#folkspirits

[judyconda]

#FolkloreThursday: Christmas (Final Part III) 🎄 MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS So, where ever you may be, and whatever traditions you follow, we wish you the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of holidays! The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking. If you are anything like us here, you are eagerly anticipating the extra-long holiday weekend. As our gift to you, we want to send you off with some fun Christmas. Please feel free to use them for interesting conversation starters at your gatherings. (You’re welcome). Resources: https://voiceandvisioninc.org/blog/entry/a-brief-history-of-christmas/#:~:text=The%20origins%20of%20Christmas%20stem,of%20Mithra%2C%20their%20sun%20god. - https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas : #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #folklorethursday #folkloreflash #winterseason #winter #wintersolstice #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy #christmas #christmas2022 #merrychristmas #spiritofchristmas #christmasspirit #christmasseason #happyholidays https://www.instagram.com/p/CmwQCzAy9aQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

#FolkloreThursday: Christmas (Part II) 🎄 CHRISTMAS TREES As part of the solstice celebrations, the pagan cultures decorated their homes with greens in anticipation of the spring to come. Evergreen trees remained green during the coldest and darkest days, so they were thought to hold special powers. The Romans also decorated their temples with fir trees during Saturnalia and decorated them with bits of metal. There are even records of the Greeks decorating trees in honor of their gods. Interestingly, the first trees brought into the pagan homes were hung from the ceiling, upside down. The tree tradition we are accustomed to today hails from Northern Europe, where Germanic pagan tribes decorated evergreen trees in worship of the god Woden with candles and dried fruit. The tradition was incorporated into the Christian faith in Germany during the 1500’s. They decorated trees in their homes with sweets, lights, and toys. 🎄 A NATIONAL HOLIDAY After the civil war, the country was looking for ways to look past difference and become united as a country. In 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant declared it a federal holiday. And while Christmas traditions have adapted with time, I think Washington Irving’s desire for unity in celebration lives on. It’s become a time of year where we wish others well, donate to our favorite charities, and give presents with a joyful spirit. : #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #folklorethursday #folkloreflash #winterseason #winter #wintersolstice #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy #christmas #christmas2022 #merrychristmas #spiritofchristmas #christmasspirit #christmasseason #happyholidays https://www.instagram.com/p/CmwPv0sSJlS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

Soft, tender, father, brother @samiyusufofficial

He’s so fresh on this photo right now 😣🥺😍

[judyconda]

Cherry blossoms By Toi Derricott I went down to mingle my breath with the breath of the cherry blossoms. There were photographers: Mothers arranging their children against gnarled old trees; a couple, hugging, asks a passerby to snap them like that, so that their love will always be caught between two friendships: ours & the friendship of the cherry trees. Oh Cherry, why can't my poems be as beautiful? A young woman in a fur-trimmed coat sets a card table with linens, candles, a picnic basket & wine. A father tips a boy's wheelchair back so he can gaze up at a branched heaven. All around us the blossoms flurry down whispering, Be patient you have an ancient beauty. Be patient, you have an ancient beauty. 🌸🍃 : #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #poet #poetryofinstagram #Poetry #poetic #poems #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #renaissance #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy #cherryblossom #cherryblossoms #springsummer #summer #summerseason #SummerSolstice #Litha #ostara https://www.instagram.com/p/CfV0eSuuV5s/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

