24 Hours of Inspired Tweets

What a great way to end the year! Thanks to any and all that have made this blog to be what it is. Here is to continued success throughout the coming year!

 

Much Love! - JC

 

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Freedom from the past, or anything else for that matter, always comes in the very instant you stop thinking about it. - Mike Dooley

 

God cannot create anything imperfect. So celebrate. Smile and celebrate and see only the perfection. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

Each time we criticize ourselves, neglect ourselves, and berate ourselves for our faults and mistakes, we are beating ourselves up. - Debbie Ford

 

To comprehend our true nature, we would be humbled by the smallness of the largest acts of humans  - Carl Bozeman

 

What we think of ourselves as in this world is not who we are. - Carl Bozeman

 

Every day brings with it a gift for you. The key is to notice , and then accept and fully appreciate the gift... - Sonia Choquette

 

To remain true to your vision--in the midst of the crowd--is Leadership's greatest victory. - Robin Sharma

 

We alight our lives when we do what we fear. - Robin Sharma

 

Challenge every rule and every judgment you have. This is the way to awareness! - Carl Bozeman

 

What we view as reality is, for the most part, an illusion. - Carl Bozeman

 

A little piece of our character dies each time we fail to speak our truth. - Robin Sharma

 

We are infinitely greater than anything we currently believe or accept. - Carl Bozeman

 

The life we live, the life we are conscious of, is an illusion of the mind. - Carl Bozeman

 

When we allow ourselves to step out of our smaller selves, greater things result. - Debbie Ford

 

What we become consciously aware of is nothing compared to what is really going on around us. - Carl Bozeman

 

The mind is constantly holding a conversation that upholds what it thinks we should be aware of. - Carl Bozeman

 

For most of us, the perceptive filters we see through block out the greatest part of our reality. - Carl Bozeman

 

We are typically and consciously aware of only a small fraction of what is going on in our world. - Carl Bozeman

 

The intuitive voice is always a sure voice. It requires no thought, analysis or testing. - Carl Bozeman

 

The truth is, intuition is not a gift from God or anyone else. It is an inherent part of everyone of us. - Carl Bozeman

 

In other words, our reality is largely the result of what we have been taught it is. - Carl Bozeman

 

If I ruled the world I'd decree all 7 billion of us stop doing everything for 1 hr today & spend the time saying thanks for being here. CHI! - The Barefoot Doctor

 

There is no grand purpose we must find and fulfill in life. Life is about life! - Carl Bozeman

 

We do not grow spiritually. We already are spiritual. Hard to improve on that! - Carl Bozeman

 

The world waits to hear your message for its salvation. That message is your life, lived. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

When we are aligned with our highest selves, we trust ourselves enough to follow our hearts. - Debbie Ford

 

The object of spiritual growth should always focus on reconnecting to that part of us that is God. - Carl Bozeman

 

Life is too short to let human events, whether individual or collective, affect our joy and experience! - Carl Bozeman

 

The universe is a mirror of consciousness. The events in your life reflect who you are. - Deepak Chopra

 

PRIDE = Personal Responsibility in Daily Effort.  - Zig Ziglar

 

Our bodies are our gardens to which our wills are gardeners. - Shakespeare, quoted by Brian Johnson

 

When we peer deeply into each moment, we can see what that moment was designed to allow us to express. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

Allow yourself to see the places where you are too attached to what you want, and then ask to be led to a higher perspective. - Debbie Ford

 

If we seek happiness first, everything else will follow. - Deepak Chopra

 

Taking better care of yourself is not merely a matter of good health, it is a measure of spiritual evolution. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

We're all intertwined. - Debbie Ford

 

We are the new knowing and our light permeates the earth and reaches into infinity. - Carl Bozeman

 

Make the most of every experience. Don't obsess over right and wrong decisions. Go beyond risks. See the possibilities in whatever happens. - Deepak Chopra

 

During this Season of the Light, be the Source for all those who search for Joy. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

We were born great and need to allow ourselves to open back up to this fact. - Debbie Ford

 

What if no one was accountable for how this year turned out except you? - Debbie Ford

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24 Hours of Inspirational Tweets! http://tiny.cc/ead58

24 Hours of Inspirational Tweets

To get into the holiday spirit, I have decided that I would share yesterday's amazingly inspirational tweets with you, in hopes that your holiday season is peaceful - and perhaps give you pause to reflect on the past year. I know I did.

 

To your success and mine!

 

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Few things are as influential as a human being who believes in their vision. - Robin Sharma

 

Chase beauty. Adore mastery. - Robin Sharma

 

However little you have, you can always find someone who has less. Find that someone, and give to them from the abundance that is yours. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

Daily reminder. Make at least one person happy today. - Deepak Chopra

 

Lord, bless our week. Bring us back to our path when we go astray. - Paolo Coelho

 

Good intentions are useless without spectacular results. - Robin Sharma

 

As pre-Xmas shopping rushing & silly thinking psychosis takes hold of the global loony bin, it's a good day to be heart-centered. CHI! - The Barefoot Doctor

 

What greater gift can each of us give the world than to allow the divine to reign freely over our lives? - Debbie Ford

 

What we view as reality is, for the most part, an illusion. - Carl Bozeman

 

When you see nothing but you wherever you look, you peer through the eyes of God. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

We are typically and consciously aware of only a small fraction of what is going on in our world - Carl Bozeman

 

Claim this coming week for the power of Light, and dedicate it to Love's purposes. This uplifts all probabilities above the gravity of chaos. - Marianne Williamson

 

When the combination of exercise and meditation becomes part of your spiritual discipline, you create possibilities for enormous growth. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

Turn over your life and your will to the care of something greater than yourself. - Debbie Ford

 

