Sunday, December 02, 2007

Irreverent Child!

As has been my thought process, lately, thinking (though not feeling particularly serious about it, actually), I mentioned something about "God", or maybe Trev did.
"Psh. Everybody knows theres no such thing as God," Trev says.
Can you feel my blood pressure raise just a bit?
"Well, let's talk about this, Son."
note: He was mostly just going off, not really meaning to make a politically/spiritually charged statement.
"I believe God to be..." and on I go, mostly with him tuning me out, and ignoring me. I begin to feel a bit more stressed and possibly disrespected and offended, and go into my "it's like The Force, it penetrates us, surrounds us, it's the energy that binds everything together..." in the words of Obi One. (did I spell his name right?)
"God is everthing," I say. It's this, that, and the other.
"Oh, now I get it," (while he continues to play and I"m not sure if he's even paying attention and listening to me, and I suspect in my "I Know Best" way that he is actually making fun of me, "God is jeans. God is this table. God is that bowl!"
Well, sort of, but why cant he mention things like "God is love, God is beauty, God is being kind to others, God is brotherhood," any of those?
Well, he didn't, so I Did.
Just Because.
I figure God is my department in this house, although such things are always accompanied with our same-old/same-old, which is (altogether, now) 'It's One Of Those Things That Everyone Has To Decide For Himself'.

Fine.
So today (laughs at self) we have this what I can only imagine to be a beautiful ceremony in the park with friends, to welcome the changing season, called (a Waldorf-style) Advent Spiral Festival.
Here is the premise:
"As winter approaches, there is a sleepiness of the world. Through the stories, poems, songs and nature observation, we can experience a feeling of being blanketed for a winter’s nap. The fallen leaves, the animals in hibernation, the shorter daylight hours which bring us inside much earlier than at other times of the year all contribute to this experience. Advent balances the darkness and sleepiness with expectation and anticipation. It is a time of moving through the darkness toward the yearly rebirth of the light, when the days begin to grow longer. "
We begin by placing greenery in a spiral on the floor. At the center of the spiral is a lit candle. Along the spiral are golden stars. Each child and adult enters the spiral carrying his/her apple candle. They walk to the center, light their candle and place it along the spiral path on a golden star. The festival begins in darkness and ends brightly lit by the many candles. The garden of evergreens is a symbol of life everlasting. Arranged in a spiral, the path represents the path to birth and the process of incarnating. The apple is a picture of the body, the house that we live in. The red symbolizes our blood and our forces of will. The flame of the candle is the flame of our individual human spirit. The Advent Garden is an imaginative experience of our individual spirit light incarnating into life on Earth, and how it is able to dispel the darkness around us. In community, our spirits shining together shed a mighty light. Advent can move us toward a deeper understanding of our place in the universe, of all that supports us and all that we aspire to, as well as all that needs our protection and support.

How lovely is that?
So this morning I'm thinkin' I'd better prep the babes (read: make certain that they well understand my expectations - rolls eyes at self Yet Again) so they understand what the spiral is about. I read the short story to Trev, and started to tell him the rest - he's not listening, I'm getting a bit cranky, "Hold, on, Mom. Wait, wait, wait. Aren't spirals what you get into your eyes when you're turning into a Zombie?"

Sigh.

read: Check!

Damn! Fine. I'll try.
Really, I will.
I'll really, really, try....

5 comments:

piscesgrrl said...

It's just that it can't sink in 'til the listener wants/needs it to, that's all.

I'm laughing cuz it's the whole eager-parent thing for the kid to say "I wonder why the pharoahs..." and before their sentence is finished there's a 12-book curriculum on ancient Egypt on the kitchen table, shiny and new.

Not that you did that. :)

EC said...

It's funny because we have the opposite situation here, with my children being so sure of God's existence where I am not. :)


Hoo! I got such a giggle out of Trev equating spirals with googly eyes! tee hee!

It is one of those things that one has to decide for oneself but there's nothing wrong with surrounding yourself with all kinds of ideas about God. What better way to come to the decision than by exploring all the beautiful interpretations and religions the world has to offer? You are such a spiritual person and undoubtedly your children will pick up on that!

:)

Evie

piscesgrrl said...

I'm back. I'm sorry if my comment came off as insensitive, I did NOT mean to imply that you went overboard, but realize now it sounds like just that. Apologies!

Stephanie said...

Laura-
Nay, friend.
I understood well what you meant.
Though I appreciate your clarification, as we all know some days I'm more sensitive than others to certain observations! :)
As it happens, I was certainly making fun of my expectations on this day, but they were not all that serious or Great.
We're good.
Steph S.

piscesgrrl said...

Ok, phew. :)