Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1916-12-24 | Page 22 | The Magic of Mistletoe

t 1 The M a of M IS ISBy 1 T i r. r s By Genevieve Kemble ERI no o emblem of PERHAPS is invested with so much of or charm or religious significance branch known as 1 as the sacred sz J i the mistletoe With its ita curious habits t and properties Its mystical symbolIsm symbol symbol- i 5 ism few Its quaint traditions it is both t weird and romantic t 1 To the occultist the mystic the k 7 f o student of ot religions o it is a treasure treasure- r 5 i 1 trove trovo taking him far back on therl the e rl tides of time for all races nations I t end and faiths have hae their myths a and d phi I correspondent to the cult 0 of the Mistletoe i in Ancient Briton and based on the homage attributed to some mystical plant sacred to the t deity in manifestation the manifestation the word r rs' rs r made flesh c Scoured In the ver very wellsprings of i w pagan antiquity the mistletoe has f j become a cherished token of ot ChristA Christmas Christ Christ- and and A mas mss festivity it romance though its traditions long antedate 0 i the birth of Christ and of Chrisian- Chrisian J. J f it Ity r according to some scholars the thet t t ver very names Christ and nd Christmas t spring from the Celtic radicals Cris holy holy pure or Cristo the Cristo-the the Sun Sun for for z J among the Druids tho the gathering of or the mistletoe was the holiest episode h In the grand annual festival Instituted V- V In honor of ot the birth of the c New Sun Son being consecrated y to new born infants and to the spiritual spiritual spirit spirit- r ual idea of ot marriage The Tho ceremony was pre precursor cur t. t sor to the holy sacrifice of or the mass for a 0 mystical beverage was brewed i d from the mistletoe and devoutly 1 J f Ws w-Ws S S S S SY f-f f 1 Y served to the congregations In the temple groves gro in honor of the merging merging merge ing of soul an and spirit In the super super- mundane world and of the union of ot otman man and woman In the earth Further Into this rich fl field ld of verbal verbal ver ver- bal antecedents and fostering the essential essential es cs es- es idea of unity oneness wholeness wholeness whole whole- ness of the tho principle life in many manifestations we trace our words wife wide wino wine and wisdom Kus meaning kiss or concord peace union brings us straight to the part parent par ent ont source of ot our QUI popular a acceptance of the mistletoe e and the privilege Wy Vy also In life manifesting In Humanity hu Hu- humanity manity hence wy-f wy the woman who gives birth to life and wy wy-ii to bless to consecrate Thence comes the Gaelic oui out we us the whole also an affirmative and gui gul or guy the French word ord for mistletoe While in ancient times times' garlands and bouquets of the weird plant were hung in taverns and doorways toward to toward toward ward off evil and by many worn as asan asan asan an amulet attracting attracting- good Influences This aversion doubtless sprung from froma a Christian prejudice against a plant deemed sacred by the pagans a legend of the monks holding that the mistletoe bough was cursed and never again permitted to grow as an independent growth since it had been the tree from which was fashioned fashioned fash fash- the cross of the crucifixion In the west of England mistletoe is not allowed to enter into church decorations f W I N f I f hN N I