Happy Holi or Playful Phagwa 2009!

Poster done by my soul sister from Mexico Adriana Ochoa. She owns her own Advertising firm there.

This one's for my friend from the Intent community Alok aka Care Forall. He loves when I do the dance and he made a special request that I do something on Holi. He says although I've never even been to the subcontinent I've awoken in his heart all his memories of Hindu/Indian festivals. I've even inspired him to blog himself but he said you do the Holi blog cause well...:)

So this one's for Care as we call him for short...

Holi is actually called Phagwa in Trinidad as it is the Bhojpuri word for it and the majority of Indians who settled here in the 19th century spoke Bhojpuri. Holi or Phagwa is not only celebrated in India but throughout the Indian diaspora-Trinidad, Suriname, Guyana and other countries where Hindus live like Nepal and of course in the newer diaspora of North America where Indians started to migrate to in the 60s basically. Care is a member of the newer diaspora from what I gather...

Here is the summary of the exchange between Care and I on Intent that has led to this blog! :)

I wrote in response to his asking if I celebrate Holi in Trinidad and if I'd blog it:

"and care yes we celebrate holi here aka phagwa but for us it is less about the spring now as of course no spring in caribbean and more about the religious aspects...here it is strict no alcohol etc in the festivities...you have to appreciate however in the context that we exist in a society that has carnival just before...people have if they choose I guess many other avenues for release and partying in a multicultural society...so...we also have chowtal singing and of recent years a group had their own innovative creation of social commentary in English but with Hindi mixed...perhaps Hinglish if you like...something called Pichakaree...but yup we have the abeer and stuff...more the liquid is used here than the powder...but we have both...look fwd to your post...perhaps if I get less busy I'll post something too and get some vid footage of the festival as celebrated here to put up on my Universal Collective Prayer. If you write something of value I can share it on my blog too...with editing if I notice the need..."

Care Forall's response:

"For others the words used by Babita are translated as:-
1. Pichkaree( Its kind of a gun which fires water mixed with colours , it comes in all varities , i prefer the tradition one , the one used by Lord Krishna to color his Gopikas ( grl mates :-)) )
2. Abir : Powdered color , its mixed with little bit of intoxication too i guess
3. Bhang ( its a tradition drink made out by mixing milk , almonds , toxic leaf , flavour ) .

1. In the morning the wet holi is played with water colours ( you better wear your old clothes or something you dont love as that would be definitely torn ;-) ) and better protect your lovely cheeks and hair as that would be colored with all wet colours .
2. Then in the noon people take bath (it takes atleast 2 hours to take off those colors and it still doesnt go so fast )
3. Then people have bhang (drink ) , Chole , Jalebi , Dahi Vada ... etc etc .
4. In the evenig dry holi is played with powdered colour , men are dressed in Kurta Payjama and girls in whites too .

Bura na mano holi hai ( Dont mind guys as today is holi and we have the liberty :-)) ) thats what you can say anyone for all the fun you are having with them that day .

Babita i will prefer to read your article than write my own."

So you see I'm the anointed one! :) So blessed to be given the power of the Pichakaree...ahmm...I mean pen...I mean power of the finger tip to keyboard!:) But yep I'm the one who must write...

I can say that in Trinidad Phagwa is seen very much as a holy festival and here the Hindu rites are very strict in terms of Vaishnavite traditions I guess so no use of meat, fish, eggs or alcohol or bhang when taking part in anything involving mainstream Hindu rites. So our Phagwa has no bhang or alcohol use. It is in stark contrast to the Carnival celebrations that the island is known for in that sense as no alcohol use is allowed on the Phagwa playing grounds! :) And I like that I mean for me the dance that is Universal Collective Prayer should be done on a natural high which can easily be found no need for the intoxicants! :) But as I say to each her own! :)

When Care translated Pickharee for me he said about the gun used to squirt the abeer but here in Trinidad the Hindu Prachar Kendra under the then leadership of local Hindu icon Ravi Ji developed these special Phagwa celebrations that included a song competition called Pichakaree where the contestants sang on the ills of the society i.e. social commentary if you have it...sort of similar to calypso but with a Trini Indian slant usually incorporating Hindi words or as I was saying Hinglish even and usually focusing on issues relevant to the Indo Trinidadian that may have been particular to them and overlooked in the songs of the calypsonians who were mostly of Afro origin. I have personally been to that Kendra's celebrations once or twice when they were held and I'd have to say they were quite the thing! :)Hats off to ya for your creations Uncle Ravi Ji! :) Hope Geeta continues on...

