Dunthor.com - Capricorn 2003

About Capricorn

The mountain goat or more anciently, the sea-goat, represents Capricorn. The Babylonian God, Ea, was depicted as half fish and half goat. He was the god of wisdom who brought the arts of civilization: agriculture, astronomy, mathematics, reading, writing, architecture and medicine to mankind from the depths of the ocean. Capricorn represents discipline, responsibility and practicality as seen in the mountain goat who scales the most difficult peaks. Capricorn can also be pessimistic, overly conventional, rigid and materialistic. Capricorn is an earth sign and therefore has yin or feminine energy.

I see Capricorn's motivating desire in terms of striving to achieve a goal. To the goat, fulfillment is always over the next peak. Capricorn heroism is not the glorious charge of Aries or the grass-roots humanitarianism of Aquarius. Capricorn heroism is the dogged determination to use one’s skills for a practical cause; a need to give of oneself to posterity. Good examples are Republican President Richard Nixon stubbornly advocating unpopular-liberal-sounding National health and education plans or Catholic Mother Superior Frances Xavier Cabrini who, despite numerous difficulties, used her practical spirituality and administrative acumen to open over fifty schools, orphanages and hospitals from New York to Nicaragua.

Capricorn's time of year is winter. This is when we celebrate our family and religious traditions by gathering with our family and friends. We collectively look back on the past year and forward to the New Year. Discovering more about our traditions and celebrating our own family heritage is very much a Capricorn activity. Go ahead and watch some Christmas shows together but take some time to tell your own family stories, too.

The monthly installment of The Great Astrological Light Bulb Joke:

Question: How many Capricorns does it take to change a light bulb?

Capricorn: I don't waste my time with these childish jokes.

Note: I have no idea who originally wrote this. Erika sent it to me years ago and I still think it’s as funny as it is insightful!

Inga's Celebration Calendar

Dec 21 - Winter Solstice: The Sun enters Capricorn on the Winter Solstice. This is the shortest day of the year as well as the traditional Yule Festival. This is the time when the people of the Northern Hemisphere celebrate birth and renewal. Egyptians celebrated the birth of Horus, the Greeks celebrated the birth of Apollo, the Persians celebrated the birth of Mithras, and the Romans celebrated the birth of Sol Invictus. The festival of Sol Invictus lasted until December 25^th. Christianity eventually supplanted the Solar Cult and in the fourth century, the Christian Emperor, Constantine, issued a royal decree making December 25^th the commemoration of the birth of Jesus the Christ.

Click on these websites devoted to Solstice and Yule Celebration:

"Here Comes the Sun - Celebrate Winter Solstice with lights, lore, and rituals" by Waverly Fitzgerald

"Saturnalia - Winter Solstice in Pagan Rome" by Selena Fox

The Winter Solstice, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

December 23^rdis a New Moon: The Moon and Sun are conjunct in the sky. The moon is dark and gradually increases to a crescent. This is the time to begin a ritual involving a new project, to ask for new vision.

Dec 25 - Christmas: From the History Channel website - “The Mesopotamians celebrated the end of the year by supporting the god Marduk in his annual battle with the powers of chaos. At the Zagmuk festival celebrating Marduk's success, gifts were exchanged. The Xmas Story says: “Christmas began there in Mesopotamia over 4000 years ago as the festival which renewed the world for another year. The "Twelve Days" of Christmas; the bright fires and probably the Yule log; the giving of presents; carnivals with their floats; merrymakings and clownings; the mummers singing and playing from house to house; the feastings; church processions with their lights and song-- all these and more began there centuries before Christ was born.” To learn more, visit The History Channel website.

Dec 25 - Kwanzaa: From the Kwanzaa Information Center - “Kwanzaa is a spiritual, festive and joyous celebration of the oneness and goodness of life, which claims no ties with any religion.”

“The focus of Kwanzaa is centered around the seven principles (Nguzo Saba) with particular emphasis on the unity of our Black families. It is a time for gathering of our families, and for a rededication to manifesting the principles of Kwanzaa as a way of life for Black Americans.” To learn more, visit the Kwanzaa Information Center website.

