Blinded By the Light - The Occult of Roman Catholicism

Holly

Holly was also associated with the sun god in ancient Rome. It was the custom
of the people to place holly leaves and branches inside their homes during winter.
They believed that the fairies inhabiting the forest would come into their houses
and use the holly as shelter against the cold.

To the Druids, it was holly's evergreen nature that made it sacred. They believed
that it remained green to help keep the earth beautiful when trees such as the
oak, (which they also held sacred) shed their leaves. It was also their custom to
wear it in their hair when they ventured into the forests to watch the priests
collecting mistletoe.

Holly was considered to be a fertility symbol. To some, like the Druids, the red
holly berries were thought to represent the sacred menstrual blood of the Mother
goddess. To those that practiced Saturnalia, they had a different meaning.

ìThe custom of hanging Holly and Ivy was to pay homage to

the spirits that would bring life and fertility into the home.

The red berries on the holly was for mans sexuality (the

hanging of round balls on a tree represented the same), the

ivy for a woman around him. The green leaves represented

the mans potency and the berries the life. In combination

with the female ivy, it promised new life and fertility to the

entire household for the year to come.î 3

Some ancient religions also used holly for protection. They would adorn their
doors and windows in the hopes that the holly would capture, or at least repel, any
evil spirits before they could enter the house.

ìHolly and ivy, as plants that could protect the occupants

from malevolent wandering spirits (demons), decorated many

medieval homes during the late winter.î 4

To avoid persecution from the Pagans during the Saturnalia festival, the early
Christians that were part of the ecumenical move of Constantine decked their
homes with holly.

This is similar to the practice of todayís lukewarm Christians.

There are Christians that know the truth about Christmas, but they are not willing
to suffer the reproach for standing in the truth about what the origins of this
celebration. So they decorate their homes and churches with the same Saturnalia
trappings.