The Forum Advent Calendar - 1st December 2009

[gisela]

Karena, that is some campaign! Wow! What does Rage against the machine say about it?
I laughed so much at the sign that said "Raging around the christmas tree" :lol:
The song makes sense in this context now that I heard it.
Beautiful wreath too.
Have a few great parties today! Are you running back and forth to them or do you finish one before you start on the next?

 

[karena]

RATM have been on the radio supporting it too

Back from parties now but now bed. Had to rush from one to the other, no break in between except to collect some papers...

 

[Sita]

!!!!the 18th!!!! (posted a little early to make sure it's there when you wake up

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It's Snowing here at the moment so everyone's feeling very Christmassy - but also very cold

What's under the Tree today?:think:

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1st present

2nd present

....and to go with the snowing theme, no traditional English 'White Christmas' Scene is complete without one so here's a chance to make your own :
3rd present
Hope you enjoy these little treats, lots of love and best wishes Sita

 

[Mosaic]

Beautiful, beautiful songs, Thank you Sita. Love them both but the Talj, Talj song is gorgeous. I just listened to her Silent Night, so beautiful makes you want to cry. I have favourited them all in youtube.

Snow! Wow! I've never had a white Christmas. A friend of mine who lived in the north of England use to send me photos of her white christmases. That was as close as I got
~Mosaic

 

[gisela]

Thank you for the wonderful songs! I agree the talj talj was amazing. I completely forgot she had done Christmas songs and I don't think I ever really searched for them.
Beautiful!

 

[Shanazel]

Tonight (December 18th) is Epona's celebration, for those pagans like me who venerate the horse goddess. I'm on my way to celebrate by delivering carrots and massages to my favorite flesh and blood horses, though I like to think Epona blesses iron horses and riders as well.

May her blessings rest on you all!
View attachment 3106

 

[Mosaic]

May Epona's blessings be bestowed upon you and your animals Shanazel. Thanks for sharing your faith with us.



This is what I know about the Lady Hope you don't mind if i add a bit of background about her

The Goddess Epona is known as a goddess of horses and travel & is generally portrayed as riding a white mare side saddle, sometimes with a foal, or standing surrounded by horses. Her symbol is the Cornucopia (horn of plenty - which is usually related too fertility Goddesses - maybe at some time that was part of her role?). It is said She fed her horses from her cornucopia filled with corn and apples, symbols of abundance, a mother's love & nurturing.

Rose garlands were used to decorate her pictures and shrines, various fruits, mares milk, and apples were offered as offerings to her.​

The Celtic faith managed to spread across the whole of ancient Europe, eventually being embraced by the Romans and to a certain extent, Christianity. Epona was so revered She had a shrine in almost every stable of the Roman empire - The Romans even built a temple in her honour in their capital city. It was The Roman's who gave her, her feast day of December18th.


Epona is also a dream Goddess, related to nightmares. why I don't know, maybe people put it down to the fact that she was the Mare Goddess.


... Found some info on that
Epona was also a dream goddess - Her specialty seems to have been (be?) nightmares. She was even immortalized in a painting by Henry Fuseli's painting, The Nightmare. Many a child in Ireland were told to be good or Epona would visit them with horrific nightmares. A folk custom from Western Ireland seems to confirm this:

Just before dawn, find a place where two roads cross each other - they must be perfectly oriented to the four directions (north, south, east and west). Light eight small fires - one for each side of the roads and be sure to leave enough room for a horse and rider to pass through. Next, play 'horsie' yourself - ride three times around the intersection on a besom (broom) and then the fun begins. Sit and wait for a dark lady dressed in black riding a horse; fleeing west from the approaching rays of morning. It is said to be Epona, returning from Her night of dispensing dreams. ​

​

Real Magick Article - The Goddess Epona by Dawn Firewolf
~Mosaic

​

 

[Sita]

Tonight (December 18th) is Epona's celebration, for those pagans like me who venerate the horse goddess. I'm on my way to celebrate by delivering carrots and massages to my favorite flesh and blood horses, though I like to think Epona blesses iron horses and riders as well.

May her blessings rest on you all!
View attachment 3106

Shanazel, I hope you had a blessed and joyous celebration of the Lady Epona.
I thought I would post the Enya's 'Epona' in honour of the specialness of the day (although it's a little belated I'm afraid) :


love, Sita

P.S I'm glad you liked the songs. I have spent the whole day snowed in unable to get anywhere with roads blocked and feel a little claustrophobic at the moment:think: me and cold weather don't seem very compatible.

 

[Mosaic]

Shanazel, I hope you had a blessed and joyous celebration of the Lady Epona.
I thought I would post the Enya's 'Epona' in honour of the specialness of the day (although it's a little belated I'm afraid) :


love, Sita

P.S I'm glad you liked the songs. I have spent the whole day snowed in unable to get anywhere with roads blocked and feel a little claustrophobic at the moment:think: me and cold weather don't seem very compatible.

