Hello from my heart to yours....
"Come out of the circle of time and into the circle of love." Rumi, Persian classical poet
The circle of the wreath reminds me of God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning or end.... it is the circle of life, the turning of seasons, and our eternal nature. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that I have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life.... the candles represent Christ, “the Light that came into the world” to dispel the darkness of sin and to radiate the truth and love of God (John 3:19-21)
Now, this is a little history on "wreaths".... In ancient times, wreaths were made of holly... Celts believed that holly had magical protective powers... In Roman mythology, holly was sacred to Saturn, the Sun God.. and Pagans worshipped holly. Needless to say, the use of "holly" Christmas wreaths, for the celebration of the birth of Christ, was controversial because of their association with magical power, multi-theism and paganism.
Wreaths symbolized pride and victory... they were used at weddings... and Greeks used laurel wreaths, sometime around 77 B.C., as crowns to award athletes who finished first in the Olympics. Military heroes and kings wore wreaths in Rome... women belonging to the elite class wore them as a fashion accessory ..... By the Middle Ages, the Christians began using the wreath during Advent, as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas, and by 1600, both Catholics and Lutherans adopted formal practices surrounding the Advent wreath in preparation for Christmas.
Today, we see all kinds of wreaths, including beautiful blue and silver Hanukkah wreaths... whatever religion you practice, wreaths are a wonderful way to decorate for this glorious season of miracles that we will all be celebrating... so let us think in terms like this: a wreath is a circle ... a circle symbolizes LOVE....
During the holiday season, step into the circle of love... Enjoy each moment rather than worrying about what is next. Begin today by slowing down and embracing each moment. Do not let the stress of the holidays consume you.... instead, sit in the circle and invite others to join in... offer an outstretched hand full of love... to help you visualize this, think back to when you were in kindergarten maybe and all activities started with forming a circle... it is a powerful thing... so much so that when I was in the Master's program for Elementary Education, we learned a song to bring the kids together.. it went something like this... "Let us form a ring..dancing as we sing... ring-a-ring-a-rella.. bring in all the fella's... while our voices sing... let us form a ring ... ring-a-ring-a-rella .... ring-a-ring-a-rella .... " The kids delighted in this activity inmensely...
There is so much strength in a circle especially when it is full of love. Stop for a moment today and create a circle with your families... your children... your friends... and say a little prayer of thanksgiving.. Thank God for the blessing that YOU are.. and the blessing that your loved ones are to you. I guarantee that you'll feel the love and not want to let go of the hands holding yours.
May you be willing to create circles of love because you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to the world...
May your day be filled with all things good,
With love,
Elena
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