Dec 31 - New Year's Eve

Jan 1 - New Year's Day

Jan 5 - Twelfth Night: This is the Evening before Epiphany. It marks the end of the 12-day season of Christmas festivities. Children would leave their shoes in front of the door to be filled with sweets. It commemorates the three wise men visiting the infant Jesus. Custom was that people had a King of Bean and sometimes a Queen, on Twelfth Night to preside over the revelries for the end of the season. The King and Queen were the pair who found a special bean found inside a cake called a gateau des rois. Europeans celebrate Twelfth Night by going out to sing and wassail or drink to the health of their neighbors, animals and orchards.

Click here to read a review on The Washington Post's website of the latest movie from Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night”.

Jan 7th is a Full Moon: The Moon and Sun are opposite each other in the sky. The Moon reflects all of the Sun's light. This is the time to perform rituals for protection, clarity of vision and consecration. Names for the January Moons include Chaste Moon, Cold Moon, Disting Moon, Moon of Little Winter, Quiet Moon, Snow Moon, and Wolf Moon.

Jan 12 - Stephen Foster Memorial Day: Click here to read about America's first professional songwriter on the Center for American Music at the University of Pittsburg.

Jan 14 is National Clean off your Desk Day: To learn more, click here to visit the Christian Science Monitor website.

Jan 16 is Prohibition Remembrance Day: Here are a couple of websites devoted to America’s first “War on Drugs” -

Click here to read about "Prohibition" on Encarta.

Click here to read "Alcohol Prohibition Was A Failure" by Mark Thornton

Jan 17 is Benjamin Franklin's Birthday

Jan 19 is Robert E. Lee Day: To learn more about General Lee on the Encarta website, click here.

About Arlington National Cemetery, Lee’s former home: “On a Virginia hillside rising above the Potomac River and overlooking Washington, D.C., stands Arlington House. The 19th-century mansion seems out of place amid the more than 250,000 military gravesites that stretch out around it. Yet, when construction began in 1802, the estate was not intended to be a national cemetery…”

Jan 21 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1929-1968): “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. If you can't be a pine at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. Be the best little shrub on the side of the hill.” — From the estate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Click here to see The Seattle Times' webpage devoted to MLK Day.

Inga's Space

Scott took me to see "The Planets" by Holst for my birthday. We have listened to these pieces a hundred times on CD but I felt like I was hearing them for the first time. Holst’s insights about Mercury come through clearly in the live performance. The theme begins in one area of the orchestra and then is passed along to another with variations. It was like watching a musical game of telephone. Neptune ends with a chorus of women’s voices. The choir was tucked up in a back balcony and you couldn’t see where the sound was coming from. It was very ethereal with the disembodied sound perfectly appropriate for Neptune. None of these effects are possible to hear on a recording.

To read about "The Planets" at the Seattle Symphony’s website, click here.

I just finished reading "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Well, I didn’t actually read it; I listened to it on my Otis MP3 player from Audible.com. This book is a good mystery and a great way to tie together all the Holy Grail, Templar, and Goddess mythology that has been carried down through the ages in European culture. Make sure you get the unabridged version – I have both versions and the abridged cuts out all the historical background information. Then you can move along to the rest of my booklist. The underlined titles are links to reviews on our Reading Room page:

Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln & Richard Leigh
The Messianic Legacy by Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln & Richard Leigh
Magi : The Quest for a Secret Tradition by Adrian G. Gilbert
The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future by Riane Eisler
The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine by Margaret Starbird
The Moon Beneath Her Feet by Clysta Kinstler

I am scheduling jewelry shows for 2004. I would love to participate with other artists or to combine a jewelry show with a housewarming or holiday party. Here is the deal:

Enjoy a fun, personal shopping experience at home with your friends . . . when you host a jewelry home party.
You’ll earn FREE gemstone jewelry designed and handcrafted by me.
Powerful gemstones wrapped in Sterling silver and 14k rolled gold.
Heirloom quality necklaces, bracelets and rings.
Creatively combined bead and gemstone jewelry.
Gorgeous, one-of-a-kind gifts to give!
Free gift box with tarnish resistant cotton for each jewelry item purchased.
Prices begin at $2.
Custom orders welcome!
Cash and Checks accepted.
Visa, and MasterCard accepted via Paypal.

Schedule your Jewelry Home Party today!

