My children grew up participating in St. Nicholas Day celebrations every year.  When they were in college, they would always make sure to finish their finals and make it home in time for this holiday. So you should not be surprised that Emily, my younger daughter who lives in Ohio, offered to make the "kolach" (special bread - see below) for the occasion.  Over the years, I have mastered the art of making "zhito" myself.  Emily shipped the "kolach" to me carefully wrapped (right).  It was delivered yesterday (Dec 18), just in time.  So between the two us, we produced the two most important ingredients for the celebration.

While I was preparing the "zhito," I was playing some random iPod music in the background.  Just as I was finished and was putting the dishes in the sink, the St. Nicholas church song came on – in Serbian, of course.  I was startled.  It was incredible. I did not even know there was such a thing or that I owned it.  Another direct message from the spirit world, I realized, perhaps as answer to my ceremony and prayers in the early morning hours?  As I hope you know by now, synchronicity is one of the hallmarks of divine communication.  Every day since I have come back from Hawaii, things like that have been happening (see Season of Miracles: God's Christmas Card, including some Reader Reactions...).  So why should the day of the "Miracle Maker"-saint be an exception?

Later, I made a short video clip so you will be able to hear the St. Nicholas song yourselves... (click on the image or title to play).

 

St. Nicholas Day 2008 Message (3:02 mins)

Climbing Pinnacle Peak

When I stole a bike ride two days ago in between two big winter storms (the day I also got the Christmas card from God), there were still lots of clouds all around.  As I was approaching the McDowell Mtns, I was thinking about what I would do on Dec 19, the St. Nicholas Day.  At that moment, a burst of sunlight broke through the clouds and lit up Pinnacle Peak like a giant floodlight.  (Pinnacle Peak is a mountain in North Scottsdale. You can see it on the shot to the right which I took today).

"Wow, Pinnacle Peak is an huaca," it suddenly dawned on me after 27 years of looking at the mountain without "seeing" it (huacas, an Inka Quechua term, are natural rock formations that are considered sacred sites, like churches in western terminology).  Huacas are places of high energy and spirit activity.  "So that's what I am supposed to do on St. Nicholas Day," I said out loud.  "Climb Pinnacle Peak and do a ceremony there."

And so I did...

The well known peak was getting larger the closer to it I came (two left shots).  The trailhead was close to the Pinnacle Peak Patio (middle right), a famous western restaurant that's been enchanting Arizona visitors for decades. I remember taking my kids and parents there in the early 1980s to see (staged) gunfights as dinner entertainment. From there, I had a good view of my "home mountains," the McDowells, which I have been hiking quite often this year.

I dressed warmly because I thought that at that elevation (starting at about 2,300 ft and going up to about 2,900 ft), it might get a little chilly in shade, especially when the sun starts to set.  I have never done this climb before, so I had no idea how long it was, how steep it would be, nor how long it will take me.  I just followed the spirits' tailwind, and figured I'd enjoy fresh air and gorgeous views, as you can see (the above shots were taken from about a 2,700-ft elevation).

Soon, I realized that Pinnacle Peak is like God's art gallery.  There are pretty stone sculptures everywhere (above).  So I started to play a mindbender of trying to figure out what they were.  Would you care to join the game?  What do you see in these images...

... and these that I came across later on the trail afterward?  If you want to let me know what you see in them, CLICK HERE.

Meanwhile, there are some more views of the summit as well as the valley and distant mountains from about a 2,800 ft level.  The Four Peaks (middle right), the mountain that's depicted on the Arizona license plates, still had a light powder of snow visible on it after the last two winter storms.

Just how high and far from the city of Phoenix this is can best be seen on the two left shots.  Take a look at how tiny Camelback and Squaw Peak look from there? [this comment was meant primarily for Phoenix residents and frequent visitors :-)].  You can also see the (much closer) McDowell Mtns from there, including my "apucheto" at 2,500 ft (two right shots).

The views of the Pinnacle Peak summit from about a 2,800 ft level were quite spectacular (two left shots).  Finally, after about a 2 mile hike, I had gone up the mountain from the east, circled around from the north, and exited to another trailhead on the west side (see the map)... a round trip of about 4 miles, with an elevation difference from each trailhead of about 1,000 ft.

On the return trip, I had already picked out an apucheto at an huaca for my shamanic/St. Nicholas ceremony.  It was close to the highest point of the trail (left).  But alas, my camera battery had run out.  So I had to resort to my cell phone camera for the above shots.  This apucheto/huaca was perfect - high above the trail which gave me the privacy from the curious onlookers among other climbers (middle left).  That's where I set up my mesa and did a lovely ceremony with 360-degree views of the valley below.

Earlier this morning,  Elizabeth dropped by my house and gave me a lovely card and this wilderness/camping knife as a St. Nicholas Day present (right).  She remembered that the one I had bought and used in Peru, was taken away from me at an airport checkpoint during our trip to Texas, back in October.  I had carelessly kept it in my backpack, which had to go through an TSA X-ray machine.  I carried this cute new green knife in my hand for much of the climb, and blew my prayers for Elizabeth into it during the ceremony as well. 

Finally, here are some parting mountain views from a lovely climb on a clear but chilly St. Nicholas Day afternoon (left and right). 

