8 Days Til Christmas: The Advent Wreath from the Lutherans in Germany

Inspired by Yule: A Celebration of Light and Warmth by Dorothy Morrison

Morrison’s book says the Advent Wreath “initially came from the Lutherans,” which I found to be very cool be cause that is the first church I can remember attending, as well as that is the church that I was confirmed in.

As she explains, the wreath is traditionally made of evergreen and has four candles arranged at each “side” of it. Four Sundays out from Christmas the church has someone light a candle, and one is lit each Sunday until Christmas occurs.

***

Something I did NOT know, and which was not in Morrison’s book (due to space considerations), was that the candle is supposed to burn all week long, “to welcome the Light of the world” (capitalization mine). I guess they can’t really do that now (and would they even have done it in the beginning?) due to safety issues, but that is a really nice tradition to think of. One source says that the very first Advent wreath had “twenty small red candles and four large white candles” in it (Richie). A Lutheran minister had made it for the kids to count down to Christmas. The little red candles were lit on the weekdays while the big white ones were the Sunday candles. But I still can’t imagine they would just leave them burning the entire day.

In present time the German colors are usually red for the four big candles, and sometimes a fifth white one in the middle to represent the birth of Christ, though colors sometimes vary according to different traditions. North American Lutherans use violets and blues and whites.

This is supposed to be a traditional German advent wreath:

And something else that Morrison doesn’t go into detail about is the symbolism of the individual candles themselves, which I REALLY think is cool:

The first candle symbolizes hope and is called the “Prophet’s Candle.” The prophets of the Old Testament, especially Isaiah, waited in hope for the Messiah’s arrival.
The second candle represents faith and is called “Bethlehem’s Candle.” Micah had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, which is also the birthplace of King David.
The third candle symbolizes joy and is called the “Shepherd’s Candle.” To the shepherd’s great joy, the angels announced that Jesus came for humble, unimportant people like them, too. In liturgy, the color rose signifies joy.
The fourth candle represents peace and is called the “Angel’s Candle.” The angels announced that Jesus came to bring peace–He came to bring people close to God and to each other again.
The (optional) fifth candle represents light and purity and is called “Christ’s candle.” It is placed in the middle and is lit on Christmas Day.

(Richie)

Right from the Source’s Mouth, St. Matthews Lutheran Church, is an explanation of the Advent season itself as well as a much more poetic description of the candle meanings. Check it out if you get a chance.

When I was little, it was exciting as a child to see each additional candle get lit and then when all four were burning, we knew Christmas was near!

So, Thank You to the Lutheran branch of Christianity, for this awesome Christmas tradition!

Works Cited

Morrison, Dorothy. Yule: A Celebration of Light and Warmth. St. Paul, MN, Llewellyn
Publications, 2000.

Richie, Laura. “Advent Wreath & Candles: Understanding the Meaning, History &
Tradition. Crosswalk.com. 22 August 2018, https://www.crosswalk.com/special
coverage/christmas-and-advent/advent-wreath-candles-understanding-the
meaning-history-tradition.html, Accessed 17.12.2018.

December 17, 2018 1

Drama, Much?

So I”m upstairs on my hands and knees (not as exciting as it first sounds) scrubbing away at the Revenge Pooper’s (a whollllllle OTHER blogpost!) latest “SPOT” on the rug …

And I’m NOT happy about it.

This is like his 10th non-acccident.

I hate my house, family, pets, and life.

Fuck My Life, btw.

I stop to take a break and text my girlfriend of forty years Tamara Perrin Florea in Ohio.

“Do you ever wonder if maybe we are ghosts and that’s why no matter how much we clean, or how many times we clean the same thing, it never gets clean, ever? It just stays messy? If we are ghosts that would also explain why no one (kids, husbands, pets, whoever you have around you) ever HEARS us too! Maybe we’ve died but just don’t know it because cleaning is all we know and we don’t know how to stop???”

This, my friends, is the Ten of Swords energy.

