Zvjezdice s lješnjacima

Yule je vrijeme kada slavimo jačanje Sunca koje nam od zimskog suncostaja donosi sve više svjetla i topline. I naše Sunce je zvijezda, pa zašto ne proslaviti Yule uz ovaj prigodan simbol? 

Kao što vidite na slici, koristila sam razne oblike kalupa za svoje kekse - petokrake i šestokrake zvijezde, božićna drvca, zvijezde repatice, zvončiće i tako dalje. Naravno, svi ovi simboli imaju svoje značenje za Yule. Zvončići još od davnina predstavljaju zaštitu jer se vjerovalo da njihov visok zvuk tjera zle duhove i negativnu energiju. Božićno drvce je potomak julskog panja, a oboje predstavljaju isto ideju - prevlast života na smrću (Sunce se ponovno rađa i život se vraća zemlji, a drvo koje se uzima za julski panj, ili božićno drvce je gotovo uvijek zimzeleno, ili barem izrazito snažno i izdržljivo). Zvijezde su izvor svjetla, a svako Sunce je primarni izvor svjetla i topline. Ovi simboli su posebno prikladni za julsko slavlje kada se Suncu ponovno pruža dobrodošlica.

A sada pređimo na recept kako biste mogli i vi uživati u ovim finim, prhkim blagdanskim kolačićima!

Potrebno je:

• 200 g maslaca
• 150 g šećera
• 200 g mljevenih badema
• 200 g pšeničnog oštrog brašna
• 150 g pšeničnog glatkog brašna
• 1 čajna žličica cimeta
• 2 žumanjka
• 2 bjelanjka
• šaka lješnjaka
• 1 žlica jogurta
• marmelada po želji (ja sam koristila marmeladu od miješanog voća)
• kalupi za kekse (po vašem odabiru, makar se preporučaju zvijezde)

Priprema:

1. Izmiješajte omekšalo maslo, šećer, bademe, cimet, žumanjak i brašno. Pritom izdvojite bjelanjke u posebnu zdjelu i ostavite u hladnjaku.
2. Zamotajte tijesto u prozirnu foliju i ostavite u hladnjaku barem pola sata.
3. Lješnjake zamotajte u prozirnu foliju i istucite maljem za meso (slobodno ostavite i neke veće komade).
4. Obložite lim za pečenje papirom za pečenje.
5. Izvadite tijesto iz hladnjaka, razvaljajte tanko i kalupima oblikujte kekse (ponavljajte ovo dok vam ne nestane tijesta).
6. Složite kekse na lim, premažite bjelanjkom i pospite lješnjacima (pošto se 2 keksa marmeladom kasnije spajaju u jedan, ja sam ih slagala "u parovima" i samo bih svaki drugi keks premazala bjelanjkom i posula lješnjacima).
7. Pecite na 175°C 10 minuta. Pazite da vam se keksi ne zarumene previše (možda će vam trebati i manje od 10 minuta ovisno o jačini pećnice).
8. Kada su se keksi ohladili, premažite ih marmeladom i lijepite 2 keksa istog oblika zajedno.

Želim vam sretan i blagoslovljen Yule! Budite mi veseli i debeli za ove praznike. :)

Vaša Witch's Cat

Hazelnut Stars

Yule is the time of year when we celebrate the Sun's rebirth which, from the winter solstice onward, brings us more and more light and warmth. As our Sun is a star, why not celebrate Yule with this fitting symbol?

As you can see in the picture, I used all sorts of cookie molds - five-pointed and six-pointed stars, Christmas trees, comets, bells and so on. Of course, all of these symbols have a special meaning in regard to Yule. Bells have been a symbol of protection for ages because it was believed that their light tones could ward off evil spirits and negative energy. The Christmas tree is descendant of the Yule log, but they both symbolize the same notion - the predominance of life over death (the Sun is reborn and life is once more returned to the earth, in addition to this, both the Yule log and Christmas tree are always of some evergreen tree, or at least a tree that is a symbol of strength and endurance). Stars are a source of light and every Sun is a primary source of light and warmth. These symbols are therefore especially fitting for the Yule celebration when we welcome the Sun once more.

