Sunday, December 29, 2013

Nature Contemplation



*** Okay, I lied! This really is my last post for 2013!***







Sunday, December 22, 2013

The Art of Jack Frost

The Art of Jack Frost

This is my last post for 2013. 
Thank you for reading my ramblings and for being a huge source of inspiration & comfort.
May all of you wonderful people have a joyous Holiday Season and a very prosperous New Year! See you in 2014!







Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Santa and Magick Mushrooms

We all know about Santa Claus and his flying reindeer. But where did the story really start?
One theory has their origins in the hallucinogenic or "magic" mushrooms which grow in the Siberian and Arctic regions of the World.
Santa is likened to the traveling Shamans of the Northern Regions, who brought bags of 'magic' mushrooms as presents around to the villages at the time of the Winter Solstice. 
This Mushroom is Amanita Muscaria. It is commonly found in the Northern or Boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. This toadstool can be poisonous and is most definitely psychoactive. It can be found in forests growing under trees, most commonly pine trees. The Shamans of the Tribes found in the Northern Regions used the Amanita Muscaria as a way to commune with the Spirits and it was considered a sacred substance.
The theory goes on to say that reindeer commonly grazed on the fungi. So did the Native Siberian Tribesman who probably had hallucinations of the reindeer flying.
Bringing a pine tree indoors at the time of the Winter Solstice and decorating it in red and white along with placing presents under the tree are all symbols of the Amanita Muscaria.

image source
While images of Santa and red topped mushrooms have been around through the ages, many historians doubt this theory. Perhaps they need a bit of "Holiday Cheer"!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Life After Death

Found this at Merlin's Magickal Mistress. Had to share.


Tuesday, December 10, 2013

A Santa Movie MUST SEE!!!!



Hubby and I watched the BEST holiday movie a few nights ago. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. Click Here for info! 
It is a Scandinavian film so there are subtitles - with some English thrown in from time to time. But it was AwEsOmE! The first time I have seen Krampus in a film. We watched it on Netflix. 
Watch the movie & let me know what you think....

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Worlds Within Worlds


The Art of Ed Binkley

***There's a lot of detail in these drawings. Click on the picture to enlarge!***







Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Tumblin' Tumbleweeds...

tum·ble·weed                                     
ˈtəmbəlˌwēd/
noun
  1. 1.
    a plant of dry regions that breaks off near the ground in late summer and is tumbled about by the wind, thereby dispersing its seeds.




Tumbleweeds have inundated many areas of the Plains this Autumn.




What to do with all those Tumbleweeds?

Add foliage to a winter bare tree
Build a shed
Make a 'Snow' Man
Make two 'Snow' people
Make a Christmas Tree
Add lights for a smaller version of a holiday tree
Add outdoor lights for a 'festive' touch
Or just hang one in the middle of the dining room for that 'country' feel

Sunday, December 1, 2013