The Ten of Swords can be about death and endings, but sometimes it’s just about so much drama, or so much more drama than is necessary.

Please note the TEN swords this person has been stabbed in the back with, as opposed to the ONE that would have done the trick just as easily!

So the next time you’re doing something you despise doing and you feel really, really, sorry for yourself and bitter about doing it?

You’re communing with this Tarot card’s energy!

Disclaimer: no humans were hurt during this blog post, and I felt better the minute I texted my girlfriend. I felt so good I left the rest of the nefarious “spot” for another day, bought some moscato coolers, and called it a day!

***

Ten of Swords traditional meanings

December 16, 2018 4

Tarot’s Not the Only Guidance Out There

“Learning to Pray”
taken from Treasury of Prayer: Prayers of Hope and Faith

by Marjorie Holmes

You know, Lord, how well You know, the years when I didn’t pray (or didn’t think I prayed). How could I pray to someone whose very existence I doubted? How could I ask for help from a force I spurned?
Yet all the while I was hungering for You, groping to find Your hand as I stumbled in the darkness of my needs . . . “If I could pray,” I thought. “If I could only learn to pray.”
But I felt foolish when I tried; I felt phony, insincere. My doubts seemed to rise up like a mockery between us. And You knew my follies and faults all too well. My tongue was inarticulate – it winced to form the words. My own self-scorn made me impotent, dumb.
I would get up from my fumbling so called prayers with an empty heart, feeling rejected, turned away. (Was there some secret rubric others had discovered? Some key that would make the heavens open, unlock the special doors?)

I was wrong. In a while, maybe from sheer persistence, something began to happen within me. A sense of being accepted, however unworthy. (no -not merely accepted, welcome, welcomed home!) And the deep excited stirrings of trust in a power I could not see.

Then I went to the formula You gave in the Sermon on the Mount.
“Our Father who are in heaven.” How kind that seems. “Hallowed be Thy name.” The gentle beginnings of worship . . .

“Thy kingdom come” (within me). “Thy will be done” (take over my life, I”m not doing so well) “on earth as it is in heaven.” (I like this earth. I don’t know about heaven, but it must be a wonderful place.)

“Give us this day our daily bread” (just enough for today, Lord, enough time and money and strength to get through this one day) . . . “and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive” (are my trespasses blocking the road to You? and my lack of forgiveness for those who’ve hurt me?).

“Lead us not into temptation” (this I don’t understand – You couldn’t, You wouldn’t – just hang on to me when I am tempted, give me the will not to yield). “Deliver us from evil” (yes, yes, that’s what I mean – deliverance).

“For Thine is the power and the glory forever and ever.” (It is, it is, it hast to be, and the more often I admit it, express it, the more I know it’s true!)
So in this way I began to get deliverance, Lord. The deliverance I sought. From self-doubt, which was so deeply enmeshed with my doubts of You.

And to learn the fundamentals of prayer: worship, submission, acceptance, plea, and then more worship to seal it. And I began to know then as I realize now that worship itself is the key. The magic key. Prayer brings You close when we come not merely seeking help, but because we want to be with You.

***

“Prayer of Praise”
by Saint Augustine

But let my soul praise Thee that it may love Thee,
And let it tell Thee Thy mercies that it may praise Thee.
Without ceasing Thy whole creation speaks Thy praise-
The spirit of every man by the words that his mouth directs to Thee,
Animals and lifeless matter by the mouth of those who look upon them.
That so our soul rises out of its mortal weariness unto Thee,
Helped upward by the things Thou hast made
And passing beyond them unto Thee who has wonderfully made them:
And there refreshment is and strength unfailing. Amen.

December 16, 2018 9

December – Grounded Compassion

December 16, 2018 0

1144

If you see the angel number 1144, it means that you should start thinking positive thoughts. This will play a very important role when you begin a new adventure in your life.

