Yule Blessings Book Tour for Fairies, Myths, & Magic II – A Winter Celebration. 7/12/2022.

My dear friend and mentor Colleen Chesebro has a new book called Fairies, Myths, & Magic II-A Winter Celebration which was released on 1st December.

Colleen said to me. “Willow you and I both love myths and legends. One legend that remains to this day is the burning of the Yule log during the winter solstice. I found it interesting how this ancient tradition is still part of our celebrations. Many people light bonfires to celebrate the longest night of the year. If you live somewhere where you can’t have a bonfire, candles burning indoors is always a nice substitute. 

So here’s a bit of history behind the tradition. During the Winter Solstice, Pagans burned huge logs to honor the return of the sunlight. The end of the darkness was at hand with spring not far off. 

The Yule Log often comprised an entire tree specifically chosen for the occasion. It was cut and brought indoors, with the end piece of the trunk placed inside the fireplace, while the rest of the tree stuck out into the middle of the room. 

Wow! Just imagine that , it would take up a great deal of room and be a real fire hazard by today’s standards.

Anyway, the people rubbed the log with a mixture of oil, salt, and mulled wine. Often, the new log was mixed with the remains of the previous year’s log, which was kept in a box under the bed. It was believed these ashes brought the family good luck, saving the household from lightning strikes, and even forest fires!  

Learn about more Yule traditions in Fairies, Myths, & Magic II—A Winter Celebration. This is book two in the series, with the first book dedicated to summer and the summer solstice.

About the Book:

In this second book in the Fairies, Myths, & Magic series, step into a world where dark fairies, and other magical beings converge in a collection of poetry and short stories inspired by winter and the celebration of the winter solstice. 

From Autumn’s scary fairies to the forgotten female characters of Yule, prepare to embrace the magical winter solstice myths from around the world. Meet Frau Holle in the Wild Hunt, Befana—the Christmas Witch of Italy, and the Japanese goddess Ameratasu who controls the springtime. Prepare to embrace the Scottish trows, The Irish Goddess of Winter—the Cailleach Béara, and Snegurochka—the Snow Girl.

Learn how to make Yuletide rituals part of your celebration by embracing the symbols of Yule by decorating with evergreens and crystals. 

Fairies, Myths, & Magic II Links:

Colleen’s Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Colleen-M-Chesebro/e/B01N9MV2RX

Amazon Universal Link: https://mybook.to/FairiesMythsMagicII

About the Author: 

An avid reader, Colleen M. Chesebro rekindled her love of writing poetry after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. 

In addition to poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on Word Craft Poetry.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. 

Colleen Chesebro is an assistant editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology & Gitty Up Press, a micro-press founded by Charli Mills and Carrot Ranch.

In January 2022, Colleen founded Unicorn Cats Publishing Services to assist poets and authors in creating eBooks and print books for publication. In addition, she creates affordable book covers for Kindle and print books.

Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie. 

Find Colleen here:

Word Craft Poetry: https://wordcraftpoetry.com

Colleen M. Chesebro, Author, Poet & Unicorn Cats Publishing Services: https://colleenmchesebro.com

Facebook Page: Colleen M. Chesebro, Poet & Author: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085941528913

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/colleen-m-chesebro-6b856b237

Here is some information I learnt in Canada about how trees can raise from fires like the phoenix,which supports the Yule logs story/ legend/ Myths and Magic Book.

Jack pine and lodgepole pine have serotinous cones (protected by a waxy coating) that require the heat of fire to release their seeds. Fire also produces favourable conditions for the seeds of these pines to germinate. Information here.

Giant sequoias are the largest trees on Earth. They can grow for more than 3,000 years. But without fire, they cannot reproduce. The giant sequoias really are born of fire. Information here

#TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge: #Poet’s choice.

On the first of the month, you can now experiment with freestyle poetry, as long as you also add a syllabic form to your poem.

