So beautiful Frederick! I love my Christmas tree! Every year! and if not able to, some greenery with ornaments. I especially treasure ornaments my Grandmother passed down to me ❤️ and small paper woven Danish heart baskets she taught me to make.
Beautiful. Thank you for this gift of meaning and emotion. Much appreciated at this condensed moment in time. ... Happy Holidays to you! And a joyous New Year...
I've always thought of our tree as a visual representation of our family history. We add an ornament every year. Whatever catches one of us. As the tree is decorated, the story of each ornament is remembered. We also remember ornaments lost from being broken, and that's also a story. This year, the Angel I bought when I was pregnant with my first is being retired since her lights no longer work, and is replaced by a gold star my grandson chose.
To me, Winter Solstice is a good time to remember the past and prepare for the next chapter.
Thank you for the Christmas spirit. I agree, I think the Christmas tree is sacred, even though at times I go through a wall of resistance in getting one, my wife Chris is too invested to let that happen so we get the tree and enter the enchantment. We just moved to Southern California and while still unpacking we recently went shopping for a tree. Moving here in a 16 foot POD, at least 10 feet of it was Christmas ornaments so we had plenty of lights. My daughter Sophia and Chris got the tree as I was getting the car. The tree was netted and we placed it in the car. In getting home we had a stand and slipped the tree into it. I didn't check the cut at the base or anything about the tree. No matter how much I tried to straighten the tree, it tilted forward even with the screws in place. Upon a closer look, the tree had a severely twisted trunk so an upright tree was not going to happen. The girls thought that was special. How we got this beautiful magical tree!They wanted to name the tree Eva and I suggested we call her Quassimoda. They frowned upon it but I rallied with Quassimodo being a very special Soul, Quassimoda is our special tree. So we settled with Eva, and I have to say, now that I have sat with her a few times, our Christmas tree truly is sacred.
I like your story of the Universe with the leanings of your teachers. I also heard a lore that the Christmas tree came about when Shamans would gather Amanita Muscaria and place them on a fir tree to dry. They made the tree very ornamental and if you picked one and ate it, the lights would come in. Merry Christmas to you Frederick and all of your relations. May the coming year be the beginning of a blessed World.
Ron, this retelling is fantastic. And over the years, I've been known to deliberatly round up a tree that is considered imperfect--I love giving it the high place of honor in the house.
Thank you, Frederick that was lovely and I loved thinking of the tree as the universe. Enjoy your new cat buddies this year. Hope they are better behaved than mine. I would find then nestled on a branch every morning. They love the tree too.
Thank you for this lovely piece, Frederick. I will be looking at the tree, and how I look at the tree, today more consciously. It calls to mind a quote that I am revisiting this morning after reading your newsletter...
"'I was a hidden treasure and I longed to be known, so I created the worlds visible and invisible' is how one of the great mystical sayings of the Islamic Hadith Qudsi pictures the primordial divine yearning for intimacy and self-disclosure that got the whole cosmogonic ball rolling in the first place. Each world along the Great Chain of Being is not merely the next step in a mathematical progression; it is a specific set of conditions that allows for the expression of some very specific aspect of the divine heart. And in fact, the word cosmos in the original Greek actually means "ornament.' If rather than seeing these worlds as beads on a chain, we saw them as balls on a Christmas tree, we might better understand how each of these precious cosmoses is beautifully and uniquely artificed to bring forth some specific aspect of the divine longing to be known. The chain links drop out, and you stand like a small child on Christmas Eve, bedazzled by the wonder of it all." - Cynthia Bourgeault
Deeply moving! And a true inspiration in such a dark moment.
Thank you Marisa, agreed -- a tree's luminousity is the perfect antidote to this year.
Deeply moving! And a true inspiration in such a dark moment.
BEAUTIFUL experience reading this. Thank you 🙏🏼
Thank you Frederick, for putting into words the feelings I can't describe.
I'm happy it moved the right sentiments.
So beautiful Frederick! I love my Christmas tree! Every year! and if not able to, some greenery with ornaments. I especially treasure ornaments my Grandmother passed down to me ❤️ and small paper woven Danish heart baskets she taught me to make.