Stepping out of Yesterday is as simple as realizing: that was THEN and this is NOW. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

If you can't do it for yourself, then make your mark in the world by doing it for someone else. - Debbie Ford

 

"It is a millon times better that I should be the laughing stock of the world than insincere to myself". Mahatma Gandhi, quoted by Robin Sharma

 

Never look over your shoulder to know Who You Are right now. You are NOT who you WERE. You are who you are RIGHT NOW. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

Fulfilling your vision for the best year of your life requires thought and introspection. - Debbie Ford

 

"We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life." - William Osler, quoted by Dr Joe Vitale

 

Use today to prepare for the most amazing tomorrow. - Marianne Williamson

 

The more we become, the more we are capable of becoming, and the more we are capable of becoming, the more we become. - Neale Donald Walsch

 

Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.  - Zig Ziglar, quoted by Tom Ziglar

 

There are many… who would give just about anything to be you for one day. - Mike Dooley

 

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24 Hours of Inspirational Tweets! http://tiny.cc/ead58

Christmas Blog No. 5 - Hymns, Carols and Ye Olde Publick Drunkenness

Caroling, or 'wassailing' as it's sometimes known in England, is a Christmas tradition that dates back to the mid-1600's.  The word 'wassail' comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word 'waes hael' meaning 'good health'. The word was initially applied to the bowl which held whatever beverage was being consumed at the time, but over time became applied to the beverage itself. A traditional English-style wassail was generally a cider spiked with wine and all manner of fruits and spices. Our spiced apple cider and mulled wines that we drink during the holidays are direct descendants of wassail. But, how did the name for this beverage become a verb?

Christmas carols have been sung in England for centuries, most often as a way to bring cheer and usually sung by minstrels who wandered throughout the fortified city or castle. As England moved away from castles to villages, the tradition of having carols sung at Christmastime moved with them, this time taken up by the villagers themselves, who would wander from house to house singing songs to brighten up someone's holiday and perhaps get a gold coin or two for their troubles. Most carols originally were sung by waits – who were also sometimes called watchmen. They were officially sanctioned by the leaders of the community, and if anyone was caught caroling who was not authorized as a wassailer, they were treated as a beggar and run out of the town. These carolers were called 'waits' or 'watchmen' because they kept an eye open for the Three Wisemen or the Bethlehem star, and would sing songs about the coming nativity. If the owner of the house did not have any money to trade for the singing of a carol, he would instead offer a cup of the house wassail to warm them as they went on their way. And so caroling, or wassailing, was offered up as a way from someone to stay warm during the cold night.

In the early parts of our Christmas heritage, carols were particularly frowned upon by the early church fathers. Solemn hymns or psalms were the only songs allowed during church service. Carols were devised as songs to be sung during the secular celebrations of Christmas, away from the church. They were mostly songs written and sung by commoners, and quickly grew into popular favor, as was the custom of gift-giving.

The giving of gifts was not a common practice among early celebrations. Ancient customs were mainly of a very loud and rowdy "end-of-year" party, full of music, public drunkenness and debauchery – the very reason the church fathers wanted nothing to do with Christmas, and the reason why this celebration was banned for years or sometimes decades! When Oliver Cromwell and the puritans came into power in England in 1647, the celebration of Christmas was completely snuffed out. Well, not completely. Christmas celebrations were still held privately in homes: stories were told, carols sung, and wassail flowed generously - all in secret. But still no gift giving.

In mid-1800's Victorian England there was a renaissance of an "Old-Fashioned" Christmas due to several decades of Christmas being banned in England. Somewhat in part to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, it is mostly due to Charles Dickens' immortal classic tale, "A Christmas Carol" where we get most of our modern ideas of Christmas, including Christmas being about family, good-will to all men, and the phrase 'Merry Christmas'. It was also at this time that Christmas began to be celebrated in earnest by Americans as well. Americans, up until this point, had pockets of celebrations here and there, mainly dependent on whatever ethnic group had brought their own customs to the region they settled in. The practice of gift giving during this time was originally Dutch in origin, and we owe our annual mayhem to the city of New York who revived this old custom from the original knickerbocker settlers in the area.

New York, Virginia, and of course Pennsylvania - with their German-influenced 'Pennsylvania Dutch - were largely responsible for the revival of the Christmas Holiday in the US, and with them came the additional notion of giving gifts during the holiday, thanks in part to C. Clement Moore's poem, "A Visit From Saint Nicholas", otherwise known as 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. With the image of Kris Kringle placing gifts under the tree, this firmly cemented the idea in our modern celebration.

Christmas Blog 4: Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees. And Little Lambs Eat Ivy.

Now a few words about the Holly and the Ivy, and other evergreens of the Christmastime tradition: In ancient times the Celts and other Northern peoples believed the holly was sacred. The very name "Holly" stems from the word 'holy'. These peoples thought this plant stayed green year round because it was especially favored by the sun. As discussed in the last blog, mistletoe has apparently been used as a decoration in homes for thousands of years and because of this, it has been associated with many pagan rituals. The early church forbade the use of mistletoe in any form because of these pagan associations, so as a substitute holly was suggested because the sharply pointed leaves were to symbolize the thorns in Jesus's crown and the red berries drops of his blood. Holly soon became a holiday tradition. Christian legend says one winter night, the holly miraculously grew leaves out of season in order to hide the Holy Family from Herod's soldiers. Since then, it has been an evergreen as a token of Jesus's gratitude. Another legend about this Christmas plant says that a little orphan boy was living with the shepherds when the angels came to announce the birth of the newborn king. Having no gift for the baby, the child wove a crown of holly branches for its head. But when he lay it before the child, he became ashamed of it's poverty and began to cry. Miraculously, Jesus touched the crown and it began to sparkle while the orphan's tears turned into beautiful scarlet berries. Many superstitions surround the holly. For many ancient cultures It was considered to be a man's plant and is believed to bring good luck and protection to men, while ivy brings the same to women. It is thought that whoever brings the first sprig of Christmas holly into the home will wear the pants that year. It was hung about the doors and windows to keep away witches, spells, evil spirits, goblins, and lightning; ironically though, holly has recently been found to act as a sort of natural "lightning rod"!