#FolkloreThursday: Imbolc 🕯️🌞 The celebration of Imbolc originates from the Celts. Imbolc symbolizes the halfway point between the winter solstice (Yule) and the spring equinox (Ostara). The word "imbolc" means "in the belly of the Mother," because the seeds of spring are beginning to stir in the belly of Mother Earth. Imbolc is a pagan holiday celebrated from February 1 through sundown February 2. Based on a Celtic tradition, Imbolc was meant to mark the halfway point between winter solstice and the spring equinox in Neolithic Ireland and Scotland. The holiday is celebrated by Wiccans and other practitioners of neopagan or pagan-influenced religions. Imbolc is just one of several pre-Christian holidays highlighting some aspect of winter and sunlight, and heralding the change of seasons. The celebration of Imbolc dates back to the pre-Christian era in the British Isles. The earliest mentions of Imbolc in Irish literature date back to the 10th century. Poetry from that time relates the holiday to ewe’s milk, with the implication of purification. It’s been speculated that this stems from the breeding cycle of sheep and the beginning of lactation. The holiday was traditionally aligned with the first day of spring and the idea of rebirth. After months of turning inward, of hibernation & of rest, life is beginning to stir again. Depending on where you are, you may be seeing the first spring flowers beginning to show signs of life. Spiritually, this is a time of new life coming into manifestation. We may only be seeing the tiniest hints of life above the surface but things are really beginning to stir in the darkness. Just like nature is beginning to awaken after its dormant period, we are also reawakening with new dreams & exciting new plans. #imbolcblessings #imbolc2023 #spring #springseason #spring2023 #summer #summerseason #summer2023 #mystique #spiritique #mindfulness #spiritual #spirituality #blessedimbolc #mysticalsummers #mysticalsummer #februaryblessings #firstdayofspring #pagan #paganism #mystical #mysticisim #mystic #folklore #folkloreflash #folkspirits #imbolc2023 #blessedbe #Brigid #brigidsday https://www.instagram.com/p/CoKMEZFyipg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

#FolkloreThursday: Part 2/3: Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15) Five years later, they took up the sorrows of Mary, standing under the Cross, as the principal devotion of their order. Over the centuries several devotions, and even orders, arose around meditation on Mary's Sorrows in particular. The Servites developed the three most common devotions to Our Lady's Sorrows, namely the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows, the Black Scapular of the Seven Dolours of Mary and the Novena to Our Sorrowful Mother. The rosary consists of a chaplet of seven septets of beads (upon which is said an Ave), separated by one bead (on which is prayed a Pater Noster. Meditations for each dolor were composed by Pope Pius VII in 1818. The Black Scapular is a symbol of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is associated with the Servite Order. Most devotional scapulars have requirements regarding ornamentation or design. The devotion of the Black Scapular requires only that it be made of black woollen cloth. From the National Shrine of Saint Peregrine spread the Sorrowful Mother Novena, the core of which is the Via Matris.The core of the prayers in the novena is the Via Matris. #folklorethursday #mamamary #mothermary #ourladyofsorrows #holymother #catholique #catholiques #romancatholic #romancatholicchurch #catholicmystics #catholicworld #intothemystic #catholic #catholicism #materdolorosa #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #renaissance #renaissanceart #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic https://www.instagram.com/p/Cih8saxJfyn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

Hopeless Romantic In this world of romantic dreamers called poets We shall forever live in a poem Where words run deep and periods don't exist I think of you and my heart flutters You are the most beautiful form of art I have ever written You are the single rose I need I am infatuated by the desire of wanting to be in love We are two love struck teenagers Watching the stars and whispering about love into the passionate wind Promising forever against each other's lips Keeping each other warm in a tight embrace of endearing romance I dream of you the way one writes to breathe I dream of you as if you truly were my lover The more I write the more real we become The more memories and moments I conjure up You are simply a dream of my crush This poem is written for me There is no us But I like to dream through string of words and poems I am a hopeless romantic writing about a boy who will never notice her But with every poem I write I bring us alive In a world where no one can find us This is all but a dream called a poem Written by romantic dreamers called poets #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #poems #poem #poetic #poet #poetry #poems #poetryofinstagram #classicpoetry #onceuponatime #hopelessromantic #lostprincess #powerfulprincess #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #renaissance #renaissanceart #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy https://www.instagram.com/p/ChW8a_ppps3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

A Beacon of Hope Adrift Poetry written by Yours sincerely @judyconda A beacon of hope adrift the feathery branches of an evergreen tree the Yuletide spirit hung over reflections of winters glow dozens of dancing halos twinkling like tiny stars into the silent night as the season of love arrives among the new fluttering dawn breaking against the enchanting sky the radiant rebirth of the brilliant sun jubilations begin...in the hearts of many 4/6 #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #poems #poem #poetic #poet #poetry #poems #poetryofinstagram #classicpoetry #winterseason #winter #wintersolstice #winterpoetry #fairytalepoetry #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy #happyholidays #happynewyear https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm83_GOStZD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

