Free Competition - September 2010
Welcome to the free and fun competition for Oak and Mistletoe for September 2010. Entry is free for all registered students and forum members and the competition closes on 30th September. Winners will be announced on the 1st October. Just post your entry below in this thread for your chance to win a great mystery prize, no strings attached. Our previous winners will attest that the O & M competitions are great fun, with great prizes and there’s no hidden agendas or catches. The competitions we hold are a great way to think about your ideas and share them and learn from others too.
To have your chance of winning a surprise prize, think about and answer this question...
What do you think is the greatest gift you have ever been given?
Smiles and blessings and good luck, Amethyst :)
My greatest gift is my
My greatest gift is my daughter.......for 3 reasons. She was conceived by IVF, I got to see a picture of her as an embryo. At 6 weeks pregant, thought i had misscarried and saw her heartbeat on an ultrasound. And finally hearing her cry for the first time when she was born.
Thanks, Caroline.
The greatest gift I have ever been given
Is my family. My husband, children, grandchildren, great grandsons and my extended family, both my blood family and the family I have chosen. I have no brothers or sisters but I have a cousin who is for all intents and purposes my sister and friends that have become as close as brothers and sisters.
Greatest Thing Given
Is motherhood, my 3 children in turn which gave me grandchildren, they make my heart feel the miracle of life that was given to me. And a chance to believe in the Wiccan religion to pass it down to them.
The essence of life and
The essence of life and existence. Included within this, I count the Earth, the universe, and everyone and thing in it. For the sake of this post, I shall limit it to this planet, however. Whilst I don't come anywhere near to appreciating it as much as I should, be it through simple observations, to actively aiding growth and prosperity. Sadly, I know further still that there are those who appreciate it less - so merrily destroying the eco-system and life, damaging the planet and all that which inhabits it.
Whilst saying that the planet is a gift is in part how I view it, it's misleading. The planet isn't mine, it's not yours, nor ours or theirs. It belongs to the universe, to that higher power, that stream of energy, that Divine, that divinity, that essence, that whatever you would like to call it. We were gifted the right to use it, to live upon it, to be sustained by it within the boundaries of supporting it in turn. We were given permission to cultivate it and live on it, in harmony with everything else granted the same gift.
I wish I could say it's a gift I'm truly worth of. A gift everyone is truly worthy of. Maybe it's a bit harsh, and I might not go so far as to say nobody *IS* worthy - but I definitely don't feel we deserve it. If I could give back one gift, and I really wish I could, it would be to this essence that granted this boon upon us, via the rest of the world - a gift of love, respect and nurture.
What do you think is the greatest gift you have ever been given?
Merry Meet All,
To me the greatest gift is my senses, they allow me to sample and appreciate all of the creations that I am surronded by each and every day.
Take Care
Blessed Be
Jamie Stone Bear
The greatest gift I have ever
The greatest gift I have ever been given is the gift of LIFE. In spite of all my trials and tribulations – all the misfortune and sorrow I have created for myself along the way – this earthly journey is a truly wonderful gift.
My 3 daughters would be my
My 3 daughters would be my greatest gift. After 5 years of trying and a couple of miscarriages to be blessed with healthy children is priceless. If I can be bold and add another gift, I would say my mother who when she was alive was the best friend a woman could have. I miss her terribly.
serenity:+)
I think the greatest
I think the greatest gift I've been given is Love. I have been lucky enough to have received lots of it starting with a great family, children, husband and some very wonderful friends.' Whatever has happened in my life, there has always been someone who loves me to help me through it.
Love and blessings
Saphira
Ok so i know a few people
Ok so i know a few people will prob roll there eyes ( just a little )
BUT without even thinking about it, my gift is my husband. He has given me more than he will ever understand. He has supported me in so many ways. Allowing me to be myself but only the best version of me that i can be. Every time it seemed that society wouldnt let me be me, he would be there every time to help shake me off and pull me up again. He has made me feel loved and special all of our time together. I feel i am one part of a whole but still entirely me. Not mater what faces me in life he has shown me that i DO have the strength to get through it and celebrate the good times.
So i could go on and on but i dont know what my life would have been like without him. Our children, my career, my new found spirituality all are the way they are because he came into my life.
