Thursday, May 13, 2010

"Be Good To Yourself"

...."because nobody else will" (my Dad's favorite saying)

Here where I live, today is "Father's Day". It's a Bank Holiday as they say in the UK. We have the day off. The Church claims the day as a religious holiday. Being the sceptic I am and being my father's son, I can't accept that as fact as I ask myself "why?" Why is today "Ascension Day" for the Church and "Father's Day" for the greater majority here?  Feel free to join me in my search for answers and enjoy the way one thing/idea/question can lead us to what just might turn out to be important knowledge.

This reminds me of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Maybe I should take my jacket off, replace it with a sweater, take my shoes off and put the house slippers on. I've already had my waker-upper VLCOC (very large cup of coffee), my first roll-your-own of the day to catapult my blood pressure through the ceiling, which it did, and now that the fire is going and as the room begins to grow warm and comfy... it's time to share this with you. Don't be expecting a miracle. I'm not Jesus or anything like that. But Jesus does have something to do with it although I can't quite figure it out. Ah, I remember, it's Ascension Day, the day Jesus took the stairway to heaven. Gotcha. Stairway to heaven. Hmmmm. Sounds familiar.

I woke up with a song in my head. Don't ask me why. These things just 'happen'. There's never a good reason or explanation for it. So here we go. This is how the journey goes (went):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcaRav_x0gU

Father...

Dad...

"be good to yourself, son"

As I wipe my eyes dry, as I try to keep them dry, my mind races like a greyhound, back to the days when I was young, he was young, we were young. I'm happy to say I did get to see him before he took that stairway. A well known song had served as a warning for the longest time, though it never really made any sense at all, until now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s5r2spPJ8g

So much truth in that song. Any Harry, Harry, what talent. I need to get my Chapin Albums out again. I'm forever indebted to my brother Dave for turning me on to Chapin. Dave's from Rhode Island.

I met this guy in person a few years ago. He pushed the Press aside to allow me to exchange a few words with him. I know he knows why it was so important for me and as he put it, "the Press can wait, we cannot".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDA0Hecw1k

"Look at little closer, son. There's more than anyone can ever see at first glance."

Ascension of Jesus

I'm looking for the history, the root of this, so don't be turned off. Keep reading.

"Date for Ascension - Thursday 2010 - May 13th"

So I search for May 13th, Celtic or Pagan whatevers.....

Celtic Tree Lore

Hawthorn Moon

May 13 - June 9: The Hawthorn is a prickly sort of plant with beautiful blossoms. Called Huath by the ancient Celts, and pronounced Hoh-uh, the Hawthorn month is a time of fertility, masculine energy, and fire. Coming right on the heels of Beltane, this month is a time when male potency is high -- if you're hoping to conceive a child, get busy this month! The Hawthorn has a raw, phallic sort of energy about it -- use it for magic related to masculine power, business decisions, making professional connections. The Hawthorn is also associated with the realm of Faerie, and when the Hawthorn grows in tandem with an Ash and Oak, it is said to attract the Fae.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADUC4l6t3Bk

Thomas Rhymer

  1. TRUE Thomas lay oer yond grassy bank,
    And he beheld a ladie gay,
    A ladie that was brisk and bold,
    Come riding oer the fernie brae.

  2. Her skirt was of the grass-green silk,
    Her mantel of the velvet fine,
    At ilka tett of her horse's mane
    Hung fifty silver bells and nine.

  3. True Thomas he took off his hat,
    And bowed him low down till his knee:
    'All hail, thou mighty Queen of Heaven!
    For your peer on earth I never did see.'

  4. 'O no, O no, True Thomas,' she says,
    `That name does not belong to me;
    I am but the queen of fair Elfland,
    And I'm come here for to visit thee.

    * * * * * *

  5. `But ye maun go wi me now, Thomas,
    True Thomas, ye maun go wi me,
    For ye maun serve me seven years,
    Thro weel or was as may chance to be.'

  6. She turned about her milk-white steed,
    And took True Thomas up behind,
    And aye wheneer her bridle rang,
    The steed flew swifter than the wind.

  7. For forty days and forty nights
    He wade thro red blade to the knee,
    And he saw neither sun nor moon,
    But heard the roaring of the sea

  8. O they rade on, and further on,
    Until they came to a garden green:
    'Light down, light down, ye ladie free,
    Some of that fruit let me pull to thee.'

  9. 'O no, O no, True Thomas,' she says,
    ' That fruit maun not be touched by thee,
    For a' the plagues that are in hell
    Light on the fruit of this countrie.

  10. ' But I have a loaf here in my lap,
    Likewise a bottle of claret wine,
    And now ere we go farther on,
    We'll rest a while, and y e may dine.'

  11. When he had eaten and drunk his fill,
    ' Lay down your head upon my knee,
    The lady sayd, ' ere we climb yon hill,
    And I will show you fairlies three.

  12. ' O see not ye yon narrow road,
    So thick beset wi thorns and briers?
    That is the path of righteousness,
    Tho after it but few enquires.

  13. 'And see not ye that braid braid road,
    That lies across yon lillie leven?
    That is the path of wickedness,
    Tho some call it the road to heaven.

  14. 'And see not ye that bonny road,
    Which winds about the fernie brae?
    That is the road to fair Elfland,
    Whe[re] you and I this night maun gae.

  15. 'But Thomas, ye maun hold your tongue,
    Whatever you may hear or see,
    For gin ae word you should chance to speak,
    You will neer get back to your ain countrie.'

  16. He has gotten a coat of the even cloth,
    And a pair of shoes of velvet green,
    And till seven years were past and gone
    True Thomas on earth was never seen.


(from "lore Huath") As herald of summer's imminence, hawthorn has always played the central role. Its other names of May or May Tree gave the month its name, and its white blossoms were used for garlands, wreaths and other decorations, including those of the maypole and particularly at the festival of Beltane (Bel's fire) on May 1st.. Olwen is still celebrated with the white flowers on the crown of the May Queen, but without her 'white track' of flowers - white trefoil - which sprang up from the footprints she made when she walked (see below). Hawthorn's connection to fertility, protection, marriage and betrothal are very ancient and the other herald of spring, the cuckoo, has special affinity with hawthorn in mostparts of western Europe.

------

Very hardy, with strong, deep roots, hawthorn can grow well on rocky or clay soils, although it does need nutritious soil, preferably alkaline. As part of a hedgerow, hawthorn provides a dense windbreak that prevents passage by cattle and protects open farmland (its germanic name of hegen, means to protect and nourish). Similar to its close cousin, blackthorn (well-known for its sloe berries), hawthorn has berries that provide food for many small birds and mammals, which include blackbirds, thrushes, pigeons and robins, as well as voles and squirrels.

-------

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJKOKU9Jn44

As I said, one thing leads to another. Why? Hell, I dunno. This is how a mind wanders through the library to search for the most interesting book or page in a book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMKrsIYLluM

Here I was thinking today is Father's Day, or Fathers' Day or just another day off thanks to it being "Ascension Day", but as it turns out, today is another "back to the garden" day. Never waste a good day doing nothing without learning something and remember to get yourself back to the garden.

tf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NquX-YtCUJI

http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.aspx?Id=898




3 comments:

  1. We are stardust

    We are golden

    ReplyDelete
  2. Billion year old carbon.

    Caught in the Devil's bargain.

    Can I walk beside you?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I started my seeds last week but in reality I started my garden years ago. But I sure wasted a lot of time prior.

    For our Dads, Curt





    ReplyDelete