Kwanzaa- Day Six, and New Year's Eve

The sixth day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to the principle of Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah), creativity. I can use my creative energies to build a beautiful and vibrant home and community.

For many people, New Year's Eve is a big night. W and I are at loose ends; we have no parties to go to or family to celebrate with- and are happy, really, to be alone together tonight. That said, we do want to show in the New Year with some fun and fanfare. Our plan is to cook a simple dinner together, watch a movie on TV, and toast the New Year with champagne at midnight.

Agenda Today:
1. Journal:
What creative ideas do I have to improve my house, my relationships, the school I work at, my faith community, and my neighborhood?

Look at my intentions for the New Year from the perspective of an artist (that is, upside down). What does my crazy wisdom tell me?

2. Ceremony:
I light the first candles, plus the last red candle, and say this affirmation-

I will use my creative talents and energies to improve young minds and hearts, and make my home and community more beautiful and vibrant.

3. Choose my New Year's Resolutions:

I've been thinking about this all week, and this is what I've decided-

In the New Year, I resolve to:

1. Do the daily work of healing my poor body- physical therapy, diet, rest, and patience.
2. Continue to pare down my belongings- and put each thing in it's place.

3. Renew my painting practice- make it a persistent habit again. 
4. Create equanimity with the difficult people in my life.

4. Creativity project:
This year I decided to make a visual reminder of my New Year’s resolutions, an eye-catching magnet to put on the refrigerator. I chose appropriate adinkra symbols from Ghana, West Africa, to illustrate each one. Here's what you will need to make one for yourself-

Supplies:

• nice paper
• pencil and pen
• adinkra symbols (You can find drawings of the symbols here.)
• glue
• recycled flat magnets from advertisements

1. Choose symbols that illustrate each of your resolutions. My symbols:

• HYE WON HYE- "that which does not burn" - I can walk on fire, endure, and overcome difficulties.

• BESE SAKA- "sack of cola nuts" - I have all I need.

• SESA WO SUBAN- "transformation" (the morning star  inside the wheel) - It's a new day, and I have the persistence to bring about great change.

• MPATAPO- "knot of reconciliation"  - I create the bond for a peaceful, harmonious reconciliation.

2. Draw the symbols, and type or write out the resolutions.



3. Glue it to poster board.

4. Add flat magnets onto the back, or magnet tape


and stick it on your refrigerator!

5. Make wassail:

The wassail bowl is an old Gaelic tradition still observed in Scotland and Great Britain. The word wassail comes from the Old English wes hál, meaning to be whole, and it was a toast made at medieval feasts to welcome the guests. People would carry a bowl of hot cider or ale outdoors on New Year’s Eve to share with neighbors, and groups of wassailers would go door-to-door singing to get their bowls filled. Tons of different recipes abound, but I like this simple one:

Ingredients:

• 1 quart of hard apple cider (or use non-alcoholic cider)
• 1/4 c. brown sugar (I used less)
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• 8 cloves
• 8 allspice berries
• apple slices

Yield: 4 servings-

1- Peel and slice the apples, and cut in thirds. Heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds on high, to soften.

2- Combine all ingredients in a pot. Smash the apples to a pulp. Heat just to warm.

3- Strain directly into cups and serve warm. Save the last bit to pour onto an apple tree to ensure next year's crop.

6. Wassail my apple tree:

I really love my apple tree, and so sometime on New Year's eve I will probably slip out to toast it's health, pour some cider on it’s roots, and give it a "Hurra".

"Here’s to thee, old apple-tree,
Whence thou mayst bud, and whence thou mayst blow,
And whence thou mayst bear apples enow!
Hats-full! Caps-full!
Bushel, bushel sacks-full!
And my pockets full, too! Hurra!”

7. Make noise: 

Noise-making is considered an effective way to drive off the spirits of the old year and awaken the sleeping new year. We will gather horns, bells, pots, pans, and whistles, throw open the door at midnight, count down the final seconds of the old year, then let loose with whoops and cheers, bangs and toots, to welcome in the New Year.