But let us now move on to the recipe so you can enjoy these fine, crumbly holiday cookies!

You Will Need:

• 200g butter
• 150g sugar
• 200g ground almonds
• 200g hard wheat flour
• 150g plain wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 egg whites
• a handful of hazelnuts
• 1 spoon yogurt
• marmalade (whichever you prefer, I used one made of mixed fruits)
• cookie molds (your choice, although stars are recommended)

How To Prepare:

1. Mix together softened butter, sugar, almonds, cinnamon, egg yolks and flour. Separate the egg whites in a small bowl and put then in the fridge.
2. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it in the fridge for at least half an hour.
3. Wrap the hazelnuts in cling film and smash them with a meat tenderizer (feel free to leave a few bigger pieces in there).
4. Cover your baking tray with baking paper.
5. Get the dough out of the fridge, roll it out thinly and form the cookies using your cookie molds (repeat this until you run out of dough).
6. Place the cookies on the baking tray, daub with egg whites and sprinkle the hazelnuts on them (since 2 cookies are later "glued together" with marmalade, I placed them in pairs, so to speak, and only covered every second cookie with egg whites and hazelnuts).
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 175°C. Take care not to let the cookies get too golden-brown (you may even need less than 10 minutes depending on the strength of your oven).
8. Once the cookies have cooled down a bit, smear marmalade on them and glue 2 cookies (of the same shape) together.

I wish you all a joyous and blessed Yule! May you be cheerful and fat these holidays. :)

Yours,

Witch's Cat

Yule - slavlje ponovnog rođenja Sunca

(c) Anne Stokes - Spirit of Yule (Duh
Yulea / Kralj božikovine)

Dva kralja se bore za prevlast – Kralj hrasta i Kralj božikovine. Ali ovo nije tipična borba, jer oni nemaju vojsku, a bore se znajući da je sve u prirodi ciklično, pa tako i njihova vladavina. Oni su od pamtivijeka u sukobu, ali znaju da tako treba biti. Kralj hrasta vlada ljetnim dijelom godine (od zimskog do ljetnog suncostaja), a Kralj božikovine zimskim (od ljetnog do zimskog suncostaja). Stoga je Kralj božikovine poznat svima kao mračni kralj, onaj koji vlada opadajućim dijelom godine te kao onaj koji donosi duge noći i kojeg prati slabljenje Sunca.

Na dan borbe - Yule, zimski suncostaj - kraljevi su svjesni svoje uloge u kolu rađanja, smrti i ponovnog rađanja. Sada je red na Kralju hrasta da ponovno zavlada prirodom. Kralj božikovine se povlači, a skupa s njim i tama koja je obavijala zemlju. Dolazi vrijeme jačanja Sunca, produljivanja dana i oplodnje tla. No, ovo istovremeno za ljude znači kraj odmora i gniježđenja jer bez rada nema plodova.

Ove godine pagani slave zimski suncostaj (prvi dan zime), odnosno Yule 21. prosinca. Za nas, ovaj dan predstavlja važan prijelaz u ciklusu života. Zimski suncostaj označavaju najdulja noć i najkraći dan u godini. Međutim, za pagane ovo nije razlog za tugovanje već za slavlje jer od ovog datuma dani postaju duži, a noći kraće…Sunce dobiva na snazi – ono se ponovno rađa. Upravo na temelju ovoga mnogi shvaćaju Yule kao početak nove godine. Sunce se u paganizmu personificira figurom Boga, kao što se Mjesec ogleda u figuri Božice. Stoga se i Bog, poput Sunca, ponovno rađa na ovaj datum. Da nije tako, ciklus prirode se ne bi mogao nastaviti. 

