Christmas Eve Glow

On Christmas Eve, a peaceful light,
Shines over the world, so soft, so bright.
The stars above, the earth below,
Reflect the love that we all know.

This quiet night, we feel His grace,
As we celebrate His holy place.
A Savior born to bring us peace,
A gift of love that will never cease.

By Catherine Pulsifer 

~ Merry Christmas ~ 

Merry Christmas!

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime. - Laura Ingalls Wilder

~ Merry Christmas ~

La Galette des Rois Or The Kings' Cake

Galette des Roi, known in English as the King Cake or the Kings' Cake, is a famous French dessert traditionally prepared on the Twelfth Night (January 5th) or the Christian holiday of Epiphany (January 6th) to celebrate the visit of three Wise Men (the Magi or Kings) to the newly born Baby Jesus.

The King Cake tradition began some three hundred years ago with a rather simple sugar-covered bread, but most probably has its roots in the Roman feast of Saturnalia. A single broad bean (la fève) was inserted before baking. The lucky person who found the bean in his or her slice of cake would become a Bean King or Queen and would reign over the feast. The reign would end at midnight before Epiphany.

With time, king cake recipes became more sophisticated. Around 1870 bakers replaced the broad bean with a trinket called la fève like the bean it replaced.  The trinket usually was a small figurine representing Baby Jesus, a King, or the Wise Men. The season for the cake would last from the Twelfth Night till the end of the Carnival on Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras.

The cake was usually cut into as many portions as guests, plus one for the unexpected visitor, to show generosity, charity and benevolence in the best Christian tradition. That extra slice was called a share of God, or a share of Virgin Mary. 

There are many versions of the cake, depending on the country or the region where the cake is baked. Two versions are popular in France today: one that uses puff pastry and frangipane (almond pastry cream) and another that is made out of brioche-like dough and is topped with colorful candied fruit and sugar. Pastry shops usually sell the king cake with a paper crown for the person who finds the trinket.

Eastern or Orthodox Churches celebrate the birth of Jesus on January 6th. I some parts of Europe (Poland, for example) Epiphany is also the last day people enjoy the Christmas tree. All the lights and decorations are taken down the next day and the trees are tossed away. The magic of Christmas may be gone, but there are at least a few more weeks to enjoy during the Carnival.

Dominique Allmon

Image source here

The Mistletoe

When winter nights grow long,

And winds without blow cold,

We sit in a ring round the warm wood-fire,

And listen to stories old!

And we try to look grave, as maids should be,

When the men bring in boughs of the Laurel-tree.

O the Laurel, the evergreen tree!

The poets have laurels, and why not we?

How pleasant, when night falls down

And hides the wintry sun,

To see them come in to the blazing fire,

And know that their work is done;

Whilst many bring in, with a laugh or rhyme,

Green branches of Holly for Christmas time!

O the Holly, the bright green Holly,

It tells like a tongue that the times are jolly!

Sometimes in our grave house,

Observe, this happeneth not;

But, at times, the evergreen laurel boughs

And the holly are all forgot!

And then! what then? why, the men laugh low

And hang up a branch of the Mistletoe!

O brave is the Laurel! and brave is the Holly!

But the Mistletoe banisheth melancholy!

Ah, nobody knows, nor ever shall know,

What is done under the Mistletoe.

By Barry Cornwall

Merry Christmas!

Easter Traditions

Many people may wonder why we never celebrate Easter on a particular, fixed day. Easter is a "movable" holiday that falls on the first Sunday that comes after the first full moon that occurs after the equinox.

In the past, vernal equinox was considered to be the beginning of a new year. It carried a special importance to the farmers because it signified the beginning of spring. In many traditions, spring was not only the season of nature's regeneration and growth, but also time of the resurrection of the sun god from the underworld. Christianity, of course, celebrates the resurrection of Christ.

The word “Easter” derives from the Old English word Ēastre that has its origin in Proto-Germanic word Austrōn or "dawn" and can also be traced back to the Germanic divinity Austrō from whom the goddess Ēostre (Ostara) has descended. 

In pre-Christian Europe,Anglo-­Saxons worshiped the moon goddess of spring and fertility Ēostre (Ostara). She was always represented standing among spring flowers and holding an egg in her hand. Hare was her sacred animal. It laid eggs to honor her and to encourage her fruitfulness, hence the Easter egg tradition, hence the Easter bunny.

Another reason why eggs became integral part of Easter holiday is that they were one of the foods forbidden by the Church during Lent, or the forty-day period of fasting and penitence that ends on Easter Sunday. In rural society, eggs were always abundant in the springtime and were symbols of creation and fertility. They bore the new life, par excellence. 