For the host: $25 of FREE jewelry!
Plus . . . an additional discount of . . .
15% of your guest total of $800+, or
10% of your guest total of $100-$799.
Plus . . . another $10 of FREE jewelry for each party booked from your party! (redeemable at or after that party)
Plus . . . another $10 of free jewelry if you have 20 or more guests!

Just give me a call or e-mail me: Idthornell@dunthor.com

Letters from our Readers

We think of this newsletter as a community forum. You, our friends and clients, are welcome to participate. We celebrate diversity and we'll print whatever you send in be it Wiccan, Christian, Pagan, New Age, etc., as long as it reflects Love. You may choose a one-time holiday to write about or have a regular column. We'll give you space and a byline! Please send in your own book reviews, ideas for rituals, ideas about stones, your journal excerpts, your experiences and most of all, ask us questions. We love answering questions!

From Laurie: Do you know what would have happened if it had been Three Wise Women instead of Three Wise Men?

They would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts.

From Peg: Hi everyone - regardless of religion - as this song can be soooooooo aggravating in endless repetition in MY head, I thought you might enjoy the history. Merry Christmas, Happy Belated Hanukkah, Happy Winter Solstice, etc.....

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.

The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles' Creed.

Merry Christmas!

The Duncan Domain

Well, what a year it has been, eh? It certainly has been rich with challenges and blessings for me. I've been through so much this year that I had to sit down and chart it out to reflect properly on it all. Here's a summary of what I came up with:

Challenges	Blessings
Coping with a very formidable Capricorn boss at work under very stressful business conditions	Healing my codependency by truly understanding that I'm not responsible for the moods and problems of others. Instead, I focus on my own issues while setting and maintaining an effective boundary that holds the energy of others at arms' length thus giving me a chance to decide on what to let in and what to block. In this mode, I can be more effective in helping others while conserving my strength for issues that I really want to heal.
Being forced to layoff more of my friends and associates at work	Recognizing that each of us is on our own unique journey and I'm only truly responsible for mine. Instead of worrying about people I care about, I use my energy constructively to support them in discovering their own blessings.
Having my office at work turn into a mold farm due to wet carpeting thus putting me into allergy hell	Learning from my allergist that my battles with depression were being caused by my mold allergies vs. me losing my mind due to all the stress at work.
Not being able to get motivated to walk each day and burn enough calories	The adoption of Freya brought a loving, eager playfulness into our home. With her, we walk every night without fail and have fun. It is no longer a chore.
Being laid off myself at work a few days before Christmas 2003	Letting go and trusting the Universe to place me where it needs me most along with providing for our household.
Watching the Bush Administration a) systematically attacking our American Constitution; b) warmongering; c) methodically selling out the environment and just about everything else to their big business buddies and d) and perpetuating a culture of fear to justify it all.	This particular issue has been very upsetting due to my feeling powerless to do much of anything about it except worry. I've since channeled that energy into more constructive forms: discussing with friends what's truly at stake, putting the issues into historical perspective, brainstorming on what we can do that will be effective, helping to expand people's worldviews, dispelling fear and anxiety, etc. Clearly, there is much work to be done.
Having to work in a very intense environment of fear, uncertainty and doubt for two years.	Learning how to effectively create a sphere of Light within the darkness from which I can operate independently from such negative emotions.
Letting myself become physically and emotionally drained by the stressful environment at work	This year, it took two week long motorcycle rides to unwind and to experience spiritual breakthroughs. I practiced letting go of unproductive energies, clearing attachments and keeping myself clean, staying in the moment, and listening to my intuition and guides. This year, I really feel like my spirituality has become truly functional. For the first time in my life, I can directly, and immediately, control my emotional state so depression no longer rules me.

I see a lot of subjects in the table above that I can expand upon in upcoming issues. Drop me a line if anything in particular catches your eye and I'll tackle that issue sooner vs. later. Thanks to all my friends and family, corporeal and non-corporeal, human and non-human, for the love and the friendship we've shared in 2003. May 2004 be rich in blessings for all of us! -- sbd */:-)

Capricorn 2003 Edition

About Capricorn	Letters from our Readers
Inga's Celebration Calendar	The Monthly Dunthor Open House
Stone of the Sign	The Duncan Domain
Inga's Space	New and Updated Pages on our Website