Sue Vincent's Daily Echo

Ani’s Advent 2020! – Pondering

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Sue Vincent

ani (2) Dear Santa, I’m a little dog who doesn’t do religion.
I’d rather chase a tennis ball or terrorise a pigeon
Than argue over who is wrong or maybe who is right…
It seems a silly way to me to get into a fight.

I know the Christmas story, ’cause she told me long ago,
About Joseph and Mary when they had nowhere to go,
And that’s the bit that got to me, ’cause someone found a place,
Although they slept with beasts and not with others of their race.

According to the tale we’re told, they slept beneath a star
And shepherds brought their lambs to see and kings came from afar.
They gathered where the Baby lay, beside the ox and ass,
While angels sang above, they knelt in wonder on the grass.

Now, that’s a lovely story that the world will celebrate…
And then go back to living in their prejudice and hate.
They look askance at strangers if they wear a different skin…
I wonder if the Babe returned, if they would let Him in?

Continue reading at The Small Dog’s Blog

Posted in Christmas, Dogs, Poetry | Tagged goodwill, peace, spirit of christmas | 8 Comments

A Sweet Dilemma

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Sue Vincent

I go to the supermarket as seldom as possible at the best of times… and the run-up to Christmas does not constitute the best of times by any stretch of the imagination. Head down, I charged to the pharmacy aisle with as little looking around as possible.

And then I saw them. Mince pies.

Oh dear.

I don’t tend to eat a lot of sweet stuff, but mince pies are a weakness.

And a dilemma.

Obviously, pastry is bad enough. Add that particular confection of fruits in the centre and they should probably not be allowed within my vision. Definitely not within my reach.

Somehow a pack of four managed to follow me to the checkout.

I love mince pies. I bake the best good mince pies… or I used to when I had a house full of boys. I could bake two dozen every day and have nothing but crumbs before they were cold. Living with just the small dog, I don’t bake any more except for special occasions. I couldn’t justify baking a dozen just for me… especially as I would only eat them.

On the other hand, there is a tradition that says you should eat mince pies for good fortune through December. That for every one you eat you will have happiness and luck for … now …was it a day, a week or a month? I could use some good fortune… and a fairy godmother if one is looking for work too. And herein lies the dilemma.

While I am a firm believer in asking the universe, then allowing things to happen, I am also aware we need to do our part too. So if I want good fortune for the next twelve months, I obviously need to eat enough mince pies.

I’m liking the logic of this.

But how many do I need to eat?

If the ratio of tradition is one mince pie for one month good fortune, I have no problem. If it is a weekly ratio, then 52 between here and Christmas seems a little much. Even I would struggle with eating over a dozen a day…

On the other hand, life can’t all be sweetness and light… there have to be darker days against which the light can shine… so maybe the dozen a day isn’t necessary…

Meanwhile, I could have sworn there was a pack of four, freshly baked mince pies around here somewhere…

Well, what’s left of them…

Hmmm… If a mince pie (or three) is consumed, leaving no trace of its presence, did it ever exist in the first place and can you called a hog for eating it?

Posted in Christmas, food | Tagged excuses, good fortune, good luck, Humour, mince pies, sophistry, superstition, tradition | 92 Comments

Shared #midnighthaiku

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Sue Vincent

Universal love

Generation of spirit

Sharing a heartbeat

Posted in photo prompt, Poetry | Tagged aiku, child, family, motherhood | 8 Comments

A tale of many cities ~ Joy Lennick

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Sue Vincent

Reblogged from Joy Lennick:

A tale

The following excerpt from Charles Dickens “A Tale of Two Cities” could apply all over our precious planet at present, for while too many innocent bodies are being ravaged by this horrendous pandemic, people are still falling in love; new life is coming into being, and new, vital, medical and other advances are, fortunately, being made.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the Spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

The biggest positive in that paragraph is “the Spring of Hope” for where would we be without it?!