In many cultures, for millennia, eggs have been associated with spring rituals. Ancient Egyptians, Persians, Romans, Gauls, and the Ancient Chinese all regarded the egg as a symbol of the universe. In ancient Egypt and Persia, where spring was celebrated as the beginning of a new year, people exchanged decorated eggs at the vernal equinox. In Medieval England for instance, a royal household record from 1290 indicates that King Edward I ordered four hundred and fifty eggs to be dyed or gilded as Easter gifts. 

In Poland, where Easter eggs are elaborately decorated in most households, various legends describe miracles. One such legend talks of the Virgin Mary delivering eggs to the Roman soldiers at the cross and begging them to be kind to Christ. As she wept under the cross, her tears fell on the eggs and spotted them with radiant colors. Another legend talks of Mary Magdalene. When Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to anoint the body of Christ, she brought some eggs with her for a meal. When she uncovered the eggs in her basket, the shells had taken on the colors of the rainbow. This legend might have given birth to the Polish tradition of the Easter basket that is usually blessed by a priest on a Saturday that falls after the Good Friday. 

One more Easter custom that deserves to be mentioned here is the use of perfumed water. Early Christians used to add perfume and essences to the holy water and sprinkle it around the house, on animals, and on food to ensure blessings. On Easter Monday, men would wake women with a sprinkling of the fragrant Easter water and speak the words “May you never wither.” To this day this tradition is quite vivid in Poland where perfumed water is sprinkled on Easter Monday. In rural areas people call it "Smigus Dingus" or "Wet Monday" and celebrate this spring "purifying" ritual with buckets of water, lots of screaming and laughter. 

Many contemporary Christians are not aware of the pagan origin of their festivals and holidays. In order to survive in pagan Europe, Christian Church adopted many pagan rituals, traditions and symbols for its own celebration of the resurrection of Christ. It also appropriated pagan sacred places and erected its own places of warship. As the Christianity took over, the sacred traditions of Druids, Slavs, the Norsemen, or the Germanic people were forgotten or simply eradicated with the help of fire and sword. 

No matter what tradition is celebrated - Christian or pagan - Nature always takes her cyclical turn. After a long winter, everything springs to life, almost overnight. This, in itself, is a miracle. 

Wishing everybody Happy Easter, Happy Ostara, and a very joyous celebration of life ~ Dominique 

 

Dominique Allmon©2016

Merry Christmas!

There is no time like Christmas time! 

Do not allow anything or anybody 

to take the joy of the Season away from you. 

Celebrate like never before! 

Merry Christmas to you and yours! - Dominique

Image: Naughty Cat and the Christmas Tree by Dominique Allmon©2015

Health Benefits of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

 Adoration of the Magi by Nikolaus Obilman, ca. 1466

Three Wise Men and Their Precious Gifts

On January 6th Christians all over the world celebrate Epiphany or the arrival and adoration of the Three Wise Men from the East that are also known as the Three Magi or the Three Kings. 

The Three Wise Men are mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew. Very few details are given about these men in the Bible and much of what we know is left to speculation. The Holy Scripture does not say how many wise men arrived to pay respect to Jesus, but it is generally assumed that there were three visitors, since each brought a gift and there were three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

In antiquity, these valuable gifts were often given to honor a king or a deity: gold was a valuable commodity, precious in itself, and worthy of a king; frankincense was a rare and precious substance that was burned as an incense; and myrrh was often used as an anointing oil. Ancient inscriptions show that these three items were also among the gifts that King Seleucus II Callinicus offered to the god Apollo at the temple in Miletus in 243 B.C.

Scholars believe that the three gifts also symbolized Christ's identity and his mission on earth: gold symbolized his divinity; frankincense his priestly role and righteousness; and myrrh, being a symbol of bitterness, suffering and affliction, prefigured his sacrificial death and embalming. 

Precious gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh

There is, however, a different interpretation of the meaning of these three gifts. These three precious substances have been known since Antiquity for their healing properties.

~ Gold ~

The earliest records of medicinal use of gold date back to Ancient Egypt where people ingested gold for mental, spiritual and bodily purification. As far back as 5,000 years ago Egyptian alchemists used liquid gold to make healing elixirs. They believed that gold could invigorate and rejuvenate the body, cure diseases, and help restore perfect health. Ancient Egyptians were also using gold in dentistry. Archeological finds document use of gold in dentistry as early as 2,500 B.C.