Full Cold Moon and Christmas Day

Today is Christmas, but only the first day of Christmas- the start of the twelve-day festal tide adopted by the Christian Church. In 567 C.E. church leaders proclaimed the days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season.

Now my preparations are finished, and I can relax with my family, do a puzzle, eat, drink, and generally wallow in joyful abandon. In some old traditions, this season was seen as a sort of Sabbath: Prepare ahead of time and then spend the Twelve Days doing as little work as possible. It's a good time to rest, reflect, and find peace within.

And tonight is the Full Moon! The full moon is my monthly time for action and release: I look again at the “seeds of intention” I planted 2 weeks ago at the new moon and decide on my next steps to take, I take those steps, then I release my expectations in order to clear space for new ideas and new intentions.

The full moon of December is called the Cold Moon, for obvious reasons. Nature is resting now in preparation for the growing season, and so should I be! No matter how busy I feel, I can slow down, rest more, and pay better attention to the inner growing going on.

Agenda today:

1. Give gifts:
Celebrate the birth of Jesus by giving gifts to those I love.

2. Altar:
It's time to discern what to put on my altar for the next 30 days. (For my thoughts on altars see About Altars). I generally keep it simple and choose only things that speak to me and feed me, and reveal what I believe in. I ask, what quality of Spirit do I want to invoke?

Today I add-

• a green candle for strength, vitality, and inner growth; a color to support change, and bring new ideas into being. 

I also add a motto or quote to ponder as a theme for the month. This month:

Strength does not come from physical capacity.

It comes from an indomitable will. 

~Mahatma Gandhi

3. Journal:
Review the intentions I set 2 weeks ago, at the new moon. Review also the goals I set at the beginning of the year.

Do these aims all still seem vital? 
How have I moved closed to my vision?
What new steps might I take in  2015?

4. Practice at my theme:
My theme this month is strength & health. I am recovering well from my accident, but it's going to be a slow process. When I overdo it, my broken ribs and shoulder begin to really ache- and I remember that my pace needs to be restrained.

My intentions-

• Eat a bone-mending diet: High calcium foods, lean protein, vitamin C, and zinc. Also, (sigh) cut back on alcohol (which increases inflammation), sodium, sugar, refined grains, and caffeine.
• Exercise to accelerate healing.
• Continue to take a nap everyday.
• Practice guided meditation to help with pain. (Many are available on YouTube; I found this one helpful.)
• Research other pain relief ideas.

5. Have a feast:
This is a day of unrestricted feasting. The table is filled with goodies- breads, cheese, apples, tangerines, nuts, chocolates, and cookies. We will snack all day long.

6. Pudding:
Tonight we will reheat the Christmas pudding I made a month ago by steaming it again for about an hour, and slide it out of the pudding basin onto a plate.

Then we will put some brandy into a metal ladle (about 1/4-cup), heat it over a candle flame until it steams a bit, set it on fire with a match, and pour the flaming brandy over the warm pudding. This is really worth the effort! We turn the lights out and the blue flame dances all over the pudding for a minute or more.

7. Take Action:
The full moon is a time to celebrate life, stay up late, see friends, exercise harder, and be more creative and outgoing. This crazy full moon energy is a little counter to the quiet healing energy I need right now, so I will acknowledge it , and moderate it so it doesn’t throw me off balance. I will channel this surge of energy into healing, and growing strong again.

Christmas Eve

My family is arriving today, and I’m excited! I have everything ready (not really), and now I just get to do some more waiting.

Agenda tonight:
1. Put Baby Jesus in the manger:

Of course, Baby Jesus must arrive in His crib tonight! 

I believe that we all have that of God within, and I generally picture it as Light, but the Christ Child is another wonderful image. At Advent, I am a baby again, waiting for birth into wisdom and grace.