Ivy, another evergreen plant, has always been associated with holly as far back as records have been kept. Not only as just a typical evergreen, but as mentioned above, it was considered by ancient cultures as symbolizing the feminine spirit of the holiday because of its smooth and soft leaves, while holly leaves are rough and prickly, and of course would symbolize the masculine spirit. Ivy was also the symbol for the Roman god Bacchus, the god of merriment and wine - which were a huge part of Saturnalia and Sol Invictus, and therefore transcribed to Christmas as well, especially in England.

The Christmas Tree is one of the most cherished images that we have of our modern Christmas. But putting up a tree for the holidays is almost as old as the holiday itself. Long before Saturnalia or even Jul, the ancient Egyptians would put up palm trees in their homes and temples during this time of year to symbolize the triumph of life over death, as the sun has always been viewed as life itself. As has been discussed in earlier blogs, the winter months tended to be harshest in the northern parts of our world, where vegetation withers and "dies" during this time. All vegetation, that is, except for evergreens such as the pine or fir trees. Decorating one's home with evergreen branches was a cheerful reminder of greener times to come in the coming months, once the bleak mid-winter has passed.

As much a tradition of installing a Christmas tree is the tradition of decorating it as well. Some of the earliest decorations on Christmas trees were mostly fruits and nuts. Apples were frequently chosen for their symbolism tied to Adam and Eve. There are many, many legends and stories tied to the symbolic tree. One such story is attributed to Martin Luther, the German leader of the Protestant Revolution. As the story goes, Luther was walking home one evening when he paused to look at the stars. So overcome was he with the beauty of the those stars shining through the branches of the fir trees, that he decided to recreate what he saw. And so doing, he chopped down a fir tree, dragged it home, and decorated the tree with candles - thus beginning a time honored tradition of lights on a tree.

You will be interested to know that Christmas trees came to the US by way of Victorian England. In 1846, the Illustrated London News featured an illustration of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and their children gathered around a fully decorated Christmas tree. Prince Albert, who was German by birth, brought the custom that had flourished for so many years in Germany. Before this illustration came out, the thought of decorating a tree - and indoors - was not something that was done in England. But soon after that, families on both sides of the Atlantic wanted to copy this "new tradition". By the 1880's, with the advent of electric lights, our modern "old-fashioned" Christmas was finally established.

And now a word about Christmas Spiders. SPIDERS??? Yep, spiders. A story is told from varying parts of eastern Europe, especially Germany and Russia, of the Christmas spiders. The story goes that one Christmas Eve day, a family was working hard to get the house ready for the visitation of either Saint Nicholas or the Kristkindl, depending on which country this story is being hailed from. At any rate, the house was cleaned top to bottom, thus insuring that no bugs - especially spiders - would be present to scare away the awaited visitor. The tree was set up and lit, and then all of the farmyard animals were brought in to marvel at the beautiful tree. Again, all except the spiders. Once everyone had gone to bed, the spiders finally came out of their hiding place, and at once headed for the beautifully decorated tree. The spiders thought it was so lovely that they also helped in decorating the tree - with spiderwebs. In the morning, when the family woke up, they headed straight for the tree to see what the Midnight Visitor had brought them - and they all gasped in amazement. For there stood their Christmas tree decorated in shiny spiderwebs. To commemorate the beautiful gift of the spiders, we now put shiny tinsel on our trees - a small reminder of a grateful gift from a lowly spider.

Christmas Blog Part Three, Three being The Third number Counted.

Before I continue with this new posting, I'd like to quickly touch upon something I failed to bring up in the last post. As I mentioned below, one of the biggest contributors to our modern version of Christmas was the Roman feast of Sol Invictus, the Feast of the Unconquered Sun. Now the the following information has been debated back and forth by religious scholars for years, one of which happens to be the Catholic Pope now! But it's still a fascinating subject, so in the interest of fairness I'll press on. Although the Christian faith now celebrates this time of year as the birth of Jesus, the truth is exactly WHEN Jesus was born is a mystery that may never be solved. The early Christian church originally held a firm stance that the birth of Christ, although mentioned in the Bible was never meant to be a Holy Day of worship. (Doesn't that just blow your mind?) Once Christianity was firmly established in Rome, the early Christians began to convert what was the former Roman Empire, and they systematically substituted Christian overtones to what they considered pagan celebrations. Most celebrations they managed to convert to Christian ritual - but with Jul and other Winter celebrations they had a lot of trouble. One way they managed to get a foothold on Jul in Angle-land was this: Sol Invictus translated into English, even Olde Englishe, is The Unconquered Sun. What if you changed the word "Sun"... to "Son"? What is the meaning NOW? That's how I believe they managed it in England and other places around Europe. Each Roman province, including Rome herself, had a Sun God to worship. What if Jesus was the Son/God? How different is that? Just something to think about.

Anyway, shifting away from strong religious overtones for the moment, I'd like to discuss the various symbols of the Christmas Holiday and their origins and meanings.

