How is it possible that the end of Mayan Calendar is linked to The Hobbit, which, in turn, has shades of religion, which, in turn has something to do with the holiday season? This week, writer Damon Orion attempts to assemble the puzzle pieces in his insightful essay. Learn more about how myth and archetypes have become so embedded into our culture.

And there’s no shortage of other inspiration this time of year. That is especially true when it comes to Santa Cruzan Cassidy Clawson. Jazzed to make a positive difference, the local founded Workaday Media, a volunteer-based nonprofit that generates free web-based career education videos and activities that can be used in high school classrooms

This is traditionally such a busy and chaotic time of year for so many of us. Regardless of whether or not you align yourself with any particular spiritual or religious path and its seasonal celebrations, it seems that the general pace picks up all around us, and we’re often caught up despite our best efforts. And wouldn’t you know it, right in the thick of it comes another poker in the fire. I don’t know if you heard or not, but this weekend is kind of a big deal, and it pretty much blows everything else out of the celebratory water.

According to the Mayans (the formerly living Mayans—there are not any actual Mayans left), Friday is the end of the world! This Friday—Dec. 21.

Editor’s Note: In the wake of the elementary school shooting that took place on Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn.,  Rev. Deborah L. Johnson, founder of Inner Light Ministries, has issued the following statement:

The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut is a tragedy. Inner Light Ministries and I extend our condolences and join in the chorus of prayers around the world. Flags on our government buildings fly half-mast as the nation grieves. Yes, we are all deeply saddened, but we must do more than mourn. We must act in accordance with a sense of purpose to be a voice of both compassion and action. It is time to call forth the best in our creative genius to create the world we want to see, the world that honors life as sacred and empowers people to be all that they can be. 

Nuclear power. I lived in Japan for over 20 years and I'm really shocked at how few people remember that the Fukushima Nuclear Plant accident just happened a year and a half ago. It's still leaking and it's really sad how the news is being covered up, and I think it's a really important issue. I don’t know how President Obama is responding to it these days, but I was surprised how he believed that the United States needed more nuclear power plants.
Thia Tsuruta
Aptos | Homemaker

Thursday’s Sagittarius new moon—the last of 2012—prepares us for Winter Solstice and the Festival Week of the New Group of World Servers. Uranus becomes stationary direct (4.37 Aries) Thursday. The New Age is right on schedule. In the sky Thursday and Friday are the Geminids meteor showers (possibly 50 an hour) dropping light into the minds of humanity, building the Rainbow Bridge. Anticipation, expectancy, hope is everywhere. 

Unless you plan to trek to the mountains any time soon for some white wonder, you may want to consider attending Snow Night this year. It comes to life around dusk on Thursday, Dec. 6 in Downtown Santa Cruz. The popular outing typically draws a large crowd and is always festive. This year: 35 tons of snow will be dropped on the corner of Cooper Street and Pacific Avenue. Snowball making is encouraged. Bring gloves. Wear boots. Don a scarf. Have a ball. (Learn more at downtownsantacruz.com.)

I would like to see another restaurant. I'm real partial to pizza, but more kid-friendly food, too. Something with a variety of choices.
Haley Costa
Santa Cruz | Freelance Nanny 

We’re in the season of gifting, a holiday ritual that, for some, brings terror (What do I give? Who am I? What do they like? I have no money!), and for others it’s a way of being festive, showing gratitude, participating with family, friends and loved ones and giving all we have unconditionally. 

It’s a busy time of year and we may feel like we are being pulled in a thousand different directions. At the top of the list of to-dos is this reminder: Express gratitude. It’s a good reminder but I always like to chase it back with a shot of “count your blessings,” too. In other words: Take a look around, check in and see if you’re taking anyone or anything for granted. Let’s face it, we lead busy lives—so much so that we can lose track of the people and things that actually make our lives vibrant. The following three questions were recently presented to me and I’ll share them with you.

I think it's looking better than it was in 2012. I'm about to get into the job market in another month, after I graduate, and I'm not really that scared about it. Ryan Freund
Santa Cruz | Student