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Saturnalia: Christmas in the Waiting​
​
By Mark Storer


“The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove; from every part of which, bright gleaming berries glistened. The crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe, and ivy reflected back the light, as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there; and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney, as that dull petrification of a hearth had never known in Scrooge’s time, or Marley’s, or for many and many a winter season gone…” 
–Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Saturnalia was a widely celebrated Roman and Pagan holiday before Christianity spread across the west. Usually held in mid-December, the roots of the holiday go deep into the heart of agriculture at the time, originating as a way to celebrate and even worship ‘the unconquered sun,’ a term used to invoke a sort of optimism that spring was once here, and so it will be again. Saturnalia’s link to Christmas in the modern world is simply impossible to ignore, as its rituals and traditions continue to this very day wherever Christmas is celebrated.

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Your donation pays for a full year of New PRS Journal excellence, including exclusive access to a subscriber content—rare unpublished articles, and new writing by experts in their fields, poetry, and book reviews. Initiation is a beginning, and an end – the initiate enters a new life as a member of a select group, but ends their old life. Nothing can be the same again. We ask you to join the PRS mission to reveal the light of ancient wisdom.

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​The New Journal also needs your writing. We are presently interested in articles about these topics: 
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  • HOME
  • ABOUT PRS
    • Manly P. Hall >
      • Manly Hall, A Personal Perspective
    • PRS Board & Staff
    • Contributing Artists >
      • Guy Blakeslee
      • John Bucher
      • Sandra del Castillo
      • Devon Deimler
      • Edgar Fabian Frias
      • Mandy Kahn
      • David Orr
      • Marina Pacowski
      • Stephen Reedy
      • Fahad Siadat
      • Eliza Swann
    • Press
  • EVENTS
    • Past Events
    • Online Classes
    • Videos on Demand
  • EXHIBITIONS
  • Library
  • PRS Journal
    • Past Issues >
      • India
      • Winter Festivals
      • Water
      • The Veil
      • Harvest
      • Fire
      • Moon
      • Solar
      • Rebirth
    • Journal Subscribers >
      • Current Issue
      • Past Issues >
        • December - Winter Festivals
        • November - Water
        • October - The Veil
        • September-Harvest
        • August - Fire
        • July - Moon
        • June - Solar
        • May - Rebirth
    • Journal Submissions
  • Shop
    • New Arrivals
    • Best Sellers
    • PRS Merch
    • Books by Manly P. Hall >
      • The Secret Teachings
      • The Signature Editions
      • New Editions for Contemporary Seekers
      • Vintage Lecture Notes
      • MPH Essays
      • MPH Book SALE
      • Manly P. Hall Book Bundles
    • MPH Audio >
      • MPH Collection at BetterListen.com
    • MPH E-Books
    • Reprint Series curated by MPH
    • Books and Catalogs >
      • Dr. Obadiah Harris
    • Gifts & Curiosities >
      • Gift Cards
    • Tote Bags
    • Rare and Used Books
    • Symbolic Prints and Posters
    • Tarot, Oracle, and Affirmation Decks
    • Curbside Pickup
    • Shipping Update
  • Support
    • Volunteer
    • Roof Restoration Fundraiser
  • Rentals