Soul Food Cafe - Advent Calendars

2008 Advent - The Rookery 

The Rookery

This is the home page for the Soul Food Cafe Rookery. During December 2008 you will see birds arriving to nest in the boughs of this tree. Each 'bird' is a valued member of the Soul Food Cafe Rookery, an online writing group for artists and writers from around the world.

Day 1 Arriving at Riversleigh Manor

Sibyl Riversleigh has opened Riversleigh Manor and Ravens have flown in from all over the world to stay for the holiday season.

Day 2 Meet Kerry Vincent

Kerry E. Vincent is a lifelong student of the creative process. She has been hooked on creative writing since the first grade, when her teacher enthused, "Kerry has talent - and a very big imagination!"

Day 3 Meet Gail Kavanagh

Come out to the Gypsy Camp under the apple trees at Riversleigh Manor and take a seat around the campfire. There are a couple of plump hens turning on the spit, and plenty of roast potatoes nestling in the ashes.

Day 4 Meet Lori Gloyd

Lori Gloyd is a fourth-generation Californian and grew up in the Los Angeles area where the multicultural diversity and eclectic sensibilities of the area influenced her development as a photographer, writer, and artist.

Day 5 Meet Imogen Crest

Seeking balance from the busy corporate world, Monika Roleff became Imogen Crest, the Hermit, under the influence of Heather Blakey, Enchanteur extraordinaire and webmistress of Soul Food Cafe.

Day 6 Meet Alexis Lozano

I'm a girl who has grown up and lived in a world of words. Numbers make no sense to me, the only counting I actually enjoy doing is counting how many books I already have or how many books I want to read.

Day 7 Meet Cheshire D. Smith

Cheshire D. Smith and D.Q. Jones are pen names of a Pacific Northwest writer/artist who stumbled across Soul Food Café while browsing the web one day and later jumped down the rabbit-hole of blogging.

Day 8 Meet Jill Sullivan

Jill Sullivan is a visual artist who works in various media including textiles, paint, print, book arts and who has also, since joining the Soul Food Café at the beginning of 2008, started to experiment with the written form.

Day 9 Meet Anita Marie Moscoso

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a Magician- and I didn't want to just pull rabbits from hats- I wanted to be wrapped in chains and buried alive and just when my horrified audience decided that 'something was terribly wrong' and were ready to dig me up I would appear in a cloud of smoke standing over my 'almost grave' in a black dress with a slit up the thigh and my hair falling across my face just like Veronica Lake.

Day 10 Meet Jane Wolfinbarger

She Wolf was born when I screwed up my courage and asked to join an on-line group I had been lurking on the edges of for several years - Soul Food Café.

Day 11 Meet Carol Abel

Traveller, British by birth but living in continental Europe, is in her mid fifties. She recently opted for early retirement and dreams of creating full time.

Day 12 Meet Manon de Forcier

Nurse in real life and mother of three school-aged children, a few years before she turned 40, Manon had no other choice to embrace her "shouting and undeniable" artistic side.

Day 13 Saint Lucia Brings The Light

Everything stops in the Rookery as Saint Lucia and a big raven bring come bearing light.

Day 14 Meet Stephanie Hansen

Currently Stephanie is working on the largest creative project of her life: figuring out how to survive and thrive after the loss of her children, her second family. Her visual art and writing helps her with that equally sad and exciting but monumental task.

Day 15 Meet Megan Warren

I found the Soul Food Cafe and Heather Blakey in 2000 after the death of my son. Writing and artwork was my salvation. It kept me going through those dark times. I have made many lifelong friends met in the cafe. I may not be as frequent a visitor as I once was, but being amongst the ravens in the cafe is where I belong.

Day 16 Meet Fran Sbrocchi

A Canadian octogenarian, Fran grew up on the edge of the far north, went to a tiny country school, became a teacher, her childhood ambition for she had counted her teacher's thirteen pairs of shoes. She taught in small schools for a few years and left for the west coast of Canada the year the snow fell higher than telephone poles.

Day 17 Meet Vi Jones

Vi is an author and a poet. She is deeply involved in photography and is excited by the possibilities presented by the digital age. She has recently taken up digital painting. Several years ago, she discovered the Soul Food Cafe and through it has added several new creative dimensions to her life.