Then the mainstream Hindu organization on the island the Sanathan Dharma Maha Sabha has significant traditional celebrations in their schools and on a national level. I've taken part in all of them at some point in my life. I grew up also playing mostly with the liquid abeer at home and have fond memories of when my grandfather the late Pundit Parasram used to lead a chowtal singing group! :) In the traditions the chowtal singing is in Hindi/Bhojpuri and usually songs about Ram!

Here are some songs of Holi or Phagwa all over the diaspora and that famous Bollywood tune thrown in for good measure! :)One of the songs is done by the SWAHA group in Trinidad which is another Hindu organization that promotes traditional Hinduism as was practiced by the people who migrated here from India in the 19th century. Happy Holi! Playful Phagwa!:








PS:The President of Trinidad and Tobago is going to be playing Phagwa with the kids at the Maha Sabha School in Tunapuna this Saturday and everyone is invited. If I get the chance I will go down and grab some footage to share! :) On the whole Phagwa is marked as a major festival in Trinidad and Tobago's calendar of events! Tourist invited!

The Close of My Santa Poll...

Today being the last day of the Advent season also bringS my Santa poll to close. So as we take down the Christmas decorations I thought I'd give you the results of the poll.

I asked the question:

"Do You Believe in Santa Claus?"

to my readers allowing them to choose one response only of the following:

-YES
-NO
-MAYBE

I created the poll on Sat 6 Dec 2008 to compliment my post 'Do You Believe in Santa Claus?- Saint Nicholas Day' which I posted to commemorate Saint Nicholas Day and to join in Universal Collective Prayer with the great Saint who acted out his Universal Collective Prayer by giving gifts to children. I wanted to make his name unsullied from the commercialism that had done so while still embracing the fact that many American traditions that may have gone on to sully his name had also made him into the image he now is and perhaps preserved him so long too. So not all is bad in Americana and commercialism cause perhaps not for that the saint would be dead to our brain's memory although perhaps still in our superconscious hearts or soul...but as the American iconography keeps him so real it also reminds us of him much like iconography in Hinduism and in so doing perhaps opens us up a bit more to his spirit than if he had no form. You see giving him a form keeps him real to us on this material plane as much as an image of Baby Krishna stealing ghee does for opening up the heart of the Bhakti Yogi...one who practises pure love to reach enlightenment. So for this I salute the American Santa Claus! And in so doing I give you the results of the poll:

Out of 11 persons casting their vote here on Universal Collective Prayer...cause others did vote on Intent. Here is the break down:

Yes = 7 votes (63%)
No = 1 vote (9%)
Maybe = 3 votes (27%)

So the 'I s' have it! YES WE BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS! :)

And because we do and it is the last day of the season...as you take down your stockings or tree I give you this tune to hum to one last time:

And this to ponder on...

Happy Epiphany Day!

Will post more later...for now just enjoy for the fifth and final time of the Advent season as we say goodbye...

We Three Kings! They're having such fun!:)



Hi again! I couldn't finish this post off this morning before work but I wanted to have it up early instead of posting on the evening...so I've now come to finish it off...

I had the most fun this Advent season with those Three Kings and for sure the YouTube video I have up today to celebrate them one last time was my fav this season and so it makes its grand 5th appearance on my blog today! Again what fun they are having! :) Maybe because this year as I plan to get my own video equipment and do some of my own vids on Youtube I will do my own praise video thanking Hugh and they for this as my Advent gift to them in 2009! :)

It's sad to say goodbye to the season but as is said in the Holy Bible to everything there is a season...

'To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal ...
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance ...
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.'
-ecclesiastes 3:1-8

And as this season closes I look forward to participating in Universal Collective Prayer from all traditions as they come up...I think the next big event for me will be the Hindu time of reflection and inward search through meditation of Maha Shiv Ratri...and then I will be sitting in awe at the feet of my guru-Shiv.

But for now I give it one last dance with the great men three! In Hindu tales there are always three too...so many times in Hinduism we have the three wise men ...the holy trinity... take form as incarnate ones...Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh.. Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer.Who knows maybe it was they who took form and came from the East to see the babe? Cause in the Holy Bible no one knows their details...and like in Greek tales in Hindu ones when the great ones take form it can be in any disguise under that sky...so maybe they just appeared in magic coats saw the babe (in Hinduism this is called 'Dharshan') and then just as magically they disappeared away from Herod's sight!?

But here is what the Bible does say about the Great Men Three....

'The Visit of the Magi- Matthew Chapter 2 verse 2 to 21

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magia from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christc was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’d”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the easte went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Escape to Egypt

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”a

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted,

because they are no more.”b

The Return to Nazareth

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.” '


So today in humble Universal Collective Prayer I surrender to the Universe and besiege:

As I ask on bended knee
Of these Magi Three
Protect the children
Let them not be harmed
Even though there is now war in the land
Where once a child fled from an evil man
If you must great men three
Appear once more for me
Don again your magic coats so bright
And guide us to that perfect light!


