Cynthia A. Morgan's Blog, page 40

Balulalow-Scottish Christmas Lullaby

“Balulalow”

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I come from Hevin which to tell
The best nowells that e’er befell
To you thir tythings trew I bring
And I will of them say and sing.

This day to you is born ane child
Of Marie meik and Virgin mild
That bliss it bairn bening and kind
Sall you rejoice baith hart and mind.

Lat us rejoyis and be blyth
And with the Shepherds go full swyth
And see what God of his grace hes done
Throu Christ to bring us to his throne

My saull and life stand up and see
Wha lyis in ane cribbe of tree
What Babe is that, sa gude and fair
It is Christ, God’s Son and Air.

O my deir hart, yung Jesus sweit
Prepair thy creddil in my spreit!
And I sall rock thee in my hart
And never mair fra thee depart.

But I sall praise thee evermoir
With sangis sweit unto thy gloir
The kneis of my hart sall I bow
And sing that rycht Balulalow.

~Morgan~
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Balulalow Performed by Loreena McKennitt
Beautiful Image found on Photobucket

Dreams of Yuletide

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~Morgan~
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Beautiful images found at Deviantart.com Credit is acknowledged to the original artists. Thank You

Abundance Rejoices – #Meditations on #Blessings

“Christmas is a time of year when Want is keenly felt and Abundance Rejoices”. …Charles Dickens.

I’m not sure about you or what you think about when you hear the words Abundance, but to me I tend to see the Ghost of Christmas Present, lounging upon his throne of Abundance. “Heaped upon the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam. In easy state upon this couch, there sat a jolly Giant, glorious to see, who bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty’s horn.”

OH what a sight to see, Indeed, yet as I sat in the sparkling light of my Christmas tree on Christmas Eve night, surveying the wondrous Abundance that filled my own chamber, (minus the sucking-pigs and wreaths of sausages) I could not help thinking, somewhat, like Cindy Lou Who, who questioned “Doesn’t this seem a bit superfluous?” Please don’t misunderstand, I love spending the day opening presents with family, enjoying the sweet and savoury treats of the season, sipping steaming cups of mulled holiday wine and then, at last, sitting back with a great, contented sigh. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of wrapping and baking and cooking and rushing (well, almost) and I do confess to having said on more than one occasion that Quantity Counts! (In jest of course) (nearly), but how much quantity is enough?

How much is Abundance?

To some this word brings thoughts of expensive jewelry, racy sports cars, (one for each day of the week!), brand name clothing, fine perfumes, Dom Perignon, (Or if you are me, Veuve Clicquot), trips to Italy, Hawaii, or the Caribbean, Belgian chocolates, or anything else you fancy that you, ordinarily, cannot afford. Yet, the kings of old had all these things, (well, in one form or another), Rome was filled to bursting with Abundance and Jerusalem was rich with The Temple of David; still, the Herald of the Heavens, the Glory of the Lord, a vast Multitude of Angels sang in resplendent joy of the Birth of the Saviour not to the Kings, High Priests, Governors, and wealthiest of men, but to those few, poor shepherds who lived in the fields with their sheep.

This small cluster of followers had little Abundance, in the worldly view; they had only what they needed to survive each day: food, clothing, a tent to cover their heads, perhaps, and maybe a musical instrument carved from wood, which they might use to serenade the quiet evenings in humble praise. Nevertheless, what they lacked in material wealth, they made up for in spiritual Abundance. They were rich in their love and kinship; they were wealthy in their appreciation of simple pleasures, of goats milk, perhaps, and wild honey; they were prosperous in sharing their faith and traditions. They were Abundant in all those things that, we too, value above all else: Hope, Faith, Joy and Love.

So whether The Ghost of Christmas Present poured out the light of his shimmering torch upon you and yours this holiday, or whether you celebrated in quiet, homespun holiday tradition, without all the froof, jing-tinglers, and hulabaloo, Perchance, this simple notion might settle softly amoung the gifts under your tree, as it did mine this year: That All the Abundance in the World cannot Shine more Brightly, Please more Completely, or Linger as Enduringly as the Gift the Herald of Heaven brought that quiet night so long ago.

~Morgan~
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Ghost of Christmas Present found at: pjlynchgallery.blogspot.com
Heavenly Herald found at: blogs.nd.edu

Jingle Jingle- #Poetry for the #Holidays

Hear the Secret through the Snow,

Echoes Heralding the Glimmering glow,

Sparkling Whispers in the Midnight Hush,

Delicate Melody Singing Sweet and Lush,

Twinkling Magic in the wink of an eye,

Hear the Laughter of sleigh bells Sigh!

Nod your head and Sleep;

Winter’s Mystery to Keep!

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~Morgan~
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Beautiful Original Artwork: The_Night_Before_Christmas_by_alyn

Snowflake – #Fantasy #Poetry

See her Dance upon the Shifting Breeze,

Serenade Falling through barren trees,

Where Softness from the sky is falling,

Crisp and cold, her voice is calling;

See her Spin and Twirl in Delight,

As the snow deepens; Oh Wondrous Sight!

