Ghosts of Christmas

Sometimes the Ghost of Christmas Present meets the Ghost of Christmas Past and it is a magickal thing.

Holiday Wishes

I would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You to all of you who read, comment or lurk here at this little spot of the blog-o-sphere. I appreciate all of you who read my (and Gomez's) ramblings. 

I am taking a short break to freshen the linens here. When I return in January, this blog will have had a make-over.

May all of you be blessed with the Joy and Happiness that this Holiday Season brings. 
See You Soon!
{{be sure to check out my other blog, Embracing the Elements, for a special holiday greeting!}} 

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!

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"!

To Read More, Click Here!

Cat Tales ~ Meowy Cat-mas

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May All your Holiday Adventures be Merry and Bright!

Purz and Catnip Dreams.......Gomez

P.S. and may Kitty Claws bring you EvErYtHiNg your heart desires!

Cat Tales ~ Holiday Funnies

Purz and catnip Dreams.......Gomez

December Things To Come

My posts for the month of December will be about FUN stuff!

The Weird Wednesday posts with be about Weird  Fun!

The Sunday Art posts will be about FUN  Art!

Gomez even has a post or two about Fun Kitty stuff!

So stay tuned!
Don't touch that Dial!

Yuletide Blessings!

Yule Blessings

by Winter Sky

To one and all I send to you,
Blessings on this day.
Wishing joy and merriment,
May it always come your way.

As you light the Yule log fire,
And the candles are all a-glow,
Be thankful for what you've reaped this year,
And all you've grown to Know!

As you bid farewell to the Holly King,
Under his blanket of snow,
Open your arms to the Oak King,
For the light he will bestow.

A Rare Astrological Event!

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December 21st

It is on this date that BOTH the Sun and the Moon will be reborn.

Winter Solstice. Yule. It is the shortest day of the year. 

It will officially occur at 5:38pm Central Standard Time. 

Also on this date is a Full Moon. 

It is officially full at 2:14am CST. 

AND there will be a Full Lunar Eclipse visible in North America with full totality at 2:17am CST. 

The next date this will occur is 2094!

Recommendation needed! Book on Yule

I am looking for a book that is suitable for small children - age 7 and under - that explains what Yule is from a Pagan point of view and that compares Yule to the holidays which are celebrated by other religions - Christmas,  Hanukkah,  Kwanzaa, etc. 
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Yuletide Greetings!

May your Holiday Season be Merry and Bright!
Blessings From Our House to Yours!

Ghost Stories...at Christmas??

Remember the song, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of he Year" ? Made famous by the singer Andy Williams, this song has a line, "There'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmas long, long ago."
Why ghost stories you ask? The tradition dates back to the ancient Celts. In Celtic Times there were ghosts, spirits and other haunting beings who were associated with the Fire Festival and the Yule Season.
The Winter Soltice, Alban Arthuan, or better known as Yuletime Season is a time of death and rebirth of Nature and our souls. It is said the Old Sun dies at dusk of December 21st. and when the Sun of the New Year is born at the dawn of December 22. The New Sun is thought to rejuvenate the aura of the Earth. It is like a mystical cleansing to the spirits and the souls of the dead.
Samhain is considered the most haunted time of the year in the Celtic calendar; Yule is the second. Haunting starts on December 6th to December 20th. The spirits are more active as they wait for the rebirth of the Sun’s powers. One can be visited by their ancestors, relatives, spirit guides or their soul friends.
This haunting is not the same as during Samhain, where the veil is thinned so that the dead can walk among us. The spirits of Yule are connected with the mystical and the psychic side of the Solstice Season.

Seasons Greetings

May this Yuletide Season bring Love, Joy, and Laughter to your homes. And may Prosperity follow you wherever the road may lead.

Seasons Greetings from WildWoods Art Studio!

Wintery Fairy Doors

Greetings Everyone!

I have three new Fairy Doors to help usher in the Yuletide Season. All three are currently at auction on eBay.

Winter Wonderland - This little Fairy is nestled in for the Winter. With a red bow and a pinecone to decorate the door and sprig of holly on the light, Yuletide must not be far off.

Let It Snow - This little Fairy must live in the Far North by the looks of this Fairy Door. At the rate the snow is falling, the Little Fairy will have to shovel his sidewalk soon!

Gingerbread - Wouldn’t it be fun to live in a Gingerbread House? Who hasn’t dreamt of that? This Little Fairy is doing that very thing! Do you think if they want to remodel, that they just eat a wall?

May you all have a Terrific Thanksgiving!!