ONCE UPON A DREAM; Winter Studying

"Winter is the time for study you know, and the colder it is the more studious we are."  Henry Thoreau

Winter term began last week and so it is time to begin studying once more.  There is something about the winter that lends itself to studying; the cold, grey days and long dark nights are perfect for spending time with a pile of books.   I quite enjoy studying, though it must be said that I am not always in the mood for it.  That is why winter is the season which colludes with us in our book work, for who wants to go out into the cold anyway, when you can snuggle up indoors and read for hours on end?

There is a lot of reading to do this trimester - about one or two books per week, every week, without a break.  As a bookworm I love to read, but reading for academics is completely different to reading for fun, even if you are studying literature.  Firstly, you don't get to choose what books you read. Secondly, you are put into reading-pairs and have to give presentations on the set text, so there is no getting out of it - you must read what is put in front of you and you are held accountable, not only by your tutor, but also by your fellow student and reading partner.  You can't just say you've read it when you haven't.   Plus, this also means that we have reading deadlines to meet, so there is no slacking off! 

That said, I try to make studying as much fun as possible.  I make the house all cosy and I gather together all that I need to see me through a long stint.  I  want to enjoy my favourite season, so even though we haven't had any snow in Yorkshire yet,  today I've been playing my Winter Snow ambient DVD in the background as I study.  I've also had Gingerbread Spice candles burning, which has made the whole house smell like a fairytale.  Often I'll burn frankincense oil in my oil burner too as it is said to aid concentration. 

Some people like to have music playing when they study, but I prefer silence or the sounds of nature.  My Winter Snow DVD has lovely nature sounds of icy rivers bubbling over rocks and the wind blowing snow off fir trees - it's just beautiful and it sets the seasonal mood perfectly, giving me the thrill of winter each time I look up from my text books or laptop.  It makes me smile.  Sometimes I play the Fireside DVD instead, which is really cosy and perfect for late night studying in bed, when I'm burning the midnight oil. 

I gather the books I need, my lecture pad to makes notes on, my laptop, highlighters and a ton of study tabs.  I do highlight my text books if I need to, but only if I know I'm not going to be using them again beyond the course.  I much prefer clean copy and for me it is some kind of sacrilege and vandalism to paint over lines of text in neon highlighter - even though I bought the pretty pastel pink and lilac highlighters, it still seems wrong to defile the books!  

So I prefer to use study tabs and I have a colour coded system for this when I stick them to the page - orange is for quotations I can use in my essays, yellow is for facts to remember,  blue is for motivation and insights, while pink is for anything that I feel is relevant to life in general, not just the course work.  The more I have enjoyed reading one of the set texts, the more study tabs there will be, because I will have got so much out of it - so many snippets that I want to remember and be able to refer back to easily.  Very few study tabs means that I found the book a chore to read - and there have been a few such books on this Masters course! 

Once I've got all my stuff together and set up a cosy scene, I make sure I have a hot drink and snacks to hand and then I get my head down to some work.  If I have an essay to write, I find that looking for appropriate quotations is a gentle way in to it. Once I have my quotes, I can build up my essay from there, so finding quotes is quite motivational for me and always my first task.  

Reading a few books might not seem like hard work to those who have never done an academic course, but a day of studying can leave you feeling exhausted and head-achy, with tired eyes from all that reading, so I try to have breaks when I can.  After a day of reading books for university, I like to watch a nice film, or read a book that is completely unrelated to my course -  or write a blog post!  It's important to rest as well as study and so I'm now going to put all the text books away and start reading a lovely collection of short stories, all written around a theme of winter and magic! That sounds like an enchanting way to spend a cosy, winter's night.

Bright Blessings,

Marie x

 xxx

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Winter Witch

Friday was the Wolf Moon - the full moon of January and the first one of the year, of the decade.  It is supposed to be the coldest moon of the year, but the weather recently has been quite mild. Nonetheless I decided to bring a touch more winter's magic to my home.  My house is already decorated to represent the season of winter because this is my favourite time of year.  