2. Light the Christ candle:
Just before serving our Christmas Eve Supper, we will light the advent wreath, and also a large white candle, commonly called the Christ Candle. It is re-lit each night until the Epiphany to represent Christ's Light and in order to help guide the Magi to the manger.

4. Hang your stockings with care.

Final Days of Advent

The theme of the Advent season is joyous preparation, waiting and watching for the signs of grace, preparing for the birth of the Christ Child, and for the re-birth of the sun. This is a time of light born out of the darkness, but only the very beginning, not anything complete. The solstice was the turning point- each day will get a little longer now until spring, and I can feel my own inner growing- a flicker of compassion, a butterfly of creativity, a tiny sprout of wisdom.

When I observe advent well, I find that I am mostly prepared for this final week- my house is fairly clean, shopping is almost finished, and the cupboards are filled with delectable food. I need to complete only a few finishing touches.

I need also to keep my focus on the Spirit of Love that guides me.

Agenda This Week:
1. Prayers:

• Each morning as I wake, pause to take a slow breath, and center on Spirit. Stay in this gentle meditation as I get dressed, walk Sadie, and move through my morning.
• Sit every day for a few minutes of silence. Simply practice feeling a presence.
• Remember to give thanks.
• Send prayers to others. Pray that God’s love and protection will reach out and surround my loved ones, and all the people of the world.
• Listen for guidance.
• Pray all day: Pray as I walk, as I go about the work of the day, before I eat- just concentrate on the Spirit’s presence and say a simple phrase to keep us in communication.

2. Decorate with greens:

"Now, why is this tree in the kitchen?"

Evergreens are a symbol for eternal life, because they stay green when everything else dies. 

Because of my broken arm, I'm not making a wreath this year, but I've still been collecting greens all week- some pruned from our Christmas tree, some collected from a large Douglas fir branch that blew down in the park, some from our over-grown Mugo pine. I plan to cut them up to distribute around the house.

Winter Solstice

The winter solstice occurs today at 8:48 p.m. pacific standard time.


In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice occurs during the coldest season of the year, when the sun is at it’s lowest angle and is seen for it’s shortest period. This is the moment of new beginnings- the darkest time, with the brightest hope. 

Many ancient solstice traditions are adopted and absorbed into Christmas festivities. I mark the solstice separately from- but linked to- Christmas. This a good occasion to honor the sun, and remember that in spite of our technology, we are still dependent on the sun for life. Our world does revolve around the sun!

Agenda today:
1. Say a prayer:
Dong Zhi is the Chinese celebration of the winter solstice; it means "Arrival Of Winter". The Chinese have a great feast on Dong Zhi. Everyone wears new clothes, and visits their families with gifts. 

The Dong Zhi Festival is a time of hope, optimism, and thanksgiving for a successful harvest, the fertility of the land, and the reunion of the family. Many people offer incense on the morning of Dong Zhi, and prayers of thanksgiving to Heaven and Earth, the household gods, and to the spirits of the ancestors. People also pray for safety and prosperity in the coming year. 

My prayer today: I offer my grateful thanks for life, returning strength, my family and friends, and for this gift of slowed down days with time to daydream, read a bit, and take a nap.

2. Paint a plum tree calendar:
Dong Zhi is grounded in the Chinese idea of yin and yang- balance and harmony in life. The feminine yin qualities of darkness and cold are most powerful at this time but the solstice is the turning point, giving way gradually to the masculine yang of light and fire.

In China, the number nine is linked with winter because odd numbers are yang, and nine is the largest odd number. Nine represents infinity and extremes. Winter is divided into nine periods, each nine days long, totaling 81 days. 

Funny looking plum tree!

The Winter Solstice is the beginning of the first nine-day period. The weather should improve a bit every nine-days, and at the end of the ninth period, spring comes!

Before the Winter Solstice, people in China sometimes paint a plum tree with 81 white flowers. The plum blossom symbolizes longevity, hope, courage, and the promise of spring.