But Ancient Egyptians were not the only ones who used gold for therapeutic purposes. Gold was used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to restore health and prolong life. To this day peasants in China cook rice with a golden coin in order to profit from its restorative properties. 

Gold was also used therapeutically by the Indian Ayurvedic doctors, by the ancient Tibetans, by the Maya and the Aztecs, by the Arabs and the Persians. The Persian doctor Avicenna prescribed it to strengthen the heart. 

Medieval alchemists created Aurum potabile, a gold essence that was used as a life-giving, rejuvenating, balancing, heal-all potion throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The process was very laborious and was kept secret. Famous doctors such as Paracelsus and Isaacus Hollandus reported incredibly successful use of Aurum potabile in therapy of many chronic ailments.Medieval doctors also used gold-coated pills to cure arthritis.

Over the ages gold never lost its popularity, but the 19th century brought an entirely different form of gold - the colloidal gold that was first produced in 1857 by British chemist Michael Faraday. Colloidal gold is a suspension of minuscule gold particles (nano-particles) in a fluid, commonly distilled water. In the 19th century colloidal gold was used to improve blood circulation and to cure alcoholism. Today it is often used to reduce dependency on such substances as alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and sugar. 

Colloidal gold seems to have a balancing and harmonizing effect on the human body. It can be used to restore libido, enhance the immune function, improve mental focus, and increase overall energy levels. 

Modern cosmetic industry re-discovered the use of gold for beauty. There are records that women in ancient Egypt, China and Rome used gold topically to prevent premature aging and heal skin conditions. Research shows that gold has the capacity to prevent depletion of collagen and the breakdown of elastin, it may help to regenerate healthy skin cells, calm inflammation, and  fight free radicals. 

Gold is non-toxic. It is well tolerated by the body and does not seem to interfere with other medications. 

~ Frankincense ~ 

Frankincense, also known as olibanum, is an aromatic resin obtained from the tree of the genus Boswellia in the family Burseraceae. The tree is native to Oman, Somalia, and Yemen. For ages, the resin was used not only to make perfumes and incense, but also as medicine.

The use of frankincense dates back to ancient Egypt where it was used in sacred ceremonies. Ancient Egyptians believed that frankincense could dispel demons and used the resin for embalming and mummification. They also mixed the resin with honey and chewed it to cure bad breath.

In Arabia and in Ancient China the resin was used to heal skin conditions, running nose, nausea, and even leprosy.  

Hippocrates used an ointment made from frankincense that could cure many skin conditions, burns, wounds and skin infections. The resin was also used to alleviate digestive problems, expel parasites, cure bronchitis, sore throat, catarrh, and cough, to mention only a few. 

In the Middle Ages, Hildegard of Bingen believed that the scent of frankincense had the power to stimulate the human brain and improve memory. Paracelsus also used frankincense to cure a variety of ailments. Both Hildegard of Bingen and Paracelsus knew about its capacity to cure skin diseases, respiratory diseases, digestive problems and diarrhea. 

During the Middle Ages frankincense was one of the most important remedies used to cure people. Its popularity as a medicine, however, dwindled at the end of the Middle Ages and people in Europe forgot about it. They could still enjoy the scent, though, since frankincense was burned ceremonially in Catholic churches all over Europe. 

Frankincense became popular again in the West in the mid-1980s after a German pharmacologist, prof. Phillip Theodor Ammon of Tübingen, brought it back from India where it was part of the Indian materia medica.

German researchers have discovered that Indian frankincense (Boswellia serrata) was a very effective analgesic and worked wonders against low-level inflammation in the body. There is hope that chronic diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, atherosclerosis, asthma, eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, and maybe even cancer, could be successfully treated with frankincense. More research has to be conducted, but what was published so far is quite promising. 

~ Myrrh ~

Myrrh is the very aromatic resin from small, thorny tree species from the genus Commiphora in the family Burseraceae. Myrrh is native to eastern regions of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan), and the Arabian Peninsula, especially Oman and Yemen. Since antiquity myrrh was used to make perfume and incense, and like frankincense, it was also used as medicine. Myrrh was highly valued in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, Ancient Greece and Rom. 

Ancient Egyptians used myrrh in religious ceremonies and funerals. The resin was used in embalming and mummification, and to heal wounds. 

In Ancient Greece, Hippocrates used myrrh to heal ulcers and wounds. The Romans believed that the scent of myrrh was an aphrodisiac. Roman ladies wore myrrh perfume to attract lovers. 

Myrrh became popular in Ancient China in the 7th century. It was used to heal wounds, to improve blood circulation, treat uterine tumors and other female health problems. 