As Silence Descends from the Leaden Sky,

Hear the echo of her Whispering Sigh;

Beyond the glimmer of Warm Summer Daze,

Watch her Entrance with her Icy Gaze!

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~Morgan~
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Beautiful Original Artwork by: martanael at deviantart.com

The Spirit of Christmas

Ever Wonder how Santa Clause is able to reach all the children of the world in one night? Perhaps the magic lies in the simple miracle that, it ever seems at Christmas time, as Charles Dickens observed, “Men open their shut up hearts freely to one another.” and in this opening the Spirit of Christmas, of Love, Joy, Mirth, Prosperity, Health and Contentedness reaches out to touch each heart, each life all round the world. Like a child receiving a gift, will you accept the present of this miracle with eagerness and delight?

“The Spirit stood beside sick beds, and they were cheerful; on foreign lands, and they were close at home; by struggling men, and they were patient in their greater hope; by poverty, and it was rich. In almshouse, hospital, and jail, in misery’s every refuge, where vain man in his little brief authority had not made fast the door and barred the Spirit out, he left his blessing.”~Morgan~
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beautiful Image found on googleplus.com
Quotes from Charles Dickens, The Christmas Carol

Hush in the Stillness – #Christmas #Poetry

Hush in the Stillness,
Pause to Hear
The Shush of Hooves on the Wind,
Reindeer,
Walking on the Midnight Sky,
With The Spirit of Christmas Drawing Nigh.

~Morgan~
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Beautiful Original Artwork: Magic_Winter_Night_by_mysteria_dl

The Gift – #Thoughts for #Christmas and #Renewal

My thoughts this morning were swimming, I do confess it. Swimming in the deep end of the pool, where I often do not stray, at least, not without one of those little blow up rubber duckey thingies.

In an attempt to re-center myself, I began to pray, as I often do when my thoughts go out the window. It is my meditation. My Source and Strength, and very often, my Inspiration. Considering the time of year, I let my thoughts focus on the Light coming into the world and the Opportunity that came into the world with it; opportunity for Renewal and Hope, for the Rekindling of Love and Compassion, and the beginning of something indescribable that would, ultimately, change the world forever. A Miracle, perhaps? A Transformation in the onset. A Revolution, some may say.

As my thoughts continued to focus, the Light became a bit too intense and made me squint; resulting in a slightly different perspective. You know how it is, I’m sure. Rather like looking at the Christmas Tree, or perhaps a candle or the moon, and squinting in order to turn the solid light into something sparkly, incandescent and somehow, more beautiful. In doing so, you see the entire Source differently, don’t you? Thus as I pondered, and my mind circumspectly wandered, (Poe-like, perhaps) a thought stepped out from the sparkling light to present itself for consideration.

The Book of Revelations: a mighty paradoxical and quizzical conundrum of words and phrases, largely incomprehensible, at least to me. (walk with me for a moment, I promise, I’ll come back round to my point in a moment). Odd, that a book, which is, by and large, poetic and metaphoric in nature, should confound me, a writer of, by and large, poetic and metaphoric writings, but perhaps that is the Paradox. Maybe. What if I’ve been reading this last book of The Bible all these years, desperately trying too make heads or tails out of it and failing because I’m …well, trying to make sense of it. What if this book is a book of poetry? A Verse (or twenty odd verses) written by a poet who had no understanding about what he was writing? What if I need to look at all the prophecy, the doom and gloom, chaos and calamity from the point of view of someone trying to describe something they cannot describe (rather like me right now).

This made me pause. (things to make you go “hmmmm?”) I might be barking up the wrong tree here, lost in the woods, wandering in circles, off the beaten path, but follow me for a moment, please; there might be light at the end of this tunnel. What if, instead of an apocalypse happening at some distant point in time that will cause despair and fear and turmoil, wars and disease, famine and natural catastrophes; what if all of it is already happening? What if the descriptions of The End Times in Revelations are merely an account of dreadful occurrences that are beyond the comprehension of someone living in a time when simplicity and homegrown remedies were the be all and end all of wisdom? (a lot of what if’s, to be sure!)

So what happens next? Does The Anointed One return, walking upon a cloud of smoke and fire, bearing The Light of all Light and Transforming the world in one fell swoop? Or is this description also an attempt to describe the indescribable? The unfathomable. What if, instead, The Return is more a Renewal? A Rekindling of Mind, Perception, Understanding; of Body, not just physical health, but a change in Attitude, Action, and Purpose; and of Spirit, Compassion, Empathy, Acceptance in Love and Service to others? A Renewal that will change the world into an Earthly Paradise where Peace and Harmony, Love and Joy will Co-Exist freely; where the lion will lie down with the lamb, or, to say it another way, where those who once hated and exploited, through a Miraculous Transformation of Mind, Body and Spirit brought on by a Return to The Light and The Source, will work with, for and beside those they once oppressed.