Life
I've seen this mentioned a few times already.. but this has to be the greatest gift that can be given (or we'd not even be here to contemplate this question).
It has it's ups & downs - but it's all lessons learnt & experiences gained (for now & after when we return beyond the veil) - as part of the one.. we give back to the Universe & to the collective our experiences & continue to grow.
I believe lots of spirits/beings/entities are wanting to come to the physical plain to experience 'life' as we know it here with all its good & bad bits.. Bit like playing a giant metaphysical version of the Sims or Second Life :o)
Blessings Bright.
Coven Council: New Student Guide
"Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will" - A. Crowley
Raziel
Merry Meet Raziel,
Hope this finds you and yours well and happy. Your presence is always felt, I hope I'm correct, but it feels like you are on the path to a great healing, just know we are here to help in anyway we can.
It is wonderful to hear from you again. You have been in my thoughts very often. I miss your words of wisdom and your smiling face.
Take Care
Blessed Be
Jamie Stone Bear
Merry Meet Again Jamie Stone Bear
Thank you for the kind words.. & I think you are correct.. I have been wondering through my own personal wilderness for a while.. but I think it's time to return & focus outwards again. I feel a lot of shifting about me & change can be unsettling.. but I'm having faith that there is healing for me, & benefits I can return to others.
It's nice to be back in a more proactive role here with my spiritual family & friends.
Blessings Bright to you & yours JSB - with much love & light indeed.
Coven Council: New Student Guide
"Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will" - A. Crowley
My greatest gift is the gift
My greatest gift is the gift of Spirit. With my spirit I can experience all sorts of things on all sorts of levels throughout the cycles of life, no matter what form I take. And our spirit is the ultimate in the gift of love.
Good Point & Well Said
Good Point & Well Said Catshadow
Our Spirit or Spark of the Divine in us all - encompasses what we know as 'Life' here on the prime plain as well as our eternal being before & after our jaunts to Earth (as I personally believe).
Being part of the Divine & all & everything.. is pretty Cool indeed!.
Coven Council: New Student Guide
"Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will" - A. Crowley
without a doubt, my beautiful
without a doubt, my beautiful children are my greatest gift of all. My youngest little Fairy Princess lights up my life and those around her each and every day...truly a wonderful gift for all that come into contact with her bright light.
Of course my daughter was and
Of course my daughter was and is the best thing I've ever had in my life, but a gift I have been given that transcends the gift of my daughter, (only because I can and have given it to her), is the gift of caring, nurturing, and compassion for all animals. There is no one I know, save for my Mom, daughter, and my husband, that comes close to having this gift. It's almost like I have an empathy for their pain and suffering. Indeed, I have lessened that somewhat, in that I have rescued and given a home to over 20 cats in my adult life, and currently have 14. I have rescued and raised a baby blue jay, which was one of my greatest joys, raised 2 "pound puppies" to a ripe old age and loving life, and constantly enjoy interactions with wildlife in our backyard. I know the neighbors must think I'm "cuckoo" when I "talk" back to the birds at the feeders, caw at the soaring crows, and call the hummingbirds to their nectar. There's something about a living, breathing animal that melts my heart, and makes me want to talk to it, and understand it, and sometimes I think they know. At least I like to think they do. I have taken wild stray cats and tamed them into loving lap cats. I admit, cats are my weakness, and specialty, but if I had the room and the means, I would rescue and take in any abused or unwanted animal I could (I would need lots more help though!) Passing this knowledge and gift on to my daughter lets me know that when I'm gone, another caring, compassionate person lives on, to hopefully pass the gift on to another.
The greatest gift I've received
Well, so much of this life is a wonderful gift. Love, family, children, friends, freedom, choice, knowing who I am, my strength, the stillness of sitting out in nature, the universe and existence, being able to sing and create! ;) All are such great and beautiful concepts and truths to each individual, but sometimes, for me, the greatest gift can be the smallest things, that end up meaning so much, and in turn, show me how grand life can really be.