Za Lughnasadh je Bog podnio žrtvu, dao svoje tijelo Majci Zemlji i time omogućio urod. Na Mabon njegova životna energija brzo opada, da bi u konačnici preminuo na Samhain. Božica tada tuguje za njim u aspektu Starice, ali se oboje, i Bog i Božica, preporađaju za Yule. Božica prolazi magičnu transformaciju iz Starice u Djevu te rađa Boga kako bi skupa mogli nastaviti okretati Kolo godine.

Zanimljivo je da sam naziv ovog blagdana, Yule, dolazi od nordijske riječi iul/hjól koja znači „kolo“. Na osnovu ovoga se Yule može shvatiti kao prvu žbicu na Kolu godine. Kao kod svakog početka, prvi okretaj ovog kola je uvijek najteži i najdulje traje. Stoga cijela priroda miruje u ovom razdoblju i u tom odmaranju se priprema za rad koji će stići na proljeće. Ona se zagrijava za nadolazeće okretaje.

(c) Anne Stokes - Oak King (Kralj hrasta)

Ipak, i ljudi su dio prirode pa i oni sudjeluju u svemu ovome. Ovaj zimski period mirovanja ljudima daje potrebno vrijeme za refleksiju na prošlost, na same sebe i na njihova okruženja. Yule je ujedno odlično vrijeme za razmišljanje o budućnosti i postavljanje ciljeva (koji su u ovo doba još poznati kao novogodišnje rezolucije). Čišćenje, kako fizičko tako i emocionalno i duhovno, također nije na odmet jer nitko ne želi ući u Novu godinu s bremenom, glavnom prepunom nedoumica i kućom koja je u neredu.

Jedini nered s kojim ćete se morati nositi jest gomila borovih iglica po podu. I da, čak i pagani mogu krasiti božićno drvce u vrijeme Božića. Zapravo, Božić i Yule imaju mnogo više sličnosti nego što bi se očekivalo. Dublja usporedba bi zahtijevala ulaženje u povijest obaju blagdana koji su se svakako ispreplitali, ali ću ovdje istaknuti samo neke zajedničke običaje i osnovne ideje. Ono što kršćani nazivaju božićnim drvcem, pagani nazivaju julskim drvom. Ponekad se koristi julski panj koji predstavlja u suštini isti koncept – vječnost. Zimzelena drva poput bora, ili ponekad ona najčvršća (poput hrasta od kojeg se najčešće priprema julski panj) su simboli vječnog života jer oni, barem naizgled, nikada ne umiru. Bor ostaje zelen tijekom cijele godine i time predstavlja prevlast života nad smrću, a hrast može doživjeti starost od nekoliko stotina godina i poznat je po tvrdoći drva i izdržljivosti svoga korijenja. Nije ni čudo da se ova stabla i sva ona slična njima uzimaju kao simboli vječnog života! Mnoštvo drugih zimzelenih i sezonskih biljaka i plodova se također koriste za ukrašavanje – božikovina, imela (i druge bobice), češeri, žirovi i tako dalje. Svi ovi materijali se koriste za izradu vijenaca, ukrasa za stolove, za stablo i dom općenito.

Još jedan običaj koji je svima drag u ovo vrijeme bez obzira na duhovne/vjerske stavove jest ostajanje u kući s ljudima koje volimo, uživanje u toplini doma, lijepoj hrani i toplim čajevima, ili kuhanom vinu. Ugođaj postaje još ljepšim kada dođe vrijeme za razmjenu poklona. Iako se danas ovaj običaj sveo na nešto puko materijalno, stari Rimljani su imali običaj poklanjati svijeće jedni drugima u ovo vrijeme. U začecima ovog sunčevog blagdana pokloni uopće nisu postojali, ali su uvedeni kao znak pažnje i ljubavi, ali i zaštite. Svijeća je simbol svjetla koje se samim poklanjanjem daruje osobi. Svjetlo u ovom kontekstu ima višestruko značenje – simboliku otjerivanja i zaštite od zlih sila (što je slično zvoncima koji su još jedan prikladan simbol) te solarnu simboliku (paljenjem svijeća se predstavlja porast Sunčeve snage koji se događa u ovo vrijeme, a po nekim vjerovanjima se Sunce čak i potiče na ovaj način). Možda je ovo dobro vrijeme da se prisjetimo da bit poklona nije sam poklon i njegova materijalna vrijednost, već namjera koja ide uz njega.

