Members Popular Post co**** Posted December 17, 2019 Members Popular Post (edited) We celebrate the longer days promised by Winter Solstice, but we should also reflect on the meaning and value of darkness-- as at times in our lives, quiet, solitude, reflection, are valuable, and we need to also acknowledge and learn from sadness, pain, loss-- not only trying to 'cheer up' but understanding life's richness and depth... 'In the darkness a light burns' We hold to comfort and hope... As midwinter Sun sinks lower, so we see a glow on the horizon. As midwinter night blackens, so a blazing fire warms our homes. As worry clouds our lives, so love lights our hearts. Yet we don't flee the darkness, for it nurtures.. In black Mother Earth's embrace seeds and roots slumber 'til spring. In shadow of Grandmother Spruce beaked and furred people shelter. In thick curtained bedchambers we huddle in woolen comfort. We burn our faces by the blazing log of regrets, but the cold shadows cling to our backs. We admire the evergreen, lit like a beacon, but it's boughs still hold shadows. We dance and sing in our little circles of light but feel the vast, thick dark all around. Leave space and respect for the darkness still, source of life, fount of blood, of tears... Embrace death which gives rise to life. Accept pain which gives rise to love. Hold to the nothing that gives rise to everything. Cohan December 15, 2019, Condor, Alberta, Canada now let's see if I can get the photos to load this time....lol-- Guess not! Can anyone open the pics? Edited December 17, 2019 by cohan
Members leo Posted December 17, 2019 Members (edited) Yes, I can see pics, very beautiful. ? Edited December 17, 2019 by leo
Moderator Li**** Posted December 17, 2019 Moderator I love the photos, makes me miss wintery weather! ☃️❄️
Members co**** Posted December 18, 2019 Author Members 15 hours ago, leo said: Yes, I can see pics, very beautiful. ? Thanks!
Members co**** Posted December 18, 2019 Author Members 9 hours ago, Lizzie said: I love the photos, makes me miss wintery weather! ☃️❄️ Thanks-- winter can be very beautiful :) I'm not sure I'd miss it though, unless maybe I was someplace very visually boring...lol
Members co**** Posted December 18, 2019 Author Members 10 hours ago, Candy said: Beautiful photos! ?✨ thanks!
Members Popular Post co**** Posted December 18, 2019 Author Members Popular Post It's a beautiful time of year-- at least some of the time-- we had a week or more of fresh snow off and on (and on, and on), frost on the trees from the ground fog rolling in every day as the sun set and temperature dropped-- so it just kept getting prettier day by day. These shots were from a rare trip to town at almost exactly sunset. Now, it has warmed up a little, and the trees have already shed most of the white. I'm always aware of and grateful for, the beauty that surrounds me (wherever I am!).
Moderator Candy Posted December 18, 2019 Moderator Wow. Thank you for sharing a little slice of your world with us. Living in a city is very different and it's only when I leave to go on holiday that I can really appreciate nature and its beauty. I grew up in a place where it never snowed, so I'm a huge fan. Hopefully next year I begin a new adventure living on the road and completely immersing myself in all our beautiful earth and nature has to offer ?
Members co**** Posted December 19, 2019 Author Members 20 hours ago, Candy said: Wow. Thank you for sharing a little slice of your world with us. Living in a city is very different and it's only when I leave to go on holiday that I can really appreciate nature and its beauty. I grew up in a place where it never snowed, so I'm a huge fan. Hopefully next year I begin a new adventure living on the road and completely immersing myself in all our beautiful earth and nature has to offer ? Glad you liked it. I grew up here, then lived in cities for many years-- certainly winter didn't stay as pretty-- lots of slush and muck ;) But I still found beauty every day-- I did that in a few ways (first off, I always had houseplants in cities, so I had some nature with me!)--- I spent a lot of time looking at street and park trees, and the sky-- -nature that is free and everywhere :) -- I also really enjoy the way trees, sky and buildings come together :) Then, also, I would walk down side streets and look at the flowers, trees, shrubs in other people's gardens-- even if there were only a couple of things in each yard, taken all together over a walk, it was a treat :) I was also lucky that the two cities where I lived longest-- Edmonton and Toronto- had extensive trail systems through river valleys and lakeshore with lots of nature :) And also, public gardens, including conservatories/greenhouses-- a great treat during grey winter weather...