Here is  an old  Halloween  poem  that I wrote in  2013. I bring it out every year, it’s one of my favourites, so I make no apologies. It is a rhyming couplet . AA,BB,CC,DD,GG,HH,II,JJ,

~~~~~~~~~~

I know that it is  raining,  I can see that it wet

But you are my familiar,  and not a blooming pet!

I have asked you nicely I have even said please

Now go and get me food or I shall infest you with flees.

Excuse me, Lady  Mistress, this does not seem quite right

Just where in my contract does it say I have to work for you at night!

You have run me ragged every minute of today.

I am tired and my feathers wet, here in the warm I need to stay.

Pardon me! my fine feathered friend, pardon me my beauty.

I am not requesting, I am demanding that you do your duty.

I am the one in charge, not you, I’m the tortured Vampire.

You do as I bid, what are you waiting for. Wet weather attire?

Well Mistress that would not go amiss for I am not a duck,

And if I get lost  you will miss out and that would be bad luck.

Be Gone! Get out! and find me fresh blood

And if you play your cards right I’ll dip you in the stream on your return to remove the mud.girl_gloom_rain_raven_3512_1280x1024

Scream into  the rain

THIS IS PART OF COLLEEN’S TUESDAY CHALLENGE.

#TANKATUESDAY WEEKLY POETRY CHALLENGE: #POET’S CHOICE

This week’s challenge from Colleen’s#TANKA TUESDAY WEEKLY POETRY CHALLENGE: #POET’S CHOICE . Is a true poet’s choice! Use any poetry form that you’d like including free-style or prose poetry. If your form is something new, teach us how to write it. Have fun!

Here is mine 💜

WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 227, #THEMEPROMPT

Go where this month’s prompt leads you

It Tuesday and time for Colleen’s Tuesday Tanka Challenge. It’s the fourth week of the month! Are you ready for a theme prompt? Colleen didn’t hear from Padre whose turn it was to select the theme… so, Colleen has picked the theme prompt for us.

Travel/Journeys.

I was seventeen when we married, 19years when the first boy arrived and 30years when the third and last boy appeared. Well now they had all grown and flown. It is now our time. So we renewed our passports and set off on our travels. The pandemic put a stop to that but we are on life’s journey, we are travelling together.

Following life’s road
We have traversed fifty years.
We’ve grown together.
Boy and girl, man and woman.
Three generations of love.

#TANKA TUESDAY WEEKLY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 223, #THEMEPROMPT

It’s the fourth week of the month! Are you ready for a theme prompt? Kat from last month’s challenge picked the theme:

“Pick a Flower” and using one of the syllabic forms we use, tell us why it is special to you.

My mother was a gentle woman, loving and kind, her favourite flowers were Anemone, I have written a Nonet about her and her flowers because I miss her.

Polesden  Lacey
© willowdot21. My Mum .

Always small yet colourful
Never over assuming
Elf like colour pools
Mother loved these flowers
Open bright and blooming
Nothing pleased her as these
Enchanting little Anemones.

© willowdot21

Part of Colleen’s Tuesday Tanka Challenge.

#Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 221 #SynonymsOnly

Our Gracious host Colleen Chesebro said WELCOME TO TANKA TUESDAY!

This week, Jude chose the words for us to select our synonyms:

I chose a haiku this time.

Image from Pixabay.

Search & Lost.

The quest has been hard
He had tried to do his best
The truth was not found

#TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 209, #POET’SCHOICE

Hooray, Colleen and her Tuesday Tanka Challenge is back from her short break. Colleen has been on the move and I for one wish her every happiness in her new home. Colleen said “Since it’s the first poetry challenge of the new year, Word Crafters, choose your own syllabic poetry form, theme, words, images, etc. It’s up to you!”

I have chosen to write an Acrostic Poem on the theme of Cancer. A subject that is giving me grief at the moment. Please don’t worry, as far as I know, I DO NOT HAVE CANCER sadly I have friends that do.

********

Cancer Acrostic

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Cunning, creeping, conniving

Ailing , sickening  no longer thriving

Nearing  the end of  your tether

Coping, worse  and worse  than ever

Eroding  you slowly  from the inside

Ruin it, kill it, crush  it, poison it until it dies!

This is part of Colleen Chesebro’s Tuesday Tanka.

#TANKA TUESDAY Weekly #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 209, Last challenge of 2020

Good morning and welcome to Colleen’s Tuesday Tanka Challenge. Colleen said : “For the LAST poetry challenge of 2020, I want you to write a poem about hope, using your favorite poetry form (it doesn’t have to be syllabic). Please make these poems inspirational to others.

No negativity and No politics! We’ve all had enough politics to last us another lifetime.

After you’ve written your poem, tell us why the specific form you chose is your favorite. Why does that form resonate with you? If it’s a new form, teach us how to write that specific form.

I’ll stop by and comment throughout the week as time allows. There will be NO recap post on Monday, January 4, 2021. Make sure and visit the other participant’s post through Mr. Linky or from the ping-backs on the challenge post.

Tanka Tuesday will resume on January 18, 2021.”

New Year New Hope

© willowdot21

Harvengers of hope and light arrives
Open the doors for their entry
Praise the welcome gifts with joy
Enter the new year now
Full of confidence
Undo all ills
Let ties of
Love bind
You.

Today I have chosen my two favourite forms of poetry, the Nonet and the Acrostic Poem . This is an Acrostic Nonet. I love the way these two disaplines concentrate the mind. When put them together I feel I have achieved a small triumph.

Be blessed and safe everyone happy New Year.

COLLEEN’S 2020 WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 189, #POET’SCHOICE

It’s the first of the month and you know what that means! Poets, choose your own syllabic poetry form, theme, words, images, etc. It’s up to you!

So the news intervened in my choice today. The explosion in Lebanon’s capital Beirut yesterday prompted me to write the chain of Haiku below. As if the Lebanon has not got enough issues. As of writing this it’s not known if this incident was an horrific accident or act of war/ terror. I am praying for the dead and injured, numbered in the thousands.

I am combining Colleen’s Tuesday Tanka Challenge with Ronovanwrite’s invitation to try out his own new form of Haiku which he has named Shi Rensa Haiku. Here is his explanation.

Beirut

Kindness in measure

Helps us to flourish and grow

Please extend a hand

**

Please extend a hand

To those stricken by evil

In a far off land

**

In a far off land

Lives stolen and ripped apart

Look deep have a heart.

**

Look deep have a heart

We need to find new kindness

There is not enough.

**

Colleen’s 2020 Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 188, #ThemePrompt

WELCOME TO Colleen Chesebro’s TANKA TUESDAY!

It’s the fourth week of July! Are you ready for a theme prompt? Sue Vincent selected the theme this week with a quote prompt: I have written a double Etheree this week.

“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth.” Herman Hesse

The wisdom of Ents.

You
Told me
Your secrets
Reached out, touched me
Spoke inside my head
Showed me life eons past
All the changes you have seen
The sum of your knowledge is vast.
You’re not tied by religion or cast.
Un-dispoiled by rank or fortune you stand.
Your knowledge once tapped can not be unseen.
You picked me from the group, gently spoke.
I heard you and carry your words.
To this day I still hear you
Still see what you showed me.
The vision is true
Sheltered by you.
Life giving
You are
Ent.

******

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