And so.. There I found this writing from years gone by and though a little incomplete I will just hit POST right now and share with you.
And so… Advent begins and great transformation takes place within and without…

Jesse has encouraged me to share some of my stories of this time.

I will focus on the first week of Advent and share some of the rituals and traditions we have collected over the years and are making afresh.

i have gathered inspiration from so many places and enjoy creating my own ideas. i want to create a flow of events to celebrate this coming season, bringing more depth and richness to the anticipation of Christmas and the summer festivals. it’s all evolving, it’s abit mixed up but i trully love it and enjoy what we are creating as a family and community. The hope and positive reminders for my inner journey are wonderfully reflected in these adornments and activities.

last weekend {1st Advent} we began folding stars from kite paper to adorn our windows. some good tutorials here on my pinterest page. This along with unpacking the candle windmill and making advent biscuits began our Advent period.

on the table sits our candle windmill. My German parents sent this over a few years ago and it’s appearance awakens the Christmas season in the household. The heat from the candles makes the windmill turn and the angels below circle the tree. we admire the carefully shaved wood curls spinning and the light glinting from the angels cheeks. Each Advent sunday we add objects connected with the four kingdoms. Reflecting the earths preparations for the Christ arrival, or the process of evolution, or the blossoming of the earth into mid summer  and so on. finding my own depth of meaning which i can trully celebrate inwardly has been my goal these last few Christmas/Solstice seasons, that each activity i unfold has authenticity for me in some way.

Treasures which may appear through Advent

1st Mineral kingdom; crystals, shells, bones, stones

2nd Plant Kingdom, leaves, flowers, lichen and moss

3rd Animal Kingdom; feathers, wool, felted animals, miniature animals

4th Humankind; little wooden dolls, something made by our hands, perhaps Mary Joseph and their donkey who are travelling through the house throughout advent will come by the table at this time, nearly at the stable.
at the closing of each advent week, the treasures from the table will move to the nativity scene and build up the picture over there, while the table is devoted to the coming kingdom.

then we created an advent wreath to hold four candles which we will light one more each advent sunday. I recite this commonly found poem from an unknown author

or i have taken this song into my heart which a friend recently shared with me. it is delightful to have joyful seasonal songs to sing which dont fall under cheesy carol category!

, we rolled our own beeswax candles this year for the wreath and the windmill. the wax was gifted to us from a bee keeper. they where dirty and a little tattered but brushed up well and smelt divine with honey

the wreath frame was from some garden vine, wisteria i think. i twisted four wire spikes onto the frame. really twist the wire tightly against the wreath so your candles don’t wobble. wrap your wreath with greenery and stick your candles on firmly. i would use thicker wire next time it’s proving to be wobbly. i hear if you coat your wick in wax before rolling you will get a better burn…
cedar liked snipping up the scrap pieces of wax sheet. we harvested the evergreen fronds from the old section of the Bellingen market site. i have been eyeing of this particular tree for months in anticipation…  Lily was telling me “in the olden days a young child would wear the wreath like this mama”
 our advent table has an indigo silk as the backdrop. each night we put gold stars upon it. Lily hung up her two felt angels to watch over the scene. Cedar rolled the central little candle. we will light it on Christmas day; with the four larger advent candles being lit over the coming weeks.
the beauty of hydrangea and wattle blossoms. I can smell this Wattle tree from 50 paces away in the warm wind and it sends my heart into longing for my childhood places in Western Australia…
the stable is made from bark and the manger is from a didgeridoo off cut filled with moss. awaiting the growing scene over December and the arrival of baby Jesus.
 I have stuck the advent calenders onto the cupboard below. Lily has a beautifully illustrated scene from her German Oma a few years ago to reuse. Lily made Cedar a calendar this year with little illustrations or messages behind each door.

i don’t recall ever having a front door wreath before, but Lily made this one and well, i have to admit it looks totally festive on that red door with our door bell hanging so centrally just by luck!  the stones i painted last Sunday on mineral kingdom advent. we ventured out to The Promised Land and sat by the Never Never river inbetween downpours and painted and picnicked. Cedar initiated a little fire action so we burnt sticks until the rain returned and we ran for the car. my stones slightly smudged. water color paints where the gift of the day made from mineral colours. {once upon a time..}