Cheerful Solstice! ✨✨✨❤️🤍❤️✨✨✨
Love this memory of your Grandmother, Cintra.
Perfectly stated. I teared up a little. So many memories of parking myself under the tree and lying there looking up at the lights. Magical.
That's got to be one of the central universal memories of all children, Annie.
Are you familiar with the work of Dr Jean Houston? I’m heading over to her house now. One of her books is Search for the Belived. For reference.
Beautiful. Thank you for this gift of meaning and emotion. Much appreciated at this condensed moment in time. ... Happy Holidays to you! And a joyous New Year...
Thank you, Jeri. And to you as well.
I've always thought of our tree as a visual representation of our family history. We add an ornament every year. Whatever catches one of us. As the tree is decorated, the story of each ornament is remembered. We also remember ornaments lost from being broken, and that's also a story. This year, the Angel I bought when I was pregnant with my first is being retired since her lights no longer work, and is replaced by a gold star my grandson chose.
To me, Winter Solstice is a good time to remember the past and prepare for the next chapter.
Wishing light and love to all!
That is amazing, Aangie. And same here, each ornament telescopes me back to the time it was aquired. Have a blessed holiday season.
Thank you for the Christmas spirit. I agree, I think the Christmas tree is sacred, even though at times I go through a wall of resistance in getting one, my wife Chris is too invested to let that happen so we get the tree and enter the enchantment. We just moved to Southern California and while still unpacking we recently went shopping for a tree. Moving here in a 16 foot POD, at least 10 feet of it was Christmas ornaments so we had plenty of lights. My daughter Sophia and Chris got the tree as I was getting the car. The tree was netted and we placed it in the car. In getting home we had a stand and slipped the tree into it. I didn't check the cut at the base or anything about the tree. No matter how much I tried to straighten the tree, it tilted forward even with the screws in place. Upon a closer look, the tree had a severely twisted trunk so an upright tree was not going to happen. The girls thought that was special. How we got this beautiful magical tree!They wanted to name the tree Eva and I suggested we call her Quassimoda. They frowned upon it but I rallied with Quassimodo being a very special Soul, Quassimoda is our special tree. So we settled with Eva, and I have to say, now that I have sat with her a few times, our Christmas tree truly is sacred.
I like your story of the Universe with the leanings of your teachers. I also heard a lore that the Christmas tree came about when Shamans would gather Amanita Muscaria and place them on a fir tree to dry. They made the tree very ornamental and if you picked one and ate it, the lights would come in. Merry Christmas to you Frederick and all of your relations. May the coming year be the beginning of a blessed World.
Ron, this retelling is fantastic. And over the years, I've been known to deliberatly round up a tree that is considered imperfect--I love giving it the high place of honor in the house.
Merry Christmas to you and kin, Ron!
Thank you, Frederick that was lovely and I loved thinking of the tree as the universe. Enjoy your new cat buddies this year. Hope they are better behaved than mine. I would find then nestled on a branch every morning. They love the tree too.
Merry Christmas, Janet.
Thankfully I've got two well-behaved boys, so the tree will stay intact. I love the image of your felines branch monitoring in your tree.
Thank you for this lovely piece, Frederick. I will be looking at the tree, and how I look at the tree, today more consciously. It calls to mind a quote that I am revisiting this morning after reading your newsletter...
"'I was a hidden treasure and I longed to be known, so I created the worlds visible and invisible' is how one of the great mystical sayings of the Islamic Hadith Qudsi pictures the primordial divine yearning for intimacy and self-disclosure that got the whole cosmogonic ball rolling in the first place. Each world along the Great Chain of Being is not merely the next step in a mathematical progression; it is a specific set of conditions that allows for the expression of some very specific aspect of the divine heart. And in fact, the word cosmos in the original Greek actually means "ornament.' If rather than seeing these worlds as beads on a chain, we saw them as balls on a Christmas tree, we might better understand how each of these precious cosmoses is beautifully and uniquely artificed to bring forth some specific aspect of the divine longing to be known. The chain links drop out, and you stand like a small child on Christmas Eve, bedazzled by the wonder of it all." - Cynthia Bourgeault