Day 18 Meet Thalia

Thalia is everything from a magical-divine child riding Pegasus to an overweight crone with backaches. She can range from a sea turtle to an eagle, from a mother to a Tudor Shakespearean, from a mermaid to a warrior to a squirrel.

Day 19 Meet Gwen Myers

My 'new life' began in September 2003, when I called my mother from Oregon, and begged to come home. There were no possibilities or future for me in Oregon. So, heavily burdened and sore wounded of mind, heart and spirit, I returned to Arizona.

Day 20 Meet Barbara Banta

Barbara follows the trail of life's wanderings with enthusiam and curiosity. Recently retired from 20 years in her local public library, she now looks forward to returning to art, her first love. She may dabble in water colors, but generally she favors the dry mediums, pencil, charcoal and pastels. Portraiture is her favorite subject.

Day 21 Meet Karen Roberts

Karen Roberts is a writer and artist living in Kansas, USA, who also happens to work as a Nurse Practitioner. She stumbled on to Soul Food a few years ago and first toured Lemuria with Le Enchanteur in 2005. Since then she has been in and out of the kingdom, and finds it to be a magical place of infinite welcome and possibility.

Day 22 Priscilla Queen of Cyber Space

Priscilla is a small ambassador of goodwill who set out from Australia in 2007. Since her departure she has stayed in the United States, Europe, Turkey and Asia with members of the Rookery and has bought joy to everyone who has had her stay with them. After a brief trip back to Australia she returned to the United States and is currenting residing in Arizona.

Day 23 Meet Heather Blakey

The Soul Food Cafe and Heather Blakey somehow merge together. Soul Food is in its eighth year now. It is primarily a site to promote writing as a daily practice and it is full of tantalizing creative stimuli to tempt any writer or artist who is interested in perfecting the craft.

Twas The Night Before Christmas

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But eight shining black ravens, emerging from the rear

Day 25 Christmas at Riversleigh

It is Christmas Day and the Soul Food Ravens gather around the Christmas Tree to listen to some favourite tales. Some will climb into bed, with boxes of chocolates and big bottles of port, and drift off reading the adventures of others of their kin. Others will dream of stepping through the portal again and leaving for more adventures on the twelfth night.

2007 Advent Calendar - Web 2.0 Tools 

A Very Wild Garden

The Wild Garden is a creation of Heather Blakey, the webmaster of the Soul Food Cafe. Wild Garden is a WEB 2.0 project which engages people from all over the world and shows just what amazing communication and collaboration is possible in this setting. This special feature celebrates work that has been done here at Soul Food during 2007 and provides a step by step guide for those who are wanting to learn and engage in this vibrant, interactive world.

Day 2 Join An Online Group

Well, some of my neighbors are computer savvy, but most of my close friends are not. Although almost all my friends have computers, most use them only for e-mailing and games, Solitaire and whatnot. I'm not into games at all, either on or off the computer. But, if they fill a need and I'm sure they do, so-be-it. There's a whole new world out here on the web and I want to be part of it.

Day 3 Purpose Driven Blog Containers

Blogs have enabled me to be brave enough to share my fun drawings done with a WACOM and to delight in combining story and painting. Other's stories send me to my drawing pad and their pictures to poetry. The feedback through comments is so joyous.

Day 4 Mastering Word Press

Word Press is just one of the blogging programs that enable you to create a virtual container. The magic lies in how you use this container. Here you will see that people are catering for very specific audiences.

Day 5 Purpose

The challenge is to work out what your purpose is. Once you have this it is all pretty straight forward.

Day 6 Achieving the Look

Learn how to use the design functions to achieve the look you want.

Day 7 Inserting Images

Learn about image hosts like Flickr and how to insert images into your blogs.

Day 8 Day 8 Collaborative Research Tools

Learn about collaborative tools that are available on the web. Writeboard, Google, Wikis all make it possible to share documents with many people.

Day 9 Artistic Blogging

Turn blogging in to an art form and learn how to showcase your work to the world.

Day 10 Social Networking

I do think that social networking is important for a writer. Before I joined Soul Food, I might have answered that differently, but now, I know how important it is. Having a like-minded audience to share your work and ideas with, to brainstorm with, to support one another's' efforts, and to just visit with, can really help the creative process.