Uz sve ovo – bližnje, toplinu, hranu, piće, darove itd. – je dobra zabava zagarantirana! Yule je naposljetku jedan od osam paganskih sabata i samim time povod za slavlje. Ovaj mjesec slavimo povratak Sunca i pružamo mu dobrodošlicu. Stoga je prikladno da i sami počnemo zračiti svjetlošću i toplinom te njima ispunimo naše živote i one naših bližnjih.

Sretan vam i blagoslovljen Yule!

(c) Rick Landry - Winter Solstice Sunrise (Izlazak Sunca na zimski suncostaj)

Yule - the Celebration of the Sun's Rebirth

(c) Anne Stokes - Spirit of Yule
(The Holly King)

Two kings fight for dominance - the Holly King and the Oak King. But this is not any usual battle as they do not have an army and they fight knowing that everything in nature is cyclical, as is their reign. They have been rivals since the beginning of time, yet they know that this is how it must be. The Oak King rules during the summer half of the year (from the winter solstice to the summer solstice) and the Holly King during the winter half (from the summer solstice to the winter solstice). Hence the Holly King is known to all as the dark king, he who rules during the waning half of the year, he who brings dark nights and who is followed by the fading of the Sun.

On the day of the battle - Yule, the winter solstice - the two kings are aware of their roles in the birth-death-rebirth cycle. It is now the Oak King's turn to once more govern over nature. The Holly King draws back, as does the darkness which cloaked the earth. The time comes for the Sun to regain its strength, for the lengthening of the days and the fertilization of the land. Yet, at the same time, this means the end of the resting and nesting period for people because there are no fruits without labor.

This year, Pagans celebrate the winter solstice (the first day of winter) a.k.a. Yule on December 21. For us, this day represents an important transition in the cycle of life. The winter solstice is marked by the longest night and the shortest day of the year. However, for Pagans, this is not a reason to grieve but rather for celebration because from this day on, the days become longer and the nights shorter...the Sun begins to regain its strength - it is reborn. It is precisely on this basis that many see Yule as the beginning of the new year. In Paganism, the Sun is personified by the God, just as the Moon is mirrored in the image of the Goddess. Thus the God, as the Sun, is reborn on this date. If it were not so, the natural cycle could not carry on.

For Lughnasadh, the God sacrificed himself, gave his body to Mother Earth and in this manner enabled the yield of crops. On Mabon, his vital energy quickly ebbs and he dies on Samhain. After this, the Goddess mourns him in the aspect of the Crone but both the Goddess and God are reborn at Yule. The Goddess undergoes a magical transformation from Crone to Maiden and gives birth to the God so they may continue to turn the Wheel of the Year together.

It is interesting that the very name of this festival, Yule, comes from the Nordic word iul/hjól which means "wheel". Based on this, we may understand Yule as the first spoke on the Wheel of the Year. As with any beginning, the first turn of this wheel is always the hardest and always lasts the longest. Thus nature in its entirety remains sedate during this time of year and in this resting phase prepares itself for the work that has to be done with the coming of spring. She warms herself up for the oncoming turns of the wheel.

(c) Anne Stokes - Oak King

Still, humans are a part of nature as well so they too take a part in all of this. This winter period of resting gives people the necessary time to reflect on their past, on themselves and their surroundings. Yule is also a wonderful time for thinking about the future and setting goals (which are also known as New Year's resolutions during this time of year). Cleansing, be it physical, emotional or spiritual, also doesn't hurt because nobody wants to enter the new year with a burden, a head full of doubts and a messy house.

