In Which Things Become Quite Vulgar

Personal Journal Entry
24 July

Since it had been an exceedingly long week dealing with complex problems associated with several of my senior staff members’ cases at MI-6 , I was happy to once again be in my private chambers at home.  It had been more than a week since I had been at home. The cases required me to travel a good bit.  Cairine kindly directed the staff to manage my luggage and then helped me out of my expedition travel gear and into a very hot bath.  As I slipped into the water she poured a small amount of my favorite sandlewood bath oil into the tub then placed a table and lamp nearby so that I might read some of the week’s post while I soaked.

I was happy to discover some lovely invitations to summer balls and garden parties in the stack.  What a pleasure also to find correspondence from several friends travelling abroad.  I was, however, shocked out of my steamy, relaxed, and happy mood when I picked up the next envelope which contained the seal of Barken Roff, a former ambassador from Vulgaria. Roff! the very blaggard who nearly five years ago had done his best to shock all in attendance at the ball celebrating the opening of my manse on Loch Avie with his vulgar language and poor behavior.  He had only been invited as he was newly in his diplomatic position in Caledon. How much I regret that decision.  It was shortly after that night that he began to claim that Loch Avie was “stolen from Vulgaria” and that the bones, which my knight, Adso Krogstad, was excavating in the lower portion of Loch Avie, would be revealed as ancient Vulgarians.  The nerve of the man!

I broke the seal to the letter.

15 July

Bomhaus

Prydon, Vulgaria

To Her Grace, Eva Bellambi,

Duchess of Loch Avie, Lady of Skye, Head of MI-6, Last Pretender to the Lands of Vulgaria,

Your Grace, this will be the last cordial correspondence you shall have from me or any other Vulgarian. The humiliation at the hands of the Bellambis and Frasers has been more than can be born. It has taken us some time to develop the technology required, but we have done it.  We have developed the ability to travel to a particular area and then travel great distances through time.  

We are coming, Your Grace.  We are coming in great numbers.  We are coming to claim the lands you have left in Caledon, and we are coming to take the Isle of Skye.  Our Vulgarian historians tell us that your family, as far back as Sìleas and Gawter, have wronged us over the years. We claim Skye and all that is currently yours.

We are coming.  We are going to torture you slowly in ways women can never survive, kill your kinsmen and clan, and destroy your lands. We will then travel back to your middle ages and we will slaughter Sìleas and Gawter.* Your family will end.  You will never exist.

Barken Roff

Lord High Chancellor, Vulgaria

Cairine gasped loudly upon her return to find me (unknowingly) standing in the tub holding the letter down at my side.  I was red-faced, frowning, and stark naked.  Her noise roused me enough to spring me into action.  

“Cairine.  Assist me out of this tub and I’ll dry myself.  Then I need you to set the emergency signals in motion.  Agent Barns should be in the MI-6 signal station, just give him the word.  I need to gather the clan and my knights.  Then I shall need to be properly dressed so that at first light I may make emergency calls upon Miss Serra, Admiral Beaumont, Desmond Shang, and several others.”

As Cairine walked rapidly down the stairs from the master suite I called after her, “Sir Tele, Somme, and O’Toole are going to be bloody hard to find.  Make sure Barns sends his messages accordingly.  Those lot have gone far afield - some in semi-retirement - but they must know their Cheiftainess has need of them and they must come!”

Cairine shouted back an acknowledgement and then I heard the door to the intel room open and close.

“...or she may never even be known to them.”

To be continued

*(Historical notes on Sìleas and Gawter may be found in these posts : Dream State, Time and Space Fold, & A Love Letter from Gawter to Sìleas)

Announcing the 5th Annual Beltane Celebration

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Winterfell%20Anodyne/212/158/35

Spring is here! For many of us, this means a relief from the cold, dark days and snows of winter. As the days lengthen and get warmer, we are greeted by the rebirth of the earth itself: bulbs come up and bloom, filling the air with their heady, tempting fragrance; birds chirp and sing as they return from their winter migrations to build their nests; cats yowl out their urgent readiness for motherhood. All around us are symbols of fertility, growth, warmth and light.

Please join us in Winterfell Anodyne on April 30th for the Beltane Festival beginning at 6:00pm SLT.

This year we celebrate as the creatures on the other side of the veil.  The goddess.  The green man.  The faerie. The spirits.  Other fantastical beings.  However, do feel free to come in your human form, The Fae Queen of Skye will pull you to the other side, if but for a while.