Many years ago, while I was still in highschool actually, I took a trip with a group of people from my church at the time to Juarez Mexico. Most of us were a choir, and we went to perform songs and skits for much of community and to build houses and a (very small) church while we were there. The performances were amazing and we usually got to perform them in the light of sunset when the weather began to cool and the wind picked up. The people were so friendly and warm and welcoming to us. The days were hot and hard while mixing cement and putting up walls for the buildings but I really enjoyed getting to know the people and children of Juarez, who wanted to help as well. Many of whom I got close to were the children and they really helped me improve on my Spanish! There was one girl in particular, age 10 and her name was Maria, who seemed stuck to me like glue. She was so sweet and introduced me to her mother in the medical tent we had set up to provide minor medical care to any of the locals in need of it. Maria's mother was so sweet as well and even wanted me to hold her baby! I'm not sure if she thought I'd be blessing the baby by holding it, but it was the sweetest thing to be asked to do. I got as close to those children as one can in the period of two weeks, and at the end of my time there, it was a sad and very emotional departure. When we were getting into the vans to go back to camp, Maria came up to me and kept hugging me and crying and it just about broke my heart and then she did something I'll never forget. She did not have much. Many of these individual were lucky to have sturdy roofs over their heads and not live out of boxes, etc. She took the metal hair clips, one painted blue and one red, both chipped, out of her hair and put them in my hair to remember her by. I didn't dare refuse her gift because I knew how much it meant to her and how much it meant to me!! What a grand and beautiful gift that was to me. Something so small that someone would pass by on the road and look at as trash was a proud ornamentation in my hair because it meant so very much and was representative of how love and friendship can make someone who has hardly nothing, give even that to show their love towards someone else. It was so inspiring and something I always keep with me and will never forget. I often think about where Maria is right now and how she is doing. I'm hoping she is well and happy. I send her my love in thoughts all the time! And I still have those metal clips and will keep them till the day I die!
~Sarah (Hemlock)
Without even thinking about
Without even thinking about it, the greatest gift for me is my life. I think that this is something we are all guilty of taking for granted and complaining about - I still do it now. But after going through a period where my life was a source of agony and something to escape from...coming out of that made me truly see. Life is the most beautiful gift I can have been given and it is only after going through the trials that I did that I can appreciate it. Not saying you have to be suicidal for this to apply to people, but for me, I can honestly say that I have never been so grateful for what I have than after that time.
Even now, just sitting in my room, listening to the sounds of my household around me fills me with great contentment and happiness. Feeling the comfort of a lie-in, however rare that may be! Having people around me that care for me and recognising and believing that they do care and that I am worthy of that care. Walking down the road and feeling the breeze in my face and through my hair, feeling the warmth of the sun as I wait for another late bus. So many things that could have ruined my day or been responsible for a cloud of irriation for the rest of it before, I now see as an opportunity. I recognise now that if I had not gone through what I have, I would not be the person I am today. I am much stronger, more positive, more connected and more aware of the bigger picture. The fact that life is finite merely enhances this - with only a limited time to enjoy and experience, it reveals the importance of everything, both big and small. Life is an opportunity - to develop and improve yourself and enrich the lives of others. There is so much out there to be experienced and discovered, how can you not be excited about life?!
After reading your post,
After reading your post, Phoenix, I thought to myself, "Of course! What else could it be?!" Life is the ultimate gift! You have nailed it right on the head! Thank you!
answers
What great posts. So many wonderful gifts we have to be so grateful for.
I am most grateful for my consciousness. Conscious Thought. I love having the ability to choose, to imagine and explore! You can travel very far and move very little.
Another great question. I
Another great question. I would have to say for me it is the love from other people. Their are so many that take this for granted. To have others around you that love you is a powerful thing.
For a long time I was walking down a dark path of self-destruction, I did not care about anything, anyone, not even myself. I truley beleived that I was an evil person and the pain that I cause myself was so great that I resorted to drug-use, and heavy drinking. To get these things I resorted to doing a lot of illegal things, and hurting a lot of people. I sure know from my own experiences that hurt people.. hurt people..