(is your head spinning yet, because mine still is!)

In this Season of Renewal, when a Miracle entered the world to offer Light and Life to All, wouldn’t it be Rapturous, indeed, to accept this Precious Gift given so selflessly? To decide not to wait on what someone else might do, but walk boldly into the future with a renewed sense of Purpose and direction; with a transformed opinion about the world and those with whom we share it; with a Rekindled Love that reaches across boundaries and beyond prejudice. Utopianism? Perhaps. But wouldn’t such a change be a Revelation? Wouldn’t it, eventually, alter the entire world? Wouldn’t it be, somewhat, apocalyptic, if there were a best sense to that word?

~Morgan~

#Epic #Fantasy Dark Fey The Reviled #Free

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Spellblade by Ezekiel Eversand- A Spell-binding #Fantasy to Rival Tolkien and Erikson

Spellblade, Book Two follows all new characters in the territories of Az’Dayne and Goldgarden, in a parallel story happening simultaneously to the characters of Kingfall, Book One. Prepare for the actions of one character to greatly affect the fate of another halfway across the realm.

The youngest daughter of Khomo’Jhuvonus, aliased as Scarless, has forgone any duties aligned with her father’s brutal machinations in the north. She navigates through her own political complications, having elevated to become the guild queen of the Stormtrees, the Goldgarden city-nation’s most notorious crime syndicate.

All the while, Symbelle, a mentally conflicted introvert with a volatile split personality, is inadvertently injected into the Oathemic Cabal. With her unique abilities from being born a hyperi, she is schemed to reunite with her long-lost past to infiltrate the Stormtrees guild as a double agent to eliminate several high-profile targets, including Scarless.

In the southern Az’Dayne Dominadom, the disgraced house of lon’Chandoss, once held in the country’s highest esteem as a bloodline of famous spellblades, comes under its own issues arising among its newest generation when the triplet sisters have all just come of age.

Valaythea has managed to captivate the attention of Izayus, the prince of Az’Dayne himself. Adyssaira, born with the potential to become a mage, is having difficulty hiding her plight in a nation that harshly condemns such prodigies. And Odysserae, both mute and near-deaf, estranged and shunned, is not without dark secrets of her own. Finally, Athaniel, the eldest, is an assassin caught amidst a great conflict of interest between protecting his family and aspired legacy, or following his organization’s unbending demands.

Lastly, Sundorion, the cosmopolitan elvan explorer seeking out his missing brother at the Chandoss estates has his life put in jeopardy when he begins to dig too deep into what mysteries lie beneath the corrupt house of power.

MY REVIEW 

When I read Mr. Eversand’s first installment of The Neverborne Series, Kingfall, I said “There are fantasy writers; there are Epic Fantasy writers, and then there’s the stellar few, like Tolkien and Steven Erikson, who build an entire universe in spectacular detail just to share a side story that has little or nothing whatsoever to do with the main story, but you cannot imagine reading the story and not knowing the side story because of the skill with which it’s relayed. Mr. Eversand’s spectacular tale is right up there in the stratosphere of extraordinary story telling alongside such masters.”

I hold to this statement. Not only is Spellblade and extraordinary continuation of the series, it surpassed my expectations. No simple sequel, this. Oh No! In fact, it isn’t a sequel at all. Spellblade is a hypnotic new story that immerses the mesmerized reader into new and different realms and races that enchant, transfix, charm and enrage. Like it’s predecessor, Kingfall, the tale comes alive through world-building on an unrivaled scale, including exquisitely details maps to explore, appendices bursting with tantalizing particulars that include games, methods for measurement, a history of powerful organizations, and a system of magic unlike anything previously depicted in the fantasy genre.

When I say you will be swept away by Spellblade, I don’t just mean you will be utterly captivated by each page in this lush, expansive 500+ page journey into intrigue, dichotomy, enigma and magic. What I’m saying is, you will never want to leave. You will lose yourself in the masterfully related narrative; the characters that speak to you, insult you, tantalize and torment you; the landscapes that draw you in and leave you gazing around in awe and wonder; and the subtleties of lore so beguiling you cannot imagine they aren’t absolutely true.

The Neverborne Series is fantasy on a scale you will revel in and revisit again and again and again for a lifetime.

Ezekiel Eversand was born in Southeast Texas, where he again resides in the Houston area after the global pandemic fatefully brought him back home from his exploits in Las Vegas, where he first published Kingfall, Book One of the Neverborne Series. He is happily married to his beautiful wife, Stephanie, his biggest supporter and best friend. Telling stories and creating worlds has been a prime interest of his since he was a child, always being an avid lover of the fantasy and science fiction genres. Telling the saga of the Neverborne Series and sharing the world of Penthara are his greatest passions in life.

Find Ezekiel in these places:

Amazon

 Instagram: @author_ezekieleversand

Facebook

Website

Read my interview with Ezekiel 

~Morgan~