This number carries with the vibrations and energies of the Body, the Mind, and the Soul, as well as your divine spirits and angels in the spiritual realm. Your angels are sending you positive signals and vibrations that will affect your life.

They can influence how you make decisions or which direction to take when it comes to your career and life in general. It is a message that your angels are working with you to align your life with your spiritual path.

The angel number 1144 is a combination of the powers of the number 1 and the number 4. Both numbers appear twice, which magnify their influence and their power in your life.

The number 1 resonates with fresh starts and new opportunities. It symbolizes ambition and determination.

Similar to number 9, the number 4 vibrates the energies of efforts and personal choices. It resonates building strong foundations and working hard to achieve goals.

It’s about honesty and honour. It’s also about working for success and receiving the rewards for a job well done.

You will encounter many opportunities with the potential to change the course of your career, or elevate your status in life. With these new opportunities, you have the power to start over again and take your life to exactly where you want.

Your angels want you to focus on your dreams and ambitions. Now is the best time to start taking your dreams seriously, and to make the necessary steps to make them happen.

The angel number 1144 also wants you to know that you create your own reality. Whatever inhabits your thoughts can make themselves manifest in your life.

Now is the time to dispel any harmful, negative, dark, or unpleasant thoughts in your head. Be conscious of your thoughts and focus only on ones that can empower, inspire, encourage, and motivate you.

Envision yourself being successful and being abundantly blessed. The universe will acknowledge this and help you to make it a reality.

See yourself achieving all that you plan to achieve, and feeling a happiness that you’ve never known. This is what you’re throwing out in the universe, so this is what the universe will be throwing back at you.

The angel number 1144 wants you to know that nothing great is accomplished by being fearful or insecure. Get out of your comfort zone and prepare to amaze yourself.

The Hidden Meaning Behind Angel Number 1144

With the angel number 1144, it’s about looking for new ways to get your work done more smoothly. Look around and see what help is available to you, and don’t hesitate to call on your angels for assistance.

Listen to your instincts because your angels may be sending you help as we speak. Learn to usher in positive energies and vibrations that will help you figure out what you have to do next.

The angel number 1144 wants to remind you to keep your thoughts strong and positive. There are many new roles that you can perform and opportunities that you can try.

Thinking that you are not fit for the job, or that you will do an awful job, is not staying true to your highest ideals. You should picture yourself as being successful so that you will also manifest this in reality.

Trust in yourself more. Trust in your angels that they will send you aid when you need it.

The angel number 1144 serves as your encouragement to keep moving ahead. You are on the right path, so don’t let anything or anyone stop you

Don’t take no for an answer. Find ways to make it work and expect only the best results each time.

Keep working hard for your goals while keeping your life light and positive. This is the easiest way you can reach your spiritual awakening and spiritual enlightenment.

This is the best time to be your creative and inspired self. Your divine life purpose is aligning with your soul mission.

Congratulate yourself in advance for a job well done. This is just the beginning of a wonderful and enlightened life!

Are you ready to receive the life-changing energy that the angel number 1144 possesses? You should be, because you truly deserve it.

from : www.trustedpsychicmediums.com

December 14, 2018 0

What is the Tarot? My Take

*taken from my Certified Biddy Tarot Application

What is the Tarot? And how does the Tarot work?

Tarot is (in my opinion)a science (as yet unrecognized) that works with the energies within and around us, helping us to access information that may or may not be consciously available to us. Tarot, in this respect, is a tool we use to access information that we seek.

Opinions on where the information comes from differs from belief system to belief system, but most agree that Tarot is a tool that unlocks it.

Tarot can then be used to gather information in order to make decisions where further, more in depth information may be desired … Tarot is a tool that can be used in Self Analysis or Self Help / Self Work, or to walk one’s spiritual path.

Physically, Tarot is a deck of cards consisting of images and symbols. Humans can access the information they seek by shuffling and handling the cards … in my belief system our Higher Selves guide where each card falls in the Shuffle. They may also be guided by spirits in the non physical planes in my opinion.