Materials: 

• soft absorbent paper (rice paper or newsprint)
• bottle of black sumi ink
• a Chinese brush 
• or use a black marker!

1. Experiment with the brush. Dip your brush into the ink. Hold the brush vertically, very gently.

2. Practice painting a tree and plum blossoms. To get fine lines, touch only the tip of the brush to the paper. Move your whole arm. Just paint the outline of the blossoms, and five dots in the center.

3. When you feel confident, paint a tree with 81 plum blossoms.

4. Hang the tree on the wall, and starting today color one flower red each day. At the end of nine-times-nine days, 81 red blossoms will welcome the spring!

3.  Burn candles:

Yule (Jul) was a midwinter festival celebrated by the indigenous Norse and Germanic peoples, and is still celebrated by pagans today. The name might mean “Wheel of Fire”. The original date isn't known: It probably started about the time of the winter solstice and very likely at the new moon. It may have lasted three days, or twelve days.


Yule, as it is observed by neo-pagans, is the celebration of the rebirth of the Sun, and the beginning of the cycle of the year. Traditionally, a large oak log is burned tonight, and kept lit for 24-hours or more. 

We don't have a fireplace, so we will burn candles instead. 

Tonight, on the darkest night, I honor the sun as demonstration of the Divine Power.

Fourth Advent Sunday

The fourth and final week of advent begins today. This is the day to take a deep breath and go back to the beginning, back to the spirit of love that brings me to this place of light and grace; back to living in the Spirit, being Spirit. This simple fact of being  defines my essential self. 

I am often distracted by my experiences, relationships, and thinking, and I forget to enjoy the being of now! 

Since I was hit by a van two weeks ago, I have been made to rest in the Now, and I am re-awakened to the joy in being alive. A lot of my busy-ness has been peeled away, and I remember that happiness comes in calm simplicity. I experience God through each breath, sight, sound, smell, and taste, and the presence of friends and family.

Agenda:

1. Advent wreath ceremony:
Tonight (and every night this week through Christmas day) we will light four advent candles, and recite four prayers:

"We light the first candle for the earth, which sustains us. May we cherish and care for it."

"We light the second candle for all the people of the world. May we find unity and peace."

"We light the third candle for our family and the joy and love we bring each other."

"We light the fourth candle for the Spirit of God in each of us, which is our guiding light."

2. Plan activities:
This week my focus is the Spirit of God, my guide and my light. I try to live all of my life with attention on God but I get distracted. I want to have a more effectual connection to Spirit, and so this week I will practice and improve my prayer habits. Prayer can be simple and spontaneous, and I can pray anywhere, at any time. I want to create a relationship rather than practice a ritual.

Things to do this week to give attention to the Spirit of God:

• Each morning as I wake, pause to take a slow breath, and center on Spirit. Stay in this gentle meditation as I get dressed, walk Sadie, and move through my morning.
• Sit every day for a few minutes of silence. Simply practice feeling a presence.
• Remember to give thanks.
• Send prayers to others. Pray that God’s love and protection will reach out and surround my loved ones, and all the people of the world.
• Listen for guidance.
• Pray all day: Pray as I walk, as I go about the work of the day, before I eat- just concentrate on the Spirit’s presence and say a simple phrase to keep us in communication.

Las Posadas

Las Posadas is a nine-day celebration that begins tonight, on December 16. Posada is Spanish for "lodging", and the nine days represent the nine months of Mary's pregnancy.

In Mexico, people gather and carry candles and clay figures of Mary and Joseph from house to house, reenacting Mary and Joseph’s search for a room at an inn. They are turned away again and again with a rude “No!” Finally, one house allows them to enter, and everyone celebrates with food and a piñata. The procession is repeated each night through Christmas Eve, with a party at a different house each night.

I have always wished to live someplace where the Posadas procession is practiced. It reminds me of what it means to be a compassionate person and part of a compassionate community. It reminds me that the person at the door asking for help is always Jesus.

