Tips For Driving Your Model T Ford

/

Driving Back In Time

Going through some boxes of old family photos and papers, I discovered an email written by my step-dad about his memories of the Model T Ford. He described what it was like to drive it and recalled how it was put together.

For any gear-heads out there, and for those who enjoy a jaunt back in time, I offer his own words. And here, a photo of a 1927 Model T Ford Roadster with a Pickup Body.

Hit The Road In Your Model T Ford

 

His words: The Model T Ford had three pedals that connected to bands in the transmission. One pedal was for the brake band within the transmission. There were no brakes at any of the wheels.

The emergency brake was hand operated and on the earlier models it was on the left side of the driver. When you pulled on it, it provided braking and the drive band was put in neutral, which put the drive pedal in the middle of its range.

The drive pedal was depressed down for low gear and let all the way up for drive. This caused a problem for some people that were learning to drive or were inebriated from drink – for example, when they pulled into the garage they could push the pedal down half-way and it would be in neutral, but if they happened to push it too far, it was in low gear, and could push out the back wall of their garage.

The third pedal was for the reverse band and could also be used for a brake if the brake band was worn thin and didn't function well.

 
 

His words continued: The throttle and spark advance levers were both hand-operated and located just up under the steering wheel. To start it, you first retarded the spark and advanced the throttle lever slightly, then hand cranked the engine to start. 

As soon as it started, the spark was advanced to the running position. If it were left retarded, the engine would get extremely hot. If you happened to forget to retard it to start, the crank would kick back from the pre-ignition and could even break your arm.

Once you were on the road, it was only a steering job. The hand throttle stayed where you set it and the drive pedal was up. That's about all you need to know to drive a Model T Ford. 

 

Photo courtesy of The Murphy Auto Museum.

Ford Trucks And Their History

Segment One: the Model T Years 1925-1927:

 
“When ordered from the Ford factories the Model T Runabouts with Pickup Body were usually painted black or green.

For 1927, the last year Ford would produce the Model T, additional colors were made available for the Runabouts. Blue and Brown were the colors added and, if you wanted one of these colors, your Model T Runabout with Pickup Body came with black painted fenders, running board and a radiator shell.

Some owners dressed up their pickups with the Model T Ford’s nickel plated radiator shell and wire type wheels to give their trucks a more modern look.

At the end of the model year, Ford had produced some 18,142 Model T Runabouts with Pickup Body trucks which was a pretty good number of units for those times.”
— Ford Trucks, Paul McLaughlin
 

The cost of a 1927 Model T Ford Runabout with Pickup Body was $366.

We Drive Computers Today, Not Cars

I remember my dad lamenting the changes to cars even by the 1980s, how they were becoming so computerized, that he couldn't work on them anymore. Instead of car parts, there were computers and you needed specialized computer equipment to make repairs.

The Details Of History

If you have a love of history, it's interesting to picture the details of a life gone-by. With The Radiance Technique® (TRT®), you can direct energy to another time and space with techniques you are taught in The Second Degree of TRT®. 

At The First Degree of TRT®, applying TRT® hands-on allows you to get in touch with your own awareness and expand your imagination with events and times in the past. 

It was a treat to "hear" my dad's voice describing his memories of the Model T Ford. I'm grateful to have found his email printed out.

Perhaps, the next time you hop in your car you'll think back to the Model T Ford.

Our cars are still only four wheels running down the road, and yet, how different today!

 

Casanova And The Lottery

/

A Record Powerball

In January 2016 we had the biggest jackpot in U.S. history with the Powerball – $1.5 billion. The games are hard to miss. Everyone talks about it and it’s well covered in the news.

Even if you never play the lottery, your imagination couldn't help but be tickled by the idea of winning millions of dollars. Just what would you do with all that money?

How Will You Spend Your Winnings?

Are you day-dreaming how you'd spend those winning dollars? Who doesn't enjoy a little financial fantasy now and then?

Articles popped up offering advice as to whether you should take the lump sum or the annuity. The annuity pays out your winnings annually over 30 years. Tax consequences were discussed.

Everyone wholeheartedly debated their spending options, never mind that they would likely never face this choice in real life. Forget that depressing detail. It's still fun to contemplate such a weighty decision.

The $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot in January 2016 was won by three separate ticket holders, all in different states. The jackpot was split equally between them.