At that time in my life I never thought that there would come a day that was livable without some kind of mind altering substance. I had an experience in which I woke up in the hospital not remembering how I got there. It turned out that I died (very briefly) and they had to reveive me. I quit breathing in my sleep. When I opened my eyes my family were all standing beside me looking happy, but sad at the same time. I could see so much pain in their eyes, and realized that I caused my family a lot of grief and pain. I would not wish on anyone the pain that I was going through, yet I was unintentionally giving my pain to my family without even knowing it. How could I do that to people I love? How could I do this to myself? How do they still love me after treating them so bad? It was at that point that I knew that the world was much more than just myself; my life wasn't just my life. Mylife was part of my family, friends, other people's lives too; and their lives were part me. What I do affects everyone around me negatively or positively. For many many years I was just reeking of negativity, as my family absorbed a lot of it, and these are the people that loved me the most; who don't deserve this. I knew that day I had to show them that I knew what I was doing, and start taking responsibility for my actions. Without their love I would not exist; and it took me lying on deaths door to realize that I'm not alone and the way I treat myself is going to affect others. I just wish that people could see just how much their own actions will affect others; could you imagine a world like that? I really don't know if I got my point across, but I just feel like "love" is very important to sustain life.
My greatest gift would have
My greatest gift would have to be my Parents for they have raised me from a small child to believe in myself and my desires. No matter what their beliefs have been, they have taught me love,honesty and to be true to myself. From the womb I was loved, desired and wanted and for me that is the greatest gift of all...
Life
Life to me is the greatest gift of all. My mother chose to have my twin brother and myself, at an age where it was dangerous for her health, and she went against the doctors wishes and had us anyway.
Over the years, and extremely bad choices I tried to remove that choice, but happily the universe denied me that chance.
Now, life is my choice. And I now have a life where I have three beautiful children who live and breathe and create magic of their own just by being alive. I have a life where I can live and love and be. To wake in the morning and feel the very air breathing around me, the whisper of the wind, the loving embrace of the sun, the cooling life giving of the rain, and with all that - the love of family and friends. How could I ever have thought of turning my back on all of this?
Blessed Be.
Helen
The greatest gift
Despite so many obstacles presented to me in life, I have found strength in my inquenchable thirst for knowledge. It has been there to help me stand up again, dust myself off and take another step forward because I insist on asking and understanding "WHY?"
And the winner is...
What an amazing list of posts to judge and find a winner from. So hard this time round as there were some tremendous entries and some thought provoking posts that really made me consider all the things I'm so grateful for. Thank you everyone for entering.
I struggled with several posts trying to find a winner, finaally managed to get it down to two and couldn't decide between the two so I made an executive decision and decided we'll have two winners. So congratulations to...
Hemlock and Melansol!
I was so touched by Hemlock's post which made me realise that sometimes the little gifts we receive are equally, if not more important and significant, than the big ones. Sometimes these tiny little gifts can change lives.
Melansol's entry was also sentational (as many others were too) and really made me consider that gifts are in fact exchanges and that for everything we receive, we also need to offer a gift to someone or something else maintain balance.
Thank you to you both for making me consider my world just a little more. Thank you also to everyone who contributed. One of the major joys I think we all share with these competitions is the learning we receive from one another as we take part.
Congratulations and smiles,
Amethyst
With smiles and blessings,
Amethyst
Oak and Mistletoe Founder, Elder and Chair
Congratulations to you both
Congratulations to you both :-). They are both wonderful entries.
Love and blessings
Saphira
Well done to you both. The
Well done to you both. The thing that i liked about your posts was that they were both very personal and yet at the same time had a direct meanging for everyone.
Congrats to you both.
Congratulations
Merry Meet,
Congratulations, great words guys thanks for sharing.
Take Care
Blesseigs & Blessed Be
Jamie Srone Bear
I agree wholeheartedly,
I agree wholeheartedly, congrats u both! what wonderful posts, and very inspiring. Great job!
congrats
Congratulations Hemlock and Melansol!!! Very beautiful stories and well deserved winnings :)) I really enjoyed reading your posts and thanks for the opportunity to share your experiences too.
Outstanding.. I agree; after
Outstanding.. I agree; after reading Amethyst's post on what she got out of these two posts I went back and re-read them both (as I always do). The second time around is always better. Thank you for sharing your stories and congratulations.