During the pestilence pandemics in Medieval Europe doctors gave patients decay preventing pills made of myrrh, saffron and aloe. The Arabs used myrrh to cure contagious diseases. 

In Europe myrrh was used to disinfect wounds, reduce pain, and prevent inflammation. It was a popular remedy that could cure cough, bad breath, headaches, digestive problems, jaundice, gout, syphilis and even leprosy. 

Due to the scientific progress of the 19th century and the emergence of modern chemistry and medicine, myrrh became obsolete. 

Thanks to a growing interest in plant-based medicine during the last few decades, however, we have witnessed a comeback of this ancient remedy. Thanks to its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, myrrh is often added to mouthwashes and toothpaste. It is used to disinfect wounds and to reduce inflammation in the mouth, but also to treat asthma, reduce pain, balance blood sugar, balance cholesterol levels, stimulate the immune system, treat systemic candida and fungal infections, improve digestion, and to heal inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract. There is even hope for cancer patients. An ongoing research is being conducted in many parts of the world. 

Both frankincense and myrrh, are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and in Ayurveda. For centuries these resins have been used in China and in India. They are an important part of many herbal preparations that are used to treat a wide variety of ailments and diseases. 

Essential oils of frankincense and myrrh are used to make costly perfumes. They are also used in aromatherapy, but that, by itself, is a vast subject deserving an entirely new article.

  ~ Happy Epiphany ~

By Dominique Allmon

 

Dominique Allmon©2015 

 

 

*The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose or cure disease.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 I heard the bells on Christmas Day 

Their old, familiar carols play, 

And wild and sweet the words repeat 

Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

 

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

 

Wishing all my readers a very merry and peaceful Christmas ~ Dominique

Mistletoe - Evolution of a Christian Tradition

Why does this parasitic plant remind us of romance?

By Rob Dunn

Baldur, grandson of the Norse god Thor, woke up one morning certain that each and every plant and animal on earth wanted to kill him. His mother consoled him. His wife consoled him, but all to no avail. As Baldur cowered in his room, half-wild with fear, his mother and wife decided to ask every living thing to leave their poor Baldur in peace. They begged the kindness of the oak tree, the pig, the cow, the crow, the ant and even the worm. Each agreed. Then, as Baldur paused to celebrate his release from torment, he felt a pain in his chest. He had been stabbed and killed by an arrow made from the wood of a mistletoe plant. Mistletoe was the one species on earth his wife and mother had failed to notice.

Baldur died, but a lesson was learned: Never forget about the mistletoe. Mistletoe would come to hang over our doors as a reminder to never forget. We kiss beneath it to remember what Baldur’s wife and mother forgot. At least that is one version of the origin of our relationship with mistletoe.

Another story begins with druids who viewed the mistletoe as magical and hung it above their doors for luck. Others say it is hung for fertility; the seeds of mistletoe are sticky like semen. The modern story of mistletoe is one of kisses. As Washington Irving wrote in the 1800s, “young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under (mistletoe), plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases

The true story of mistletoe is the one I am going to tell here, the one of how it evolved in the first place, to hang on trees (and eventually above our doors). The ancestor of all mistletoes is the most ancient sandalwood. Modern sandalwoods include the species burned as incense on college campuses and in religious ceremonies the world over. Sandalwood trees are parasites; they grow on and steal from other trees. Their specialized roots (haustoria) sink like small arrows or spears into the roots of larger trees and suck water, sugar and nutrients from them.

Before there were forests, wispy plants fell on each other in their struggle to reach the sun, like clumsy teenagers unsure of their growing bodies. Then one plant evolved a simple woody stem. It could grow taller than the other plants, and it stole light from them. It poisoned them with shade. Wars ensued that have lasted hundreds of millions of years. Trees of many kinds arose and struggled with each other to be taller. Any species that does not participate in battle loses out in the darkness of the understory - any species except a few. Those in the clan of the sandalwood evolved a way out of the darkness. They survived by stealing from the trees what they had spent their tall stems fighting for.

Sandalwood discovered deceit. Its roots kissed the roots of trees and slipped inside them to steal. But sandalwood still needed to grow up a little and put out a few green leaves to have enough sugar to thrive. And then came mistletoes. Mistletoe is a common name for several independent lineages descended from sandalwood. Like their ancestors, mistletoe species sink their roots into trees. Unlike those ancestors, they do so in the sky.

