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“Come closer, cried the Sea… Come closer, follow me…. Let me show you what you’ll be… if you’ll only follow me…” From Water Song, by Kapito
Amidst the hustle bustle of the Holiday season, whether shopping for Hanukkah or Christmas (or like me – both,) finding the time to primp and prepare your hair, your face, your home and your family for the arrival of relatives, loved ones and mortal enemies, where do we find time for yourselves?
Today begins what is known as the Halcyon Days, a period starting one week before the Winter Solstice and ending one week after. Mythology ties this period to both an agreed settling down of Nature’s forces itself and, during a time when we were so much more tied to Mother Earth, of ourselves.
The origin of the term
In ancient Greek Mythology, Aeolus was god of the winds, worshiped and feared by sailors for rough seas or withheld gusts. His daughter was the beautiful Alcyone, who fell in love with a mortal, a seafaring king by the name of Ceyx. During a particularly rough sea passage, Ceyx’s ship sunk, dragging him under to the depths. Distraught, Alcyone (or Halcyone) dove in after him and disappeared.
Because of the love that Halcyone showed for Ceyx, the gods were touched, and decided to transform the two of them into birds, so they could always be together in flight, safely above the rough seas. Aeolus agreed to maintain the seas calm for a two-week period each year, enabling Halcyone and Ceyx to nest on the water and lay eggs. The myth is tied to the Kingfisher bird, from the Greek Hals (the Sea) and Kuo (Brood on,) although the bird actually breeds in the Spring, and nests near the water, not on it.
What Halcyon Days means today
To this day, the myth of the two airborne lovers persists with sailors, who know the end of December as the Halcyon Days, tied to a period of calmer seas and good fishing. In modern times, the term Halcyon Days is used to describe the “good old days,” or times in the past when the going was good, or easier for us.
Of course we can relax a bit when the Holiday season is over, and we are surrounded by opened boxes and dirty plates. Everyone has finally gone back home, and we can finally quit sucking in our gut and wipe all that makeup off. We can get that great outfit drycleaned and hung back up, and contemplate how to lose those extra pounds. But what about now? How do we find a way to calm the tumultuous currents we are experiencing now, before the guests arrive?
10 relaxation techniques
From WebMD, I found 10 practical methods of relaxing, and will paraphrase them here, along with some of my own advice…
As a goddess, Alcyone could not control what her mortal lover Ceyx did. He had to be who he was, and I am sure it was stressful for Alcyone to see him being tossed about on the ocean. We can’t control everything going on around us, but we can control how we deal with it. So go find some candles and soft music, put on the PJs and get the massager. You are worth it, you know…
While plunging headfirst into your Holiday preparations, try adding in some of these techniques, and see if your mental load lightens a bit, and some of that Holiday cheer comes back into your life, to carry you aloft. Let me know which techniques worked the best for you, and what you did to improve on them.
Happy Holidays, and may you find calm seas upon which to hatch new ideas…
Steve
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March 29th, 2010 at 6:15 am
Hi, Piter
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