Happy Yule!

WHETHER you are a friend, a comrade-in-arms or even a mere acquaintance, I would like to wish you all a very joyful Winter Solstice. Without sounding too high and mighty I do hope that some of you will try to find a moment or two in which to reflect at this time of year, switching off from the incessant noise of modernity in a serious effort to discover who you really are and what lies beyond the daily grind of mass media trivia, fabricated 'culture wars' and various other mental snares. Less a case of 'out with the old and in with the new,' than a form of conscious prioritising to re-establish the kind of balance that will enable you to deal with the inevitable obstacles that lie ahead. Meaningful conversation, walking in nature, studying books, meditating in silence, staring at candles for no apparent reason... these are the things that will allow us to carve open the intellectual and psychological space in which to negotiate our way out of the trap. Wes þu hál!