Let's start with the smallest of the symbols: Mistletoe. Mistletoe has long been a symbol of love, peace and goodwill. Mistletoe is in reality an aerial parasite that has no roots of its own and therefore lives off the tree that it attaches itself to; without that tree the mistletoe would die. Because of this natural phenomenon, ancient cultures believed that mistletoe to be very sacred - how else can a plant live without roots? For centuries before the birth of Jesus, many cultures used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter. Even clans in the heat of battle would stop their skirmishes and claim a temporary truce when they would chance upon mistletoe. They believed the plant had special healing powers for everything from female infertility to poison ingestion. From the earliest times mistletoe has been one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred plants of European folklore. One of the most fascinating comes to us from our Viking neighbors. The story goes that Mistletoe was the sacred plant of Frigga, the Norse goddess of love and the mother of Balder, the god of the summer sun and harvest. One night Balder had a dream of death, which greatly alarmed his mother, for should he die all life on earth would end as well. Frigga went through the forest and made everything that grew on or under the earth and made them all promise that Balder would not be harmed. Pleased, Frigga all but forgot about the dream. But Balder had one enemy, Loki, the god of mischief and he knew of one plant that grew neither on the earth nor under the earth, but on apple and oak trees: the lowly mistletoe. So Loki made an arrow tip of the mistletoe, and gave to the blind god of winter, Hoder, who was tricked by Loki into thinking he was shooting at a stag, striking Balder dead. For three days each element in the universe tried to bring Balder back to life, but with no success; and for three months Frigga grieved for her son. During these months the world became barren and cold and covered with ice. When it was discovered that it was mistletoe that was to blame for Balder's death, Frigga made an antidote potion for him from the plant, which eventually restored him. It is said the tears of joy that she shed for her son turned into the pearly white berries on the mistletoe plant, and in her joy Frigga decreed that who should ever stand under the humble mistletoe, no harm should befall them, only a kiss, a token of love. And so at Christmastime, a young lady standing under a ball of mistletoe brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, and ornaments, cannot refuse to be kissed. Such a kiss could mean deep romance or lasting friendship and goodwill. If the girl remained unkissed, she would not expect not to marry the following year.

One of my favorite American Christmas additions is the beautiful Poinsettia, or Star Flower as it is originally known. This plant, with it's beautiful red petal-like leaves, grows wild all over our southern neighbor, Mexico. The poinsettia is named after Joel R. Poinsett, who served as the USA's first ambassador to Mexico, from 1825-1829. He saw this indigenous plant with large scarlet leaves encircling small, greenish yellow blossoms, which was used as the Mexican Christmas flower. He sent specimens back to the USA, where they flourished. The legend of the poinsettia tells of a girl named Maria and her little brother Pablo. They were very poor but always looked forward to the Christmas festival. Each year a large manger scene was set up in the village church, and the days before Christmas were filled with parades and parties. Now, the church bells in this village had remained silent for many years and It was said that whomever brought the Baby Jesus the best gift in the village would make the church bells ring again. The two children loved Christmas but were always saddened because they had no money to buy any presents. They especially wished that they could bring something to the church for the Baby Jesus, but alas they had nothing of value to give. On Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo set out for church to attend the service, and on their way they picked some weeds growing along the roadside to take them as their gift to the Baby Jesus in the manger scene. Of course the other children teased them when they arrived with their gift, but they said nothing for they knew they had given what they could. Maria and Pablo began placing the green plants around the manger and miraculously, the green top leaves turned into bright red petals, and soon the manger was surrounded by the beautiful star-like flowers of the poinsettia, and in the distance the entire village heard the church bells ring for the first time in many many years - all because of a simple gift of love from the poorest children in the village.

Christmas Blog Part Deux: The World Goes Topsy Turvy

Continuing on with the Holiday lessons, I present to you part 2 of our continuing series in the creation of what has become a cherished family happening. You may not be quizzed on this, but you will most certainly be expected to finish the article. And I have my ways of finding out whether or not you read it. Like a quiz. Maybe.

So in the first blog we delved into the genesis of the earliest human celebrations which became incorporated into our modern Christmas. We found the marauding band of Viking tribes imported their custom of burning a log to ward off whatever it was that was stealing their daylight. This over time became known as a Yule log. Of course there are other very early celebrations that added further to our current holiday. One of the most important is the Roman contribution to this festive season. Roman? Roman, you say?

Yes, Roman. There are two very important contributions that were added by the Romans when they went around conquering the world. The first is a celebration called Saturnalia. This was a wild celebration that happened during the winter months, right around the winter solstice. Saturn, the Roman god of harvest, was the reason for this season, a celebration of the bountiful harvest. Originally planned to be only one day, the revelry soon overtook the entire week. There was music, food, and public merriment everywhere. Masters and slaves switched roles for a day or two, and the wine flowed easily. Everyone in the empire was a part of this, from the very lowly to the super rich. It's important to note that this Saturnalia festival was one of the few Roman festivals that was not solely celebrated by the wealthy. So everyone - young and old, male and female, rich and poor - would look forward to these holiday parties. Saturnalia managed to last for several generations, despite the fact that it was at various times attempted to be controlled and either reduced or banned completely by various Emperors at different times! So even way back then, this holiday was something that could not or would not be snuffed out.