In my opinion, our brains are fully capable of accessing information but most of us are handicapped and cannot access it yet without tools of some kind to trick our consciousness into stepping aside and letting our super conscious and/or subconscious take the reins. It seems to me to be very similar to Dumbo and his feather, also to a young witch using an Athame or a Wand or candles until she learns the magic is within her and she can use her mind.

The Tarot is not necessary … but it helps us at this point in our evolution. To get past the wall of our enforced societal belief systems that limit us.

Ultimately, it is a key to our subconscious, our Higher Self, the Collective Consciousness, and esoteric information gathered and held by our ancestors.

As a side note, Tarot doesn’t just pick up on higher information. It also picks up on (or rather our hands transmit the information to the cards)… the briefest thought flitting through our minds. Hence, the importance of focus and concentration while shuffling.

I learned this first when I didn’t shuffle with the correct focus for my reader and mentor. (And she said “WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU WERE SHUFFLING???”)

I learned it again a few months ago when I was shuffling for a casual question while I had YouTube on in the background. WOW. The cards very accurately reflected the energy of that show that was on. And I wasn’t even paying conscious attention to it. Tarot works with the electromagnetic energy of our very thought waves, however miniscule.

*feature photo taken from www.healthfreedoms.org

December 14, 2018 3

“I think I washed the onion off my hands…”

. . . I think.

As I put my right contact lens in.

For more information on the Fool’s energy … if the onion example isn’t enough …. check out Biddy Tarot’s explanation at https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meani…/major-arcana/…/

or check this out: The Fool Plays Star Wars

star wars fool 2 — Illustration by Elan Rodger Trinidad / Theory of Everything)

December 13, 2018 0

“Is There Some Hope?”

*printed with permission

Reading for A
Radiant Rider Waite deck
Dec. 2018

“I started my own business about 12 months ago. So far, it has only generated $10,000 which is way off my target of $50,000. What am I doing wrong? Should I just quit now? Or is there some hope?”

The Spread:

What is coming into your conscious awareness about your business? Two of Wands reversed*
What successes do you need to acknowledge so far in your business? Death reversed*
What have you learned in the past 12 months in your business? Ace of Cups reversed*
In what areas can you grow your business even more? Ace of Wands

What action can you take right now to bring you closer to your goals? Seven of Cups

What might you experience in your business over the next 12 months if you stick with it? Emperor

***

First I’d like to ask you why you consider 10,000$ a failure just because it’s not your target range? You’ve only been doing this a year and you’ve brought in that much? I’d consider that a success so far, considering that it takes YEARS for new businesses to get off the ground. I personally don’t think you are doing anything wrong! And there certainly IS some hope considering you’re off to a great start! So I’m curious to know how “only generating 10,000$” is an issue for you.

The numerology of your reading is a 28 which condenses down to a 1. One is the number of Creation! You are in the beginning process of this venture, even if you feel like it has been a whole year, and “Beginning” is the word you need to remember. You are just at the beginning, barely out the gate, and have so much further to go. If you’ve already brought in 10,000$, and you are at the position of the number ONE … think what it will be like later on! Take heart – you’ve only just begun. Your gains may not be what you want them to be, but they are plenty significant for this time and place in your business.

But let’s take a look at the cards that have come up for the spread we designed for you:

It looks like your main issue is possibly in your perspective; this is an internal blockage, not an external one. The good news is that it looks like you will successfully resolve these internal dilemmas and be able to move forward with more optimism and feeling of control.

Your first three cards are reversed and this is what indicates to me that if there IS something you can do differently, it’s as simple as changing the way you are looking at things.

Death reversed comes up as a success that you need to acknowledge so far – that’s pretty amazing. You not only started a business (from scratch it looks like),and have built it thus far from the ground up, but you have also changed your entire life to accomplish this. You’ve sacrificed things, some of them huge in your life, in order to accomplish this. And you contemplate quitting???