Even after paying significant taxes, they each had a sizable amount to spend. Divided among the three tickets, the cash lump sum was $310 million for each.

The First Lottery in France

As you chew on your pencil, bent over your Powerball ticket, deep in thought as to which numbers are going to let you sail away, you may not have considered where this whole idea of choosing six numbers started.

The first lottery in France was created in 1757. We have Casanova to thank for it.

Casanova – Professional Adventurer

Giovanni Giacomo Casanova.

Born in Venice, Italy: 02 April 1725; died in Dux, Bohemia: 04 June 1798.

Casanova is remembered today, thanks to his autobiography. Without it, his life stories would have slipped away with the ebb and flow of history. 

 
“Worthy or not, my life is my subject, and my subject is my life.”
— Giacomo Casanova
 

Casanova traveled and lived throughout Europe. He was well-educated and fluent in several languages. Although he was Italian, he wrote his autobiography entirely in eloquent French.

Most of us know the name Casanova as being associated with his reputation of being the world's greatest lover. Naturally, that is always a matter of opinion.

If his name is evoked in conversation: "He thinks he's a regular Casanova..." it tells us a man is wooing a maid, or many maids, in an overt manner. The definition of a casanova is a man who is passionate about women and has many lovers.

However, like most of us, he was multi-faceted. Not only did he write of his sexual conquests, he also revealed his life as a spy, librarian, gambler, mathematician, and bourgeois businessman. His favorite self-described avocation was that of professional adventurer.

Casanova – Founder Of The French Lottery

As part of his gambler and mathematician activities, Casanova convinced the King of France to sponsor a lottery to help raise money for the construction of a military school in Paris, 

The Loterie de l'École Militaire was decreed on 15 October 1757.

 
“Rather than minimizing the lottery’s potential financial exposure, Casanova suggested that the state flaunt money to whet consumers’ appetites and to garner their confidence in the institution.

He suggested that the Royal Council guarantee the lottery for up to a hundred million livres. Others balked at such a large sum, but Casanova argued that such a measure would reassure consumers.

Moreover, he suggested that just the talk of such large sums of money would fire the imagination of consumers as they would project that money in their own hands.

Casanova offered the cautious men of finance a lesson in consumer psychology. As he told them: the thing is to dazzle.”
 

Quote from The Loterie de l'École Militaire: Making the Lottery Noble and Patriotic
by Robert Kruckeberg

Spinning numbers were chosen, much like today. That very first lottery in France raised the equivalent of 2 million francs in today's terms, an enormous sum for the era. 

The Energy Of Abundance

Students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) are invited to explore the energy of abundance in their meditations.

What is abundance to you? It may not always be in the form of money. Examples of abundance may be the apples in your pie, or the family smiles around your holiday table, or the bird songs in your backyard.

With TRT® hands-on, you can build upon expanding the energy of abundance in your life with Head Positions #1 and #2, and Front Position #1.

Students of The Second Degree of TRT® can connect with their Authorized Instructor for ideas of how to direct energy to support abundance in their lives.

Six Lucky Numbers

Addendum: in October 2018, after a run of no winners, the Mega Millions Lottery jackpot hit $1.6 billion. And with no winners in the Powerball as well, its jackpot is soaring up to $620 million.

The next time you play Powerball, even if you just imagine what you'd do with big winnings from the lottery, you might cast a thought to Casanova.

When we choose six lucky numbers, we evoke his memory.

Ah, Casanova, we do remember you.

 

Belaying Pins And Pirates

/

Belaying Pins Are A Beauteous Thing

Part of the fun of pirate festivals and days set aside to talk like a pirate is the exploration into history and discovering the details of how life had meaning in another era. 

As a reminder, an illustrious day draws nigh on 19 September. Yes, our fun-loving, swashbuckling, Talk Like A Pirate Day. Be sure to mark your calendar.

Talking like a pirate expands into wearing the clothing and accoutrements of a pirate or any other sort of character who frequented the lives of pirates and lived in the late 1700s.

A Cast Of Characters

If you attend any pirate festival you'll find pirates, of course, but also those who chased them such as The Royal Navy. Amongst the crowd will also be lurking innkeepers, barmaids, aristocracy and townsfolk. Many people research the time period and know a great deal about its details.