Eventually over time, this holiday lost favor with the Empire, although private celebrations were held at various times. But somewhere around 274 AD, the Roman Emperor Aurelian  came into power. Aurelian inherited an empire that stretched out over many lands, several of which had unique or independent celebrations. As a matter of fact, his "Empire" seemed more like a loosely federated union of conquered lands rather than an actual united empire. And so Aurelian "created" a new Roman celebration, including a brand new Sun god, the god Sol Invictus ("The Unconquered Sun"). Many of the conquered Roman territories already worshiped a similar deity known in many regions simply as Sol. Seizing an opportunity to unite the newly conquered lands, Aurelius decreed that the Feast of Sol Invictus would be celebrated every year on December 25th. With the Roman government backing Sol Invictus, many of the older Saturnalia practices now came back into public favor, so the festivities grew bigger and stronger, including the topsy-turvy practice of role reversal between masters and slaves. A "Lord of Misrule" was elected or found somehow, usually from a lowly status and he reigned for the evening or however long the festival went. This feast, since it was now instituted by the Emperor himself became an Empirical Holiday, celebrated by one and all in every Roman province - including one of the furthest provinces in the Roman world: Britannia. And so it was, in the third century, that Sol Invictus was merged with the feast already in place by the ancient Vikings called Jul, thus adding to our origins of the modern-day Christmas time. Now, while Jul - and other pagan rituals instituted by the Celtic peoples living in Anglo-Saxon England were more solemn, Sol Invictus - or more correctly the Saturnalia feast now called Sol Invictus - was much more lighthearted and merry and raucus. And thus began the constant pull of the double-edged holiday between the secular and the sacred.

A couple of bits of Trivia here, just because I find this kind of stuff fascinating. Rome, as you know, is a very Mediterranean city, and as such it tends to not get quite as cold as it does in other parts of the world - say for example in the former Roman province of Britannia. During the time of Sol Invictus (and of course going further back into Saturnalia) it was customary to decorate all homes and dwellings with all manner of flowering plants and tree branches, especially those of the Laurel or Oak variety, which were held in high esteem by the priests and royalty of Rome. However, in Brittania, although the laurel and oak do grow there, unlike Rome those trees go bare during the winter - and subsequently also during the traditional time of Sol Invictus. Because of this, the Roman Legions that were first assigned to the faraway province had a heck of a time finding anything to decorate their homes. On observation of the current celebrations by the conquered pagans in Britannia at the time, the Romans noticed that the Celts and former Vikings would celebrate the festivities with branches of holly, ivy and mistletoe and other evergreens in the area. So what did those old Romans do for Sol Invictus? Why they Deck'd (decorated) their Roman Halls with Boughs of Holly! Fa la la la la, la la la la! (And yes, that's where the song came from: Rome.)

So we've discussed our Norse and Roman origins of this amazing holiday. In the next blog we'll touch upon some of the Celtic influences on this huge celebration.

Christmas Blog - Part the First, Or "Yule Love This"

As many of you know, or don't know yet, I love Christmas, the whole Christmassy season. Oh, please don't ask why, no one quite knows the reason. All talking in rhyme aside, Christmas, in and of itself, is a big deal. Always has been, always will be. It's a time when gifts are given, meals are planned, families gather and excess is abound. We light up the tree, wrap the gifts, send the cards, eat the meals and make memories. But how did this merriment come to be? There are lots and lots of reasons, some religious, some not-so-much. But all fascinating, and all culminating in this huge celebration. Over the next couple of days, I hope to share with you some information, some you might know, some you think you know, and some that you didn't know - and hopefully all entertaining. So, without further ado, I present to you the histories and origins of many of our Christmas traditions.

From the dawn of civilization (hey, that sounds like a movie trailer! "From the Dawn of Civilization, comes an epic story 10 Thousand Years in the making!!" ...anyway, sorry for the interruption.)

Okay, from the dawn of civilization when humans first began to write on walls, ("Zog was Here") we humans have had a very special relationship with winter: The days get shorter, the nights get longer, and Mister Sandman floats from rooftop to rooftop. And because the days are shorter, the wind blows bitterly cold, and - in the northern areas of our world at least - the earth became barren and cold, we as humans would turn inward to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Just as animals burrow deep in the ground or find caves and hibernate, we find our own shelter and create shelter for our domesticated animals. During these harsh and bitter months, the smarter of our ancestors noticed that at some point in the year, the sun stops its movement across the sky and begins to "turn around" and shine longer. Because of this, they declared this a holy time and celebrations began cropping up around the Winter Solstice. These celebrations would be the earliest origins of the holiday we now know as Christmas.

As we grew into societies, regardless of permanent settlements or not, the solstice time became more and more elaborate, and so the celebrations did as well. One of the earliest named celebrations came from our Norwegian ancestors. In the bleak midwinter the Norse peoples, afraid that the sun would no longer shine because the days were getting shorter, would find the biggest log they could find in the forest and burn it continuously. (That is they would burn the log, not the forest). This would of course "re-light" the sun, and there was much rejoicing. ("Yay.") They called this celebration "Jul". Now remember that the habit of pronouncing a "J" sound in Norvay, Sveden, or Daenmark is pronounced as a "Y" sound - as in "Yumpin' Yiminey, I yust go nuts at Christmas!" So pronounce the word for a cut tree that's used for "Jul" in proper Norse and what do you get? Yep, you get a Yule Log. This is, as I said, a Norse tradition, and those old Norsemen - comprised of the tribes of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes - came marauding onto the shores of England - thus giving old "Anglo-Saxon" England the holiday tradition of burning a Yule Log.

Speaking of Jul, those old Norse Anglo-Saxons gave us another word to use during this time of the year: Yuletide. We just found out where the word Yule came from, but what exactly is a Yuletide? In those ancient times, the Anglo-Saxon peoples had their own lunar calendars of 29 days each, but each calendar year also had two 60 day periods called "tides". In the ancient Anglo-Saxon calendar, the first tide was called "Litha Tide" and the second one was called, "Jul Tide". Those old Anglo-Saxons continued the original festivities of Jul including the burning of the Jul Log, but they would do so during the 12 day period between First Jul (December) and the After Jul (January). When Christianity was brought into Britannia (the Roman name for Angle-land as it eventually came to be known) these twelve days were celebrated between what eventually became Christmas day (December 25th) and the Feast of the Epiphany, or the Visiting of the Magi or Three Wise Men (January 6th), otherwise known today as... the Twelve Days of Christmas. This is why we still call this the "Yuletide season".