Day 11 Engaging Classes

I have spent the last few nights on the beginning of a journey of discovery into the world of Web2.0. This is the future for your children - an online world/community where work and social interactions will take place. Sharing photos/videos/information is taking on a whole new meaning - and so in order to be up to the ride, I'm here learning as much as I can. In just a few hours I have discovered voki's - an online persona that you can communicate with and viddler - a way of sharing movies online. There is sooooooo much that it is only the beginning. So hold on to your hat as I hold on to mine - and lets enjoy the ride together.

Day 12 A Container for a Storyteller

Meet a storyteller and learn more about just how you can use blogs to publish work.

Day 13 Making Money Online

For most people trying to make money online there is a very steep curve and you should not expect yours to be any different. Your internet income will probably be very little or maybe even non-existent for many months, then it might increase slowly for a while. Then, seemingly out of nowhere it can take a sharp turn upward and continue to increase rapidly.

Day 14 A Room of Your Own

What really appeals about Web 2.0 are the increasingly sophisticated and attractive methods of sharing ones artwork .It provides people with the possibility to create a website for themselves with no financial outlay and which, with a little care and attention, they can make interesting and attractive.

Day 15 Blogmeister Toys

The whole Web 2.0 scene is totally addictive. Here are some toys to play with. Store your outcomes in your blog container.

Day 16 Photostory and Slide Shows

Got a camera and some friends? Go have fun, and put the result on Viddler. Want some exposure for the movie you made at film school? Put it on Viddler-it gives you the opportunity to reach out to thousands of viewers online.

Day 17 Professional Presentations

Take your presentations to another level.

Day 18 Age is NO Barrier

Technology is the way of the future. People, especially older people, need to keep their mind active. Keep on learning new things. Lifelong learning will help stave off such debilitating diseases as Alzheimer's. It's true, you know, when they say, 'use it or lose it,' so folks, for goodness sake use it.

Day 19 Digital Portfolios

e-portfolios are not scrapbooks. One of the most powerful things an Efolio can do is to show reflection, evolution of thought, and professional development. A solid portfolio not only shows that you have met standards. It demonstrates, with powerful evidence, how you have come to know it.

Day 20 Meet a Bloggermeister

I think that I realized how unique I was when I realized how unique every single person in my life is- and that has actually helped me create some of my favorite characters here at the Café- not only have they become real to me- but they've become real to some of my readers as well. When that came together I found my voice here at the Soul Food Café

Day 21 Game Making

Video games, or virtual simulations, or whatever we want to call them, will be a key component of classrooms of the future. The learning principles and potential will be too powerful to ignore for much longer, particularly as we move closer to every student having some kind of computing device with him or her 24 hours a day.

Day 22 Finding Comfort

The Temple of Solace is a fascinating Web 2.0 phenomena. It was born during a dark period when Imogen Crest and Enchanteur felt abandoned by so many within their earthly realm. They felt there was a need for a place where they could go and keen and wail or simply find comfort within a quiet sanctuary. Both lost partners within months of one another, both slipped into the other world inhabitated by those who are grieving losses of all kinds.

Day 23 Meet a Bloggermeister

The seed holds the promise of growth, and contains its own intelligence, no matter what. I think this is important to seeds, to grow, and flourish.

Day 24 Christmas Eve Dreaming

Now, equipped with the knowledge of Web 2.0 Tools you are ready to engage in the world of Soul Food.

Day 25 Christmas in the Country

View a video made by students at Hawkesdale P - 12

2003 Advent Calendar 

A Unique Australian Perspective

Day 1 Breaking With Traditions

This is the opportunity for you to break with the traditions.

Day 2 Nesting

It is a time when the scattered flocks foregather from far and wide under the old roof-tree.

Day 3 The Spirit of Eureka

Many of us are guilty of taking hard won rights for granted! Few Australians would think to stop and give thanks to these miners who defied establishment and won democratic rights. Christmas is a time to express gratitude.

Day 4 Baskets of Memories

December can be an especially difficult time for people who have lost loved ones during the year. Swells of grief and mourning can fester and become crippling. Exiles, cast from their motherland, Australia's earliest convicts and settlers, suffered a severe sense of loss and recreated old traditions in this harsh, ancient land, a land that bore so little resemblance to England.

Day 5 Six White Boomers

When visitors come during these lazy, hazy, wind down summer days, I like to be able to produce some home made goodies to feast upon. Here are six favourite Australian 'boomers' that can be use for the Aus-tra-lian run.