As is my tradition, the event will include:

Gathering 6:00-6:10pm SLT
Recognition of the Knights of the Order of the Red Rose (knighted Beltane, 2007 ) and the Bellambi Clan
Lighting of the Beltane Fires
Music
Maypoles
Gifts of light to take back to your own dark hearths
Dancing
Places to be alone with your Green Man or May Queen to celebrate the fertility and the renewal of life.

A little Beltane history as previously posted in this blog:

In Scottish Gaelic the month of May is known as either (An) Cèitean or a' Mhàigh, and the festival is known as Latha Bealltainn or simply Bealltainn - meaning ‘bright/sacred fire’. The holiday was held to mark and celebrate the blossoming of spring, and coincided with the ancient pastoral event of moving livestock into their summer grazing fields. It did not occur on any fixed solar date (the tradition of solstices and equinoxes is later in origin) but tended to be held on the first full moon after the modern 1st of May. Some sources suggest that the blooming of the Hawthorn was the primary signal for the event before the development of centralized calendars.

It was nearly entirely a celebration of the fertility of the land and their animals. The main traditional element which was common to all Beltane festivals was the fire which gave it its name. All the fires of the community would be extinguished and a new, sacred ‘Need Fire’ was lit by either the village head or spiritual leader. From this source one or two bonfires were lit, and the animals of the community would be driven through or between them. It was believed that the smoke and flame of the fires would purify the herd, protecting them in the year to come and ensuring a good number of offspring. The inhabitants of the village would then take pieces of the fire to their homes and relight their hearths, and dance around or near the bonfires to ensure good portents for them and their families.

This spring/summer rite was celebrated in many ancient cultures. Some continue it even in modern times. In many traditions the focus of Beltane is on the battle between the May Queen and the Queen of Winter. The May Queen can be recognized as Flora, the goddess of the flowers, and the young blushing bride, and the princess of the Fae. She is Lady Marian in the Robin Hood tales, and Guinevere in the Arthurian cycle. She is the embodiment of the Maiden, of mother earth in all of her fertile glory. Beltane has a long history. The Celtic fire festival is celebrated with bonfires, Maypoles, dancing, and lots of good old fashioned sexual energy. In Ireland, the fires of Tara were the first ones lit every year at Beltane, and all other fires were lit with a flame from Tara.

The Romans celebrated the Floralia, or festival of flowers, which consisted of three days of unbridled sexual activity. Participants wore flowers in their hair (much like May Day celebrants later on), and there were plays, songs, and dances. At the end of the festivities, animals were set loose inside the Circus Maximus. Land owners would have often have sex in their fields to ensure the fertility of their lands.

The entity known as the Green Man, strongly related to Cernunnos (The Horned God), is often found in the legends and lore of the British Isles, and is a masculine face covered in leaves and shrubbery. In some parts of England, a Green Man is carried through town in a wicker cage as the townsfolk welcome the beginning of summer. Impressions of the Green Man’s face can be found in the ornamentation of many of Europe’s older cathedrals, despite edicts from local bishops forbidding stonemasons from including such pagan imagery.

A related character is Jack-in-the-Green, a spirit of the greenwood. References to Jack appear in British literature back as far as the late sixteenth century. Sir James Frazer associates the figure with mummers and the celebration of the life force of trees. Jack-in-the-Green was seen even in the Victorian era, when he was associated with soot-faced chimney sweeps. At this time, Jack was framed in a structure of wicker and covered with leaves, and surrounded by Morris dancers. Some scholars suggest that Jack may have been a ancestor to the legend of Robin Hood.

This festival is also seen as a time when the veil between worlds is a bit thinner - a time for the faeries. The appearance of flowers around this time of year heralds the beginning of summer and shows us that the fae are hard at work. In early folklore, the more helpful deeds of the fae should always be acknowledged and appreciated, therefore, Beltane offered a good time to leave out food and other treats for them in your garden or yard.

The Fae of Skye

The Fairie Ball

by Susan Settje

I dream a dream of faerie queens and kings
in forest glade where I know faeries dwell.
The full moon dancing as the zephyr sings
Through cedar boughs and round the wishing well.

Oh romance sweet, a brave and noble knight
to princess fair was married on this day.
A royal banquet, such a festive sight.
Great merriment, we’ll dance the night away.

