Celebrate the Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is on December 21 this year. This date marks the shortest daylight moment, the longest night's dark, and the official start of winter.

Revena and the people of the Duchy of Bavaria celebrated The Night of the Mothers and Geol (Yule.) 

The Night of the Mothers is on the eve of the winter solstice and honors the triple female deity. While in Roman and Greek pantheons, the Sun is masculine, in ancient Germanic and earlier Europen Celtic traditions, she is referred to as The Mother Sun. In the Bavarian Alpine regions, she is embodied as the Percht, "the bright one" and predates the Krampus.

Yule has a long and documented history in Europe. It has informed many religious traditions such as Nordic folklore (Yule is one of Odin's names) and the Christmas customs we follow today.

We can participate in centuries-old rituals anywhere by sitting with the darkness and contemplating what it means in the cycle of our lives. Watch the setting sun, turn off the lights for an hour, or clean your fireplace. 

Use a smudge bundle you made last year to clean out any lingering bad feelings in your home.

Smudge bundles can be made with herbs found at most grocery stores. Use rosemary, sage, and bay leaves. Holly and evergreen sprigs enhance the magic. Tightly wrap your choices with green or red natural strings such as cotton or hemp. Hang them to dry until next year.

Inspire and encourage The Sun's return by watching the sunrise, lighting a new log you saved from last year, and setting as many candles as possible aglow.

If you are near a body of salt water, fill a bottle before sunrise and allow the new light to infuse your own personal holy water with its energy and magic. You can do the same with a clear or yellow crystal to carry a bit of the "bright one" with you in your pocket.

Foods for your feast can include roast pork, fruit competes, and ales, and if you are feeling particularly inclined to ancient traditions, include a blood wurst that harkens back to sacrifice. 

Don't forget to honor the trees. When I was young, we decorated our tree on Christmas Eve with candles, sparklers, and small wrapped chocolates. You can decorate any tree native to your area as all trees are sacred. Consider donating to a charity that plants trees.

blackout rules

Winter seeped into the stone walls, the thick wooden floors, the still air. We put our frozen mittens on the sill of the kitchen window. Ice clung to their woolen fibers. It only melted in the brief sunshine that hit the southern wall in the afternoon. The light through the thick panes of glass magnified a circle on the floor occupied by a dozing kitten. The war required blackout rules. No fires in stoves. No oil lamps lit. During the day, it was bright enough, especially with the sun bouncing off the snow, knee deep in the pastures, shoulder deep in drifts blown into corners.

We left a path from the woods. Footprints and evergreen needles alleviated the dull white on white landscape. Into the forest we went, early in the morning to take advantage of the light, to get our tree. We cut down the perfect Fir like we do every year. Only this year, there would be no candles on the tree. No sparklers allowed.

It stood center stage in the middle room. Tangy-sweet, rich evergreen scented our breath clouds. Hand-made glass ornaments, a Robin’s nest with three blue eggs and red ribbons tied in bows decorated its branches. I sat on the bed, wrapped in a feather quilt to keep me warm and stared at the tree while illumination still glinted on bulbs.

We gathered in the front room, close together. We ate liver, bread dumplings in a chicken broth. We ate in silence. Except for my Ur-Opa who snored in his back bedroom. We ate warm apple strudel drenched in honey. It had been a whole year since we had sweets. Normally, the honey from the combs in the orchard was sold for what little money we could get.

I layered several sweaters under my red wool coat. I slipped my reindeer boots lined with rabbit fur over three pairs of wool socks. My uncle Viktor brought the boots home with him from Norway after he had been shot in the left leg. His knee was shattered and he could no longer march so they sent him home. He felt a certain shame in not dying for the Fatherland but we were glad to have him back. My five other uncles all died on frozen battlefields in places that sounded like fairytale lands: Kursk, Westerplatte, Nibeiwa, Narvik, Gembloux.

We went out into the black night to see the stars, The Star, shining just beyond the reach of my fingers.

Christmas Eve in the dark.

We stood in the chamomile field, in the silent night. I wanted to sing. We always sang on this night. I opened my mouth. A buzz rolled through the mountain peaks. At first, I couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from. It seemed to be everywhere at once and then I saw bright lights moving across the sky, a triangle of lights, a moving celestial tree. I clapped and laughed. My Ur-Oma grabbed my wrist, pulled me along behind her. I wanted to stay to see the Christmas spectacle.

Whistling followed us into the hall. The walls vibrated and shook as we sheltered in a corner. The bombs landed high in the alps.

what sort of foolishness are you expecting today?