The Nightingale A fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen In China, you know, the emperor is a Chinese, and all those about him are Chinamen also. The story I am going t tell you happened a great many years ago, so it is well to hear it now before it is forgotten. The emperor's palac was the most beautiful in the world. It was built entirely of porcelain, and very costly, but so delicate and brittle tha whoever touched it was obliged to be careful. In the garden could be seen the most singular flowers, with prett silver bells tied to them, which tinkled so that every one who passed could not help noticing the flowers. Indeed everything in the emperor's garden was remarkable, and it extended so far that the gardener himself did not kno where it ended. Those who travelled beyond its limits knew that there was a noble forest, with lofty trees, slopin down to the deep blue sea, and the great ships sailed under the shadow of its branches. In one of these trees live a nightingale, who sang so beautifully that even the poor fishermen, who had so many other things to do, woul stop and listen. Sometimes, when they went at night to spread their nets, they would hear her sing, and say, "Oh, i not that beautiful?" But when they returned to their fishing, they forgot the bird until the next night. Then they woul hear it again, and exclaim "Oh, how beautiful is the nightingale's song! Travellers from every country in the world came to the city of the emperor, which they admired very much, as well as the palace and gardens; but when they heard the nightingale, they all declared it to be the best of all. #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #poems #poem #poetic #poet #poetry #poems #poetryofinstagram #classicpoetry #fairytalecore #fairytalepoetry #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #folk #folklore #folklorethursday #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy #fantasycore #hanschristianandersen #classicfairytales https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpe13SBSpEA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

[REPOST] ~ The Shortest Day ~ Poetry by Susan Cooper So the shortest day came, and the year died, And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world Came people singing, dancing, To drive the dark away. They lighted candles in the winter trees; They hung their homes with evergreen; They burned beseeching fires all night long To keep the year alive, And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake They shouted, reveling. Through all the frosty ages you can hear them Echoing behind us—Listen!! All the long echoes sing the same delight, This shortest day, As promise wakens in the sleeping land: They carol, feast, give thanks, And dearly love their friends, And hope for peace. And so do we, here, now, This year and every year. Welcome Yule! #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #poems #poem #poetic #poet #poetry #poems #poetryofinstagram #classicpoetry #winterseason #winter #wintersolstice #winterpoetry #fairytalepoetry #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy #christmasseason #happyholidays https://www.instagram.com/p/CmuEDOKSkxT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

The Sand Sea Poem by Sydney L I come from a land A land far away I live on the sea I live in a bay I live on the sea But not on the water Far away from it actually And then even farther My sea is made of sand And we sail without boats We sail without salt Without having to float To sail the Sand Sea To crest the sand dunes To lie out with a caravan Under the moon It's not for the weak It's not for the frail Most prefer the ocean Where they get to see whales I crest the tall waves I sail the Sea of Sand I sail it without a boat With my caravan. #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #poems #poem #poetic #poet #poetry #poems #poetryofinstagram #classicpoetry #fairytalecore #fairytalepoetry #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #folk #folklore #folklorethursday #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy #fantasycore #mountains #desserts https://www.instagram.com/p/CpMxFI2yUUm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