BLESSINGS TO ALL!

Early Close of My Advent Calendar on My Other Blogs...by My Definition at Least!

This is just a post to let all my readers know that I closed off my Advent Calendar earlier than planned...well by my definition of it at least...cause I had defined it as ending after the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' which would have been on Tue 6 Jan 09. However let's face it in the modern world when people hit New Year's day it's all bout the resolutions for many and really Christmas and Advent ends once people go fully back out to work. And like this year cause Mon is the first Monday in January and clearing New Year's day and the day after (usually a recovery day for some)everyone is going to hit the pavement hard stomping off to conquer the world supposedly? So for all intents and purposes I need to come to the reality that Christmas is through...but here on my Universal Collective Prayer I will continue to speak about the 'Three Wise Men' and trumpet them off on Tue 6 Jan 09 especially since Epiphany celebrations still today is a big event in many cultures and celebrated worldwide in Christianity.

Also I am ending it early cause on a personal level I was all tired out...and really on New Year's Day I was re-borned so was tough for me too to go back! :) However the Three Wise Men followed me into this life and so I will have a longer departure time with them and only say goodbye to them on the 6th of Jan! :)

Best Wishes and hope you all had a lovely Christmas/Advent season and look forward to celebrating it again with you next year and to other festivals and seasons as they come along in this 'Great Big Blue Marble' called Planet Earth!:)

And I leave you with a You Tube clip I've shared in the past that was the introduction to a children's TV show when I was growing up that was aimed at kid's understanding cultures globally. I remember it being on Saturdays here in Trinidad. It was an American TV show but showcased kids from all over the world. You can read more about the show on wikipedia at this link.And I share it in the hope that in this New Year, 2009, me and readers from all over the world will get closer...and perhaps I will even start to hear more from them on here too...comments welcomed! :)

Advent Calendar:HAPPY NEW YEAR!-Auld Lang Syne!

Today is the sixth day of Christmas and the New Year's Eve. I thought as part of Universal Collective Prayer cause prayer is also a sharing of love...I'd repost the lyrics of Auld Lang Syne by the Scotsman Robert Burns...you can learn more about Scotland's favourtie son on this site! :)

AULD LANG SYNE-Robert Burns

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pu'd the gowans fine;
But we've wandered mony a weary fit
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidled i' the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roared
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught

For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And you know I had to have it...Here's the song of prayer in a way! :)
Please sing along with me tonight and all your friends in Universal Collective Prayer! :)


But seriously this song has such meaning for Universal Collective Prayer so I will now put it with a Scottish accent and and throw in Amazing Grace for good measure to the Universal Collective Prayer mix! :) Because Amazing Grace is so loved by the Scots although not originating from there and it just adds to the prayers!

Advent Calendar:5th Day of Christmas-Guardian Angels or Ishq Devata

Photo Free courtesy this kind page

On this 5th day of Christmas on all my blogs I am talking about angels in some form or fashion. To me the equivalent of angels in Hinduism is devata(s). (I'm making a Hinglish work there by pluralizing devata but you get my drift.) The rough translation of devata into English is deity. And then here's the thing like many Hindi-English translations I encounter...because I grew up in a culture or religion I know the word in its original language (Sanskrit/Hindi)and practice but by the time it makes it to English well although English is my mother tongue I am clueless! Clueless I tell you as to what it means! I often see this word deity and deities being used to refer to things in Hinduism and goodness I haven't a clue what it means! So here it is according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary the English word deity means:

'Deity-1 a: the rank or essential nature of a god : divinity bcapitalized : god 1 , supreme being2: a god or goddess 3: one exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful'

And according to the Hindupedia a devata or deity is
Devata

By Shankara Bharadwaj Khandavalli

'Devata or deity is a multifaceted concept in Sanatana Dharma. There are very many different aspects of devata. Apart from object of worship, devata is a symbol representing different things in different forms of knowledge.

Commonly we see that devatas are described as having consorts, weapons and vehicles. And they have number of heads, hands and feet. They are also associated with different sets of numbers. All these have different meanings in different senses, when we talk of different aspects of the devata. Some of the symbols become more important or less important based on the aspect we are talking of.

Then there are different likes and dislikes for each devata. Not having a form and qualities in the human sense, likes and dislikes do not apply to devata the way they apply to humans. They represent methods that make the devata easily reachable or in other words, they are the means to realize the devata.'