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Mistletoes evolved the ability to grow not on the roots of trees, but instead on their branches. In doing so, they gained the same nutrients, water and sugars stolen by their ancestors, but they also gained a foothold up into the sky. As trees clambered for the sun, the mistletoe simply rode up on their branches, living off both the trees’ nutrients and the energy mistletoe could gather itself from the sun. The transition from root parasite to parasite of shoots was so successful that the ability evolved five times from the ancestral stock of the sandalwoods. Mistletoe diversified and spread around the world. Species of the genus Vismus are common in Europe. Phoradendron flavescens is common in North America. Hundreds of other species are found elsewhere around the world. But while theirs was a life with advantages, it also offered new challenges. Among the challenges was how to colonize trees in the first place. Unaided, the seeds of mistletoe would fall to the ground, unable to get to branches. Chance and wind were not enough for the offspring of mistletoe to find new trees, but the mistletoe had more than chance, it had natural selection. The mistletoe evolved seeds surrounded by berries. The berries attracted birds. The birds ate the berries and then flew to find more food. As they flew, or better yet, when they landed, they pooped. If everything went perfectly for the mistletoe, the poop landed on a branch where the seed might germinate.

Many more seeds were excreted midair and landed on the ground rather than onto branches, and so any seeds with additional advantages would have been more successful. So it was that another adaptation of the mistletoe evolved, its real kiss: seeds so sticky that even after passing through a bird they would stick to its bottom and then to its feet and then to anything else. When a bird pooped these seeds over a field, they did not fall. They clung. Birds who ate mistletoe seeds had to find a place to sit. They had to use their feet to get the seeds off of their feathers and scrape them onto other surfaces - like branches. So it is that mistletoe seeds today are passed with relatively high frequency to new trees.

The kiss of the mistletoe is the kiss of seeds through a bird, of those same seeds onto bare branches, and of roots slipping into tree branches and shoots. It is also the kiss of the leaves of the mistletoe, leaves that rise above all others through subterfuge. In a way, the mistletoe reminds us of days gone by, when there were no trees, and plants could simply grow short and stout and still find enough sun. Mistletoe still does so, just on its own elevated plane.

And so while there are historical explanations for why humans tend to kiss under mistletoe - a history of gods, demons, luck and a little lust - the evolutionary story of these plants with their sticky fruits and parasitic ways is more interesting. If this evolutionary story has a moral, it is complicated. On the one hand, mistletoe is a fruit of war, albeit one among trees. Let’s ignore that symbolism though, whatever it might mean for the holiday season. On the other hand, mistletoe is a measure of how many of the fruits in our daily lives, be they literal or figurative, depend on other species. We depend on the mistletoe for tradition. And it depends on its tree and its bird, just as we depend on thousands of species ourselves, species like the warring trees and the pooping birds, but also our crops, our Christmas trees and so many more, each of which evolved among evolution’s wild attempts to turn non-life - sun, soil, water and air - into life. I will pucker my lips to that, to the way evolution clings to us as beautifully as the kiss of a sticky seed.

About the author:

Rob Dunn is a biologist at North Carolina State University and the author of "The Wild Life of Our Bodies." He has written for Smithsonian about our ancestors’ predators, singing mice and the discovery of the hamster.

Article source Smithsonian Institution

The Fragrance of Christmas

 Christmas

that magic blanket 

that wraps itself about us, 

that something so intangible 

that it is like a fragrance. 

It may weave a spell of nostalgia. 

Christmas 

may be a day of feasting, 

or of prayer, 

but always it will be 

a day of remembrance  

a day in which we think 

of everything we have ever loved. 

By Augusta E. Rundel

Wishing everyone happy, peaceful and very fragrant Christmas 
~ Dominique 

Happy Easter!

There is a centuries-old Easter tradition of blessing the food in Poland that is practiced by most Poles and Catholics of Polish origin throughout the world. 

On the Holy Saturday - the day after Good Friday - Polish families prepare a baskets of victuals that are to be blessed by priests in parish churches.

The basket is usually lined with elaborately embroidered white linen napkin and decorated with sprigs of the ever green boxwood. Sometimes sprigs of pussy willows are also used to decorate not only the Easter basket, but also the table.

Food may vary from region to region, but most families would put naturally died Easter eggs, a chunk of sourdough bread, salt and pepper, a piece of smoked sausage, a piece of Easter cake, and an Easter lamb usually made of white sugar. Sometimes wine, vinegar and horse radish are also blessed.

The Easter holidays follow after a forty-day long period of fasting and self denial.  The suffering of Christ and his sacrifice, resurrection, renewal and gratitude are in the center of  Easter celebrations. 

