the Lord of Righteous Duty.

In speaking of pets and the effects they have on our lives, one can only ascertain that there is a sense of loyalty on the part of the human as well. I myself have a sense of loyalty to my pets and thus they have come to depend on me for their food (breakfast at 8:00 a.m. sharp please), love, attention, play, and just hanging out. There is no doubt about the bond between me and my pets and the loyalty one feels for the other.

Ah, if only it were as simple as a pat on the head for the rest of us . . .

Breast Cancer Awareness, Samhain & Halloween

My friend, Sharon, over at 'Plumrose Lane' has designed a couple of beautiful blog backgrounds to honor her mother and bring awareness to 'Breast Cancer Awareness Month'. The designs, banners and buttons are free!

In order to help her spread the word, I decided to change my blog background to reflect the 'pink' for the month of October. It wasn't a hard decision, Sharon's designs are gorgeous!

It's also the month of 'Samhain' (pronounced sow-een) and I'm already planning my celebration and rituals. Samhain is a three day festival starting with the end of the harvest, progressing to the honoring of one's animals or pets and finishing with honoring one's ancestors.

End of the Harvest
In my neck of the woods, the garden has died off. Where once there were lush green plants, there is nothing left but dry and dead stalks. The perennials have shut down for the season too, going dormant so that they may return in the spring. For some it is a time to bring in livestock from the fields for the winter -- and if a spider comes wandering into your living room one chilly October night, you know that even the insects are trying to find a place to stay warm.

Honoring of Animals
Man's relationship with animals goes back thousands and thousands of years. They have been a source of food and clothing. They have protected us from the things that lurk in the darkness. They have provided comfort and warmth. In some cases, they have even raised and nurtured our discarded children, as in the case of Romulus and Remus. If you have animals in your home, pets or livestock, this is their night. Feed them before you feed the humans in your family. Put some food out for any wild animals that may happen by as well.

Honoring of Ancestors
As it's a time to honor ancestors, I'll be putting up pictures of my departed grandmothers on my altar along with other items that represent the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark half of the year. I'll also be placing candles on the altar, which traditionally should be kept burning all night having been placed in a window to guide their spirits here. Instead, I'll put an electric candle in the window . . . safety first!

Samhain is also a good time for divination so I'll be scrying with the black mirror I made recently and perhaps give my new pendulum a go. There are many ways of divination, so be sure to do ones that are right for you.

This year we decided that we're going to dress up and go out dancing for Halloween . . . what am I going as you ask? A Witch of course! In all my years, I've never dressed as a witch and I must say . . . I'm pretty excited about it!

Well, October is off to a good start and with so much to look forward to, I'm sure it will whiz by quicker than a speeding train . . .