Choosing your time travel outfit needs care and preparation. Participants aim for authenticity. At the Northern California Pirate Festival a few years back, I discovered an important part of any pirate's outfit, the belaying pin. 

A local woodworker artisan had on display gorgeous belaying pins he had created from various woods. The photo above was from his tent at the festival. He was happy to share with me some stories behind belaying pins.

Belaying Pins On A Sailing Ship

Belaying pins are not just a bit of folklore. They are an integral part of a sailing ship as shown in this photo by Bruno Girin. They secure the many ropes of the ship's rigging which is connected to the sails. When you need to release the ropes quickly, rather than taking time to unwind them, you simply pull out the belaying pin and the ropes are set free.

 
“A belaying pin is a device used on traditional sailing vessels to secure lines. Their function on modern vessels has been replaced by cleats, but they are still used, particularly on larger sailing ships.

A belaying pin is a solid wood or metal bar with a curved top portion and cylindrical shaft. It is inserted into a hole in a wooden pintail, which usually runs along the inside of the bulwarks (although free-standing pintails are also used). This means that if a line needs to be released in a hurry, the belaying pin can be lifted out, releasing the line.”
 

The rope line is guided under and behind the base of the pin, then around the top in a figure-8 pattern until at least four turns are completed.

Belaying pins are also used to provide increased friction to control a line by taking a single round-turn and one or more "S" turns around the pin. Thus, it effectively belays the line. Donald Launer sings the praises of belaying pins in his article in the magazine Good Old Boat. 

Belaying pins are usually made from a dense hardwood that can withstand the wet and salty elements found aboard a ship at sea. In the photo below, you can see this ship taking on water. Since they are located throughout a sailing ship, belaying pins are readily accessible to sailors which leads us to their other not-so-benign uses.

Belaying Pins As Weapons

Belaying pins had numerous uses including:

 
“As improvised weapons and means of discipline on both military and civilian ships. They were sometimes used to force conscripts onto a ship.
Belaying pins were also used in battle when other weapons were not available.”
 

In a romantic historical novel about Christopher Columbus entitled Columbus, author Rafael Sabatini described the use of a belaying pin in battle in the hands of his character Colon.

 
“Colon stood alone to stem the rush, armed with an iron belaying pin which he had plucked from the rack.
Colon swung the belaying pin , and the Irishman went down with a broken head...
In a moment the waist of the caravel was a scene of raging battle. Colon’s belaying pin smashed the arm of Gomez as that broken hidalgo was brandishing a knife, and it sent another of his assailants rolling in the scuppers.
Colon turned his belaying pin into a projectile, and hurled it into the mass of the assailants...”
— Columbus, by Rafael Sabatini
 

Belaying Pins And Pirates

Pirates also made use of belaying pins as an improvised weapon. Local ordinances banned sailors from carrying swords and pistols when they came ashore. Weapons had to remain on the ship. Well, being pirates with reputations to maintain for getting into skirmishes, they hedged their bets by tucking a spare belaying pin in their belts when they went tavern hopping.

Every true pirate needs a good belaying pin. Proper etiquette indicates that you wear it tucked in your belt on your back. It's in easy reach so you can pull it out should a scuffle present itself.

Arrgggh, as they say. A little self-protection.

Treasure Island And Belaying Pins

In the 1934 movie of Treasure Island, based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, Long John Silver knocks Ben Gunn over the head with a belaying pin before escaping off the Hispaniola.

In the 1972 Treasure Island movie version, members of Long John Silver's company take over the Hispaniola after arming themselves with belaying pins and incapacitating Redruth by throwing one at his head. (Reference: The Pirate Primer, by George Choundas.)

Making History Come Alive

For students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®), you can use TRT® when you study history or participate in Talk Like A Pirate Day. Your use of TRT® hands-on while learning puts you more in touch with past events, expanding your understanding of history. 

For those who have studied to The Second Degree of TRT®, they can direct energy to events or to specific people whom they find intriguing. It supports you to go deeper in your awareness of past and present and to get in touch with different people who have influenced our times.

For any history buff, learning the details of life in another era brings delight. It's intriguing to imagine how others have moved across time and space.

A little disclaimer: in no way does this post support using belaying pins as a weapon or for harm. This is about discovering and exploring history, not making it happen again in reality.