Sir Owl, from high atop a lofty pine,
acts sentinel. All’s well; his distant call.
In shadowed woods the new born fawns recline
too young to be at this year’s faerie ball.

No, don’t wake me just yet, it’s almost dawn,
Come sunrise, all the faeries will be gone. 

 The Fae of Skye are starting to plan their Beltane Celebration.  Please save the date & time:

April 30 at 6pm slt

We'll dance together into May in the magical faerie glen on Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne.

More information will be coming in the next weeks.

Burns Night Supper and Ceilidh, 2011

 The Gathering 

This past Saturday evening at 7pm SLT, many of us from throughout the Steamlands came together in the great hall of Caisteal Teanacadh on Isle of Skye to celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns, The Bard of Scotland.  (I shared some historical information on Robert Burns and this evening tradition in my previous post in the blog.)

What a joyful and meaningful time it was.  The castle was filled with the laughter of friends and neighbors.

 I greeted my guests along with Lady Rowan Derryth (l), my co-host for the night,

and Boyarina Kate Nicholas

Jarl Otenth Paderborn provided the very fine music for the evening.

Once the guests were seated, the program began.  First a welcome speech, then a reading of the Selkirk Grace selected by Otenth Paderborn.

Lady Kate paraded the haggis for the assembled guests as the pipes played and Victor1st Mornington recited (via recording) the Ode to a Haggis, as is the tradition.

(photo by PJ Trenton)

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After we raised a glass of whisky to toast the haggis, we sat down to enjoy our meal and each other's company.  

The Head Table
(l-r) Soliel Snook, Rowan Derryth, PJ Trenton, Gabrielle Riel, Eva Bellambi,
Kate Nicholas, and Serra Anansi
(photo by PJ Trenton)

 

 Thadicus Caligari and Riven Homewood

(photo by PJ Trenton)

Lord Cee Edman offered the Loyal Toast to Miss Serra Anansi.

Lord Cee is pictured with Lady Litta Nightfire

(photo PJ Trenton)

At this point in the ceremony, I asked that all guests join me in the Immortal Memory of Mr. Robert Burns:

 Seneschal, My Lords and My Ladies, Ladies and Gentlemen.  Please join with me as I toast the memory of Scotland's National Poet and the person whose life and accomplishments we celebrate tonight.

Many thousands of Scots around the world celebrate Burns night on his birthday, January 25th.  It is perhaps extraordinary that there is a Burns Supper at all.  Why do Scots the world over participate in  "Burns Supper" to perpetuate the memory of their National Poet?  Why do not other groups gather annually to celebrate the memory of the famous writers of their nations?  Why for example is there no Dickens Dinner, Tolstoy Tea, Shakespeare Roast, or Balzac Barbecue -- or some other such event? 

It would be presumptuous to assert the answers to these questions.  But, perhaps by reflecting on Robert Burns and his life we can discover some of our reasons for celebrating his memory tonight.

Had Robert Burns lived today, his earnings from one song alone -- Auld Lang Syne -- would have made him a multi-millionaire on a par with writers as Irving Berlin and George Gershwin and performers such as Elvis Presley and Paul McCartney.  Yet, when he died in 1796, aged thirty-seven, he was poor and asking financial help of acquaintances.  So what was it then about the life of this fellow, born into a poor farming family and departed in poverty that brings Scots together each year to celebrate his memory?

Perhaps he was a Scottish "Everyman." Perhaps his writing spoke to the basic emotions, thoughts, desires and fears of every person regardless of nation or rank.  People frequently attribute certain traits to the Scottish character.  Primary among them are a down-to-earthness, a plain-ness, a directness, a fierecely independent spirit, and a common touch.  Perhaps these traits have more universal appeal than is often appreciated.  It is not possible to do justice to Robert Burns character in the time allotted.  Perhaps a few examples of his character, as seen in his poetry, will do.

Burns loved people despite their weaknesses, but hated hypocrisy.

One biographer stated that the Reformer, John Knox, had more in common with Burns than with the stereotype we have of Knox today.  He stated that Burns and Knox were desperate men of crisis who played their parts in opposition to false or abused authority.  Burns' biographer wrote that had Knox seen the abuses of the Church at the time of Burns, he would have allied himself with Burns against the established Church and many of its pillars of the community.
In the poem, Holy Willie's Prayer, Burns pointed his barbed wit at a self-righteous, member of the congregation as an example of the kind of hypocrisy that can poison any institution.  Holy Willie, by his own complaints and by church standards, is shown to be an example of what to avoid.  He enumerates his own misdeeds, mentioning some of them by their first names and frequency in the week.

