The Deep Freeze

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was within me an invincible summer.” ~ Albert Camus

No relief from the cold is in the forecast for North Carolina any time soon. With temperatures dipping into the teens at night, and barely reaching the low forties during the day, many have retreated into their homes and into themselves.

During a different cold spell a few years ago, I complained to a friend about the freezing temperatures, and her reply to me was that the earth and the plants needed to rest and regenerate. After doing a little research, I indeed found out that many plants cut off their water intake and go dormant during the winter months. In this time of inertia, they get the opportunity to regenerate within.

As of late, many of us have been cut off the traditional sources of energetic feeding, and they have come to feel isolated and forgotten. With the job situation deteriorating, and average incomes suddenly becoming less than average, our connection to our supply of “water” has been interrupted. Not only that – weakened by economic hardship, many relationships have cracked under pressure and fatally broken down. Many are facing the long winter alone and without the means to weather the elements.

We have become so programmed in our thinking by society and advertisements, that we can no longer see the difference between what we have and who we are. The two are so closely associated in our minds, that if we don’t have enough, we feel that we are nobody worth caring for.

The first reactions to having our external supply of “nutrients” and energy cut off are self-pity and anger, but once those stages have run their course, we realize we still exist, we still feel and we are still loved – by others at least. Each of us has hidden potential which often remains untapped until we need to come up with new strategies to survive. It’s through hardship that we find our true friends, and it is by going within that we learn how to function more effectively without.

The winter might be long and harsh, but spring will come around again; when the timing is right, our connection to external supplies will be restored, and what we have discovered during our dormant phase will help us blossom even more vibrantly.
Winter is a time to burrow inside of ourselves and learn who we are; it’s a time to discover the depth of our potential and the identity of our weaknesses; more importantly, it is a time to realize that our growth is not hindered by an unexpected cold snap.

Meeting Befana

January 6th marks the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as the day of Epiphany. In Italy – and in Italian communities around the world - this occurrence is also known as “Befana”.

La Befana is a character in Italian folklore who delivers presents to children throughout Italy, in a similar way to Santa Claus. In popular folklore Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of January 6th, and fills their socks with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad.

Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food for the Befana. She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl. She is often smiling and carries a bag filled with candy, gifts, or both.

Christian legend has it that La Befana was approached by the Magi (or Three Kings), a few days before Christ's birth. They asked for directions to where the baby Jesus was, but she did not know. She provided them with shelter for a night, as she was considered the best housekeeper in the village with the most pleasant home. They invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus, but she declined, stating she was too busy with her housework. Later, La Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out the astrologers and Jesus. That night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana is searching for the baby Jesus. She leaves all the good children toys and candy, while the bad children get coal or bags of ashes.In the center of Rome, in Piazza Navona, a popular market, the Fiera della Befana takes place each year between Christmas and the Epiphany. There toys, sugar, “charcoal” and candies are sold for the Roman children.

In other parts of the world where a vibrant Italian community exists, traditions involving La Befana may be observed and shared or celebrated with the wider community. In Toronto (CA), for example, a Befana Choir shows up on Winter Solstice each December to sing in the Kensington Market Festival of Lights parade. Women, men, and children dressed in La Befana costume and nose sing love songs to serenade the sun to beckon its return. The singing hags gather in the street to give candy to children, to cackle and screech to accordion music, and to sing in every key imaginable as delighted parade participants join in the cacophony. Sometimes, the Befanas dance with parade goers and dust down the willing as parade goers walk by.

Some of this information was found on Wikipedia.com.

Have a Joyful New Year!

Good morning everybody, and a joyful New Year to you and your families!

As 2010 has finally opened the doors to a whole new chapter, let's do our best to focus our energy on ushering in the right guests. With the hardship many have encountered in 2009, it is normal to feel a little apprehensive and discouraged, but we should at least try to invest our efforts and thoughts on the things we want, rather than on those we don't want in our lives.

As we peek our heads out and greet the newly born 2010, I wish all of you a joyful New Year instead than a happy one. Happiness is dependable on the influence of external factors, and it fluctuates with the winds of fate; joy is a stable refuge in the midst of the storm, and nothing can dim its light.

So, have a joyful New Year, and as someone posted on my profile on a different site, may 2010 be a wonderful new journey, one we won't travel alone but as one.