Continue reading at Joy Lennick

Posted in reblog | Tagged Christmas, Dickens, hope, Italy, Lake Garda, Riva, WC Fields, writers, writing | 1 Comment

Discovering Albion – day 6 – Dunfermline Abbey

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Sue Vincent

They were locking the door on half of the Abbey Church as we arrived. The new bit, built on the site of the old choir, was opened in 1821 and houses the tombs of Queen Margaret (later canonised as St Margaret), King David I and King Robert the Bruce who fought to re-establish Scotland as an independent nation and defeated the English army at the battle of Bannockburn. Around the top of the tower he is remembered in stone.

Robert the Bruce died in 1329 and, following his wishes, was interred in Dunfermline Abbey beside his queen, in front of the high altar. His heart was removed and placed in a silver casket by Sir James Douglas, who is said to have worn it round his neck and took it to the Crusades. In battle he threw the casket into the fray, crying, “Now pass thou onward before us, as thou wert wont, and I will follow thee or die.” Die he did, but the casket was recovered and the heart taken home to be buried at Melrose Abbey as the King had wished.

Both body and heart were lost over time, but both were found during building works. The body, still covered in cloth of gold, was eventually reinterred in the Abbey Church in 1819, and the heart in 1998, two years after its rediscovery at Melrose. Dunfermline holds a special place in the heart of Scotland

However, it wasn’t the new bit, but the old we had really come to see. The original priory had been founded in the eleventh century, during the reign of King Malcom III and his wife, who later became St Margaret, the Pearl of Scotland. Their son, King David, endowed the church as an Abbey and in 1128 he built the church. In the floor, the outlines of St Margaret’s original early priory and the Culdee church are marked.

The great carved pillars, unequal in diameter and each different, are said to be very similar to those at Durham cathedral… which we were to see for ourselves few days later. They are, we found, not dissimilar to those at Selby either. The old and the new are built as one now, past and future meeting to signal a continuity of faith on this site that stretches back a thousand years.

Continue reading at France & Vincent

Posted in adventure, Ancient sites, Churches, History, Photography, scotland road trip | Tagged Abbey, fresco, King David I, nave, norman church, Robert the Bruce, St Margaret of Scotland | Leave a comment

Terms…

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Sue Vincent

…It was midnight before the Evil One came down

out of the mountains and made his way to Baugi’s farm.

He introduced himself, claimed he had been walking all day,

then asked for a meal, and to stop over in one of Baugi’s barns.

Continue reading at France & Vincent

Posted in bluetits, Mythology | Tagged esoteric, interpretation, psychology | Leave a comment

Ars Geometrica: ABC’s…

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Sue Vincent

‘…The secret of the magic of life consists in using action in order to attain non-action…’
– The Book of Heavenly Consciousness

For the next few hours we were as if transported.
We went nowhere, bodily, yet the vistas contained in that little book.
And yet it was little more and in some respects much less even than a book.
The twenty or so pages held within its gold plated covers were unnumbered and loose leafed and were exquisitely hand drawn, written and coloured on the finest parchment.
There was no way of telling the order in which they were supposed to be read.

Continue reading at France & Vincent

Posted in adventure, albion, alchemy, Art, Books | Tagged esoteric, interpretation, magic, mystery, psychology, story, symbolism, writing | 1 Comment

New Book – Ghostly Interference by Jan Sikes

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Sue Vincent

Fiction Favorites

Jan Sikes has an exciting new book and a new publisher. Here she is to tell you about her book. Welcome, Jan.

Hi, John! Thank you so much for opening your awesome blog site to me to help spread the word about my new book, Ghostly Interference! Your generosity is much appreciated!

Today, I’m going to share some fun facts about myself that you may or may not know.