Burns was opposed to anyone being treated in a servile manner.

Robert Burns addressed his hatred of slavery in a poem, The Slave's Lament:

"It was in sweet Senegal


That my foes did me enthral


For the lands of Virginia, 'ginia, O!


Torn from that lovely shore


And must never see it more

and alas! I am weary, weary, O!
"The burden I must bear,


While the cruel scourge I fear,

In the lands of Virginia, 'ginia, O!


With the bitter, bitter tear,


And alas! I am weary, weary, O!"

Burns loved Liberty.

Robert Burns wrote of himself: "The first two books I ever read in private, and which gave me more pleasure than any two books I ever read again, were The Life of Hannibal and the History of Sir William Wallace.  Hannibal gave my young ideas such a turn that I used to strut in raptures up and down after the recruiting drum and bag-pipe, and wish myself tall enough that I might be a soldier; while the story of Wallace poured a Scottish prejudice in my veins which will boil along there Ôtill the floodgates of life shut in eternal rest."

Burns disliked superstition as a means by which people enslave themselves.  However, he drew upon the rich lore of Scotland and its legends and fairly tales to produce symbolism in his poetry.

Burns loved learning.

A Burns biographer once wrote that it "was parish gossip that, if you called on William Burness at meal-time, you found the whole family with a book in one hand and a horn spoon in the other."
Burns inherited his parents love of learning, a yearning that helped him to keep an open mind about himself, his Maker, acquaintances, and his surroundings.

The traits that seem to mark Burns' character all point back to the inescapable fact that he was a Scot.
The stereotype of the Scotsman, thanks largely to Sir Walter Scott and Sir Harry Lauder, is a fellow wearing highland attire.  In his life, Burns certainly did not fit that stereotype at all.  From reading his poems we gain the picture of a lowland Scot who dressed "English" according to the style of a farmer.  The book which contained most of Burns' poems, titled Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, made a favorable impression on the literati of Edinburgh.  I suppose we would call the literary critics of the time "Liberals" today.  They found their theories about the sensitivity of the common man confirmed by what they called this "ploughman poet." Burns spent the winters of 1786-87 and 1787-88 in Edinburgh as a national celebrity, but he disliked the condescension with which he was treated and so returned to farming.

No, Burns did not fit the stereotype of the Highlander in his own life or in the image he projected to literary society.  However, it is interesting to note that he penned at least one poem to sing of a displaced Scot:

"My heart's in the Highlands, 

my heart is not here,


My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer,

A-chasing the wild deer and following the roe 

My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go!
"Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,


The birthplace of valour, the country of worth!


Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,


The hills of the Highlands forever I love."

We now toast Robert Burns! Lover of people, lover of freedom and liberty, lover of truth, lover of learning, a lowland farmer, a Highlander at heart, a Scot.  

To Robert Burns!

providing the Immortal Memory toast

PJ gives us a toast to the Lassies

Mr. Trenton has graciously supplied the words of his toast on his blog, Virtually PJ

Lady Rowan Derryth responded (quite energetically) with a toast to the lads.

Lady Rowan has shared her witty words and recitations on her blog, I Derryth.

Several other toasts followed as the crowd got into the spirit of things  -  and after the spirits got into them a bit more.  :)  

As always, following the toasts, readings of Mr. Burns' works were provided.  Lady Gabrielle, Lady Rowan, Miss Homewood, and several others shared their favorite pieces with us.  Truly is was a joyful night as we listened to our friends recite and toast utilizing either voice or text (or both) in celebration of the Bard.

Lady Gabrielle ended the formal portion of the evening by reading the Grace After Supper.

To the ballroom and let the ceilidh begin!!

Even George came out to dance.

Jed Dagger dips me as the Pipers of Skye assemble

I will complete this post by simply saying that by the end of the night, my feet were bare, my hair completely loose, and my heart happy.  Thank you again for allowing me to celebrate this joyous night with you.

More photos may be found on my flickr stream here and on Mr Trenton's flickr stream over there.