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"foolishness" 20130323 (c) vanessa v kilmer 

gel pen on copy paper

Flash 55 - 5 Thoughts

Dear Diary (c) Vanessa V. Kilmer 20140214

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Interesting that we commercialize a day of LOVE on a day whose HISTORY is full of DEATH.

TURN OFF THE BOOB TUBE…

Yes, I’m finally sick of snow!

My list of “Mortal Enemies” remained empty my whole life until 2013.

2014 adds up to 7 which we all know is a very, very lucky number.

Play with the G-Man and treat him better than I have.

Happy Thanksgiving

There's always something to be thankful for ...

Find turkeys from Thanksgivings past
and please LIKE my page. 

Labor Day

wake up 
the day is over

there’s  
demands, wants
favors, needs
pleases, haves
theirs

one blink
between a sigh

 

Merry Meet & Blessed Be!

 

Hair-raising Hare

Scary Bunny says, "Happy Easter!"

Happy Birthday, Quilly!

What do you call a mischievious egg?

A practical yolker.

Merry Meet and Blessed Be

cackleberry

What day do chickens hate most?

Merry Meet and Blessed Be

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Rabbit, Rabbit – Free To Be Me

13 things I like about being an American.

1. Moms
2. Apple Pie
3. Guns
4. Free Speech
5. Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
6. Fireflys
7. Fire Works
8. 31 Flavors
9. Monday Holidays
10. Red JELL-O
11. JELL-O Shots
12. Beer Pong
13. Rehab

~ Check Out Other Equally Humorous 13's ~

       

Hungry? iliza shlesinger

I wrote a memo yesterday at work. I rarely talk about my work. You can get in trouble for that sort of thing.¹  

So, I wrote this memo. It began like this, “…claims for missing items are eating our lunch…” Not one of my employees, who range greatly in age, gender²,³ and geographic origin, has heard this saying.

Have you?*

¹ I probably wouldn’t get in trouble but why take the chance. My dog likes to eat well.  

² we have four

³ I’m trying to be inclusive since June is Gay and Lesbian Pride Month and I like rainbows

* I even googled and couldn’t find the saying.

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Happy Februa

If you do not wish to celebrate Valentine's Day, perhaps you'd prefer the eve of Februa.


As I'm sure you've guessed, we got the name of the month of February from this ancient Sabine festival of cleansing. Sabines were an ancient people of central Italy, conquered and assimilated by the Romans in 290 BC.


This festival was associated with the beginning of Spring and had to do with purging, cleansing with water and Spring rains. The Latin word itself may have had an Etruscan origin. 


Etruscans were a group of people also from central Italy, who ruled Rome until 509 BC when the Romans expelled them from the city and conquered them. Many of the things we consider Roman, such as frescoes, are actually Etruscan in origin.


In Roman and earlier Etruscan mythology, Februus was the god of the dead and purification. Sacrifices were made at this time of year to atone for sins.


Februa became included and confused with the Roman festival of Lupercalia. They were initially the same kind of celebration but once the Romans took over, the festival celebration for this time of year became one of merriment and kinky sexual play.


During the festival of Lupercalia, men run around wiping people, especially women, with goat-skin thongs called februa (purifiers) to bring fertility and an easy childbirth.


In 494 AD, Pope Gelasius I introduced Candlemas or the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary to try to stop the pagan festival, which was still very popular.

Tom’s wife, from Tom & Icy fame, was born today.

Happy Birthday, Red!

A frequent visitor here who likes to remain mysterious,

would like us all to consider helping the children of Haiti by visiting

The Universal Learning Centre's Website and doing what you can.

Weekend Reflections @ The “other” Chrysalis Stage

Golden Tiger @ Esoteric Uncovered

Wreath

Longwood Gardens, PA

December 30, 2007

Photograph copyright Vanessa V. Kilmer

Delayed Gratification

"Independence Hall" Philadelphia, PA 07-07-07
Copyright 2007 Vanessa V. Kilmer

We postponed leaving for the campground until tomorrow.
Let the celebrations begin.

Happy Independence Day!

ABC Wednesday - F is for Fudge, Flowers, Fur and Finally Flakes

This is the Fudge cake I made for my brother's birthday.
These were my Valentine's Day Flowers.
This is The Codes with snow flakes on his fur.
And we Finally got snow.

Find other ABC Wednesday participants at Mrs. Nesbitt's Place.

Get a belly laugh at Humor-Blogs dot com.

Astrology Monthly - YOUR LOVE LIFE

As predicted, I am posting this late. Remember, this is just for fun. I will be taking some time off (a week or two.) I need to have a long stern chat with my self. We seem to be out of sync and I'm not putting up with any shenanigans. (I have multiple personalities, too.)