I am enjoying the long dark nights and the peace and quiet that wintertime brings with it, as people hole up indoors and keep the season in their own way.   Because let's not forget that winter has really only just begun, though many people seem to think that the end of Christmas is the start of spring - it isn't, it's the beginning of winter. So let's enjoy it! Let's keep the winter properly, and all the magic that goes with it.

Winter witchery is all about cleansing and bringing in the light that is lacking in the natural world right now.  I wanted to bring a touch more 'snow' to my decor, so I got out my chest of crystals and cleansed them all with incense and running water.  Then I picked out all the wintry ones - snowy quartz, clear quartz, icy blue lace agate, iron pyrite, snowflake obsidian and my much loved rose quartz - and dotted them around my house.

To me these crystals are a lovely representation of winter and they resemble snow balls, ice, snowflakes and the icy pink of a crisp winters sunrise.  When the odd sunbeam does filter into the house, they sparkle like winter snow along the hearth and coffee table.  They lend even more prettiness to my home, with the additional benefit of their crystal magic attracting all good things to me - love, wealth, positivity and so on.

There is a purity to crystals and crystal magic that I absolutely  love.  I want my home, my personal space, to feel pure and free of negativity that's why I always have amethyst out too, as it soaks up any negative energy and neutralizes it.  After a long shift at the practice dealing with clients all day, or in university lectures,  it is essential to me that I come home to a pure space - and that any negative vibes lingering on me from all those interactions with the public, are instantly cleansed away as I sit in my oak-leaf carved rocking chair and unwind.   That's the beauty of crystal magic - it's relatively effortless.  Providing you cleanse the crystals regularly, they will keep attracting the good and neutralizing the bad.

I also decided to cleanse my divination cards and crystals.  I have three crystal pendulums - one quartz, one rose quartz and one opal. These are easy enough to cleanse in running water and moonlight. The cards are trickier and as I have quite a few decks it can take a while.  I like to smudge my cards using white sage bundles - I find that this is the easiest way to keep them pure, so that they are a joy to use. 

I have about 13 decks and counting, so it can take a while!  But it means that all my decks are ready to use in the coming year.

While I don't do readings for others, except occasionally for friends and family, I do personal readings regularly and I like to pull a card each day to see what the vibe of that day is likely to be.  So my cards get frequent use and don't just sit on a shelf.  I do like to keep them in their boxes though, to keep them pretty.   The Victoria Frances Oracle deck is my current favourite, though it might be a little dark if you don't like Gothic Art. 

As the white sage was already burning I did a quick house cleansing too, sweeping away the lingering energies of 2019 and making way for all the good energies of 2020 to take up residence in my home.  So now I feel magically prepared for the year ahead.

My tools are fresh and clean, my home is cleansed, and the crystals keep it pure and sparkling.  It always feels good to spend so much time at home and I know that I am lucky not to have to work a 9-5 job, but that also means that my house has to feel calm and peaceful in its atmosphere, because I'm here much of the time.  Crystal magic helps me to achieve that.

I have always enjoyed the Wolf Moon.  I like the historical association of it being when the wolves of old would come closer to castles and villages in search of food, and while for some people 'the wolf at the door' is traditionally a threat and a sign of hard times to come (ie winter), for me he has always been more of a pet than a threat -  so much so that I invited him in as a totem and put his picture on the wall!  Enjoy the magic of the Wolf Moon phase.

Blessed Be

Marie x   

BOOK NOOK; The Secret of the Realms by Meredith Rusu

If you enjoyed the film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms then you will probably like this full length movie-tie-in book too.  I have always been fond of the original Nutcracker story and ballet score, so this past Christmas I was thrilled to get the Disney Nutcracker movie, its soundtrack and this book too.  You could say that it was a Cracker of a Christmas.

I love this book. It's a beautiful hard-back with gilded cover art, deckle-edged pages and a scarlet ribbon bookmark.  It's such a pretty collector's book and it goes perfectly in my fairytale bookcase, which is now so full of wonderful books I'm wishing I'd bought a bigger bookcase! 