Celebrating Burns Night on Isle of Skye - January 22nd at 7pm SLT

Burns Night is celebrated on January 25th with Burns suppers around the world, and is still more widely observed than the official national day of Scotland, Saint Andrew's Day, or the proposed North American celebration Tartan Day. The format of Burns suppers has not changed since Robert's death in 1796. The basic format starts with a general welcome and announcements followed with the Selkirk Grace. Following the grace comes the piping and cutting of the Haggis, where Robert's famous Address To a Haggis is read, and the haggis is cut open. The event usually allows for people to start eating just after the haggis is presented. This is when the reading called the "immortal memory", an overview of Robert's life and work is given; the event continues with many toasts and some presentation of a selection of his works and usually concludes with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.

I am most pleased and honored to host another Burns Night celebration in world, this year with Rowan Derryth.  Happily, we also have Soliel Snook providing hours of wonderful Celtic music for us, creating a wonderful aural atmosphere on Isle of Skye.  Additionally, a number of our friends will be giving toasts, reciting stories or poems, and assisting in the preparations.  

**If you would like to provide a toast or reading during the supper, please email me :  evabellambi@gmail.com. **

This is another of those unique, more prescribed, events which bring a little pomp and circumstance into our virtual existance.  Brilliantly the formality of tradition builds in humor and joy by way of the toasts, and stories, and poems/songs of the night.

But just who was this Robert Burns?

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) (also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, the Bard of Ayrshire and in Scotland as simply The Bard) was a poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best-known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a 'light' Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these pieces, his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt.

He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became an important source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. A cultural icon in Scotland and among Scots who have relocated to other parts of the world (the Scottish Diaspora), celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature.

As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) Auld Lang Syne is often sung at Hogmanay (New Year), and Scots Wha Hae served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well-known across the world today, include A Red, Red Rose, A Man's A Man for A' That, To a Louse, To a Mouse, The Battle of Sherramuir, and Ae Fond Kiss.

from the Wikipedia entry on Robert Burns

As is always my tradition, we will conclude our night of revelry with a Ceilidh.  Laugh, dance, remember, and love each other.

*****

For in the works of Robert Burns we see the whole cosmos of man’s experience and emotion, from zenith to nadir, from birth until death.

Len G. Murray

Embarking on a Sentimental Journey

Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments,
embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.

John Boswell

Five.

Five Snowflake Balls have now taken place in the Steamlands.

Incredible.

Each year I wonder at the special nature of this event. There truly seems to be some magic surrounding the annual formal winter event.  Somehow the Snowflake brings out the best in us all.  Somehow we are all brought together, despite lag, despite dance machines maxing out, despite any drama or disagreement, and despite some lethargy about this vitual world we live in.

The first Snowflake Ball was part of the first Social Season in Caledon back in January 2007.  The first Duchess Loch Avie, Shenlei Flasheart hosted it in the relatively new sim, and Gabrielle Riel was the musical director.  Caledon was growing and people were stretching their role playing legs.  Things were very proper and congenial.  The dance was incredibly fun as neighbors and friends came together in their winter best.  New friends were welcomed into the community, and we all left the night feeling so good about Caledon and her citizenry.

I became the Duchess of Loch Avie in April of 2007 and felt very strongly about continuing and expanding the social season activities.  I did not do this alone, of course.  As Gabrielle Riel discusses in her blog post on the Snowflake Ball, there were several of us who worked on events throughout the next year or so.  Now the Duchess, I hosted the second Snowflake Ball again in Loch Avie (January 2008).  It proved to be a very fine event indeed, this time specifically including friends from other Steamland nations.

The next year brought some heartache to me personally as well as to many in all of our virtual world - the changes in the open space sims. I had to leave the lands that I so loved in order to continue to host events of any size.  The script and avatar limitations on the new homestead sims were just far too restrictive to meet my needs.  Her Excellency, Kamilah Hauptmann, allowed me to host the ball on her land and (frozen) water in Port Caledon.  It was a healing and sentimental event.

Last year's event was formal, but took us traveling through time musically.  Thanks to Mr. Icarus Ghost for the musical collaboration. As well, each guest was invited to wear a costume from one of their favorite periods in time.  What a wonderful and powerful night it was.  Honestly, each year I wonder how it can get better.  How can we continue to experience the revival of the "good old days" and yet feel new and fresh and improved?

And it happened again this year.  

There were so many of us this year - so many we had to have the parcel avatar limit lifted within the first 40 minutes of the event.  Old friends, new friends.  It was so good to collaborate with Gabrielle again on a formal event.  Steelhead.  Caledon. Winterfell. Babbage. New Toulouse.  Seraph City.