So here is the thing as a girl taking part in Universal Collective Prayer I personally find that to me a devata can also be like an angel. And since I was a girl born into Hinduism and growing up in it I've been told (dunno according to the astrological charts of Vedic culture or this or that)...that my ishq devata is Ganesh...Ganapati! Now ishq means love and so in this case it can also roughly be translated then that my beloved devata or my much loved one...or how I see it...my guardian angel is...Ganapati! But in practice I like to play around with all of them...had a crush on Krishna:)...hug Hanuman Baba all the time when I see him bowing with such humility at the feet of Shri Ram and then always ask him for his strength when needed too...such a strong monkey he is! :) Then, with much respect and reverence and to be honest sometimes awesome fear I sit at the feet of Shiv and become a Shiv Bhakt learning the ideas of meditation straight from the super one himself...my super yogi..and so I become a Shiv Bhakt then...But yep officially I'm supposed to be giggling about and playing with my belly giggling, ladoo munching elephant headed incredibly wise friend-Ganapati the most! He is the ishq one for me! :) He is nice too though so don't mind but I like to practise free love and so like that I can move from one to the next...and can even be seen hanging out with the guardian angels of the Catholics...after all I only answer one call and that is the one for Universal Collective Prayer! :)


According to the Catholics and their Catholic encyclopedia New Advent:
'Guardian Angel

That every individual soul has a guardian angel has never been defined by the Church, and is, consequently, not an article of faith; but it is the "mind of the Church", as St. Jerome expressed it: "how great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it." (Comm. in Matt., xviii, lib. II).
This belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity; pagans, like Menander and Plutarch (cf. Eusebius, "Praep. Evang.", xii), and Neo-Platonists, like Plotinus, held it. It was also the belief of the Babylonians and Assyrians, as their monuments testify, for a figure of a guardian angel now in the British Museum once decorated an Assyrian palace, and might well serve for a modern representation; while Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar the Great, says: "He (Marduk) sent a tutelary deity (cherub) of grace to go at my side; in everything that I did, he made my work to succeed."
In the Bible this doctrine is clearly discernible and its development is well marked. In Genesis 28-29, angels not only act as the executors of God's wrath against the cities of the plain, but they deliver Lot from danger; in Exodus 12-13, an angel is the appointed leader of the host of Israel, and in 32:34, God says to Moses: "my angel shall go before thee." At a much later period we have the story of Tobias, which might serve for a commentary on the words of Psalm 90:11: "For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways." (Cf. Psalm 33:8 and 34:5) Lastly, in Daniel 10 angels are entrusted with the care of particular districts; one is called "prince of the kingdom of the Persians", and Michael is termed "one of the chief princes"; cf. Deuteronomy 32:8 (Septuagint); and Ecclesiasticus 17:17 (Septuagint).
This sums up the Old Testament doctrine on the point; it is clear that the Old Testament conceived of God's angels as His ministers who carried out his behests, and who were at times given special commissions, regarding men and mundane affairs. There is no special teaching; the doctrine is rather taken for granted than expressly laid down; cf. 2 Maccabees 3:25; 10:29; 11:6; 15:23.
But in the New Testament the doctrine is stated with greater precision. Angels are everywhere the intermediaries between God and man; and Christ set a seal upon the Old Testament teaching: "See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10). A twofold aspect of the doctrine is here put before us: even little children have guardian angels, and these same angels lose not the vision of God by the fact that they have a mission to fulfil on earth.
Without dwelling on the various passages in the New Testament where the doctrine of guardian angels is suggested, it may suffice to mention the angel who succoured Christ in the garden, and the angel who delivered St. Peter from prison. Hebrews 1:14 puts the doctrine in its clearest light: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation?" This is the function of the guardian angels; they are to lead us, if we wish it, to the Kingdom of Heaven.
St. Thomas teaches us (Summa Theologica I:113:4) that only the lowest orders of angels are sent to men, and consequently that they alone are our guardians, though Scotus and Durandus would rather say that any of the members of the angelic host may be sent to execute the Divine commands. Not only the baptized, but every soul that cometh into the world receives a guardian spirit; St. Basil, however (Homily on Psalm 43), and possibly St. Chrysostom (Homily 3 on Colossians) would hold that only Christians were so privileged. Our guardian angels can act upon our senses (I:111:4) and upon our imaginations (I:111:3) -- not, however, upon our wills, except "per modum suadentis", viz. by working on our intellect, and thus upon our will, through the senses and the imagination. (I:106:2; and I:111:2). Finally, they are not separated from us after death, but remain with us in heaven, not, however, to help us attain salvation, but "ad aliquam illustrationem" (I:108:7, ad 3am). '