Could I interest you in a belaying pin, me matey?

 

Time Travel – Get Ready, Get Set, Go

/

Time Travel And Romance

Meandering about on Twitter, I stumbled across a review of romance time travel novels. Time travel and romance?

Romance time travel writers have an interesting conundrum.

Can someone remain in the past? Is it possible for someone to stay in the future and cope with all the changes?

How do you address the languages? Health practices? Foods?

Not For The Faint Of Heart

Time travel makes for an intriguing read of fiction. I'd love to time travel, romance or not. I'd be content to be a will-of-the-wisp, a ghost-like figure that floated around to witness events. But even more, I'd like to jump back into the thick of things.

World history weaves a colorful time tapestry. European history dances across these intricately woven threads. Patterns emerge of emotions and thoughts, architecture, valor and despair. 

I want to know more, up close and personal.

We read about castles that no longer exist, then we're shown drawings of how we imagine they appeared. But, I want to see and feel them, not imagine them.

I want to experience the bustle of people in the castle courtyards and look up and see guards on the ramparts.

Details Of The Past

I want to...

  • hear the roar of laughter of people in taverns, and the clanking of blacksmiths at the forge,

  • smell the loam of the fields at early dawn, and feel the earthen footpaths beneath my feet,

  • savor freshly-made apple cider, and nibble warm hot-cross buns straight out of brick ovens,

  • feel dancing breezes as they ruffle my hair, and swoon to the fragrant scent of ripening fields,

  • wander in the thick underbrush of wild forests, and listen to howling wolves who thrived long before they were beaten back by modern sprawl.

 

At least, that's what I tell myself.

When we launch into the fourth dimension of time travel and head too far into the past, I crash-land into my suspension of disbelief.

Time Travel Is Fraught With Danger

If we dropped into the medieval period, we would be hard pressed to understand anything the locals said. Europe was a vast, untamed wilderness dotted with small villages, each with their own dialect.

How would we explain where we are from? The definition of a foreigner was anyone not from their own town. Even someone from a nearby village was viewed with great suspicion.

How strange do you think we would sound to them?

So strange, I dare say, that we could easily end up stoned to death as a witch. That could put a damper on the fun.

Vaccines, Sanitation And Medications

When you travel back in time, do your vaccinations from today still protect you? That would be handy in the face of smallpox or polio. My heart aches every time I consider that Louis XV suffered a vile death, all for want of a smallpox vaccine.

Let's say your vaccines protect you – if should you choose to stay in the past, the days of your life would be shortened, realistically, by about 30 years. The average life span in 1900 was age 45.

Our modern lifespans are epxanded due to vaccinations, antibiotics and sanitation.

What if you get hurt and the wound becomes infected? Today, it is easily treated with antibiotics. Back then, it could rapidly transform into a raging systemic infection; time to write your obituary.

The heart attacks and strokes that zipped us off the planet in a hurry are now held at bay with blood pressure medications, stents, and heart valve replacements.

Important note: don't have a baby while time traveling. Women and infants commonly died in childbirth. This was accepted as one of the facts of life, par for the course.

During the time of Louis IX (1200s), an infant was rushed to baptism immediately after birth, even without the mother who was still recovering. Infant mortality rate was so high, they wanted to ensure the child had a place in heaven.

Our Films Depict The Past, They Lie

We have a wealth of movies depicting many time periods. Movie stars, with their flawless skin and perfect sets of teeth, all take turns enacting historical figures. Our movie-camera techniques are advanced enough that even a glaring pimple is artfully erased from a starlet's face.

In the past, we looked nothing like our cinema stars of today.

In the French court, both men and women wore heavy, white, lead makeup with garish red spots for rouge. For sex-appeal today, they are seldom portrayed in the true makeup of the time. (See the movie cover above depicting the French King, Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour without period make-up.)

People didn't bathe often or wash their faces. Many layers of caked makeup accumulated. The lead and mercury in makeup foundations took its toll on everyone's health as it slowly poisoned them.

Health Issues And Smelling The Past

Another thing about our movies – we can't smell the past.

Could our modern day sensibilities handle the chamber pots filled with excrement tossed into the streets each morning?

Could we stomach the bodily odors from people who bathed only twice a year?

Imagine trying to set a broken bone without the benefit of an ultrasound for alignment. Surgical pins placed in bones did not exist and shattered bones may not be set at all, leaving you lame and crippled.

The teeth you were born with were the teeth you got. Crooked? Just be thankful you have them. Without good dental hygiene, teeth rotted, fell out and were never replaced.

Of course, we don't want to watch movies with dirty, toothless actors who are disfigured and crippled. So our main characters act out their roles blemish-free with clean, coiffed hair and gleaming, capped teeth.

The Radiance Technique® And Time Travel

Students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) are able to connect with history as well as individuals from the past.  Those who have studied The Second Degree of The Radiance Technique® are able to direct universal energy across time and space through a specific technique they are taught in their course. The events of history do not change, but supportive energy is made available.

For students of The First Degree of The Radiance Technique®, apply TRT® hands-on while studying historical events. With TRT® hands-on, you support healing and balancing of your feelings and attitudes regarding historical events. You become more aware of the people and their situations.

I know I don't want to be in any century – past, present or future – without TRT®.

Reality Versus Magic

Oh, reality, you knave. How you destroy my suspension of disbelief.

This messy state of human life, that we call reality, threatens to derail my fanciful flight across time. We talk of the possibility of time travel which, in and of itself, is magical and can surely overcome any complications.

The romance time travel authors are a brave lot. Or foolhardy, some might say.

How many of these details do they skip over? How many do they address? Despite all the challenges, I hope they keep writing as we all benefit from a little magic in our lives.

It's probably obvious that I work in the medical field. Yet, with all my misgivings, I'm ready to time travel.

Time Travel With A Few Conditions

Okay, let's go!

Back in time!

Um, as long as I can return when I want.

And, I want to be assured that I'll be able to speak and understand the native languages.

And, I'd like to take a few medications with me.

And, well, maybe I could pack a reference book or two to help me out with historical details.

Time Travel Portal

Do you have a preference for which time portal you'd like to use?

A police box whirling through the cosmos? An empty arch waiting on a deserted planet?

When and where would you like to go?

Wassailing, Old Tradition Made New

/

Wassailing – Traditions Then And Now

What a busy time of year. Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Yuletide, St. Nicolas, Santa Claus, Wassailing...

Hold on a quick New York second. Wassailing? That goofy word that no one knows how to pronounce; that's in an obscure Christmas carol that no one sings, because no one knows what it is?

Yes. That's the one.

Wassailing – Wassail.

The wonder of languages. The words "Wassailing – Wassail" are inspiring. Who amongst us gets the chance to say "wassail" often enough?

For the delight of a linguistics person, wassail is a noun, a verb, and even a salutation. It doesn't get better than that.

Wordsmith has this to share:

WASSAIL

PRONUNCIATION: (WAHS-uhl, wah-SAYL)

MEANING: Verb transitive: To toast.
Verb intransitive: To go from house to house singing carols at Christmas.
Noun:  1. A toast to someone's health.
2. A festivity with much drinking.
3. A drink for toasting, especially spiced ale.
4. The singing of Christmas carols going from house to house.

ETYMOLOGY: The word Wassail is thought to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon toast Wæs þu hæl – or "be thou hale" (healthy). Earliest documented use: 1275. The Anglo-Saxon derived from Old Norse ves heill – or "be well" in which case, wassailing likely predates the Norman conquest in 1066.

It was a Saxon custom that, at the start of each year, the lord of the manor would shout "waes hael." The assembled crowd would reply "drinc hael" - meaning "drink and be healthy." 

What Is Wassailing?

Wassailing has been associated with both Christmas and New Year's celebrations. It was a way of passing on good wishes among family and friends. It was also an ancient ceremony that involved singing and drinking to the health of trees.

Wikipedia informs us:

“The tradition of wassailing falls into two distinct categories: The House-Visiting wassail and the Orchard-Visiting wassail. The House-Visiting wassail, caroling by another name, is the practice of people going door-to-door singing Christmas carols.

The Orchard-Visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year.”
 

The Herefordshire Times states:

“Steeped in history, wassailing is traditionally held on the Twelfth Night after Christmas and performed in orchards to awaken the apple trees from their winter slumber and ward off bad spirits.”
 

Trees are precious and they deserve some much-needed recognition. We are more than happy to gather 'round and dance and toast to their health.

It also shows how we used to be more connected to nature and cognizant of our foods and from whence they came. Somehow going into the supermarket and singing to the produce aisles to ensure full shelves for next year doesn’t have the same appeal.

The Beverley Guardian tells us in their article Days Lengthen, Cold Strengthens:

“Wassailing used to be carried out throughout England with other trees such as pear, plum, or cobnut. Cows and oxen used to be wassailed too for the same reason, to bring luck and encourage good health in the coming year.”
 

Wassailing may have continued for some die-hards in our beloved merry ol' England, but for the rest of us across the pond, it didn't get much press. Until now.

Wassailing is making a comeback. More and more, people are including a wassail drink or a wassailing festival for the trees in their celebrations.

A Wassailing Song

The Wassail Song of today is a traditional English Christmas carol.

For our musicians: the verses are in 6/8 time which bounces us along; then the chorus steps in, as smooth as glass, when it switches to 2/2 time. This contrast provides captivating musical interest.

The image above is an example of the printed sheet music.

In 1902 Elder and Shepard published a series of six Christmas carols on single sheets (one of them, The Wassail Song, pictured above). The artwork is by Harold M. Sichel, who was one of Elder’s favorite art contributors.

Of particular interest in the printing is the choice of font that uses the sharp S for the double "ss" as well as the older "s." The scharfes S "ß" (sharp S) is commonly used in German, however, it's also possible to see a long-s short-s ligature (ß) in English texts from the 15th and 16th centuries. Here, it makes for a nice antique effect.

Here We Come A-Wassailing

For an intricate version of the song with rich harmonies, we have The King's Singers from their album, A Little Christmas Music. Be sure to take a listen.

Bring TRT® To Your Festivities

Students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) can use this supportive technique with all their traditions and holiday activities. Use of TRT® hands-on while participating in events brings greater Light to your celebrations and expands the qualities of loving.

You can use TRT® hands-on while studying history. It helps provide a sense of the deeper energies of those times.

The Wassail Drink

To have a proper Wassail event, you need to have a Wassail drink.

In days of yore, you'd find an ale-based drink flavored with spices and honey. 

Ancient Wassail also had cream and egg whites beaten into it, making for a curdling or frothing that looked like the white wool of a lamb. Hence, it also came to be known as Lambswool – a mixture of hot ale, spices, sugar, breadcrumbs and roasted apples into which beaten eggs and cream were stirred.

To our ancestors, Lambswool was quite delectable. It could be argued it is the grandfather of our modern eggnog.

Today, however, our modern tastebuds tend not to favor warm beer. And your guests may start packing to leave if you serve them a curdled drink.

Wassail Drink Recipes

A plethora of Wassail recipe choices await you on the internet. You can find Wassails that are non-alcoholic, spiked, some that more closely resemble mulled wine than Wassail and others that stay true to the apple cider base.

Here is one recipe with warmed beer, Traditional Wassail Recipe, and another Wassail recipe that includes the eggs.

Yet another Wassail brew has Calvados as an ingredient. A specialty from Normandy, France, Calvados is an authentic apple brandy.

If you can't find Calvados, you could substitute any quality brandy. In truth, tossing an expensive Calvados in a mixture of several juices is a bit extravagant; you may wish to reserve it for more purist libations.

The Wassail Bowl. by John Gilbert, 1860.

Make Wassailing a Part of Your Traditions

The nice thing about Wassail is that it's not emphatically tied down to a specific date or even whether it is Christmas or New Year's – whichever timing works for you.

Or why not plan for both timings – Christmas for the caroling and January as a pick-me-up after the rush of the holidays? January is a nice time to sing to the trees.

Turn the old tradition of Wassailing into a new one for your family and friends. We should hear a lot more Waes hael and Drinc hael being shouted out around us.

A tradition has to start somewhere, and like they say, there's no time like the present.

Waes Hael – Good Health !

 

Saint Nicolas Has A Story To Tell

/

Who Is Saint Nicolas?

While living in Europe and spending time in France, I made a discovery. There was a flurry of activity associated with the date of 06 December and Saint Nicolas.

But, wait a minute. What was Saint Nick doing here instead of his usual haunt of 25 December for Christmas?

Saint Nicolas And Santa Claus

Naturally, I've known our modern-day American Santa Claus all my life, but I wasn't raised Catholic. I was unaware of Saint Nicolas, the saint, per se. .

Time for sleuthing. Off I launched on the trail. Saint Nicolas was actually a real person born in Greece and a remarkable 4th-century Christian saint who lived a long time ago from 15 March 270 to 06 December 343.

 
“In 325, he was one of many bishops to answer the request of Constantine and appear at the First Council of Nicaea. Nicolas was a staunch defender of the Orthodox Christian position, and one of the bishops who signed the Nicene Creed.”
 

The story of Saint Nicolas has a bit more flavor than our present-day Santa Claus. Finding the connection between Santa and Saint helped to explain how he came to have his nickname of Saint Nick.

The Story Of Saint Nicolas

If you spend any time looking at original fairy tales and at The Brothers Grimm, pre-Disney, you will find harsh renditions of these tales. Violent endings were commonplace and wickedness was, without apologies, very wicked.

Exploring these harsh-reality versions is fascinating and a peek back into time. My first taste of this was reading The Little Matchstick Girl, published in 1845 by Hans Christian Andersen. She died on New Year's Eve, sitting on the sidewalk, leaning against a building, frozen to death. The next morning, people walked by in their warm coats and gloves and scarcely gave notice. Life was as hard as nails in those days.

True to the storytelling of that time, probably the most important miracle of Saint Nicolas recounts a gruesome tale of a butcher who lured three angelic (naturally) children into his home. It was dark and they were lost after a day of gathering sticks in the forest.

The butcher happily welcomed them. He then proceeded to chop them all up, as only a butcher can, and store them in a big bin. Presumably for midnight snacks or to sell the meat to the unsuspecting villagers.

You can see their little shoes lined up after he has killed them in this illustration. Egads!

In the story of Saint Nicolas, the butcher chops up the children

The Miracles Of Saint Nicolas

Now, Saint Nicolas is one awesome saint. I mean, it's one thing to bring an intact dead body back to life. But to reassemble chopped up bits and bring all three children back to life is a top-of-the-line saint by anyone's standards.

And, that is just what he did.

He visited the village and stopped by the butcher's house. When the butcher offered him other meats, Saint Nicolas said, "No, I want what is in that bin!" He pointed three fingers and out came the revived children.

In the story of Saint Nicolas, he saves the three children

Penance For The Wicked Butcher

Don't think the butcher got away with it.

When the butcher begged for mercy, Saint Nicolas pardoned him, but on the condition that the now-repentant butcher would travel with him throughout the land as penance.

The butcher is known as Père Fouettard. Fouettard comes from the word for whip in French. Père Fouettard is usually dressed in black or dark clothes and he carries a switch to whip all the bad children.

Saint Nicolas brings treats for the good children.

Père Fouettard travels with Saint Nicolas with switches to whip all the bad children

Celebrating Saint Nicolas Day

Saint Nicolas Day is celebrated mostly in the northern parts of Europe as well as in Russia. Children place their sabots, wooden shoes, by the door or near the fireplace for Saint Nicolas to fill them with little treats.

However, instead of a sleigh pulled by reindeer, Saint Nicolas travels with a humble donkey. Along with their wooden shoes, children usually leave out a carrot or two as a tasty treat for their four-footed friend.

Saint Nicolas is often depicted walking with his donkey and Père Fouettard following behind, carrying his switches.

Just as our American Santa Claus will don an outfit and visit children, so too, will Saint Nicolas and Père Fouettard. French adults recount the visceral fear they felt as little children when Père Fouettard would visit their schools and villages. Well, with good reason... chopped up into bits would terrorize anyone.

In France, there is also Père Noël (Father Christmas) who appears on Christmas Eve, like our Santa Claus. They celebrate the day of Saint Nicolas and Père Noël also visits them with goodies for Christmas Eve, so they luck out twice in December.

The story of Saint Nicolas

Saint Nicolas – Patron Saint

Saint Nicolas is quite the active patron saint. After his amazing feat of bringing three children back to life, he is the patron saint for all lost children.

He is also the patron saint for sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, pawnbrokers and students in various cities and countries around Europe.

Lighting Our Legends

Students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) can use TRT® hands-on to become more in touch with their own awareness about the story. When studying history, your use of TRT® can put you more in touch with events. If you wish to go deeper, tales such as these are symbolic of energies of good and evil and even our own journey within.

Wooden shoes are placed in front of the fire for the Feast Day of Saint Nicolas

December 6 – Feast Day Of Saint Nicolas

What about you? Will you be leaving out your wooden shoes on the 6th of December for Saint Nicolas?

I know I will. Luckily, I was able to pick up some wooden shoes when I lived in Germany. I just hope he can find me now, in the United States, far from his usual stomping grounds of Northern Europe.

Fortunately, the connections of the heart know no boundaries or distance. We'll be sure to find each other there.

Have a wonderful Saint Nicolas Day.

 

Cinderella, Kindness And Magic

/

Cinderella

Cinderella, the Disney movie, is coming in March 2015. Watching the promos, I cannot wait. The movie trailer made me a little teary-eyed.

Really. I even surprised myself.

Just look at this glass slipper. And I don't even like heels!

However, the Fairy Godmother tells Cinderella, "You'll find they're really comfortable." Frankly, I never argue with a Fairy Godmother.

I felt like I was 15 years old again. Magical possibilities and right-overcoming-wrong made my heart soar. This Disney movie trailer has all the right effects of swelling music and sparkling magic combined with a timeless story.

The Disney Movie Trailer For Cinderella


Chosen For The Part Of Cinderella

As I watched the video trailer, I found myself thinking, gosh, Cinderella seems so familiar. Who is that young lady? Even her voice seemed familiar. Wait, wait, don't tell me...

Oh, of course, beautiful Rose from our beloved Downton Abbey. British accent and all. What a perfect choice for this Cinderella movie.

What a thrill it must have been for her to be chosen for the part. Can you imagine it? Getting the call that said, "Yes, you've been selected among thousands to play the part of Cinderella."

Lady Rose, Lily James the actress, aka Cinderella, gracefully and delightfully evokes a sense of youthful awe and magic. I find myself believing, if only for a moment – "it could happen" – that wonderful suspension of disbelief.

Kindness, Goodness And Magic

I love the emphasis on kindness in this movie. We could all use a lot more kindness in the world. Even the Dalai Lama XIV talks about it in this quote:

Be kind whenever possible.  It is always possible.

Cinderella's mother shares with her a secret - "have courage and be kind" - which is wonderful advice for all of us. I, for one, would like to see kindness "win" more often.

I'm not particularly disposed to the idea of a Prince Charming coming to save me, in any literal sense, but I can certainly enjoy a story about it. These fairy tales are a part of my growing up.

Fairy Tales And Archetype

Fairy tales are universally appealing. They are old stories that have been handed down across the centuries and are told over and over again.  Fairy tales have archetypal energies that speak to something universal within us.

Good wins over evil; right succeeds after being wrongly treated. Having these energies enacted right in front of us appeals to our collective subconscious.

In literature, an archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature.

Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist, argued that the root of an archetype is in the “collective unconscious” of mankind. The phrase “collective unconscious” refers to experiences shared by a race or culture. This includes love, religion, death, birth, life, struggle, survival etc. These experiences exist in the subconscious of every individual and are recreated in literary works or in other forms of art.

Story telling is an important part of who we are. The stories comfort and entertain us and we bond together by sharing a common story line, nodding in agreement over the plot and outcome.

Even the highly commercialized Disney empire, keeper of fairy tales during the past century, has scored “direct visceral hits” with films that have captured the “power and the melodrama of the stories in their original form." -Maria Tartar

Photo of Cinderella dressed in her ballgown to go the ball. Image from Disney poster for the movie.

Cinderella goes to the ball. 

Applying Universal Energy To Archetypal Energies

Students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®), can direct energy to parts of the story that personally resonate for them. Every topic is touched on in Cinderella – the death of a family member, ideas of right and wrong, the downtrodden, love and redemption. Watching the movie while applying TRT® hands-on is a great way to stay centered and aware.

Maybe you have little ones who have to see the movie. TRT® hands-on during the movie is a great time to catch up on a little extra energy for you.

Relax And Enjoy The Show

Of course, it's also possible to enjoy the show and not worry about archetype or any other deeper meaning.  I like to sit back and use my TRT® hands-on to enhance relaxation and enjoyment of the movie.

As for me, I also have a small, magical ability to tell the future. I predict we will be seeing a lot of little girls in Cinderella costumes next Halloween.