One last bit of trivia: Our English word "Jolly" - which is used ironically quite a bit during this season comes from the very same root word: Jul.

And so, this Jul celebration and it's burning of the wood, er, log,  was incorporated into the already existing celebrations as practiced by the existing Celtic peoples of Jolly Old England when the Norsemen arrived. As many other ancient peoples did, The Celts noticed that almost all plants, trees and vegetation "closed for the winter" in their land. Nothing would grow in that harsh environment. Nothing, that is, except for Holly, certain Ivy plants, evergreen trees, mistletoe, and very special roses. Since these Christmas symbols require much more discussion, I will wait for another blog to give those their proper descriptions. But thus began the genesis of their connection to our modern Christmas

I hope you enjoyed today's foray into the inner workings of this amazing holiday. There are many more interesting bits to come. Happy holidays!

I Take It Back

And so, this is Christmas...
And what have you done?

Usually at this time of year I am bubbling over with Christmas cheer - usually to the point of annoyance. Yes, even for me. I love this time of the year, it's full of hope, good will, cheer, love and peace. At least it's felt like that for me - maybe it was all in my head. Perhaps I imagined it all, who's to say?

Some religions celebrate this time of year as the birthtime of the Christ child. We actually don't know when it was, and the original Church fathers never wanted to "celebrate" this date, so the fact that this time of year was finally chosen doesn't surprise me in the least. [But I have a whole blog series regarding that coming up soon enough.] Because it is at this time of year that Nature allows us - in the northern hemisphere of the world at least - to see the world begin to 'shut down'. We can see physically, and feel, changes around our world that the life cycle seems to end at this time.

Now, we 'know' that in a few months the temperature will begin to rise again, bringing with it lots more plants and trees and flying and crawly things. We 'know' why this happens now, we 'understand' the scientific reasons behind this phenomenon, we have our proof. And because of these facts, our world is a little more jaded. The world of our ancestors was a more magical and wonderous time, because they didn't know.

Yes, I'm sure I'm getting some flak for that. But think of it this way: Think of a 5-year-old child who still believes in Santa Claus. Now think of the same child at 15. It's only 10 years later, but the 15-year-old "understands" that the physical being of Santa Claus may or may not exist and there are scientific reasons why or why not. The same thing happened to us.

Traditionally, going back for millennia, this time of year has always given us as thinking human beings a time for reflection: if we make it through the cold times we'll be okay. More to the point, as long as we have each other, we'll be okay. And so this became, by design of nature, a time to rejoice in one's family and friends, and to be thankful for each other - the very essence of Christmas-time itself.

Getting into this self-reflective mode usually comes very easy for me during this season. This year, I must admit, it's had its challenges. Given the self-contradiction that is the typical American - on the one hand vehemently protesting the corporate greed that has run rampant; on the other hand actually supporting corporate greed by supporting their decision to have Black Friday sales begin at 9 PM on Thanksgiving evening - I must admit that having any kind of 'Christmas Cheer' that is so typical of me has been in short supply. I am so angry with this civilization that has basically taken a gift from nature and not only turned a back to it, but kicked sand in its face and spat on it. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but not by much.

But then I have to remember, I can only control me. I can't control what anyone else says or does. I can't make any single person care about anything they don't want to care about. I can only influence someone so much, after that it's entirely up to that person to do what they're going to do.

I can make me care about whatever I want; I want to care about this. The rest of the world doesn't matter, it can take care of itself. And if I can make it through this cold time, I'll be okay.

Love,
JC

I Am The 1%*

I'm having a really hard time with this whole thing. This whole, "Holiday" thing.

 

For those that know me very well, you may understand exactly what I'm referring to. But for those who do not know me well, or perhaps you do and you need a hint, I am referring to this whole Yule-tide bacchanalia.

 

We are surrounded on all levels by discontent. Hatred. Anger. Fear. You name it, there's definitely an app for it.

 

The 99% have risen up and will no longer be satisfied to sit on the sidelines. There is rioting in the streets. Disharmony in our schools. People no longer trust the banking system and have migrated to greener pastures via credit unions. And more. So much more.

 

And at the same time, I hear newscast after newscast saying that retailers are expecting the biggest Black Friday & Cyber Monday ever. Stores are opening earlier and earlier, so much that the turkey barely has time to cool off before we're jumping aboard the family sleigh in search of the ever elusive "deal".

 

And so, I scratch my head in confusion.

 

The country has finally found a voice for it's discontented, it's miserable, it's downtrodden masses, no longer afraid or alone to stand up and claim what should be theirs in their minds; at the same time we're lining up to get a 70% discount on the automatic gumball machine we've had our eyes on for Uncle Freddy this year.

 

What the hell is the matter with us as a society? Seriously?

 

There is no better time of year, or in our own lives for that matter, to finally come to grips with the season that is before us - regardless of what your religious overtones may be. Nature, in it's infinite wisdom, has provided us our own cicadean rhythm that allows us - no, gifts us - a chance to reflect, to go within, to reach out, and rejoice that we are alive. That we have each other. That we matter - not only to each other, but to ourselves as well.

 

In this season of chaos and lunacy, in this season of madness and hyperspeed, in this season of avarice and vice - wouldn't it be nice if we just actually let go of everything and just spent time with each other? For so many of us in this festive season, that's all we have. We have lost homes, jobs, vehicles, all the trappings that come with being a "valid member of America", and for those of us who haven't, it truly is a blessing, isn't it?

 

Like the Whos down in Whoville who lost their trees, gifts, meals, etc, etc, it didn't kill Christmas. It came just the same.

 

But in this world of corporate commercialism and greed, I often feel like I am the 1% against the 99%. So, for anyone that still believes and hopes in the essence of Winter's Season, I send you this message. The 1% is still alive - and as long as it lives, I shall continue to honor it.