By the time I got home, the sun had already set, but just.  So when I was walking to the pool and the spa to warm up and limber up after the climb, I saw one of the most magnificent sunsets I have ever seen.  I wished I had my camera with me.  I almost went back to get it, but decided that would be too much trouble.  Anyway, the sky looked as if a giant red spider (sun) had dropped off the edge of the earth, leaving behind thousands of strands of purple and orange cobwebs, spun around in hundreds of fluffy concentric circles. 

At that moment, I remembered my post-midnight meditation when I saw a spider like that, with coils of bright orange and purple and blue light spiraling from him.  Again, I felt as if Inti (sun God) was sending me a goodnight message on this auspicious St. Nicholas Day before going off to wake up Australians. :-)

When I returned, I realized that could have been also a Mama Kocha's (ocean, water energy) message.  For, another way to describe the sky would be as if someone had dropped a stone into still water (lake), and then watched the ripples of waves spread around while an orange and purple sunset reflected in them.

Wish I had that camera... :-)

Serbian Saint Day ("Krsna Slava")   Introduction   Krsna Slava - the celebration of the home Patron Saint-is the greatest characteristic of the national and religious life of the Serbian people. It is a beautiful and unique expression of the Orthodox faith that is deeply implanted in the Serbian Christian soul.   Krsna Slava is an exclusively Serbian custom. It is the most solemn day of the year for all Serbs of the Orthodox faith and has played a role of vital importance in the history of the Serbian people. Krsna Slava is actually the celebration of the spiritual birthday of the Serbian people. Our forefathers accepted Christianity collectively by families and by tribes. In commemoration of their baptisms, each family or tribe began to celebrate in a special way to honor the saint on whose day they received the sacrament of Holy Baptism. The mother church blessed this practice and proclaimed Krsna Slava a Christian institution.   According to the words of St. Paul (Phil. 1:2), every Christian family is a small church, and, just as churches are dedicated to one saint, who is celebrated as the protector of the church, so Serbian families place themselves under the protection of the saint on whose holiday they became Christians and to whom they refer to as their intercessor to God Almighty. To that protector of their homes, they pay special homage from generation to generation, from father to son, each and every year.   Slava is a day not only of feasting, but also a day of spiritual revival through which the Serbian national soul is formed and crystallized. To these celebrations, customs, and traditions, our nation owes its existence, and, therefore, deserves to be appreciated and perpetuated by all grateful Serbian sons and daughters all over the world. The living example of the Patron Saint gives to the celebrant assurance, persistence, and the feeling of protection, support, and the encouragement to do good. For that reason, we hear among our people the ancient saying: "Ko Slavu slavi, tome i Bog pomaze" ("Those who celebrate a Saint Day receive help from God, too").   Because Krsna Slava is regarded as the anniversary of the baptism of the family into Christianity, it is an annual reaffirmation of the family to its baptismal vows and the renewal of its ties to the Orthodox faith and church.   The commemoration of Krsna Slava was to our ancestors one of the most important expressions of their Orthodox faith. So they always celebrated their Krsna Slava, regardless of how dangerous the situation. In our long suffering history, the state and freedom ceased to exist, but in our homes, the candle of our Patron Saint never was extinguished. The Rites   The celebration of Krsna Slava requires the Icon of the family Patron Saint and several items that symbolize Christ and the believer's faith in his death and resurrection: a lighted candle, Slavsko zhito, Slava's bread (Slavski kolach), and red wine.   The lighted candle reminds us that Christ is the Light of world. Without Him we would live in darkness. Christ's light should fill our hearts and minds always, and we should not hide the Light of Christ in our lives.   Slavsko zhito represents the death and resurrection of Christ. Christ reminded us that except a grain of wheat die it cannot rise again, even as it was necessary that He die, be buried, and on the third day rise again so that we all can triumph over death. The Slavsko zhito is prepared as an offering to God for all of the blessings we have received from Him; it also is to honor the Patron Saint and to commemorate our ancestors who lived and died in the Orthodox faith.  Slavsko zhito is prepared the repose of the souls of those departed members of the family who commemorated that Saint. We do not pray for the soul of the Patron Saint, but we pray that he or she intercede to the Lord our God for the forgiveness of our sins. Therefore, you should never place a candle in the Slavsko zhito.   Slava's bread (kolach) represents Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life. It is also symbolic of our thanks to God for being saved through Its Son. During Slava, the priest (or the head of the family) cuts a cross in the bread, breaking it into four pieces, which reminds us of Christ's death on the cross for the remission of our sins.   The red wine, of course, represents Christ's precious blood, which was required to wash our sins away. Note that understanding the symbols of Slava helps us understand the meaning of the celebration.     For the faithful, Krsna Slava creates confidence, strength, freshness, stability, spiritual and physical peace, and the ability and incentive to do good and to lend help to others. If we want to be the meritorious heirs of our ancestors, keeping our origin, history, and symbols of Krsna Slava, we can't permit the flame of our Krsna Slava candle ever to be extinguished.   The importance of Krsna Slava is not to have a huge, elaborate, and expensive party. All you need is the Icon of your saint, a candle, wheat, bread (kolach), and wine, the service of the priest, and an awareness that Krsna Slava is a great treasure passed on to you by your ancestors.  As St. Paul says in his epistle to the Thessalonians (2:15), "Stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught".  A photo of the five ingredients used for the Patron Saint Day celebrations.