Each item in the Easter basket has a symbolic meaning.  Easter egg, for instance, is an ancient symbol of fertility and new life. Bread and salt are the foods that sustain life. Wine symbolizes the blood of Christ. Vinegar, pepper, and horse radish represent the bitter "herbs" which foretold the Crucifixion. Meat symbolizes the resurrection and Christ's victory over death. The lamb is a symbol of the sacrificial Pascal lamb. The Easter cake symbolizes the end of fast. After a long period of Lent it is time to indulge and enjoy the life again. 

The baskets are blessed on Saturday and are usually placed on a table on Easter Sunday when families gather together to share the blessed food after the Easter Mass. 

Although death of Christ on the cross is by no means a joyful event, it has a very deep symbolic meaning. His passion, suffering and sacrifice lead to redemption of sins. This is itself is a reason for everlasting joy.  

Even if you are not religious, Easter is a time of new beginning. It is a time of forgiveness and joy, but also a time for deeper reflection on the meaning of life.

Wishing everyone happy and peaceful Easter Holidays - Dominique

Image source here

Madness!

Not an Easter Bunny!

A few months ago when I was writing an article in defense of the Christmas tree a thought occurred to me that the Easter was actually spared all the controversy that Christmas was facing in America. Were they going to outlaw the Easter egg as well? Was the Easter egg to become a Spring egg or a holiday egg or something of that sort?

Sooner than I could even envision an organized anti-Easter campaign a principal of the Heritage Elementary School in Madison, Alabama has banned the use of the word Easter in her school insisting that calling a bunny an Easter bunny or an egg an Easter egg infringed on the rights of others. The Principal Lydia Davenport explained the move, saying, “Kids love the bunny and we just try to make sure that we don’t say the ‘Easter Bunny’ so that we don’t infringe on the rights of others, because people relate the Easter bunny to religion.” Pure idiocy! 

And if this does not make you scream I don't know what does. But things can really get much nastier than that. 

In Florida an university professor, Dr. Deandre Poole who teaches Intercultural Communications, makes students stomp on Jesus. During his class students were instructed to write the word "Jesus" on a piece of paper and then place it on the floor and stomp on it. When one student refused to do it because he considered the assignment insulting and offensive, he got suspended from the class. 

The stomping activity was part of a suggested exercise found in the instructor’s manual accompanying the classroom textbook. The exercise was devised to teach students the importance of symbols in culture so why all the big fuss over it. But wait. What if the students were asked to write "Allah" or "Mohamed" on a piece of paper and then stomp on it? Can you imagine the outrage that would have spread around the world if a word of it got out?

Dr. Poole did not pick up the word "Allah" for his exercise because he was smart enough to understand that every Muslim cleric around the world would have declared a fatwa against him. This would have meant an end of his career as he would have had to go into hiding if he wanted to stay alive.

The voices against Christians and their rituals are becoming louder and louder in America and I really wonder why. This phenomenon is unknown in Europe.

Why do progressives of this world think that it is all right to insult Christians, but show utmost sensitivity and respect to other religions at the same time?

Are Christians an easy target because they do not behead artists who immerse crucifixes in their own urine?

Normally, the Christians' bashing goes unnoticed, but this time Florida Governor Mr. Rick Scott demanded a formal investigation into this matter. 

For all we know symbols may be quite arbitrary, but they assume very strong, emotional meaning for those who know how to read them.  

I will leave you here to reflect on the state of society we are living in.

By Dominique Teng

Merry Christmas!

Christmas waves 

a magic wand 

over this world, 

 and behold, 

everything is softer 

and more beautiful. 

Norman Vincent Peale

Wishing everyone magical Christmas time ~ Dominique

What Is Wrong With the Christmas Tree?

Here we are again! The Christmas tree debate. This happens every year as soon as people start taking the Christmas tree ornaments out of their storage and Christmas trees start to appear in front yards and in public squares. And what can you say when the First Tree is no longer called a Christmas tree, but a Holiday Tree? 

Never mind that Christmas tree is a tradition cherished by Christians. Pundits all over the liberal media give us wise explanations how the Christmas tree is simply a pagan or a pre-Christian symbol, something the ignorant Christians who stupidly insist on calling it a "Christmas" tree, are not even aware of... 

For lack of better analogy, let me give you an example. How would you feel if your birthday was on December 13 and you wanted to celebrate it with joy just like millions others who were born on that day, but someone told you that you could not call it "your birthday" because by doing so you were excluding every single person on earth who wasn't born on that day? What if the only politically correct way to celebrate your birthday was to simply celebrate the Day of December 13 so that everyone who felt like celebrating this holiday could participate at will? What if someone told you that your "birthday" cake is a symbol of the womb and the seven layers of chocolate symbolized the shaman's steps to higher awareness? What if the chocolate on your cake wasn't simply a chocolate, but an offering to the gods? Would you still celebrate your birthday? Or would you rather allow your critics to suppress your joy and celebrate the December 13 instead? 

