Tales From The Labyrinth

Winter Solstice Planting

What seeds
are you planting
this shortest day
of the year?

When all life
sleeps deep
beneath the
Winter night blanket
of dark velvet,
where a tiny spark,
like stars in the vast sky,
ignites,
cradled tight
within the earth
and dreams of reaching
the light of day,
finding
the path back
into world...
Singing the joys
of Spring, Summer,
Fall, and of the blessings of Winter...

Photos: The Buddha watching over light seeds that will only thrive and grow in fertile darkness, Winter Solstice labyrinth walk in our Santa Rosa Labyrinth, and Christmas Caroling with friends and neighbors, organized by Ulla and husband.

To view the Winter Solstice at Newgrange Ireland, click the link below and download the archive. It is long, but well worth being included in this five-thousand-two-hundred-year-old event.

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Solstice2007

This Season" ~ Writers Island

One of my first memories of this season as a child was putting out cookies and milk for Santa Claus before I went to sleep on Christmas Eve. I could not believe when I awoke the next morning that I could only find  crumbs on the plate and an empty glass of milk beside it! The story of Santa Claus had to be true!!! For many years this activity sparked wonder in me, fired my imagination, and gave me a sense of the greater mystery to be found in the unseen world around me...

All these years later... I find this same wonder, imagination, and mystery when I discover something new that adds to my deepening of all that this time of the year holds...

For the past five days, since December 12th, I've been visiting the blog of my artist friend Mo'a Boyles... There I've been learning about Mo'a's Icelandic homeland tradition of the journey of the thirteen "Jolasveinar."  Each day one Jolasveinar, also known as Yule Goblins, Christmas Men, Christmas Elves or Christmas Lads comes down from the mountain until Christmas day... Mo'a has felted each figure and gives a little story about the particular characteristics and antics that appear with each one.

What once was a scary story, is now a benevolent one, and children leave a wooden shoe out on the window sill each night for each Jolasveinar to leave a gift, or a potato, depending on whether they've been "naughty or nice!"

I find myself each day, hardly being able to wait to click on Mo'a's blog to see who has arrived. As when I was a child, my imagination dances with delight at the wonder and mystery Mo'a has created for us to enjoy.

To see these precious Jolasveinar,
and learn more of their story,
please visit Mo'a's blog at:

 Leikur og List

© This Season" ~ Writers Island

Photo: I don't have a pair of wooden shoes... 
only my plastic garden clogs... do you think this might be why I got potatoes ???

Celebration of Traditions

Beautiful, magical Jassman Jill of
Follow Your Bliss
is inviting us all
to share in a Celebration of Traditions!

Here are some of things we do at our home this month of December and into the New Year to mark and celebrate these holidays...

This time of the year can be very special...

For if we can slow down
for just a few minutes every day
and breathe in what matters
to our hearts...

we might connect and find new meanings
for ourselves along this path of our lives...

It might be through lighting a candle from any tradition,

making gingerbread houses with loved ones...
decorating home and yard,

celebrating this time of year in the faith,
style, and tradition that has meaning for you...

decorating a tree...

as we decorate ours with my collection of "strawberry" ornaments that my mother has been giving me over the years...

On December 21st, the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year... I'll be gathering with Ulla and our neighbors to Christmas Carol through our neighborhood, and walk our candlelit labyrinth...

with a question in our hearts of what seed we are planting this longest night of the year as we once again move towards longer days to come, and come together to share deserts and cheer...

On Christmas Eve we celebrate with my family... this particular year, the Chinese restaurant in my parents' home town carved these beautiful creatures for us to have at our Christmas Eve celebration meal...

And on Christmas day we celebrate with my step-son's mother and family...

This time of the year is when I reflect on the year past and turn my attention to the coming new year... it is when I celebrate the birth and return of the light... deep within the darkness of our Northern Hemisphere Winter...

This Christmas day will mark my one year anniversary of blogging! It also marks my second year of
participating in Lynn Jericho's
Twelve Holy Nights of Inner Christmas

These twelve nights of reflection marks the time between Christmas Day and December 5th. Each day, Lynn gives a prompt to guide the meditation. This years focus will be on polarities that we meet in life and how we can contemplate these dualities to bring greater depth and meaning to our lives...

I wish for you and your family, and all those you hold dear, a time of heart and soul and the blessings of the traditions that bring you joy and comfort this time of the year. As well as the possibilities of all things beautiful...

Please visit Jill's blog to connect with others sharing their holiday traditions and to add your own if you would like!

The Next Day...

She slipped through
the portal
in the labyrinth
in the wee hours of the morning...
and when she awoke,
only one of her shoes
lay in the folds of the fall leaves of her ball gown...
Now...
where did she leave that shoe...
for she had danced all over bloglandia,
meeting the most amazing people
seeing the most gorgeous gowns,
simple and fancy,
full of imagination,
play, and delight
beneath the full September moon...

Oh sweet friends,
if you find this little  slipper
beneath flowers and feasting treats,
near crystal or music echoes...
Spin three times
in the center of your labyrinth
and you'll find yourself here!!!
And we can reminisce and
send periwinkle kisses to eb
and all the revelers
of the Bloglandia Ball!!!!

Bloglandia Ball!!! ~ September Full Moon

Today...
this Full September moon,
is the Bloglandia Ball...
hosted by beloved
eb, Elizabeth Bunsen, of Be...Dream...Play...

Even if you have no dress,
or pants,
to swirl in paper, ribbon, glitter, or lace,
in word, or story...
use your imagination
and come dance and feast with us
at the Cyberspace Palace!!!!

I might wear for a little while...

some blue, green, and pink...

or for part of the evening,
my mermaid dress,
that you've seen before,
with little mermaids
swimming and sunning in gown and on crown...

or maybe this light frock,
all iridescent air and fire and ice...

or my favorite of all,
my true Bloglandia Ball Gown...

This is the one that I'll remember years from now...

for it was created when eb first announced with glee
her idea coming to fruition,
of a Bloglandia Ball,
where our creativity can be shared and danced
and celebrated...

This dress
comes from the divas in our yard...

and wears the memory
of Summer turning into Fall...

and the joy that comes when we dance
with our muses and each other...

Please visit eb, at Be...Dream...Play... for links in post and comments to more wonder~filled delights to be found this Full Moon at the Bloglandia Ball!!!