The only mess you may have to put up with is a bunch of pine needles on the floor. And yes, even Pagans can decorate the Christmas tree during Christmas time. Actually, Christmas and Yule have much more in common that you might expect. An in depth comparison would require looking into the pasts of these two holidays which most definitely were intertwined, but I will only mention a few common traditions and basic ideas here. What Christians call the Christmas tree, Pagans call the Yule tree. Sometimes a Yule log is used in stead of a tree, but they both represent the same idea really - eternity. Evergreen trees such as pine, or sometimes just the stronger trees (for example oak from which the Yule log is most often made) as symbols of everlasting life because they at least seemingly ever die. The pine tree remains green throughout the entire year and in this represents the prevalence of life over death. The oak tree can live up to a few hundred years and is well known for its hardness and the durability of its roots. It's no wonder that these trees and all those similar to them are taken as symbols of eternal life! A number of other evergreen and seasonal plants and fruits can also be used for decorations - holly, mistletoe (and other berries), pine cones, acorns and so on. All of these materials are used to make wreaths, table decorations, decorations for the Christmas/Yule tree or the home in general.

Another tradition that is dear to everyone in this time of year regardless of their spiritual/religious beliefs is staying home with loved ones, enjoying the warmth of the home, nice food, warn tea, or mulled wine. The atmosphere becomes all the nicer when the time comes for exchanging presents. Although this practice has been reduced to something merely material nowadays, the ancient Romans had a habit of giving candles to one another for this occasion. In the beginnings of this solar festival, presents didn't even exist, but were introduced as a symbol of caring and love, but also protection. The candle is a symbol of light which is also given to somebody in the very act of giving the candle. In this context, light has multiple meanings - banishing evil forces and protection from them (which is similar to the symbolism of bells which are yet another appropriate symbol of the season) as well as solar symbolism (by lighting candles, one represents the growth of the Sun's strength which occurs in this time of year and, according to some beliefs, the Sun is actually stimulated by this act). Perhaps this season is a good time to recall that the main point of presents aren't the gifts themselves and their material value, but rather the intention that goes with them.

With all of this  - loved ones, warmth, food, drinks, presents and so on - good fun is guaranteed! After all, Yule is one of the eight Pagan Sabbats and is therefore a cause for celebration. This month, we celebrate the return of the Sun and say welcome. It is only fitting that you too begin to emanate light and warmth and, with it, fill your own lives and the lives of your loved ones.

I wish you all a joyous and blessed Yule!

(c) Rick Landry - Winter Solstice Sunrise

Paganizam, magija i vještičarenje - intervju s Iolarom

Krajem prošle godine je izašla knjiga Paganizam u teoriji i praksi koja je izdana u tri sveska. Drugi svezak nosi podnaslov "Magija i vještičarstvo". Autor ove knjige, Iolar, je već jednom gostovao na emisiji "Na rubu znanosti" kada je predstavio svoju knjigu i detaljno pričao o prvom svesku (Doktrina paganizma).

Nekidan je izašao još jedan intervju s autorom u kojemu se priča o drugom svesku. Moje mišljenje je da je ova tema izuzetno osjetljiva i da ju je Iolar lijepo pokrio. Očito je da se trebalo sve požurivati i kratiti kako bi se sve stiglo pojasniti u kratkom vremenskom periodu, ali usprkos tome cijela priča ima glavu i rep. Naravno, ovaj video nikako ne može pružiti sve informacije koje knjiga pruža. Dapače, potrebno je pročitati puno više knjiga kako bi se dobila potpuna slika o magiji i kako bi ju se u cijelosti razumjelo. No, ovaj video je solidan početak. 

Moram priznati da mi je bilo drago čuti Iolara kako ruši neke stereotipe i hrabro izlazi u javnost s temom koja je toliko stigmatizirana. Svaka čast autoru!

A sada vas puštam da neometano uživate u intervjuu. :)

Eksterna poveznica: HRT - Paganizam, magija i vještičarenje (3.11.2014.)