Not only does this novel tell the story of the film, but it also goes much deeper into the story, narrating how Clara's mother, Marie, created the Four Realms in the first instance and how she came to know Drosselmeyer.  The novel also recounts why sweet Sugar Plum turns out to be not so sweet, with her sugar-coated venom...well, we've all known someone as two faced as that! 

It's a lovely novel that gives background to the film and keeps the Nutcracker magic alive in a new way for these coming winter months,  when you want to escape to somewhere magical.  The perfect book to curl up with by the fireside on a cold winters day, whilst nibbling on sugar mice and playing the musical score in the background, which is exactly what I've been doing today. 
Enjoy...

XXX

ONCE UPON A DREAM; The New Roaring Twenties?

As midnight struck we entered a brand new decade and not just any decade either - last night we entered the magical realms of 2020. Just look at that number.  It has magic written all over it!  2020 - an angel number.  Minus the zeros and it reads 22 - the date I was born.  So today, New Years Day, I went into this new decade full of happiness and optimism.

For the past few years it seems as if we as a society in the UK have been conditioned into being fearful of the future, of entering each new year with a feeling of trepidation.  Years of austerity and political unrest have had an effect and many people have had their natural optimism and hope for the future eroded by hardship and uncertainty.  But enough is enough.  I think the final straw was Bozo Boris using one of my favourite Christmas films, Love Actually, as a political broadcast.  I Actually felt sick.   

One of my New Year's resolutions is to stop letting outside influences cast shadows on my mood, especially the political theatrics we've had to endure for what feels like forever.  So I've decided to just allow life to unfold freely as it will, trusting the Universe to take me to a good place. I think that the start of a new decade - the 20's no less - is a great time to just let go and see what happens.  

So, let the New Roaring Twenties commence!   I've decided that whatever happens in the bigger picture, I'm going to take a leaf out of a Flapper Girl's book and make sure that I live a bit and enjoy myself more.  The Flappers certainly knew how to enjoy themselves and make the most of their limited liberty.  I intend to be a bit more Flapper!    I'm going to wear my pretty dresses more often and carry beaded bags wherever I go. I'm going to dig out the long strings of beads and pearls and my lacy gloves.  I'm going look out for vintage music of that period and play vinyl on the record player that I got for Christmas in 2018.  I'm going to read F. Scott. Fitzgerald and watch the Great Gatsby. 

Most of all, I'm going to try to emulate the spirit of the original Roaring Twenties by being as happy, optimistic and celebratory as I can.  Life is a ball - but you have to accept the invitation!  For me the 1920's represents an effervescent spirit of joy, when the Champagne was always on ice and music was always playing, ready to dance to.  They didn't always have pots of money due to the aftermath of the Great War and in 1929 the crash of Wall Street helped plunge the UK into depression, but for the majority of the decade, they had fun!   They made time to party and enjoy evening soirees at the theater or at a speakeasy.  They made the most of what they had and seemed to enjoy it. 

So after a lovely Christmas where I was fortunate enough to receive lots of beautiful presents, including a pair of adorable rose-gold stud-earrings from Pandora that are shaped like crowns and Ariana's new perfume Thank-you Next,  I'm going into this new year feeling like a princess and I want to hold onto that feeling for the rest of the year.

It occurred to me that I have lots of pretty clothes and shoes etc that I don't get enough wear out of because I don't want to look too 'done up'; handbags and jewelry that I rarely use because they're 'too fancy'; books that I haven't read yet and DVDs I should allow myself to watch more often.  In short, I need to start making the most of what I have, I need to enjoy my belongings more and take them out more often - literally, I need to get the glad rags on and go out to a few parties, dance and have fun like the Flappers of old. 

So that's my plan; to live more in the spirit of the 1920's and make 2020 my own year of Flapper-isms.  I'm hoping to see Flapper dresses in the shops soon too - you never know your luck.  

