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Lyrics by poet Archibald Lampman (1861-1899)
Music by Loreena McKennitt
Snow
White are the far-off plains, and white
The fading forests grow;
The wind dies out along the height,
And denser still the snow,
A gathering weight on roof and tree,
Falls down scarce audibly.
The road before me smooths and fills
Apace, and all about
The fences dwindle, and the hills
Are blotted slowly out;
The naked trees loom spectrally
Into the dim white sky.
The meadows and far-sheeted streams
Lie still without a sound;
Like some soft minister of dreams
The snow-fall hoods me round;
In wood and water, earth and air,
A silence everywhere.
Save when at lonely intervals
Some farmer’s sleigh, urged on,
With rustling runners and sharp bells,
Swings by me and is gone;
Or from the empty waste I hear
A sound remote and clear;
The barking of a dog, or call
To cattle, sharply pealed,
Borne echoing from some wayside stall
Or barnyard far a-field;
Then all is silent, and the snow
Falls, settling soft and slow.
The evening deepens, and the gray
Folds closer earth and sky;
The world seems shrouded far away;
Its noises sleep, and I,
As secret as yon buried stream,
Plod dumbly on, and dream.
For friends, community and family . . . for our beautiful earth . . . for our creative spirits: this is our true wealth, and for all these things I am deeply grateful. Much love to you all!
(Thanksgiving Day Snow in our backyard, Rainbow Cottage, Bellingham WA. Music: “A Winter’s Night” by Craig Olson, MidwinterMoon.com)
Craig and I saw Ruthie Foster perform at the Mt Baker Theater here in Bellingham last weekend. It was one of those rare concerts where you’re full of joy when you walk out, feelin’ glad to be alive. I first discovered her at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival several years ago, and followed her around from stage to stage all weekend to hear her perform as often as I could. Fell in love with her music, her style and her big warm heart.
The song Craig and I have been singing to each other all week since the concert is called “Thanks for the Joy” from her album The Truth According to Ruthie Foster. Couldn’t find a video of it, but here’s some of the lyrics. Sounds like a gratitude practice to me!
The wind was howling yesterday on All Soul’s Day, and I could surely imagine the ancestors riding those winds and sailing on the spinning leaves. November 1st ushers in Winter, according to the Celtic calendar, and we will dance with the Ancestors and the Elders well into the festive Yuletide season.
My sweetheart Craig Olson and our good friend Julianne Marx released their fabulous new album of Yuletide music, Midwinter Moon, at a special early-bird price TODAY! (Juels and her husband Joe are the models for my Lovers card.) I’ve been lucky enough to listen to Craig and Juels sing these Yuletide songs for years now. My heart is full to overflowing because now the rest of you get to hear them, too!
Solstice Night, Rozhanitsa, In the Bleak Midwinter, Lady Greensleeves, To Drive the Cold Winter Away — these Pagan-themed songs (some originals, some oldies with revised lyrics) are all so close to my heart. And I’m knocked out by Juels’ sexy, jazzy vocals on standards like “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “What Do Bad Girls Get?”. I know you will love this album!
One of the special bonuses they are offering, along with an early-bird price, is a downloadable set of four of my Winter Solstice cards — you get them for free when you buy the CD or download. Such a deal!
Please check it out here, listen to the tunes before you buy, and tell all your friends about it. Deep thanks and appreciation!
After I posted the recipe for those killer Frango chocolates on Wednesday, several people emailed me to say they couldn’t wait to try the recipe out. And quite a few folks wanted to know when they could order the ebook, A Crown of Candles: How to Throw a Fabulous Lucia Party. It looks like we’ll have [...]
Joanna Powell Colbert, creatrix of the Gaian Tarot, offers practical inspiration for transforming your life, at the crossroads where Creativity, Nature and Spirituality meet. More . . .
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. Couldn’t find a video of it, but here’s some of the lyrics. Sounds like a gratitude practice to me!