Members co**** Posted December 22, 2019 Author Members Yesterday was the Winter Solstice-- Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere-- now officially winter, funny when it has been winter here for a couple of months already... This is always the most important of the astronomical divisions of the year ( Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, Summer and Winter Solstices) since, while much of the coldest weather may be yet to come, it means the days will begin to get longer and we begin the climb back to spring and summer. Meanwhile we enjoy the short days in the great beauty of the cold season, enjoy the long dark nights indoors with loved ones and/or in sacred contemplation alone. We may long for the company of others, often, but time spent solitary is vital for our intellectual, emotional and spiritual development. Make art, look at art, read, think, meditate, pray, whatever practice or practices take you out of your cluttered daily mind and into quieter deeper and richer places. But take time too to celebrate-- eat something wonderful, giving thanks for every ingredient and every person involved in getting it /them to you, play or listen to music, sing our loud and dance! Dance for celebration of the dark night, the dark soil, the dark blood from which springs all life, and dance for the light of the fire, the cozy reading lights, the comforting candle, the sun that shines still on crystal snow, and that works her way back to warm the land again! It was a fittingly dark day here for the shortest day of the year-- there was a pink glow in the south and east, in the early afternoon, below mostly cloudy skies, but at that time I was busy hauling wood from the bush.. By the time I was ready to take photos, the skies had closed in and it was snowing.. .Snow Mother wants to be sure we know this is her season!
Members co**** Posted December 24, 2019 Author Members 3 hours ago, xenspirit said: Thank you for the beautiful winter scenes. Glad you enjoyed :)
Moderator Veronika Posted January 2, 2020 Moderator Thanks for sharing this beautiful pictures! Back when I was in university we always celebrating Dec 21st and Winter Solstice as well as Summer Solstice. For both events we would sleep in caves, make music and experience the pure nature. For me these dates make way more sense to celebrate big, as for example christmas. Now with a family we want to keep these dates as a date to celebrate, because winter solstice is "real" whereas Santa Claus is not. I love the idea to worship nature and have certain dates to celebrate its beauty. Doesn't have to be sleeping outside, but celebrating with a bonfire and friends or a lonely torch-hike through the woods might be a good idea for every nature-lover out here.
Members co**** Posted January 4, 2020 Author Members On 1/1/2020 at 9:22 AM, Ang1800 said: Beautiful! Welcome to a new season! Thanks! Well, here it has been winter for ages already, and will continue for a long time...lol-- but nice to think days will slowly get longer again :)
Members co**** Posted January 4, 2020 Author Members On 1/2/2020 at 4:11 AM, Veronika said: Thanks for sharing this beautiful pictures! Back when I was in university we always celebrating Dec 21st and Winter Solstice as well as Summer Solstice. For both events we would sleep in caves, make music and experience the pure nature. For me these dates make way more sense to celebrate big, as for example christmas. Now with a family we want to keep these dates as a date to celebrate, because winter solstice is "real" whereas Santa Claus is not. I love the idea to worship nature and have certain dates to celebrate its beauty. Doesn't have to be sleeping outside, but celebrating with a bonfire and friends or a lonely torch-hike through the woods might be a good idea for every nature-lover out here. Yes, it makes sense, doesn't it? Even New Year's celebrations and Christmas ( there are many good things in there we can enjoy ? ) are constructed in large part from Solstice celebrations :) I think anything that makes us feel more a part of the 'natural ' world (really where do people think we came from-- a factory? ? ) is very healthy. It is interesting, I find now that I pay attention to the winter solstice, I actually find it makes winter seem shorter-- I think, wow, already solstice? now the days will get longer ?
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