In the meantime lets all drink Prosecco, read The Beautiful and the Damned, watch The House of Elliot, wear ostentatious rings over our winter gloves and practice our swoons. Just make sure there's a handsome chappie waiting to catch you!  Because a little party never killed nobody...

xxx

WRITER'S DREAM; Christmas Writing

Is there anything nicer at this time of year than curling up with a laptop, ready for some festive writing?  I don't think so!  Christmas has to be the coziest time to be a writer and right now I'm sitting by the pretty Christmas tree with fairy-lights twinkling, dancing flames in the fireplace and the scent of Frankincense and Myrrh filling the room from my fairy oil-burner.  I have gingerbread hot chocolate in my gingerbread-man Christmas mug and a tub of Cadbury's Roses chocolates next to me - it's all so festive!

Writing over the festive period brings me great joy - it's probably one of my favourite times of year to write and I am always more productive during the dark season.  I find that summer drains me, but by the time the nights start drawing in, I begin to thrive once more.  I just love winter and being a writer during the winter season is a way for me to connect with all those writers who have gone before. 

It's impossible for me to write, while sitting beside the Christmas tree and not think of Charles Dickens dashing off A Christmas Carol in order to stave off bankruptcy.  Yes, our most loved Christmas novel was written when the author was in financial trouble and you could say that it wasn't just Scrooge who was saved by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come!   Dickens needed them too and they helped to save his career, as portrayed in the fantastic film The Man Who Invented Christmas, which I highly recommend if you've never seen it. 

It's also impossible for me to sit up in my study, writing at my escritoire desk without thinking of Louisa May Alcott's  Little Women and Jo March scribbling way at her dreams in the cold, candlelit garret with a pet rat for company.  I haven't seen the new film yet, but I'm looking forward to it. For me personally though, Josephine March will always be Winona Ryder.  She played the part to perfection and I'm not convinced that she can be topped. 

Likewise, it is impossible for me to enjoy a glass of eggnog without thinking of Jane Austen writing her wonderful Christmas ball scene in Emma and Mr Elton's infamously misplaced festive proposal! 

"A party is a party - but a party on a  Chriiistmas Eeeve...!" and then, "Who can think of Miss Smith, when Miss Woodhouse is near?!"  

Another Christmas novel I love is Angel by Elizabeth Taylor (not that Elizabeth Taylor! This one is a contemporary of Daphne du Maurier), in which the heroin Angel fakes illness so that she doesn't have to go back to school after the Christmas holidays, because she wants to stay at home and write a novel instead! I can totally relate to that and I may or may not have been guilty of the exact same thing in my own childhood!  

So you see, Christmas isn't just about my writing, or your writing, it's about all writing - past, present and yet to come. Just like Scrooge's Ghosts.   It's a time when people generally have more freedom to sit and create something, be that a story, a poem, a song or an essay.   It's a time of magic and wonder so of course it lends itself to the art of writing, which is a wonderful way to express yourself and feel the magic of inspiration.  It's a time to think about prepping your diary for next year, writing in your goals and ambitions - maybe even your writing goals and ambitions.

So while we won't all write something as memorable as A Christmas Carol or Little Women, we can all tap into the creativity of the festive season and the inspiration of the writers who helped to illustrate this magical time of year, through their novels.  

And for those of us who write professionally, there are still deadlines to meet even in the midst of the festive season, so I'd better crack on as my deadlines are January 4th,13th and 25th!  

Happy Christmas Writing! 

BB Marie x

BOOK NOOK; The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake

"The rain was drumming against the windows, the wind a distant whistle as Joe snuggled under a rug, a hot-water bottle clutched to his chest, chocolate buttons melting in his mouth, the beer flowing freely.  There was something to be said for Clara's hygge theory; staying in really was the new going out.  He felt his body relax into the sofa, the whole world outside the flat dissolve away so that it was just him in his snug space with a DVD for company."

