- Today I sewed the buttons onto the tree I finished sewing yesterday. I also started cutting out fabric to finish the ornaments that go ON the tree.
- I did the grunt work for the ornaments that my son designed for 2 of his cousins and his aunt.
- I worked more on my sister’s birthday gift.
Doesn’t seem like much but all were time consuming. Sewing on 24 buttons takes time. Hubby’s fancy printer has forgotten how to collate so I had to do it by hand. That takes time. The quickest task was helping my son with the ornaments I told him we’d make. He was pretty decisive for a 2 year old on what he wanted to put on the ornaments once I showed him what the choices were. Once they have hangers I’ll post a picture of them.
What I should have done was housework and grocery shopping. I swear my dog sheds more than any other dog I’ve ever had. And blond dog hair shows up on EVERYTHING! So projects are getting worked on but my housework has taken a back burner and it is starting to look like it. Le sigh.
Started Ancient Greek Religion by Jon D. Mikalson. I’ve only read the first chapter but I’m enjoying it. It is well written and very readable. Learned a number of new things or had things explained more to my satisfaction. This chapter was an overview of sanctuaries and worship. Highlights:
- Sanctuaries were not typically built in an already sacred area but made the area sacred by being built there.
- If a deity didn’t have an altar then they were not part of the religious tradition, but the literary tradition.
- Altars, for ouranic deities, were outside so that they could see and smell the offerings.
- Altars for ouranic deities were typically oriented to the east with the priest standing on the west side of the altar and done between sunrise and noon.
- There were no “common” altars but altars either to a specific deity or to a specific group of deities.
- A fence was typically used to define the sacred precinct (temenos).
- Ancient Greeks sprinkled themselves with water before entering the temenos to remove the accumulated “dirt” of the day (minor issues), but major pollution such as sex, childbirth or attending a funeral required more. Those that were not “clean” could not enter the temenos without risking the deity’s displeasure.
- The priest’s role was not to tend the worshipers but the deity only.
- Once something had been given or dedicated to a deity, it was not removed from the temenos (except perhaps for processions and such but always promptly returned). If it was broken and could not be mended or reused, the gift was put into a voltive pit within the sanctuary.
- Most sanctuaries did not have a statue, which only represented the deity but did NOT embody. It was to inspire but not to receive the offerings. Often the statue was behind the priest observing as offerings were made on the altar which faced the east. A sanctuary needed an altar to function. It did not need a temple which was more of a treasure storehouse for the deity. The temple did NOT house the altar.
- Greeks considered worshiping the gods an act of a common sense not emotion because the gods had the power to help. Those that did not were lacking in reason, not “faith” which was a term the Greeks did not use, and were considered foolish or insane.
- Sacrifice means to make sacred and usually implies food. When an animal was sacrificed a portion was burned and the rest was shared between the worshipers.
Bullet-style!
- spent the weekend at my parents’ house. Watching my dad with my son is just bizarre. Good, but bizarre.
- bought a soft fuzzy red scarf. I’ve been needing a scarf but hadn’t found one I liked until today.
- my son’s “countdown to Santa” tree has been cut out and fusables ironed on. Need to sew it now. I’m a bit nervous about that.
- need to purchase a book on Hekate and start my promised study of her.
- need to get my sister’s birthday gift done this week as she’ll be in Denver/Pueblo over the holiday weekend. If I get it to her then, I’ll be able to save money on shipping.
- I should go to Pueblo for Thanksgiving but Hubby has got so much work to do over the weekend that making him do all that driving for one family dinner seems unfair. So maybe I’ll keep my guys home on Thanksgiving and then drive without him to where ever my family will be at that time.
- I hate blue jeans styles right now. I hate that finding longs are so difficult. I hate boot cut style…extremely and lots.
- I hate that Hubby has to work so hard to get us caught up. I hate that all his jobs delayed until they were piled up on each other.
- Stargate Universe has me confused. Everybody was dying or dead in the last episode due to bug issues of various types. This episode everyone was alive and fine and no mention of the last episode’s storyline.
- I have so much to do and seemingly not enough time to do it. Eeps!