Like many other religions, Christianity incorporated symbols and rituals of the peoples that were converted to it. Churches were erected on the remains of Roman, Celtic, Etruscan, Slavic, and Nordic temples. Many converts retained their religious practices and beliefs and gradually incorporated them into Christianity. Many Christian symbols evolved from symbols as old the the human collective consciousness itself.

Religious syncretism is known to other religions as well. Take Buddhism, for instance: the Chinese Buddhism incorporated elements of Taoism; Tibetan Buddhism included elements of the Bon religion that it wanted to suppress; in Japan Buddhism had to compete with Shinto and made the use of its concepts of purity.

Religions may be the last bastion of conservatism, but they evolve as well. They adapt to new circumstances, cultural necessities and spiritual needs of the faithful. The change may be slow, but it occurs independently from what the scriptures dictate. 

No one dares to attack the Jews for lightening a menora. Yes. It is called menora and not a holiday candle stand. And no one feels "excluded" because the Jews celebrate "their" Chanukah even if we are not invited. So why is there so much noise about the Christmas tree?  

Christmas tree is a Christmas tree and not a "holiday" tree. This is why you do not see it when people celebrate Cinco de Mayo or the October Revolution. This is why people decorate their Christmas trees around Christmas and not in July. 

We are living in a modern world where heretics and apostates are not burned at stake any longer. We are free to chose our religion or to practice none. One would have thought the persecution of religion is a thing of the past, but how true is this when we live and let live until the December and wage a "war on a Christmas tree" as soon as we see one?

I don't know on which side of the divide you are right now and whether you celebrate Christmas at all, if you want to have a Wicca tree in your yard go for it, but let the people who love Christmas trees in peace. Take some time to reflect and simply enjoy the beauty of the Season with all its sights, sounds and scents.

By Dominique Teng

Dominique Teng©2012 

Happy Easter!

Easter Eggs

When Easter time had come again

With Easter eggs to dye,

We chose to paint our eggs with thoughts

Of those who would be nigh.

For dad we chose a purple shade

Which stands for royalty,

For he is head within the home

And pledged to family.

For mom we chose a yellow shade

so bright and sunshine warm,

She is the heart within the home

She shelters us from harm.

My sister's egg was pastel pink,

So feminine and gay,

The shade of ribbons and of lace

And apple bloom in May.

Much like the nearby meadowed hills,

My egg was dyed a green,

For boys just love to romp outdoors

When spring is on the scene.

Our grandma's shade was lilac soft,

And grandpa's shade was blue,

For soft and gentle hues just fit

These fond and loving two.

When all our eggs had been prepared,

How beautiful they were!

We found we'd painted them to love

This special time of year.

By Craig E. Sathoff

Why paint eggs when nature has already done such a magnificent job already?

Happy Easter!

Upper image by Gillian Woods

Image source here

A Little Tree

little tree

little silent Christmas tree
you are so little
you are more like a flower

who found you in the green forest
and were you very sorry to come away?
see i will comfort you
because you smell so sweetly

i will kiss your cool bark
and hug you safe and tight
just as your mother would,
only don't be afraid

look the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,

put up your little arms
and i'll give them all to you to hold
every finger shall have its ring
and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy

then when you're quite dressed
you'll stand in the window for everyone to see
and how they'll stare!
oh but you'll be very proud

and my little sister and i will take hands
and looking up at our beautiful tree
we'll dance and sing
"noel noel" 

By e. e. cummings (1894-1962)

Merry Christmas!

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown:
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.

 

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas  - Dominique

The Christmas Tree Controversy

Here we are again! The Christmas tree controversy in the United States!

Millions of firs and spruces will be cut on the Christmas tree farms with the sole purpose of bringing joy to the Christmas celebrating households, stores, shopping malls, and offices across the country. The larger specimen will be put on display in or outside of city halls, governor mansions and even the White House. One of the most famous Christmas trees ever is the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

Millions of trinkets and decorations will be sold to those who want to make their trees look pretty. Millions of Christmas tree lights will be sold for this purpose. Just like every year. But just like the last year and the year before, this ritual will be overshadowed by a political  controversy. A Christmas tree is not allowed to be called a Christmas tree anymore. It is a holiday tree! What holiday?! - you may ask in disbelief. The April Fool's Day maybe? The argument goes that in a country that prizes itself for tolerance it is offensive to non-Christians to have a Christmas tree on display. Why have a tree at all?