 

Love,

JC

Review of 2011 Halloween Horror Nights Houses

Okay, so this is not one of my traditional "feel good" blog posts, but since it's difficult for me to log into Facebook lately, mainly because I'm rarely home anymore, I am posting this here on my Random Thoughts blog - which now that I come to think about it, this most definitely is a random thought.

For those of you not familiar with this topic, Halloween Horror Nights ("HHN") is a yearly event that's held at Universal Orlando Resort, the home of Universal Studios Florida. And Universal Studios - a sister company - is the home of some of the most iconic classic monster films ever: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, etc. etc.

For the past 21 years, Universal Studios Florida, and later Universal Orlando Resort, has been the home of the nation's "premier Halloween event" according to their website, and I have been lucky enough to work for Universal Orlando for the past 4 years.

That being said, I have to admit I was a little less than thrilled when this year's theme and icon were revealed. Lady Luck is the icon, and of course this conjures up immediate phrases: test your luck, take a chance - all of which should work within the scope of HHN. Somehow, it felt a little lackluster though, and as houses and scarezones were announced, it just didn't feel like a cohesive whole. It seemed disjointed without something to tie it all together. Last year's "Fear Revealed" campaign was a bit more tied together - it of course all had an element of fear running through it, and with past icons helping to support it, it was definitely a hit - even though I think the public expected a bit more for the 20th anniversary. My favorite icon+theme was 2009's Ripped From The Silver Screen featuring The Usher Icon - that storyline just interwove everything that HHN had put out there. But this year... I don't know, I expected something better.

So it was, with expectation levels lower than normal, that my wife and I went to our "Team Member Preview" night this past Wednesday - a technical dress rehearsal before the official opening on Friday.

To say I was shocked is a bit of an understatement. I absolutely loved the houses that we were able to see that night. Technically, design-wise and execution of the houses, the Universal Creative team really knocked it out of the park, really going over the top as far as details, design and story are concerned. And although the scarezones lacked a central theme or even very many scares in some cases, the houses themselves more than made up for it. We went back again last night to see the houses we did not get to see during the Team Member Preview, and we were again not disappointed and in many cases completely overwhelmed with the details! Before I get to the house reviews, a little disclaimer: This is my own personal rating, based on many things outside of "how many times did I get spooked". That to me is just icing on the cake. The real draw for me, and my wife - who someday soon wants to work for the very department that puts these things together - is all the craftsmanship, imagination, and technical skill it took to put a house together, and what was the final execution of the story.

Now to the Houses:

1. The Forsaken - To be honest I wasn't expecting much from this. It seemed to be a case of been there, done that (e.g. "Frightanic" et al). Boy was I wrong. This house was among the most creative in design and execution. From the sunken ship details, to a room that really felt like you stepped into a haunted Spanish fort, this room is one of my favorites for this year. The story goes that there were originally four ships that left with Columbus - only three returned, and the undead crew has exacted it's revenge on a supposed abandoned Spanish fort. It was creepy, the details were magnificent, the sound and lighting effects worked wonderfully. Must see!

2. The In-Between - I had heard many good things about this house, and it was one of the few I looked forward to seeing. The story: A portal opens between our world and a 3rd dimension where fiendish creatures rise up to frighten you. Technically, I must say this was amazing. In order to go through the house itself you must be wearing 3D glasses, and the 3D and lighting effects were among the most ambitious for any house. Unfortunately, I don't like houses where I can't see, or I am overwhelmed with special effects merely for the sake of special effects. Some of the demon effects were noteworthy, and again technically I loved this house, but I probably will not revisit.

3. Nevermore: The Madness of Poe - Having a soft spot in my heart for the writings of Edgar Allen Poe, and of course having me portrayed Poe in a stage play, I did look forward to this house. I must say, it did capture the fine line between madness and genius of the writer, infusing Poe lookalikes within some of the storylines {"Pit and the Pendulum" "The Tell-tale Heart" "The Cask of Amontillado") Some of these stories may have gone over the heads of some of the younger generation that visited, but to the storyboard writers I tip my hat. Again, some of the rooms in this house in particular gave that feeling of 19th century dreariness infused with opiate-infused writings and imaginations of the Poe himself.

4. Saws n' Steam: Into The Machine - Traditionally whatever the story is in the location of this house yearly, last years The Orphanage, previous years "Bloody Mary", and many others, for whatever reason the house seems like a good idea, but the execution lacks something. This year, this house was the most surprising. Armed with very low expectations, and a longer than normal wait time, I was indeed overwhelmed and in many cases astounded by the creativity and technical execution in this house. The story in this house involves a nightmarish vision of when technology collides with humanity. And of course, there are chainsaws involved, always a plus.

5. H.R. Bloodngutz: Holidays of Horror - The area that traditionally houses the scare-house here is usually a wonderful coupling of humor and frights, and is again usually one of our favorites. The premise of this house is the final televised performance of a creature-feature host (like Elvira or Svengoolie) as he presents a scare-a-thon of holiday based horror. The tongue in cheek humor seemed dreadfully missing here at times, and although it did provide a few shocks, I might have been holding this house up to a certain standard that for me did not come close enough.

6. The Thing - Based on the upcoming Universal film of the same name (surprise!), this prequel focuses on the Norwegian expedition that finds the creature that eventually terrorizes the American camp in 1982's original movie. I am wondering if the Universal Creative team got to work closely with the designers of the upcoming movie, because the set design is impeccable. In this house you honestly feel as if you have stepped inside the movie set. You can sense the mayhem and confusion that this alien is causing. The makeup effects were the only low point in this house, as you can clearly tell that it's makeup, but the scare-actors make the most of it. 