In honor of Valentine’s Day, February 14th, this month’s astrological predictions will be about LOVE, sort of.

Aquarius January 21 to February 19 - One would think that the water bearer would have an abundance of love overflowing and pouring onto those nearest and dearest, but unfortunately, all you Aquarians are keeping your emotional juices stoppered in your amphora’s this month. Pop a cork, already.

Pisces February 20 to March 20 - You Piscesians are always chasing the tail in front of your face. Stop swimming in circles. The whirl pools you create in your life will only suck you into the abyss where you will be eaten by sea monsters. Is that what you want?

Aries March 21 to April 20 - Telling people what they want to hear may get you through the moment but in the long run will cause confusion. You'd be better off staying quiet until you know how you really feel. Oh, and farting is not a love song.

Taurus April 21 to May 21 - Snorting and bellowing will not get you any love this month. While forcing yourself on others may seem to work, it's not really passion but stalking. If you are looking for a jailhouse romance, follow a steady course.

Gemini May 22 to June 21 - While no romance with a partner could possibly compare to the love you have for yourself, it does make it easier when dancing at parties. Get a partner, even if it is only to make you look more normal.

Cancer June 22 to July 22 - Not everyone wants to stay home all of the time with only one person to look at day and night. At the very least, going out in public will give you a reason to get out of you PJ's and your partner will feel less like a prisoner of love.

Leo July 23 to August 23 - We all know you are the royalty of the zodiac, but even kings and queens must stay in touch with reality if they do not wish to be assassinated in their sleep or poisoned at the dinner table. Telling your partner how wonderful he/she is will not mean you are less so.

Virgo August 24 to September 23 - Your partner should be your friend, but you should occasionally treat him or her as more than a friend. Either stop treating your friends like lovers or stop treating your lover as your friends. There should be some difference between the two.

Libra September 24 to October 23 - It is easy to understand why you can't make up your mind. There are just so many wonderful and interesting people in the world from which to choose. Just keep an eye on the expiration dates of your favorite little friends.

Scorpio October 24 to November 22 - Being alone is easier than wondering if you can trust your partner, but you are too quick to think everyone an enemy. Once you've let loose, it can't be taken back. Control your stinger.

Sagittarius November 23 to December 23 - Prancing around in a cupid costume will only embarrass your partner. Those smiles you see on other people's faces are really grimaces. Sometimes the funny is only in your head.

Capricorn December 24 to January 20 - Quit hiding the person you love from the rest of the world. Either bring your romance out into the open or end it. You won't find a partner that is perfect for everyone you know, so pick one that you can stomach for more than 5 minutes together.

Have a Focused and Persistent New Year

I feel like I've been away forever.

People that get what they want have goals. People that achieve their goals are people who never give up. These are the things I wish for you (and me) this year.

I have spent the last couple of weeks deciding what I want, what I really, really want (just like the Spice Girls.) I've looked at a bunch of successful people and quite frankly, if they can do it, so can I and so can you.

Let's realize our dreams this year.

Never Say Never...

...unless you want to eat your words. This morning I did something I said I would never do. I stood in line to buy a rain check from GameStop for a Wii console. I see some of you snickering at me. I deserve it, I know. I have caved to Christmas Commercialism and no one feels worse or more disappointed than me. I will now have to qualify every declarative statement I wish to make in the future, even this one.

I think I will have Sunday all to myself. I am planning on catching up one everyone's blogs and even updating my own. Thank you all for your wonderful comments and especially for reading what I write. I can't express fully how much it means to me. A special thank-you to Pauline from Glimpses Intangible who writes beautiful poetry. She has been reading my NaNoWriMo 2007 novel during this busy season and leaving comments on each section. I couldn’t have gotten a better Christmas present. If I don't see you until later:

Happy, Merry, Peace, Joy and Love.

Christmas Cards 2007

Here is this year's Christmas card design. It looks better in person (it didn't scan well because the papers are so thick.) Water color, ink, watercolor board and heavy card stock. It looks very old fashioned. You can see last year’s card HERE. I still haven't scanned the cards from previous years but I have found them (but still not my calendar.)

Front
Inside
Back

Oops, My Bad.

Minka The Ice Princess and Actonbell The Tempest in a Teapot have found my 2007 NaNoWriMo novel on their own and have made some very kind comments. If you wish to peruse the 50K+ words, you may do so HERE. Sorry for the delay. It seems the holidays are getting the best of me. I thought I had loads of time but all kinds of things are happening at once and I think my innards may become my outards. Of course, the books I’m reading are not helping my time management (shush, don’t tell anyone.) And I can’t find my calendar (where I schedule everything) which has begun to obsess my thoughts and really screwing with my head.