Month: December 2022

Happy holidays: Dickens & Victorian London style

Gifts, merriment, kindness, remembrance of Christmas Past, Christmas Present 🎁 and Christmas Future! This is what the English literary genius of Charles Dickens and Queen Victoria would likely have us take home after a visit to a great city like London, England.

Charles Dickens (Charles John Huffam Dickens 1812-1870) writings like “A Christmas Carol” (1843), “Oliver Twist” (1837-1838), “A Tale of Two Cities” (1859, set in Paris and London), and “Great Expectations” (1861) are still powerful reminders for us today about life. He authored hundreds of short stories, 20 novellas and novels which defined Victorian literature; surely Dickens was a champion for children’s rights, education, social reform. Dickens was also said to suffer from what we consider today to be obsessive compulsive disorder, further raising awareness for many health conditions of the time, including tuberculosis, and alcoholism, thus one would say he helped the public raise their health literacy.

From London with love to all … Sharing is caring, and beautiful cities must be maintained. When one respects cities, this can add joy to any pedestrian’s and onlookers viewing and experience. Of course there are a few things to be aware of including, no lighting in parks at night, and the London Fog can make one a bit uneasy 😬 (unfortunately many crimes were committed during Covid lockdown periods); personally, the Scotland Yard stories of detective Sherlock Holmes, and still unsolved Jack the Ripper case still intrigue.

  • Take a walk and “get lost” only to find your path again.
  • Travel far, open your eyes and mind, we are all global citizens.
  • Give what you can, you will have greater returns.
  • Purchase only what you need and 1 item that makes you happy.
  • Enjoy precious time with family and friends.

There are many Dickens quotes to share, but this holiday season let’s keep this one,

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

A Christmas Carol, 1843

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Solstice, embrace darkness

Tonight, while driving to (of all things) a Christmas party, I heard a wonderful tribute to darkness.

The poetry of beloved Scottish born author Kathleen Jamie referred to winter solstice. Playing against a backdrop of amazing music taking us all the way to the Arctic Circle and better understanding the Nordic cultures. It’s no wonder Jamie is currently considered one of Scotland’s greatest.

It is a realisation indeed, that we only speak of the “light in darkness” and we have been influenced by the Judeo-Christian traditions that were invented to help people come together in winter months (Christmas and Chanukah) a take-off from ancient pagan traditions.

Solstice is a special day twice each year, where the sun reaches its maximum or minimum declination. The longest day is June 21 and the shortest around 21 or 22 of December. So, I share here beloved Nordic nature with the “call” of ethereal singer

Ancient Nordic Chant — Frozen Call (Jonna Jinton, 2020)

Finishing my almost one month long psycho-educational group I decided that working during the winter months is special, since: 1) it helps everyone deal with the melancholia of less physical light (vitamin D deficiency too !) 2) people with chronic dermatological. or vein issues do better with the cold 3) it also prepares them to deal with the stress of the holidays !

We can delve a bit deeper into the Eleusinian mysteries or take a walk during this crisp winter night …. Did us a world of good ! The theme and practice of December traditions, transcends cultures.

Stay tuned for my next post about psychologist Ed Tick, PhD and his work on dream healing ❤️‍🩹 plus some special artisans to bridge the ancient archetypes with our modern ways.

FIFA World 🌎 Cup 🏆Champions Argentina 🇦🇷

It’s a male bonding thing, we can be happy about the World Cup to represent world team spirit and peace. It is similar to what Olympics were designed to do. Healthy adrenaline, seeing how teams are built, goals are targeted, and legends are made. Team Captain our captain 👨‍✈️ Lionel Andres Messi, of the Argentinian national team, a grande finale for this talented player.

Teamwork— we are better together … an important video.

However the game goes let’s remember the thousands who died building the stadium, cleaning the pews — kudos to the Japanese fans — all the staff preparing the food 🥘, so much goes on for a successful event …