7. Nightingales: Blood Prey - I am usually not a fan of any haunted house that features a war setting. It seems more of a distraction, honestly, than a "typical" haunted house. This one really surprised the heck out of me. Set in World War I, the "Nightingales" are WWI nurses (hence, Nightingales. If you don't get that, read a history book.) The sets, like almost all of the houses encountered are technically amazing, another shout out to the Creative Team. While visiting this house I actually had the imagination that I was deep in those WWI trenches they show in movies with these Nightingales popping up from all manner of places attacking soldiers and of course the visitors going through the house. Technically brilliant, execution was perfect, scares a-plenty. Great house.

8. Winter's Night: The Haunting of Hawthorn Cemetery - Last year in this soundstage, the Creative team unveiled "The Wyandotte House" - a technically superior facade and storyline of a modern-day ghost hunting team encountering a haunting of an old decrepit mansion. I was certain that there was no way they were going to be able to top it - but they might come close. Again, this team has proven me wrong. The Hawthorn Cemetery is another amazing achievement in set design, lighting effects, and the technical skills of these artisans. Full of spookiness, eerie sounds, and frights coming from everywhere, this is definitely a high water mark for this crew. Absolutely breathtaking!

So there you have it. Eight very unique houses, each one is definitely a must to experience, and several should be experienced more than once.

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24 Hours of Inspirational Tweets! http://tiny.cc/ead58

24 Hours of Inspirational Tweets

Having completely abandoned this format for several months now has left me with a sort of empty feeling inside. True, I have been enormously busy with work, school (almost done with my very first year in college - not bad for a 40-year-old!) and of course homelife. Still, this blog and its mission is something very important, and apparently something I absolutely need to do.

So to your continued success - and mine - here is today's feed:

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No road is long with good company. - Turkish Proverb, quoted by Marci Shimoff

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. - Marcel Proust, quoted by Marci Shimoff

When I'm happy, there seem to be more musicians in the subway. And they're on key. - Victoria Moran

Are you happy? Are you compassionate and considerate of others? It is who you have been, not what you have done, that matters to your soul. - Neale Donald Walsch

"Imagination is the eye of the soul." -Joseph Joubert, quoted by Marci Shimoff

Manage to conceive of your hardships as blessings in disguise. - Zig Ziglar, quoted by Tom Ziglar

Leadership has less to do with the size of your office than the strength of your commitment. - Robin Sharma

Tiny minds get preoccupied with tiny things. - Robin Sharma

You are here because you wish to be. If you did not so wish, it would not so be. - Neale Donald Walsch

Afraid of what we might find outside the comfort zone of what is familiar, we stay tied to the past, even when it no longer fulfills us. - Debbie Ford

Don't allow your wounds to transform you into someone you are not. - Paolo Coelho

Everything that occurs teaches and prepares you for the next stage of life. Nothing is lost.  - Zig Ziglar, quoted by Tom Ziglar

The doing of difficult things is how we grow stronger and bigger. - Robin Sharma

"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." Helen Keller, quoted by Tony Robbins

To live your life without expectation - without the need for specific results - that is freedom. That is Godliness. - Neale Donald Walsch

Our habitual behavior stems from an experience or experiences in the past that led us to create particular interpretations about ourselves. - Debbie Ford

Excuses are literally our attempt to "excuse" ourselves from acting like the responsible, powerful, creative human beings we are. - Debbie Ford

Human perception is limited by what our minds have been conditioned to see. - Carl Bozeman

Celebrate the moments of your life. One day soon we'll look back on the years and wonder where they went. - Gail Lynne Goodwin

The price of success is much lower than the price of failure. Zig Ziglar, quoted by Tom Ziglar

Love is the energy which expands, opens up, sends out, reveals, shares, and heals. - Neal Donald Walsch

We must address our internal negative dialogue if we are to succeed in creating a life beyond the boundaries of what we know. - Debbie Ford

"You can only go as high as your thoughts." – Robert Holden, found on Heal Your Life

Something to always remember! Guarantees? There are none in this life, but there are creative ways to better your chances. - Harvey Mackay, quoted by Tony Robbins

Your body is a sacred container on loan to you for a very short while. - Debbie Ford

"You can sell your time, but you can't buy it back" - Paolo Coelho

"Take on obligations you can handle." ~ Warren Buffet, found on JimRohnQuotes

To live in joy allow experience to flow through you with loving awareness and without clinging or aversion. - Deepak Chopra

Avoid the comfort zone of the low performer. Set your standards higher and higher. - Brian Tracy

If at first an idea isn't absurd there is no hope for it. - Albert Einstein, quoted by Marci Shimoff

I've learned more by not following bad examples than by following good examples.  - Paolo Coelho

God is not greater than you. How can God be? For God is That Which Is You, and you are That Which Is God. - Neale Donald Walsch

Do not wait another day to become fully engaged in your life, to learn to love and to forgive, and to live with greater purpose and meaning. - Debbie Ford

"A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others." - Ayn Rand, quoted by Brian Tracy

Taking the risk to follow our hearts gives energy to our future and breathes life into our dreams. - Debbie Ford

Change means movement. Movement means friction. Don't complain. - Paolo Coelho

To recognize the infinite spaciousness within & to dream & envision from that space is to align with the creative impulse of the universe. - Brian Piergrossi

You need to consider your attitude as seriously as you would consider the largest purchase of your life. - Zig Ziglar, quoted by Tom Ziglar

It is within that your bliss will be found. There will you remember once again Who You Are. - Neale Donald Walsch

A hundred small choices in the wrong direction can add up to a lifetime where our dreams are always one step in front of us. - Debbie Ford

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24 Hours of Inspirational Tweets! http://tiny.cc/ead58