So I guess you can see why my only call is to that of Universal Collective Prayer because sounds kinda similar in some way no?:)

Thing is whatever their origin, look or place of being I like to play and pray with them and learn from them and for sure I feel them about and I really do think they protect me daily! :) 'Love is all around me and so the feeling grows...it's written on the wind its everywhere I go':)...and because my mum and I watched 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' together last night and this YouTube clip is exactly 4:44 long as in 4 mins and 44 secs and some people say it is the number when our guardian angels are around us! :) Here it is Wet, Wet, Wet singing 'Love is All Around!' and I bet angels and ishq devatas are too! ;)

Advent Calendar:4th Day of Christmas-The Gift of Hope Through Prayer!

Tonight on all three of my blogs I'm giving the gift of 'Hope'. Usually the words 'Hope' and 'Prayer' go together so it is very difficult to give the gift of Hope without also giving the gift of Prayer so when giving the gift of Hope along the theme of this blog-Universal Collective Prayer it is kinda like overlapping but I think this video will suffice...

Advent Calendar:3rd Day of Christmas-The Gift of Inspiration and then acting on it by Carrying Out Our Life's Purpose-Karam(ma)

In Hinduism doing what one is suppose to do is Karam or Karma that is the action, the doing, the verb and the noun or the duty we have to perform is our Dharam or Dharma. Most of us who would subscribe to Universal Collective Prayer regardless of our religious background and the details would believe that we have a soul and the soul inhabits our body and God/the Universe sent us here in this body to carry out a specific and unique purpose some will say in his name or to fulfill his way here on earth. The classic film 'Chariots of Fire' that was released in 1981 and won four Academy Awards including best picture has a scene where the girl watches on remembers when the runner, her brother I believe told her once in the past:

"Jennie, I believe God made me for a purpose. But he almost made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure"

Truly Karam and Dharam...

Advent Calendar:The 2nd Day of Christmas-The Gift of Dance in Prayer!

Advent Calendar:Christmas Eve!-Love's Pure Clear Light!

I must apologise for not blogging yesterday and you can read my full apology on my Meady's Musings Christmas Eve entry and following on that post...I'm going on the theme Love's Pure Clear Light tonight. As a wish you and yours a Happy, Holy Christmas and a Bright and Reflective New Year Filled with Love and its Pure Clear Light...here is how I express to you Love's Pure Clear Light!

The best way for me as usual to express it on this blog is by prayer in song. So tonight on the eve of the symbolic birth of Love's Pure Clear Light given to us from the Universe in the form of the Christ child. I share with you songs that to me expressed Love's Pure Clear Light! I may have shared some of them through the season already but if they are repeats they are Encores! Cause they perhaps were so good I felt to do them twice...or thrice! :) Here I go wishing you Love's Pure Clear Light!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!:) As we all make our way to Love's Pure Clear Light!

Advent Calendar:Mon 22 Dec- Continuing with the Gift of John...

I've gone deep on my Meady's Musings gift today so will keep the prayers on here light tonight and just ask you to Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas...Let your heart be light...

Advent Calendar:Sun 21 Dec-More John Denver!

On this day of Advent I share more of John Denver as he Christmases with the Mumpets. This song about peace again truly embraces what I envision 'Universal Collective Prayer' to be all about! :)

Advent Calendar:Fri 19 Dec- Silent Night in Languages of the Universe!

Sharing Parang music yesterday which was in Spanish made me think about Christmas music in languages other than English...then it made me recall that, in my book, one of the most beautiful and heartfelt Christmas carols is Silent Night. One of my favourite things is to hear how John Denver on his Christmas Album with The Mumpets goes into the detail of the whole story about how the carol came to be in Austria where it was first written and performed in German! How lovely, beautiful, synchronous and meant to be that whole thing was I find from John's story just like how to me many great work's of Art and Inventions seem to come to be! :)I guess just prayers from the soul. So tonight my Advent gift to you is various versions of Silent Night...Stille Nacht....Noche de Paz...and I kick it off with John Denver's explanation version! :)

Advent Calendar:Wed 17 Dec-A Charlie Brown Christmas =The Meaning of Christmas

My Universal Collective Prayer Advent Calendar installation for you tonight is not very long as I leave you with one of my favourite memories of Christmas from my childhood... watching the Charlie Brown Christmas cartoon on TV! So tonight I leave you in the comfortable hands of Charles Schultz and the prayers he tells through the lips of Linus and the wonderings of Chuck! :)If you want to learn more about Charles Schultz you can check out this site and perhaps visit the museum in his honour just outside of San Francisco.