Druid sabbatical and thoughts on capitalist commercialism (even in a pandemic)...

 I cannot believe it is December 6th already. This year had such wibbly-wobbly time dilation that I feel like I am still in the long months of late summer...

from Wikicommons, public license

My family and I went on "Druid Sabbatical" around Samhain, which means we are living off of our food storage, our medicine storage, and our firewood storage. What started out as an experiment to discover how our Celtic and Indo-European ancestors lived during the Dark Half of the Year has now turned into a self-chosen shelter-in-place to protect ourselves/others from the pandemic that has raged out of control in this country

As we approach Jul (Skål for jul!), I am noticing that my body is instinctively adjusting to the different demands and responsibilities on my time & energy. Crafts and music and reading have been my go-to hobbies and forms of stress-release, and I LOVE IT!

I've also noticed a strange "splitting" as we get more into the holiday season. I am excited to set up the tannenbaum and lights next weekend with my family, but the capitalist aspects and advertising are causing a frenetic energy that I am NOT comfortable with. I am working on handmade gifts for friends and loved ones, but scrolling through Facebook and seeing ads for really beautiful things feels like a "hit" to my personal shield. Ugh.

I've been journaling regularly, to keep the memories of this life-altering time, and I appreciate the keen awareness this has brought.

How are you all dealing with this, lovely readers?