10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME

I am a fanatical player of word games – all kinds, board games, apps, or TV game shows – I love words. My favorite app is Words With Friends! I’ve played it since 2014. Come join me!
Favorite Color – This is a hard one, because it changes, but generally any shade of Teal.
Coffee or Tea – Coffee! I love a good cold glass of tea on a hot summer day…

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Posted in Photography | 5 Comments

Ani’s Advent 2020! – A Visit

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Sue Vincent

Dear Santa…

This year is all a bit weird. This coronavirus malarkey is upsetting everyone and keeping them apart, especially when they want and need to be together. I’m pretty sure, if you could manage it, taking the bug away would go down better than delivering present this year. I mean, look at all the wonderful things we are missing…

Much love,

Ani xxx

dawn 001

‘Twas a fortnight till Christmas
And all through the flat
Not a creature was stirring
She’s glad about that…

She’d had quite enough
Throwing balls for the day
And had told me concisely
To put them away.

The birds in the garden
All slept for the night,
(I’d sorted the pigeons…
They’d put up a fight)

The fish had been fed
And now hid in the weed,
I snored on the sofa,
She curled up to read.

Then all of a sudden
A knock on the door
Made me jump up to see,
And the book hit the floor…

“Now who could be calling
At this time of night?”
She picked up her keys
And turned on the hall light…

So I’m back on duty,
You never can tell…
And if monsters are out there,
I’ll chase them to Hell.

She slipped on my lead
As she opened the door,
While I waited ready
With growl, tooth and paw…

But as the door opened
The voices began
It wasn’t a monster,
Not even a man…

Continue reading at The Small Dog’s Blog

Posted in Christmas, Physiotherapy, Poetry | Tagged carol singers, Christmas carols, love, peace | 7 Comments

Celebrating the Light

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Sue Vincent

“May you be blessed

With the spirit of the season, which is peace,

The gladness of the season, which is hope,

And the heart of the season, which is love.”

Irish blessing.

It is the Christmas season. It has been a dark year for many, with a constant barrage of fear and distress assaulting our senses. A virus has sundered many of our physical connections and many feel as if they are caught upon an ever-darkening spiral of despair. This year, that feels to have been stolen from us, has plumbed new depths for so many people, yet the shadow time of winter, with its long nights and chill weather, has always aroused its echo in the heart of humankind.

It is for this very reason that the dark, midwinter days of the year hold so many Festivals of Light that share a common thread of hope. For those of the Christian faith, it is the moment that celebrates the birth of Jesus, a fragile babe who grew to change the world. Whether or not we accept that story as literal truth, it is symbolic of one that has wound itself through our human lives, casting its light into our hearts.

Many cultures have told of the birth of a Child: Horus, Krishna, Mithras, Mabon, Zoroaster…. There are these and many other threads to this tapestry. Their stories differ in detail, but a common strand runs through them and it is golden. These are the Divine Sons, the Children of Light who illuminate a path we too might tread.

Many are now consigned to mythology by the modern mind that dismisses the miraculous or magical. Few now would accept the story of a Child who sprang fully formed from the rock on this day, whose worshippers came together in a communion of bread and wine. Yet Mithraism was widespread in the world of Rome, and the symbol of the unconquered Sun still persists.

Zoroaster was born laughing, which sounds beautiful to me, and with a glow about him… Horus was the Hawk of the Sun… the theme of Light pervades the faith of the races of Man. Religions have risen and faded over millennia, but faith remains ever fresh and constant in the heart of those who seek the Light, regardless of the Name it bears in our tongue, the symbols we use or the stories we have woven.

We have, throughout our history, followed with love and faith the path of the Lightbringers of our age and our belief has changed our lives. Religions, those organised bodies of doctrine, have not always changed the world for the better, but the quiet, personal faith that carries us through the days and nights of our lives, upholding us and comforting us through the dark times, giving joy in the brighter days… this is a different thing… a personal, intimate thing, a relationship between the heart of man and the Divine. Religious institutions, like any other, may be rife with politics and intolerance, in spite of their message of love. But the flame that burns in each individual heart owes allegiance only to the Source of that Light.

Continue reading at The Silent Eye