“...for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Matthew 25:35-36.

A hut I helped to build last February.

Agenda:
1. Plan a fund-raiser for Community Supported Shelters:
CSS makes huts for homeless people, which I have helped to build, but they also host three tent camping spots, and they are collecting donations now to build metal warming shelters with fire pits, that the campers can use to warm up on cold nights. 

At Posada I always double up my efforts to help homeless people in my community, so today I'm planning a fund-raiser  to help CSS.

2. Set out our crèche: 

Traditionally, it was St. Francis of Assisi who made the first crèche, in honor of animals who shared the stable with the baby Jesus. 

We made Mary and Joseph with fabric and glue when my kids were very young. The donkey and bird (on the roof) are Fimo and the manger is balsa wood.

Today I set out just these figures, but leave the manger empty until Christmas morning.

3. Make Mexican hot chocolate:
You can buy Mexican chocolate in boxes in the specialty isle of your grocery store. It has a different flavor and texture than regular chocolate because they add cinnamon.
Ingredients:

• 1 qt. milk
• 2 tablets (about 7 oz.) of Mexican chocolate

1. Pour milk into a saucepan and heat on low.

2. Break chocolate into small pieces. Add to the milk, and bring it to a simmer. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted.

3. Beat the hot chocolate with a whisk until foamy.

4. Read the Christmas story:
Luke 2:1-20.

Third Week of Advent

During this week of Advent my theme is "family love and joy". Most of the joy of the season is spontaneous and un-planable, but I do two things to create the conditions:

• Take care of myself so I can be calm and present for the spontaneous joy when it arises.
• Take the time to consider what others- friends and family- will want most this season. In other words, I become less self-focused and more generous in all ways. 
• Be respectful, patient, and kind (no matter how stressed  I feel).

These are obviously year-round aspirations, but I need a strict reminder now, because everything begins to seem so important: I must get this right, and it must happen now. (Do other people feel this way, or am I a crazy person?)

Agenda this week:
1. Daily meditation:
Meditation can be anything you want it to be. I don't need anything very structured- I just need to take time to center myself. I take a few minutes of quiet time to sip my coffee, write in my journal, and think about what is planned today and how I intend to behave.

2. Card-writing practice:

Christmas cards are a fulfilling way to touch the important ones in your life. People enjoy cards because they are pretty and personal. I especially enjoy getting cards with a brief hand-written note.

This year my card is abstract and colorful. Each day, after meditation, I plan to write a note on a card or two and send them on their way with love.

3. Make simple gifts:

Gifts are one way to express love for family and friends. Remember that gifts come in many forms. Emerson said, “The only gift is a portion of thyself.”



Every gift is loaded with meaning, and so giving requires mindfulness. Finding the "perfect gift" requires that I take the time to get into the other person's shoes and think about what would be most meaningful and appreciated by this particular person at this particular time. Of coarse, the "perfect gift" is a mostly unattainable goal, but on the other hand, "It's the thought that counts" is a saying that only works if I have given it some actual thought.

I had planned to give handmade gifts, as usual, but a broken arm makes that difficult... still I might find a way! 

4. Decorate the tree:
This will wait until our daughter visits this weekend, because she is willing and able, and has a station wagon.

Last year's tree.

The Christmas tree is a mythic symbol of life, hope, and knowledge. Our tree is in the living room now, with lights but no ornaments. I am waiting for help from my family. We will put Christmas music on the stereo and decorate with chaos and happy arguing (that’s just our style). 

We decorate our tree with symbols of a perfect world, to encourage that which we hope for in the coming year-

• lights for the Light of God
• animals for unity with nature
• a dove for peace
• fruits that nourish us
• gold and silver for prosperity
• candy for a sweet life
• mothers and babies for re-birth
• a sun on top and a serpent hidden below

5. Bake goodies:

Can't have too many goodies! We are making gingerbread houses on Saturday! I'll post pictures then.