I am incredibly honored to have been able to share my home with you for so many years now.  Thank you for your friendship and love.

More pictures of the event may be found in my Flickr set.

The Honour of Your Presence is Requested at the Fifth Annual Snowflake Ball

It is with great pleasure that I am once again inviting you to The Snowflake Ball, which has become a Steamlands winter tradition.  This is now the fifth such lovely event. The Snowflake Ball has deep sentimental meaning for me as one of the first formal Victorian dances in our collective history and a time and place to be with - and make - very good friends.

The first Duchess Loch Avie, Shenlei Flasheart, started this tradition in January 2007, and I am honored to have been able to continue to hold this beautiful ball each year, first in my role as Duchess Loch Avie and now also as the Lady of Skye.

I am pleased to announce that my cousin, Gabrielle Riel, will once again be providing the music for our dancing pleasure.  

My wish is that you will enjoy yourselves entirely on this very special night in the snow.  We do not wish that the formal nature of the ball would intimidate you as we utilize the dance cards for our 11 dance sets, but rather provide you with an option to enhance your pleasure of the event.  If you have not already received a notecard, which includes your dance card for the night, as part of the group announcements to Winterfell, Steelhead, and Caledon, there will be a table with cards available for your use on the night of the ball.  (I am working to have announcements made in New Babbage, New Toulouse, and Seraph City as well.)  We will observe the etiquette of the Steamlands rather than that of strict Victorian tradition.  Therefore, anyone may request a dance of anyone else (i.e. women may initiate an invitation to dance; women may dance with women and men with men;   all avatars are welcome including tinies, furries, mechanical beings of all types, time lords, and more).

We will  begin to gather on the grounds of my home, Caisteal Teanacadh, at 7pm SLT where we may visit with our friends and neighbors and perhaps begin filling the dance card - if all your dances are not spoken for prior to the ball..  The first dance set will begin at 7:15pm.

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Snowflake by William Baer

Timing’s everything. The vapor rises
high in the sky, tossing to and fro,
then freezes, suddenly, and crystallizes
into a perfect flake of miraculous snow.
For countless miles, drifting east above
the world, whirling about in a swirling free-
for-all, appearing aimless, just like love,
but sensing, seeking out, its destiny.
Falling to where the two young skaters stand,
hand in hand, then flips and dips and whips
itself about to ever-so-gently land,
a miracle, across her unkissed lips:
as he blocks the wind raging from the south,
leaning forward to kiss her lovely mouth.

The First Snowflake Ball

Caledon Loch Avie

January 2007

Second Annual Snowflake Ball

Caledon Loch Avie

January 2008

Third Annual Snowflake Ball

Port Caledon

January 2009

The Fourth Annual Snowflake Ball

Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne

January 2010

Artists for BoobieThon

I am working hard to catch up on my blogging from this weekend's FABULOUS BoobieThon events. There were so many wonderful events this weekend (starting on Friday, October 1st) that I had zero time to get the news out to you save for the occasional Tweet or Plurk. 

Our launching event was at my home in Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne, and it kicked off not only the whole of BoobieThon in SL, but the art auction.  I cannot thank our wonderful artists enough for their generosity - not only of their work, but their hearts as well.  Many of them have stories to share about their own brushes with breast cancer, whether family or friend.

The auction continues through the FINAL BID on October 6th at 9:15pm.  At that time I will capture all the high bids, remove the kiosks, and notecard our winners. 

I have created a very short video of the event utilizing one of the songs that really was a hit with the crowd, Laisse Tomber Les Filles.  DJ Frequency really outdid herself!

For a better look at many of the pictures, please feel free to visit my flickr page.

Much love!  And more to come!!

Mystical and Sacred Music Listening: Relay for Life Event

St. Cecilia by John William Waterhouse

As part of my own personal giving to Relay for Life this year, I have decided to join Radio Riel's "Riel Day for Life" on July 11th. I have donated money to sponsor two hours of music - music of my choosing.

From 6:00am - 8:00am SLT on July 11th, I invite you to listen to sacred and mystical music with me. I specifically chose the music for these time slots as they are just the beginning of a new day for me. I like the thought of easing into the day and allowing the music to set a loving and grounded tone. The first hour will be Celtic and pagan mystical music.

During the second hour we will hear sacred choral pieces of the major religions.