Thanks Sita I forgot about Enya's song .. I love Enya.
I saw on the news the heavy snowfalls that have snowed everyone in in your neck of the wood. I love to look, but I hate the cold so probably an hour of such prettiness would be enough for me:lol: Hope you can get out & about soon.
~Mosaic

 

[Shanazel]

Thank you all! Sita, it is still the 18th for another 7 minutes where I am, so you are timely indeed.

 

[Reen.Blom]

19th December: Oh the weather outside is frightful.....




Sorry for posting a bit late in the day, I'm still struggling with a cold...yikes, outside is about -15 and snowing, so here is a dream of warmer days and warmer Christmas in South Africa... LOL

Almond Tress in Bloom

Protea

Pincushion

 

[Reen.Blom]

19th December: Continued

One Christmas Eve in SA

Jakaranda Tree


Summer!(Winter:lol

Dream of flowers...

 

[Mosaic]

Gorgeous photos, are these your photos Reen? I love jakarandas in bloom they are beautiful.
~Mosaic

 

[Reen.Blom]

Gorgeous photos, are these your photos Reen? I love jakarandas in bloom they are beautiful.
~Mosaic

Thank you! yep all mine but a bit old. I was just thinking how different things are in different parts of the world. For some it is snowing for some- roses in bloom. Yet in everything there is something to be enjoyed and reason to be happy about.

Best wishes!

 

[Prusilusken]

I love everyones' calendar posts - they are so diverse and I can relate to every last one of them in a positive way. Thank you guys, for feeding my soul with such an abundance of lovelies.

Now, between the cosy darkness and the snow outside my window and the mentioning of horses in the middle of it all, I feel so at peace and safe. Right now, in this very moment, I am all of a sudden experiencing this very profound feeling of trust.

Tell you the truth, I've had a pretty rough time of it, especially the last couple of years, and december has been a notoriously difficult time of year for me for many years now but this year is different, it's like I have finally reached...something...I can't put a definite word on it.
I just have this sudden feeling that I have finally reached the end of a very long chapter of my life, full of futile grinding and struggles and sisyphean tasks and that the next part of my journey will turn out to present me with a lot more travel-friendly scapes. Maybe I'll even be able to look up from the path I find myself on and enjoy the views surrounding me every once in a while without the constant fear of severe consequenses during this new chapter.

Things are finally beginning to shape up a little, and for some reason this feeling has come to me while enjoying our lovely calender here. Sometimes stuff in our lives that seem to be of no consequence at all turn out to be unexpected stepstones, lanterns that suddenly light up and chase off fearsome shadows and keys for doors in our lives that has been locked for so long that we've almost begun to think of them as impenetrable walls.

I somehow think this thread represents some newfound key in my life, and it feels very weird, but - bless you guys for providing me with it, even if you were not aware that you were playing a part at all. I weren't either, a mere moment ago, but there you have it.

I wish you all very "key filled" times to arrive in your lives' journeys as well.

 

[Shanazel]

Midwinter Eve - 20 December

View attachment 3107 Midwinter Solstice Stonehenge

View attachment 3108 Midwinter Solstice Newgrange

View attachment 3109 Midwinter Solstice Shirley Basin, WY

View attachment 3110 1-himmelsscheibe



In the Green Wood from Mother Goose

Oak-logs will warm you well,
That are old and dry;
Logs of pine will sweetly smell
But the sparks will fly.
Birch-logs will burn too fast,
Chestnut scarce at all;
Hawthorn-logs are good to last -
Catch them in the fall.
Holly-logs will burn like wax,
You may burn them green;
Elm-logs like to smoldering flax,
No flame to be seen.
Beech-logs for winter time,
Yew-logs as well;
Green elder-logs it is a crime
For any man to sell.
Pear-logs and apple-logs,
They will scent your room,
Cherry-logs across the dogs
Smell like flower of the broom.
Ash-logs, smooth and grey,
Burn them green or old,
Buy up all that come your way -
Worth their weight in gold.

 

[Dev]

I really enjoy this thread, Thank you all.

If you've noticed I have been adding the dates in some of your posts. Other than that I have not edited anything. So if you see edited by Dev, it means, I am just adding the date.
Regards to all
Dev

 

[karena]

Thanks Reen and Shanazel - lovely photos.:clap:
And I'm glad to hear you've appreciated the calendar Prusilusken

 

[Mosaic]

Great poem about the different logs Shanazel and nice solstice photos. This is a great thread.
~Mosaic

 

[Amulya]

This is a fun thread, I like Dev eagerly await each new contribution. Dev you are clever i didn't see the YT link for Amulya's video to fix it, where did you see it?

Amulya, the dancer in that vid is one of our members, (Miss Vega) she would be proud to know she was part of our advent calendar. It's a lovely piece.
~Mosaic

How nice!

Just adding pictures for those who love snow (I'm on holiday in Holland and there's so much snow, love it!)
This is my street: