I have decreed that today will be a day of busy-ness. The house really needs a good, thorough cleaning before the Solstice arrives and my sanity departs, and there are Solstice cards to get out. I may also pay some bills and get a little more Solstice shopping in before my meeting tonight with Thalia (long overdue, I might add!).

I picked out three designs for varying degrees of Pagan tolerance, but my favorite shows an old wood cut of the sun looking down over a snowy village and saying, “Contrary to popular opinion, I’m the reason for your holiday season.” The back of the card says, “December 25, by the Julian Calendar, was the winter solstice. This day, originally regarded by the Pagans as the day of the nativity of the sun — the shortest day of the year, when the light began its conquering battle against the darkness — has been celebrated universally throughout human history.

Even being adopted by Christians as a day on which to celebrate the birthday of Jesus, this ancient holiday, set by motions of celestial bodies, survives as a day of rejoicing that good will and love will have a perpetual rebirth in the minds of all people — even as the sun has a symbolic rebirth yearly.”

My next favorite looks like this:

And has a quote from Diane Ackerman: “…I swear I will not dishonor my soul with hatred, but offer myself humbly as a guardian of nature, as a healer of misery, as a messenger of wonder, as an architect of peace…”

So anyway, if I don’t already have your address and you would like a card, please email me your address.

And without further ado, I must go back to cleaning and disinfecting. This house sounds like a hospital ward right now, so it might as well smell like one. (Lots o’ sick family members)