November 1 2023

 

November is the turning point of the season that brings us winter, even though winter really starts at the Winter Solstice in December.  We already have a goodly amount of snow in Alberta, in different places. 

November signals a time of slowing down, of gatherings like Fall Suppers and Thanksgiving in the United States.  It is when many summer and fall activities shut down.

November is a time of remembering…of wars fought, of loved ones who left this year, of warm summer days on the deck or beach with family and friends.  

November is a time for being grateful that the year has been good.  Or, in some cases, it has been challenging and we have learned from the challenges. 

November is when most of us start Christmas shopping to get the presents to send away, and to prepare for Christmas Day which is now 55 days away.  

When we hit November, we comment on how fast the year has passed and wonder what happened to make everything seem to move so quickly.

Many blessings,

Judy

Happy Halloween 2023

 This picture is from Microsoft Clip Art

 

 

The information in this article comes from The Information about Ireland Site Newsletter, The Newsletter for people interested in Ireland (http://www.ireland-information.com).  We thank them for putting out such detailed information to share with all of us.

 The Celts celebrated Halloween as Samhain, "All Hallowtide"  (the "Feast of the Dead," when the dead revisited the mortal world. The celebration marked the end of summer and the start of the winter months, and 1 November began the Celtic New Year.  

During the eighth century, the Catholic Church designated the first day of November as "All Saints Day" ("All Hallows'" -- a day of commemoration for those Saints that did not have a specific day of remembrance. The night before was known as "All Hallows Eve," which, over time, became known as Halloween.

Here are the most notable Irish Halloween Traditions:  

Colcannon for Dinner:  Boiled Potato, Curly Kale (a cabbage) and raw Onions are provided as the traditional Irish Halloween dinner. Clean coins are wrapped in baking paper and placed in the potato for children to find and keep.

The Barnbrack Cake:  The traditional Halloween cake in Ireland is the barnbrack,  which is a fruit bread. Each member of the family gets a slice. Great interest is taken in the outcome as there is a piece of rag, a coin and a ring in each cake. If you get the rag then your financial future is doubtful. If you get the coin then you can look forward to a prosperous year. Getting the ring is a sure sign of impending romance or continued happiness.

The Ivy Leaf:   Each member of the family places a perfect ivy leaf into a cup of water and it is then left undisturbed overnight. If, in the morning, a leaf is still perfect and has not developed any spots then the person who placed the leaf in the cup can be sure of 12 months health until the following Halloween. If not. . . .

The Pumpkin:  Carving Pumpkins dates back to the eighteenth century and to an Irish blacksmith named Jack who colluded with the Devil and was denied entry to Heaven. He was condemned to wander the earth but asked the Devil for some  light. He was given a burning coal ember, which he placed inside a turnip that he had gouged out.  Thus, the tradition of Jack O'Lanterns was born -- the bearer being the wandering blacksmith -- a damned soul. Villagers in Ireland hoped that the lantern in their window would keep the wanderer away. When the Irish emigrated in their millions to America, there was not a great supply of turnips so pumpkins were used instead.

Happy Hallowe'en!

Blessings,

Judy

Music Speaks to The Soul

One of the interesting thoughts that was presented to me in a meditation was that the reason that I “hear” so much music in my awake time, even if I am not listening to my ipod or to the radio, is that music transcends the ego.  This means that the ego has not figured out how to control the effect music has on us.  When the music is particularly powerful, such as the music “Silk Road” by Kitaro, then we have an opportunity to grow the union between our body, mind, and spirit.  As you know, your body instinctively wants to move with the music.  What your body is really doing is coming into alignment with the mathematical perfection of the sound, a sound that has Divine inspiration.

Think about all the music that you enjoy.  Think about how it uplifts you, or makes you happy and takes you out of yourself.  Play some music!

Enjoy!

Many blessings,

Judy