Merry Yule

Happy Yule to all my faithful readers and followers. May your presents be many, your remembrances be merry and your love, kindness and compassion shine in your heart and throughout the world. 


Blessed Peace and Love

Wayne

Winter Solstice

We have arrived at the winter solstice (December 21 and 22nd),the shortest day of the year and the celebration of Alban Arthan/ Yule, which symbolize the renewal of light through the dark winter. Decorations of mistletoe, holly and evergreens are displayed upon houses symbolizing that new life will return in the spring.

Alban Arthan is Welsh meaning *Light of Winter," or a poetic meaning, "Light of Arthur." It is a celebration of the return of the Divine Child, the Mabon, and the rebirth of the golden solstice Sun that will bring back the warmth, light and life to the Earth again. A main feature of this celebration is the Yule log. Traditionally, logs are burned in a central fireplace. The log  must come from one's own land or be a gift, but not bought. It is ignited with a remaining piece of last year's Yule log,thus passing Light from one year to another. The log is burned slowly for 12 days in the fireplace before being extinguished and its ashes are stowed away til springtime then mixed with seeds and spread over the fields symbolizing the power of the Sun.

In Druid tradition, the Alban Arthan represents  the battle between the Oak King, or Divine Child (God of waxing Light) and the Holly King, or Dark Lord(God of waning Light), in which the Oak King wins and rules until he is defeated by the Holly King at the time of the summer solstice. Furthermore, the cauldron of Dagda, symbolizing the promise that nature will bear fruit and care for all living beings on Earth, and Brighid, the bearer of the flame of inspiration, that penetrates the mind and soul, like the Sun that gives rebirth to the light and penetrates the darkest time of the year, reign upon the winter solstice.


To All Warm Blessings.

Travis The Artist

As noted in my previous post, the Lovely Lady D and I traveled back to the Sarasota Medieval Fest.We walked along the pavilions of jewelry sellers, stages of shows and food peddlers. We stopped to look at trinkets for the Lovely Lady D and of course, bought various incense and oils from the incense peddler. Then we decided to get a caricature and met with Travis, a jovial master of the paint brush who agreed to create a masterpiece portrait of us in remembrance of our journey to the Fest.

After a brief conversation of what we wanted in out portrait, Travis set to work with pen, brush and paint, working diligently while engaging us in conversation on various topics and events. He started with me, looking for facial characteristics and features while drawing and coloring the image on his canvas. Within a short period he moved on to creating the image of the Lovely Lady D, his hand glided effortlessly over the canvas, with steady hand and keen eye he  drew and painted with passion and intensity while our curiosity grew and the crowd gathered watching the creation of our masterpiece unfold.

The excitement mounted as the time went by, at one point we asked members of the crowd for an opinion on the picture's progress and they said "it looks like you." More time went by, Travis worked and paused briefly  to check his work and then picked up his brush and continued. The excitement and curiosity mounted in high crescendo along with the approval of the crowd. Then with one final check and a large smile from Travis--our masterpiece was unveiled. Huzzah!!

A thanks to Travis for a great masterpiece which we will cherish forever. Travis lives in the Orlando area of Florida, besides caricatures, he provides services in comic art, illustration, character design, and more.
Travis can be reached at TravisJustinHill@lycos.com

New Book Promo

Don't miss out on my new book promo of The Patsy that is going on right now, hurry cause it ends on December 4th. It's a great way to start our winter readings.

Hail the Medieval Fest!

Huzzar! Huzzar! Good times at the Sarasota Medieval Fest (Nov.7-Nov. 23). Food, drink, bands, and entertainment--mini shows, the Wheel of Death and my favorite, Human Combat Chess.

A smaller Fest in terms of vendors, but the quality of the trinkets are good to make any Ren goer happy. I myself purchased a pendant, incense and a tree incense holder. The food was also excellent from the turkey legs to the grilled corn on the cob.

The setting is still held in a wooded area complete with dirt paths and the usual feel of any other Ren Fest. The day I went, it had rained the night before so the day was overcast and the paths were partly wet, just another enhancement of a trip to a more ancient time.

So this weekend I will travel back to the Fest. The weather will be sunny and hot (80's) according to the weather foretellers, and I will visit some of the vendors that I missed the last time, drink some more beer and mead along with some tasty food. Maybe I'll will watch another game of Human Combat Chess or just sit and take in the forest setting, the smell of the numerous foods and sounds of the bands.

If  I could read my poem, "Invitation to the Faire" to the royal court--now that would really rock!



 

Autumn 2014

The Autumn Equinox or Alban Elfed, when the hours of daylight are equal to the hours of night. When Mother Earth offers her gifts of nuts and berries,a time when harvest is underway. Nature begins to make way for the blanket of winter as animals repair their shelters and  store food while the trees turn their leaves to color before hibernation. A time for the change of season, a time to begin the reflection of the past year, a time for beauty and peace.

Book Promo in July

It's summer, a time for relaxing, enjoying the warm outdoors and reading. To start your summer right, don't miss the promo of my novella--The Patsy on Kindle and Amazon running from July 16th - July 23rd.

The Patsy is a mystery/suspense about a man, a dog and  murder which will keep your attention til the final page.

Don't have a Kindle-- no problem, you can download a free kindle app on your computer or mobile device.


Enjoy the read and the summer!

Midsummer Night

Upon the Eve
by Wayne Adam

The veil grows thin
As darkness comes
upon the eve of Litha

Creatures roam from the Otherworld
As faeries spin their mischief

Herbs are gathered on this magical night
People wash in waters of rejuvenation

Fires are lit
There's song and dance
For future luck and fortune

Litha approaches in brilliant glory of sunrise
Granting good growth of  grain.

Father's Day

Father's Day is here, but many of us don't know how this holiday came about, so here's a short history:

 In 1908 a West Virgina Church sponsored the first event explicitly in honor of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah.

In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane Washington, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She solicited local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to support for her idea, and and on July 19, 1910 Washington State proclaimed  the nation’s first statewide "Father’s Day."

 In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C.

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day.

Remember, your father gave you his name. He is the strength and wisdom of your family. A provider of money, shelter and security. Always respect him and love him dearly.

Happy Father's Day!

From Frozen Lakes to Warm Gulf Streams

I have lived in he Midwest for a long time along the shores of Lake Michigan. I have relocated to the

West Coast (California) and to the home of the Mouse(Orlando, FL) and back to the shores of the lake. A gypsy some could say, or an adventurer, but I prefer to think more long the lines of a roaming spirit. Whatever the case, I have embarked on a new journey and have relocated again, this time to the sunny skies of SW Florida's Sun Coast. Behind me lies the frozen shores of Lake Michigan and ahead are the sandy beaches of the warm gulf waters.

From cold to warm, darkness to light the circle of life turns as I start my journey along a new path.