When Hubby and I got unexpectedly pregnant after 11 years of no birth control, our friends and family were VERY generous in giving us everything we could possibly need for the baby. My cousin’s son’s girlfriend is having her baby shower tomorrow. I’m going to be giving her everything baby related that we still have yet no longer need. She will be getting a 3 wheeled stroller that has a the baby carrier, 2 bases for the baby carrier, a portable crib, 2 diaper pails, 2 baby quilts, baby hangers and some overalls. I could have attempted to sell these items but I think this is a better use of the spirit behind the items.
I’ve also cobbled together a handy item from my craft supplies. It is for turning burb clothes, towels and napkins into bibs. It is a piece of ribbon with alligator clips on either end. I’ve used a similar one for my son since he started feeding himself. Very handy and easy to shove into a purse or diaper bag.
Iris Socks
Today I’m thankful for the dresser that we were given for my son. It gives him more room for his clothes. In turn, I get to use his old dresser to put fabric in which cleans up my craft storage area. The old diaper/pajama shelf system gets repurposed in another storage area so that area ends up neater too. So much thanks to Teresa for helping me out with storage issues in my house!
This has been a big dilemma for me for years. What do to with a food offering or sacrifice after a ritual. It is common to bury or burn such items. Or even leave it out for wildlife. None of these are options for me. I can bury offerings during the warm months which are not many where I live. I have no way to burn items. While I do live in the mountains, I live in a historic district where there is no wildlife and roaming dogs (or bears) are not something to encourage. Not to mention that it just seems like waste and disrespectful to just throw it away, no matter how prettily it is packaged. So what do I do with my offerings?!
I was told at some point that the ancient Egyptians used to offer food items to the Gods by touching it to the lips of the statues and then eat it themselves. They believed that the Gods made the offering holy so by eating it, they take in the blessings bestowed upon that offering. (Another way of looking at waste not, want not.)
I have also been reminded about the value that the Gods, especially Zeus, put on hospitality. There is a myth where Zeus and Hermes destroy a village because they were not offered hospitality.
Flipping through Mikalson’s “Ancient Greek Religion today, a definition for sacrifice caught my eye. So I looked it up on a dictionary website and copied it here for you: “sacrifice (n.) – c.1250, from O.Fr. sacrifise (12c.), from L. sacrificium, from sacrificus “performing priestly functions or sacrifices,” from sacra “sacred rites” (prop. neut. pl. of sacer “sacred,” see sacred) + root of facere “to do, perform”. In plain English, sacrifice means to make sacred. So the Egyptian method is starting to make more sense to me now. Offering something to the gods makes it sacred and blessed. By consuming that offering, you take in those blessings. This would also take care of the issue of how to properly dispose of the food offerings.
My practice is a combination of new and old. I am thinking that at the beginning of a ritual, I will offer the chosen god(s) of my ritual hospitality in the form of “cakes and ale” which will be later shared among the attendees of the ritual (read me, myself and I). This makes the gods feel welcome (I hope), blesses the food offerings and takes care of the whole disposal and waste issue. So a ritual would go: opening, welcome, purpose, sharing offerings, goodbyes and closing. In a way it makes me think of a business meeting at home. The person comes to your house, you offer them drinks and food, discuss business and then send them on their way, hopefully pleased with you. This could be very workable.
What do you think?
Jehovah's Witnesses
There are many things that crush the heart. One of the biggies is having someone that you admire, someone that you’ve looked up to, show you their feet of clay. It is hard to accept. It is hard to face. It hurts when an admirable person does or says something that isn’t so admirable. The occasional slip is easy to dismiss because after all, they are human, but repeated exposure to their clay feet hurts the admirer. It tends to make you wonder about everything they have done or said. Was it really that great? Or were your rose-colored glasses just too firmly in place.
Growing up sucks, no matter how old you are.
Have you ever been by a place or an area, that just looking at it makes your heart ache? I have. There is an area that every time we drive through it make my heart ache…actually it makes me feel like I have a large hole in my heart chakra. A big, empty, black hole or like a big chunk of ice is lodged there. It is an area that has layers upon layers upon layers of memories. Good and bad. Almost 6 years of hopes and wishes and plans that were tossed aside like wet toilet paper. I hate to drive through that area or go any where near it. It just hurts…hurts so bad it is almost a physical ache. I wonder if my bitchy poppet can fix this one…