I will have my land in Winterfell Anodyne: Isle of Skye (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Winterfell%20Anodyne/211/159/35) open for dancing round the fire and stone circle, as well as quiet places to sit and listen - perhaps to meditate, perhaps to talk softly with friends. You are all invited to join me. Hope to see you there.

4th Annual Beltane Celebration

In Scottish Gaelic the month of May is known as either (An) Cèitean or a' Mhàigh, and the festival is known as Latha Bealltainn or simply Bealltainn - meaning ‘bright/sacred fire’. The holiday was held to mark and celebrate the blossoming of spring, and coincided with the ancient pastoral event of moving livestock into their summer grazing fields. It did not occur on any fixed solar date (the tradition of solstices and equinoxes is later in origin) but tended to be held on the first full moon after the modern 1st of May. Some sources suggest that the blooming of the Hawthorn was the primary signal for the event before the development of centralized calendars.

It was nearly entirely a celebration of the fertility of the land and their animals. The main traditional element which was common to all Beltane festivals was the fire which gave it its name. All the fires of the community would be extinguished and a new, sacred ‘Need Fire’ was lit by either the village head or spiritual leader. From this source one or two bonfires were lit, and the animals of the community would be driven through or between them. It was believed that the smoke and flame of the fires would purify the herd, protecting them in the year to come and ensuring a good number of offspring. The inhabitants of the village would then take pieces of the fire to their homes and relight their hearths, and dance around or near the bonfires to ensure good portents for them and their families.

This spring/summer rite was celebrated in many ancient cultures. Some continue it even in modern times. In many traditions the focus of Beltane is on the battle between the May Queen and the Queen of Winter. The May Queen can be recognized as Flora, the goddess of the flowers, and the young blushing bride, and the princess of the Fae. She is Lady Marian in the Robin Hood tales, and Guinevere in the Arthurian cycle. She is the embodiment of the Maiden, of mother earth in all of her fertile glory. Beltane has a long history. The Celtic fire festival is celebrated with bonfires, Maypoles, dancing, and lots of good old fashioned sexual energy. In Ireland, the fires of Tara were the first ones lit every year at Beltane, and all other fires were lit with a flame from Tara.

The Romans celebrated the Floralia, or festival of flowers, which consisted of three days of unbridled sexual activity. Participants wore flowers in their hair (much like May Day celebrants later on), and there were plays, songs, and dances. At the end of the festivities, animals were set loose inside the Circus Maximus. Land owners would have often have sex in their fields to ensure the fertility of their lands.

The entity known as the Green Man, strongly related to Cernunnos (The Horned God), is often found in the legends and lore of the British Isles, and is a masculine face covered in leaves and shrubbery. In some parts of England, a Green Man is carried through town in a wicker cage as the townsfolk welcome the beginning of summer. Impressions of the Green Man’s face can be found in the ornamentation of many of Europe’s older cathedrals, despite edicts from local bishops forbidding stonemasons from including such pagan imagery.

A related character is Jack-in-the-Green, a spirit of the greenwood. References to Jack appear in British literature back as far as the late sixteenth century. Sir James Frazer associates the figure with mummers and the celebration of the life force of trees. Jack-in-the-Green was seen even in the Victorian era, when he was associated with soot-faced chimney sweeps. At this time, Jack was framed in a structure of wicker and covered with leaves, and surrounded by Morris dancers. Some scholars suggest that Jack may have been a ancestor to the legend of Robin Hood.

This festival is also seen as a time when the veil between worlds is a bit thinner - a time for the faeries. The appearance of flowers around this time of year heralds the beginning of summer and shows us that the fae are hard at work. In early folklore, the more helpful deeds of the fae should always be acknowledged and appreciated, therefore, Beltane offered a good time to leave out food and other treats for them in your garden or yard.

As is my custom, we will begin the evening with a celebration of my Clan and the Knights of the Order of the Red Rose, and then lighting of the Beltane Need Fire. Each guest will also be offered a Beltane lamp which will light as s/he approaches the Need Fire. This light should be taken to his/her own hearth at the end of the festival.

As is always the case, I invite you to let go of the formality of day to day life and celebrate freely the renewal of the earth, the fertility of your lands, your livestock, yourselves. Release your inner, May Queen, Green Man, White Lady, Blue Man, Roman God/Goddess, or Færiekind. Dress is quite relaxed - and clothing generally becomes optional as the fever pitch around the fire grows. There will be discrete areas available for your own fertility rites to be celebrated.