Rosie Blake's The Hygge Holiday has been sitting prettily on the bookcase in my study since the springtime but I didn't want to read it until it was more seasonally appropriate.   When I woke up today, the wind howling and the rain lashing against the window-panes, I knew that the time had come.

It was one of those days where I woke up feeling like I needed a cosy day of restfulness to recharge my batteries.  I grabbed my umbrella and walked to the shops to pick up a few treats and when I got home, I got straight back into my pj's and grabbed this book, settling under the duvet for a day-long stint of reading.   

As the day never brightened, I dotted the room with burning candles, set my festive fireside ambient dvd playing on a loop, switched on all the Christmas fairy-lights and mulled some toffee-cider.  It's been lovely and cosy - perfect for reading this novel which is all about the benefits and charm of hygge, or the Scandinavian art of being cosy.

I first came across the concept of hygge back in 2010 at an A-HA concert, where I got chatting to a group of Norwegian girls.  They had brought the snow with them that year and we were laughing at how a slight flurry of snowflakes sets the UK off in a panic, while in Norway people just accept that everything will take a bit longer when the snow comes.  They are not expected to crack on with the daily grind as normal, but instead they slow down and take their time getting to work and back, or they have snow days.  They told me about hygge and I realized I'd been doing it for years, I just hadn't realized that there was a name for being as cosy as possible! I've been reading books about hygge ever since. 

The Hygge Holiday begins in the autumn when Danish tourist Clara arrives in the tiny village of Yulethorpe.  Here the last local shop is about to close down and Clara offers to help run the place until a buyer can be found in the hopes that she can turn the toy-shop around in time for the Christmas rush.  All is going well until the proprietor's son, Joe, comes up from London, determined to push the sale through. 

Joe works in The City and is always stressed, tired and worn out. When he meets Clara, a woman who likes slow-cooked meals, long walks at sunset and scented candles in all rooms, he thinks she's a tad crazy, but slowly the hygge life begins to appeal to him.   

While there are no great surprises in the story-line of this novel and it is fairly predictable, it is a lovely romance, full of seasonal cheer and it will leave you feeling very festive.   Yes, it's bog-standard chick-lit, but at this time of year I do love a good Christmas romance and the chick-lit genre has many to choose from, with a happy ending guaranteed.  This one gets bonus points for the dreamy pink and gold cover art!

The Hygge Holiday is like a manifesto for the benefits of slow-living, which I am naturally draw to on account of my thyroid illness.  The fact that slowing down and reading a book all day, while nibbling on festive treats and sipping hot chocolate or mulled cider has fast become a bit of a trend is great news for me.  I hate the busy,busy,busy lifestyle we are frequently pushed into, the expectation that we are constantly on call, forever reachable via mobile phones and email, that time at home is viewed as being less important than time at work - it's a recipe for high stress and little joy.  I prefer to live a life of much joy and little stress.  Slow-living and duvet days give me just that and keep me being productive. 

So if, like poor Joe, you've been running the 9-5 rat-race all week and you want to relax in a way that will make you feel all festive and ready for the Yuletide season, The Hygge Holiday is the perfect novel to curl up with this winter.   Don't forget the mulled cider and a faux fur throw. 

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Oh Holy Night

It's a cold December night and I am curled up on the chaise-lounge with my laptop, sipping a gingerbread hot chocolate and writing this blog-post by the twinkling light of my pretty Yuletide tree.   The Christmas candles are burning, filling the house with the scent of ginger and spiced clementine.  It's the end of a very festive week and so today I decided to put up all the decorations and make my home as cosy and festive as possible.

On Wednesday my mother and I went to see The Angels Are Coming event at Sheffield Cathedral and it was wonderful.  The entire building was the canvas for a festive sound and light show, with magical scenes of winter being projected onto the stonework, both inside and out.  First of all Father Christmas flew across in his sleigh, pulled by all his reindeer and dropping presents as he flew by.  

Next, to the strains of the Holly and the Ivy, those same plants grew up from the ground and twisted into festive wreaths and garlands, before making way for golden bells and trumpets playing, announcing the arrival of the Angels.   As the music changed again to the sound of choirs of angels singing, feathers began to fall - first just one or two, then the whole cathedral was covered in them.  Beautiful white feathers - a sure sign that angels are near!

Finally, the Angels themselves descended from on high, flying down from the church spire and across the building in all directions, their majestic wings beating as they went.  It was just so beautiful to watch.  Everyone had beaming smiles on their faces and it really did feel like we were in the presence of angels.  

Inside the cathedral was all lit up too.  The angel music continued and there were two huge Christmas trees on either side of the altar space, with a large steel-cast statue of the Nativity scene in the center.  Another angel was projected just above, his wings of light gently beating as he hovered over the Nativity. The cathedral walls and Gothic arches were covered in a light show of dark blue sky and silver stars, which reminded me of the great hall at Hogwarts!  We were indoors and out of the chill but still underneath a sparkling winter's night sky. 

 The magic of Yuletide was all around us. The Cathedral was welcoming all people of all faiths to this event and there was a very diverse mix, of all ages.  People were lighting candles and making wishes or remembering loved ones.  Some were writing their needs and troubles in the prayer book, or on labels to hang on the special Christmas tree that had been set up as a prayer tree.  These would be read out at the Christian prayer service the next day. 

I loved the idea of a Yuletide prayer tree!  It's the same concept witches use when we add someone's name to our Blessing Cup so that universal blessings will find them and guide them through a difficult time.  But to have an entire 6ft Christmas tree dedicated to this purpose is just so amazing - and a little bit Extra!  I loved it.

Sheffield Cathedral now holds such a special place in my heart.  Not only did I graduate there last month, but it helped to kick off December in a spectacular way. I had a Bailies hot chocolate and we enjoyed our first mince pies of the season in the Chancery cafe, before wandering around the cathedral and taking in the light show to our heart's content.  It was a fabulous evening out, though you can see from these pictures how cold it was - I have a nose Rudolph would be proud of!  It was a beautiful way to begin December as I have always loved angels and felt an affinity with them - that's why I wrote my book, Angel Craft and Healing.  

Then on Friday I took part in a charity event called Elf Day.  This is where you dress as an elf for the day in order to look like a prat and raise money for Alzheimer's Society.  It helps to raise awareness of the knock on effect such a diagnosis has on families and as I spent time in my 20's working in nursing homes and caring for people with Alzheimer's, I wanted to do a little bit to help raise funds for this much needed charity, especially as the social care service is such a shambles these days - more people have to rely on organisations like Alzheimer's Society for support.   Yuletide is after all, a time of giving and giving back so helping out with a charity event ticks both those boxes, plus it's a lot of fun. 

So what with angels and elves, it's fair to say that I woke up in the festive spirit this morning and spent a few hours happily decking out my house!  I do think that you have to play an active role in getting into the festive spirit - it doesn't just descend on you on December 1st. You have to participate in the season, doing seasonal things and enjoying festive outings, in order to nurture the joy of Yule within you.  If you don't, there's a chance you could experience the winter blues instead and who needs that?

I like to do festive things in December to kick start the season.  I like to create a lovely atmosphere in my house, getting as cosy as possible with faux fur throws, Christmas scented candles, hot chocolate and mince pies, while watching Christmas films or reading my books on Yuletide, Christmas, hygge and winter.  

I love winter. It's my favourite season of all.  I enjoy bundling up to go out in the cold, wandering round Christmas markets and doing my Christmas shopping.  It's a great time of year to really count your blessings and be grateful for what you already have. 

I hope this little post has inspired you to make the most of this magical time of year by visiting a winter show, or taking part in a charity event.  As for me, I'm going to put on my Winter Snowfall ambient DVD, get cosy by the fire and start writing out my Christmas cards, while playing a classical carols CD from Coventry Cathedral Choir. 
Whatever you are doing this month, I hope that you will enjoy keeping winter as much as I do.
Bright Blessings
Marie x