The Two of Wands reversed speaks to me of someone who is just realizing what a huge undertaking this is. I feel like you may have just started to truly realize the commitment, investment, and risks involved, and that this may be giving you the cold feet you are experiencing now. I feel like it’s an “Oh my gosh, what have I done? I can’t do this!” feeling in you. This, paired with adjusting to the fact that you have upended your entire LIFE to put this into motion, is majorly contributing to your panic at this time. Your business is not in distress. YOU are.

But you have also learned lately (in the Ace of Cups reversed, that this is where your true fulfillment lies. This business is your passion and joy. This is a great thing, and something you should pay attention to. If this is something you have FUN doing, and it’s passion driven, it’s most likely GOING TO SUCCEED. Allow it to grow freely, you cannot go wrong when you are following your passion.

And in fact, in answer to the question about growing your business even more (in the Ace of Wands), FOLLOW THIS JOYFUL PATH. Keep doing what makes you feel so GREAT in this venture, and I think you will be very pleased a year from NOW, at the results. Keep bringing that internal passion into your physical life the way you have been. Stay connected to and true to what your passions and joys ARE, as you have already been doing so well! Keep brainstorming when you are mentally stuck, and possibly invest some time and money in going on available retreats.

I live in a very small community but even we have holistic businesses here that offer very affordable retreats. Pick a topic or them you are interested in, and sign up, even for just a day long one. I feel like looking inside is going to work really well for you in growing your business. Because the energy that drives it, is coming from there.

Also, in looking at the Ace of Cups card upside down, it’s very clear visually that this endeavor is book-ended by divine providence. It IS supported by the universe or whatever higher power you believe in. You are not alone in it. You have divine assistance.

As a final note, these two Aces are RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER. At the least, this emphasizes what I just advocated … taking “what you have learned” and applying it to “growing your business even more.”

An action that you can take at this very moment to bring you closer to your goals is to look very carefully at all the diverse choices presented to you at this time. It looks as though some are viable, and some may not be. You have so many before you at this time that it may be confusing to consider them all at the same time.

You may do well to make lists of pros and cons of all your options when you are presented with choices between them that you must make. All are “in the ether” so to speak, at this moment. Choose wisely which ones to make manifest in the physical realm.

This card (the Seven of Cups) reminds me of when I give my 7 year old (lol @ the synchronicity) … a total choice of what candy and/or toys he sees in a store. It’s too much for him and overloads his thought process. For him, it’s best if I limit his choices sometimes. It’s possible that it may work well for you to limit the number of options you think about at any given time when decision making. Like, only consider two at a time or something.

When you’ve decided between them, take the “winner” and consider that against another one. Or come up with a similar way to hone in on what’s important. Make a list of your goals or priorities and use it to weed out opportunities when you’re presented with too many at once. These types of things may help you in your decision making process.

And what you might experience in your business over the next 12 months if you stick with it? Total domination, total confidence, and total satisfaction. Or at least as close to that as you can come with your particular personality. The Emperor is an excellent card for an outcome. If you can learn to pace yourself, to not beat up on yourself unnecessarily, you have the ability to be completely satisfied with your professional progress. This business has the potential to be incredibly successful. The Emperor sits at number 4 numerologically, and that is about as stable and firm as a foundation can GET.

One last note: the endings and transformations that you put into practice last year in order to begin your business … they are somehow another key to how to grow your business even more now in the present. I don’t know exactly what you did last year that entailed sacrificing something and ending something … but you do. Give some thought to how those things connect to growing your business more in the here and now. They are connected to one another.

I wish you success and blessings in your ad-venture!

***

Works Cited

Waite, Arthur E.. “Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot Deck.” Smith, Pamela C., Designer,
(Reissued in collaboration with Miss Sybil Waite and Rider & Company, London),
U.S. Games Systems, Inc., 2003, Stamford, CN.

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If you enjoyed this reading and would like to order your own,
email fiery.kaleidoscope@gmail.com and let me know!