Scene from the climax of our 3rd Annual Beltane celebration

**Text drawn & edited from prior years' blog posts about my celebration.

"The Hills are alive with the sound of music? I love it. " ~The Narcoleptic Argentinean

Well the Isle of Skye was certainly alive on February 27th - alive with music, but also alive with the many and diverse persons present for the event celebrating the film, Moulin Rouge.

The event was themed on the Baz Luhrmann film and was fantastically well attended and incredibly interactive and fun. The build was phenomenal thanks to my co-creators, Lady Kate Nicholas (who worked diligently with me to set most of the scene) and Mr. Iason Hassanov (for the Eiffel Tower). DJ Icarus Ghost blew everyone away with his remarkable playlist which included many original tracks (the inspiration for the movie soundtrack).

Pictures being worth thousands, I will share with you the evidence of a great event. Let's do it again sometime, 'k?

One Night Only: The Moulin Rouge in Isle of Skye

February 27th at 7pm SLT

We welcome all can-can dancers, bohemians of the new revolution, absinthe drinkers, green fairies, gentlemen (particularly those bearing gifts of diamonds), ladies, evil Maharajahs, narcoleptic Argentinians, and courtesans.



After seeing a bit of the Baz Luhrmann kinescope again several weeks ago, I decided that I really would like to throw a party based on his vision of the Moulin Rouge. Thankfully I have friends who loved the idea and were more than happy to make this vision come to life for me and for you. Hypatia Callisto has been an inspiration and so great to sponsor the event with me. Icarus Ghost has been a fabulous co-conspirator, provided the wonderful windmill build, and will be our band leader for the event. Kate Nicholas and I have been working on the major parts of the build. She has created a remarkable design based on our conversations and collaborations. And finally, Iason Hassanov is building the Eiffel Tower (a scale model) for us.

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Step into THE carbaret of 19th century Paris. Spectacular! Spectacular!

After the Snowflakes Fall.......

**From the diary of The Red Rose**

Snowflake by William Baer

Timing’s everything. The vapor rises
high in the sky, tossing to and fro,
then freezes, suddenly, and crystalizes
into a perfect flake of miraculous snow.
For countless miles, drifting east above
the world, whirling about in a swirling free-
for-all, appearing aimless, just like love,
but sensing, seeking out, its destiny.
Falling to where the two young skaters stand,
hand in hand, then flips and dips and whips
itself about to ever-so-gently land,
a miracle, across her unkissed lips:
as he blocks the wind raging from the south,
leaning forward to kiss her lovely mouth.

January 10th~

One would think that I would be completely and utterly exhausted. Under normal circumstances I suppose I would be. But I find myself still floating on air, or should I say, 'dancing on snow'. This year's Snowflake Ball has been over for more than 10 hours and I can still hear the strains of the Blue Danube, and Queen Elizabeth's Galliard, and In The Mood, and La Cumparsita, and Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman. We really traveled through time with the music this year. Mediæval, Romantic, Classical, Futuristic (from the 20th and 21st centuries). It was wonderful. Mr. Ghost did phenomenal work taking my thoughts and suggestions for theme and music and creating a playlist that all the guests seemed to enjoy.

This event has always been special to me. Along with Beltane celebrations it is probably my favorite event of each year. Only attending the first Snowflake Ball held by Shenlei Flashart, I fell in love with dancing in the snow. I was so pleased to be able to create a tradition of holding this event each January, first in Loch Avie, then in Port Caledon (shortly after the Open Space Debacle), and now in my family home on Isle of Skye in Winterfell Anodyne.

This year brought a fantastic group of friends and neighbors from all over the Steamlands. Dressed to the nines, they danced. The company was grand and the conversations sentimental, humorous, and interesting.

We officially danced 11 sets, but many did not want to even think about leaving at the appointed hour. *smiles softly* Mr. Ghost and I conversed and decided to play & dance on for another hour. I don't blame anyone for not wanting to leave the romance and beauty of the setting and the wonderful music. It truly was another magical night. A night of remembrance, hope, and love.

Yes. Yes, we will do this again next year and for as many years as I am able.

~E~

A few pictures and a short slide show from the night~

Mr. Ghost and Miss Hypatia

Lady Eleanor Anderton's wonderful Flickr Slideshow.

And my slideshow: