Lovingly Present

Memories within her fibers deep
There rests her inner child asleep
A young girl of imagination now grown
Yet in remembrance of all ever known
She is spirit free of confine
Reminding me of liberation mine
Ever embracing, discovering, initiating a knowing wise
Understanding those who may beckon demise
And so in joyful encounter she chooses to be
And awakened remains lovingly present within me.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


Young Girl Holding a Doll, Oil on canvas, Fritz Zuber-Buhler, Swiss, 1822-1896



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MOON AT APOGEE
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The Moon is at its greatest distance from Earth during this orbit.
Its distance will be 251,552 miles.
Compare this value to the average distance of 238,857 miles.
Monday, December 21, 2009
THE DECEMBER SOLSTICE
12:47 p.m. EST

Soulful Mind

Strength, direction, harmony
Ever present questing destiny
Healing body, mind, soul
Ever present questing goal
Premonition and knowing wise
Ever present questing prize
Mastery of time and space
Ever present questing grace
One with truth, nature and creation
Ever present questing celebration
Enlightenment and SELF defined
Ever present questing soulful mind.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


Regulus, exhibited 1828, reworked and exhibited 1837,
Oil on canvas, Joseph Mallord William Turner, English, 1775–1851,
Tate, London, Turner Bequest, 1856.e, London, Turner Bequest, 1856.
Photograph Credit
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
www.metmuseum.org

Turner here presents the departure of Marcus Attilius Regulus, the Roman general. Regulus was made Consul for the second time about 256 B.C., and with his colleague, Manlius Vulso, commanded in the first war against Carthage. He was made prisoner, and then sent to Rome by the Carthaginians, with an embassy, to make peace. He bound himself by an oath to return if the terms were rejected. Not believing it noble to advise the abandonment of the war, he, regardless of the entreaties of his family, and even of those of the senate and the people, urged its prosecution. This was eventually decided upon. Regulus returned to Carthage and certain death. As one who refused to purchase life by sacrificing his country or breaking his oath, Turner bestowed a commemoration upon Regulus in this painting.

And so the light, ever present questing soulful mind..

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Thanksgivng Celebrations Through The Ages

The History of Thanksgiving
and its Celebrations

"Throughout history mankind has celebrated the bountiful harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies. Before the establishment of formal religions many ancient farmers believed that their crops contained spirits which caused the crops to grow and die. Many believed that these spirits would be released when the crops were harvested and they had to be destroyed or they would take revenge on the farmers who harvested them. Some of the harvest festivals celebrated the defeat of these spirits.

Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were held by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Egyptians.

The Greeks

The ancient Greeks worshiped many gods and goddesses. Their goddess of grains was Demeter who was honored at the festival of Thesmosphoria held each autumn.

On the first day of the festival married women (possibility connecting childbearing and the raising of crops) would build leafy shelters and furnish them with couches made with plants. On the second day they fasted. On the third day a feast was held and offerings to the goddess Demeter were made - gifts of seed corn, cakes, fruit, and pigs. It was hoped that Demeter's gratitude would grant them a good harvest.

The Romans

The Romans also celebrated a harvest festival called Cerelia, which honored Ceres their goddess of grains (from which the word cereal comes). The festival was held each year on October 4th and offerings of the first fruits of the harvest and pigs were offered to Ceres. Their celebration included music, parades, games and sports and a thanksgiving feast.

The Chinese

The ancient Chinese celebrated their harvest festival, Chung Ch'ui, with the full moon that fell on the 15th day of the 8th month. This day was considered the birthday of the moon and special "moon cakes", round and yellow like the moon, would be baked. Each cake was stamped with the picture of a rabbit - as it was a rabbit, not a man, which the Chinese saw on the face of the moon.

The families ate a thanksgiving meal and feasted on roasted pig, harvested fruits and the "moon cakes". It was believed that during the 3 day festival flowers would fall from the moon and those who saw them would be rewarded with good fortune.

According to legend Chung Ch'ui also gave thanks for another special occasion. China had been conquered by enemy armies who took control of the Chinese homes and food. The Chinese found themselves homeless and with no food. Many staved. In order to free themselves they decided to attack the invaders.

The women baked special moon cakes which were distributed to every family. In each cake was a secret message which contained the time for the attack. When the time came the invaders were surprised and easily defeated. Every year moon cakes are eaten in memory of this victory.

The Hebrews

Jewish families also celebrate a harvest festival called Sukkoth. Taking place each autumn, Sukkoth has been celebrated for over 3000 years.

Sukkoth is know by 2 names - Hag ha Succot - the Feast of the Tabernacles and Hag ha Asif - the Feast of In Gathering. Sukkoth begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, 5 days after Yom Kippur the most solemn day of the Jewish year.

Sukkoth is named for the huts (succots) that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land. These huts were made of branches and were easy to assemble, take apart, and carry as the Israelites wandered through the desert.

When celebrating Sukkoth, which lasts for 8 days, the Jewish people build small huts of branches which recall the tabernacles of their ancestors. These huts are constructed as temporary shelters, as the branches are not driven into the ground and the roof is covered with foliage which is spaced to let the light in. Inside the huts are hung fruits and vegetables, including apples, grapes, corn, and pomegranates. On the first 2 nights of Sukkoth the families eat their meals in the huts under the evening sky.

The Egyptians

The ancient Egyptians celebrated their harvest festival in honor of Min, their god of vegetation and fertility. The festival was held in the springtime, the Egyptian's harvest season.

The festival of Min featured a parade in which the Pharaoh took part. After the parade a great feast was held. Music, dancing, and sports were also part of the celebration.

When the Egyptian farmers harvested their corn, they wept and pretended to be grief-stricken. This was to deceive the spirit which they believed lived in the corn. They feared the spirit would become angry when the farmers cut down the corn where it lived.

The United States

In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was packed in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter.

The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.

The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress.

In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday.

Canada

Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Observance of the day began in 1879."

Information Source: http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/story.htm


Nymphs Filling The Horn of Plenty, oil on canvas, circa 1617, Sir Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640.


To All Who Visit Here

It is a thanks giving that we each share in many special ways. Thoughts, words, visions, artistry, perspectives, experiences, love and care, are put to print, sent over cyberspace and there we are in the embrace of another, in another space of time. We thank one another and offer responses. We are validated, appreciated and valued for who we are and what we choose to bring to one another. And so my blog friends you are each in Thanksgiving Celebration, your shared abundance honored with joy.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Blessed We Are

Blessed we are
For the passion and allurement of love
For the delicate innocence of each new born
For the wonder of each child’s way
For the meaning we live this day

Blessed we are
For the understanding we seek
For the compassion we feel
For each sunrise we behold
For each story told

Blessed we are
For the striving and the path
For the strength to meet opposition
For the knowing within the Word
For the listening beyond all heard

Blessed we are
For the bounty
For the harvest we gather
For the restful reflection
For nature's perfection.

Blessed we are
For the tender touch that comforts
For the embrace that secures
For the determination to be
This moment blessed and free.

A Most Happy Thanksgiving to All


Rose Marie Raccioppi


Rest at Harvest, Oil on canvas, 1865, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1825-1905.


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Spoils of Fall

Two score of seasons has this garden tower seen
Holding time and touched by moss and leaves of green
A blanket now of russet fallen leaves, the spoils of Fall
From that mighty mighty oak tree, bold, strong and tall
Leaves possessed in flight rest now free
And above bough and branch barren be.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


Pagoda, Photo, CAR, Collectible Clicks,©Rose Marie Racciopi, 2009.


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Winning Score

Beyond the bronze, silver and gold
Is a vision set a story told
Many an hour of practice and play
Marking time for an honored day
Yet within each moment the heart does shout
It is the NOW that it is all about
A journey, a path, a destined you
Marked by what you choose to do
Postpone not your victory and conquest
See it in each moment you do your best
A belief, a dream, a goal
With it your willing paid toll
And with triumph and the winning score
A new journey and one step more.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


Panathenaic prize amphora, ca. 530 B.C. Attributed to the Euphiletos Painter Greek, Attic
Terracotta; H. 25 in. (62.23 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Rogers Fund, 1914 (14.130.12),
http://www.metmuseum.org

One Step More, from THE WIND AND THE WILLOW, Rose Marie Raccioppi, June 2008,
Publish America.


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Poet Laureate

Blooms upon a stem
Beauteous orchids of pink
A joyous array.


The Soiree Society of the Arts
In Tribute
to
Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
2009

Nightingale

Oh, sweet sounds thy Nightingale

Upon my soul this night I hail
And I in reverie and charm delight
Embraced by this sonorous night
Light lilting waves of love so real
All within my heart to feel
Upon piano keys now heard
The music of the night songbird.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


In Dedication
Nightingale de F.L. Matthew Cameron

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozoysappOp4



"Rose and nightingale (gul-o-bul-bul) drawing [Iran] (1993.98)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/10/wai/ho_1993.98.htm (October 2006)"

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ONE

Peace and prosperity, anguish and pain
The majesty of God, the veil of the inane
Look to this day with faith in thy heart
Love be the path, from despair do part
Streaming from earth and the heavens above
Enduring abundance and God’s complete love
No limitation upon thy spirit thy soul
One with God, One with goal.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


Saint Patrick's Cathedral, NYC, New York, Photograph, PFR, Collectible Clicks©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2009.


The beautifully detailed architecture of St. Patrick's Cathedral
speaks glory to God and to the gifts man can devote to beauty and faith.


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A Page to Unfold

Reflections, aspirations, expressions and desire
Words speak of life, passion, flame and fire
A gift of life now ever to be known
By the words of heart you have shown
And others may now be freed to reveal
What in their hearts they yet conceal
Many a story there is to be told
From days past a page to unfold.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


Woman Reading a Book, 1845, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French, 1796-1875.




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Appraise Well

Appraise well this treasure of time
The endowment of days made mine
Pearls of wisdom shall there be
Golden moments of alchemy
Gems of gratitude a collection fair
Blessings priceless coins of care
Appraise well this treasure of time
Measures weighed upon a life line.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


Woman Holding a Balance, Oil on canvas, 1662-63, Johannes Vermeer, 1632-1675,
National Gallery of Art, Washington
click on image for a beautifully detailed view

The painting, "Woman Holding a Balance," in its intent, its metaphor, its portrayal, in its entirety, holds deep significance for me. All that is symbolized, in her expression, in her stance, in her very state of anticipated birth, in a balance scale empty of content, the light she is bathed in, every element, every detail, every artifact shown, the subject content of the painting on the wall behind her, all resounding and heard is the voice of CHOICE itself. CHOICE - BALANCE - CHOICE - BALANCE...

Vermeer has a way of bringing concept, metaphor, beauty and light to all his considerations that become ours to know. There is such depth of spirit and intention in his artistry. This particular work reminding us of the "balance" called for between the material and spiritual values, to reflect on what we chose to "weigh." And so my poetic response, "Appraise Well."

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The Present All

Thoughts within the mind to trace
Within this heart a questing place
A knowing and a longing wise
Your spirit in grace to ever rise
For love and faith bequeath your soul
In peace, flight, fury, a noble goal
Rising sun of morn, waxing moon of night
Splendor of The Way, dark beget light
Thunderous waves, waters call
Majestic so be the present All
Life in gratitude and loving praise
Now be known this gift of days
Within each moment, each hour, all time
The glory of God's gifts eternal sublime.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


Assuaging of the Waters, 1840, Oil on canvas, John Martin, British, 1789 - 1854.



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Wisdom Of All

Oh how the mind conceives the thought

With restlessness your heart is wrought

For there is a just and kingly goal

Distant yet touching your crying soul

Be burdened not by task and deed

Lest you be lost to the greater creed

Inspired by self and the knowing within

Shall you pass the haunt, the doom of the din

Listen dear child to thy self sovereign and wise

Heed not to temptation, deception and lies

For it is the tear of joy that you shall weep

When the Promise you vow, you do keep

And when you reach and court the dream

With God's love stand thou supreme

Deception takes not your abiding soul

You have reached a kingly goal

As many may doubt and may berate

You shall prevail for love is thy fate

Guide the children, know their call

With God's tender love and wisdom of all.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


Angel and Child, Relief Sculpture, Ellen Mary Rope, 1855-1934.

Do visit:

http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.apogeelearning.com/commentary_about.asp

For those who may be interested in my work with all learners across the age span, I have provided a link at the close of the posted poem. The second posted link, is to a "Commentary" that you may find of particular interest. Our children deserve all the understanding and support we can provide. Yes, we adults are to be guided as well. As a student of life, each child brought before me is another opportunity to learn, to guide and to be guided. To educate is to bring forward. May a shared vision bring us to the APOGEE of our potential, our understanding and our knowing support of all children.

Thank You for caring,

Rose Marie


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