Samhain – the day of Samhain (October 31st - November 1&2) • Samhain is a pagan religious festival originating from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition. In modern times, Samhain (pronounced “SAH-win”) is usually celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome in the harvest and usher in “the dark half of the year.” Celebrants believe that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world break down during Samhain, allowing more interaction between humans and denizens of the Otherworld. • Ancient Celts marked Samhain as the most significant of the four quarterly fire festivals, taking place at the midpoint between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. During this time of year, hearth fires in family homes were left to burn out while the harvest was gathered. After the harvest work was complete, celebrants joined with Druid priests to light a community fire using a wheel that would cause friction and spark flames. The wheel was considered a representation of the sun and used along with prayers. Cattle were sacrificed, and participants took a flame from the communal bonfire back to their home to relight the hearth. • As Christianity gained a foothold in pagan communities, church leaders attempted to reframe Samhain as a Christian celebration. In the 9th century, Pope Gregory moved the celebration back to the time of the fire festivals, but declared it All Saints’ Day, on November 1. All Souls’ Day would follow on November 2. #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #spookyseason #ghostmonth #Halloweekend #allhallowseve #Samhain #mabon #autumnseason #autumn #halloween2022 #halloweenseason #halloween #spiritofhalloween #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #renaissance #renaissanceart #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy https://www.instagram.com/p/CkaSaSHSG7S/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

Sagittarius Liberating the pixie wings Swirling ribbons brushing the sky Running in the ocean's breathe, you the wild horse no man could ever tame You, The gypsy wanderer trailing the night huddled in tiny cargo ships pioneering the sky - living on a tin can - in sheer ardor - to be outside from shackles below The widen gap and the cracked stary sky Your hands lodged through trying to find; The teachings of the higher powers Wisdom, philosophy's power, truth.... And you do, you stand upon a flower bed of knowledge - sharing to the world beyond 6/7 #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #folklorethursday #poems #poem #poetic #poet #poetry #poems #poetryofinstagram #classicpoetry #sagittarius #sagittariusseason #sagittariuszodiac #astrologyposts #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #renaissance #renaissanceart #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy https://www.instagram.com/p/ClQlVxayLEC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

Sif Waits in the Frosty Forest Purple shadows fall on the night of the chilled snowfall in the Forgotten Forest, the sweet air welcomes Death's pause. Hugin and Munin watch the skilled Goddess vanquish brazen foes with a swift arc of her sweet singing sword. Sif bends a tired knee on the quiet tranquil pool, crusted crimson washes from her enchanted pale blade. Her keen eyes access the secretive foes mounting in the ebon recesses of stygian night. Snow lightly falls in the frigid land, coating bodies with a blue veil. The divine ravens stir about and caw Odin's favor, piercing the still of winter's eve. Sif rises to her feet, pale flakes cling to her armor as she greets newcomers with Hel's cold embrace. 7/7 #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #poems #poem #poetic #poet #poetry #poems #poetryofinstagram #classicpoetry #norse #norsemythology #norsepagan #norsevember #norsetales #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #renaissance #renaissanceart #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy https://www.instagram.com/p/CkaewFry6F9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

The Mighty Thor (The Giant Skymir) He wields the mighty hammer up in bluest of sky that Norse god of lightning as he strikes up a deal Give me the power to lash at earth,yes but only I and I promise all of mankind will hear my thunder peal. So he walks up in the clouds whenever it rains and if we make him mad he tends to shout he strikes his mighty hammer again and again as lightning bolts are streaming from the clouds. As lightning strikes and loud thunder rolls and the raindrops fall down as they pour, while up in the sky you hear the calls behold it's that old Norseman god- mighty Thor. 6/7 #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #poems #poem #poetic #poet #poetry #poems #poetryofinstagram #classicpoetry #norse #norsemythology #norsepagan #norsevember #norsetales #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #renaissance #renaissanceart #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy https://www.instagram.com/p/CkaeaEaSjnN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judyconda]

HALLOWEEN 🎃🍁🍂 • Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31 every yearly celebration. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats. • Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. ~ This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. • To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter. #fairytaletuesday #fairytale #fairytaleflash #spookyseason #ghostmonth #Halloweekend #allhallowseve #Samhain #mabon #autumnseason #autumn #halloween2022 #halloweenseason #halloween #spiritofhalloween #Spiritique #mindfulness #Spiritual #Spirituality #mystical #mystique #mystic #mysticisim #renaissance #renaissanceart #folk #folklore #folkspirits #folkmystic #fantasy https://www.instagram.com/p/CkaRD6UyRsP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=