The incorrigible people who insist on calling Christmas tree a Christmas tree are severely criticized by the liberal press and politicians and ridiculed by the enlightened talk show hosts. And believe it or not, the public is laughing.

But no matter how much fun is being made of the Christmas tree or the Christians who insist to call it so, Christmas tree will always be a Christmas tree.

In Germany people enjoy their Christmas trees, in German "Weihnachtsbaum" not a "Feiertagsbaum" or holiday tree. The French have their "sapin de Noël" or "l'arbre de Noël" not a "sapin de fête". Even the British are allowed to have a Christmas tree. But in America it is politically incorrect to have a Christmas tree in a public space. What you are allowed to have are the politically correct "holiday" trees, decorated with taxpayers' money for the joy of all Americans: Christians, non-Christians, and the atheists alike.

Ah! Wait! Political, cultural or religious correctness would require you not to have any Christmas tree at all, but if you decide to have a tree in a public space and your tree looks like a Christmas tree, you would actually have to call it a Christmas tree, if you wanted to be correct. Isn't it? The decorated tree is a Christmas tree! If the Martians, the atheists, the non-Christians wish to enjoy a decorated tree, they are free to do so, but they have to accept the fact that it is a Christian tradition. Just like the Easter Egg is an Easter Egg and not a holiday egg.

The whole argument might appear trivial and ridiculous to those living outside of the United States. For the Christians in America it is an assault on their tradition, if not the religion itself.

The tradition to decorate trees may have Roman and Celtic origins, but it began as Christmas tradition in Germany in the 16th century and spread from there around the Christian Europe.

The legend, however, has it that the tradition goes back to the late seventh or early eighth century when St Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity, was said to have encountered a group of pagans worshiping an oak tree. In anger, St Boniface is said to have cut down the mighty oak tree. To everybody's amazement a young fir tree sprung up from the roots of the massacred oak. St Boniface took this as a sign of the righteousness of the Christian faith.

It was not until the 16th century that the fir trees were brought indoors at the time of Christmas. It is said that one cold  Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, Martin Luther was walking through a snow-covered woods. He was struck by the almost divine beauty of a group of small evergreen trees. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree for his children. He decorated it with candles, which were lighted in honor of the Baby Jesus' birth.

The Christmas tree tradition came to the United States either with the Hessian troops during the American Revolution, or with the German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio. But their custom wasn't popular at first.

The New England Puritans abhorred any sign of religion and banned Christmas altogether. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century that the Christmas tree tradition become universal in the United States.

During the Great Depression, a new kind of business sprung up - the Christmas tree farm! Nurserymen couldn't sell their evergreen trees for landscaping, so they simply cut them dawn for Christmas. Cultivated trees were preferred by the city dwellers because they appeared more symmetrical than the those growing in the wild. Besides, one did not have to spend hours looking for a right tree in the forest anymore.

People enjoyed their Christmas trees undisturbed until the recent attacks on their tradition. Strangely, it isn't the tree itself. It is the tree's name. A not so subtle nuance, though! The public can have its tree for as long as it is called a holiday tree! 

How about the Santa? Will he lose his job soon?

By Dominique Allmon

Dominique Allmon ©2011

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

Saint Nicholas, also known as Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century figure.

His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.

Nicholas used his entire inheritance to assist the poor, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and became Bishop of Myra at a very young age.

Nicholas was known for his generosity, his love of children, and his concern for sailors and ships. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is venerated as the Miracle Creator or the Wonderworker.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered persecution, was exiled from Myra and incarcerated.

It is said that the prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons that there was no space for murderers, thieves and robbers.

After his release from prison, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.

He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas.

Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told about St. Nicholas' life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so loved and revered as a protector and helper of those in need.

One of the legends has it that during a great famine a ship which was loaded with wheat for the Emperor of Byzantium, was is in the port at anchor.

Nicholas asked the sailors to unload a part of the wheat to help in time of need. The sailors, at first disliked the request because the wheat had to be weighed accurately and delivered to the Emperor. But when Nicholas promised them that they would not take any damage for their consideration, the sailors agreed. When they later arrived in the capital, they made a surprising find. The weight of the load had not changed. The amount of wheat they left in Myra lasted for two full years and could even be used for sowing.

Saint Nicholas Day is joyfully celebrated in Europe, especially in Poland and Germany, but also in Ireland, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and France. The Orthodox Christians celebrate this holiday on December 19 in accordance with the Orthodox calendar. 

To learn more please visit St. Nicholas Center