Day 6 Christmas Letter from Australia

So they dreamed of home,the expatriates, lonely, not knowing That they carried in their hearts not snow, nor robins, nor holly, But the age-old wish for belonging.

Day 7 House in Order

"I am getting my house in order: as without, so within. House in dream intrepretation is the icon of self. 'House', says Emily Dickinson, 'that uncanny container.' Some creatures - turtle, snail, pilgrim, refugee - carry their house upon their backs. My 'house' is this archive, honey hive, of papers carried around with me from place to place through half a century. Now it is time to collect the honey from the hive..."

Day 8 Nutty Nonsense

Australians have a long tradition of being 'bits of dags', which loosely translated means that they just like to have fun. Irreverent humour verges on being downright rude and uncouth but generally it is all quite harmless and, their saving grace is that Australians are very good at laughing at themselves.

Day 9 Summer Christmas Scenes

"Summer was never my season. Too darn hot, too many tourists in the beach town I live in, too much traffic, too much. Just too much. And then, one summer, I fell in love. Swoony with passion and sensuality, I suddenly realized what the lure of summer was to many people. The lusciousness of ripe fruit, the slow touch of sun-warmed skin, languid listening to soul-stirring music on long summer nights%u2026 it all made sense to me (pun intended). And since then, summer has been the sensual season for me. I invite you to come with me on a summer celebration of the senses."

Day 10 Red Umbrella Day

The Bulletin," in the 'eighties and 'nineties, provided a rallying point for Australian literary nationalism. J. F. Archibald gathered under his banner a representative collection of rebels against imported culture, and began to encourage the local articles.

Day 11 Narnia by Winnie Cross

This December day, journey with Cross as she remembers Narnia with the eye of an artist.

Day 12 Precious Gifts

This wall mural was made "in good faith...faith that this Buddhist exercise known as the making and dedicating of merit for the well-being of others...is worthwhile." Frankly, this mural that Stephanie Hansen began painting when my husband Darryl was recovering from his bowel operation, is one of the most precious gifts I have received.

Day 13 Saint Lucia Day

A favorite Scandianian holiday tradition is tied to the beautiful white clad figure of Lucia, the "bearer of light," who illuminates the darkness of winter on the morning of December 13th. Very early, before dawn, when the world is still blanketed in darkness, Lucia appears at each bedside, dressed in a white gown with a red sash, wearing a crown of candles on her head, she awakens each member of the family with light saying: "Saint Lucia brings you light and bids you come to breakfast." In her hands she carries a tray of coffee, sweet rolls and cookies.

Day 14 Celebrate Place

Take the time to celebrate place

Day 15 Summer Christmas Holidays

When I was growing up in country Victoria in the 1950's we used to pile into the old Holden and head out most Sundays, up the Dargo road to The Arches, an eccentric little cottage, hidden amid the blooms of banskia roses. The Arches perched near the gurgling Freestone Creek, not far from the Blue Pools, our favourite swimming hole.

Day 16 Not Everyone is Merry

To acknowledge that not everyone is feeling incredibly merry is very important at this time of the year. It is hard enough to be burdened with the worries of the world, without being made to feel a misfit because you do not happen to feel incredibly happy.

Day 17 Lure Of The Beach

Many of Australia's beautiful beaches are located within highly populated areas, bringing city living to the shoreline. The beach is far more than a holiday destination - it is an important part of our national identity and culture. Our beaches continue to provide endless inspiration for artists, writers and photographers. In fact, everyone can enjoy being creative at the beach.

Day 18 Billabong Dreaming

"Around the waterhole we sit under the night sky and reflect about the country, express our feelings about what is happening on this earth, and start telling our stories." You only have to ask those who have participated in story telling sessions by the billabong, and they will tell you that this is the very best bush tucker - a tucker that nourishes the soul and has magical healing properties.

Day 19 Medicine Bags and Dream Boxes

Her romantic mind was like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East, however many you discover there is always one more. - J.M.Barrie, The Adventures of Peter Pan

Day 20 The Christmas Tree

The most important thing about Thanksgiving at our house is the day after and that is because it is Tree Day.

Day 21 Gleaning

Main Entry: glean Pronunciation: 'glEn Function: verb Etymology: Middle English glenen, from Middle French glener, from Late Latin glennare, of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish doglenn he selects Date: 14th century intransitive senses 1 : to gather grain or other produce left by reapers 2 : to gather information or material bit by bit transitive senses 1 a : to pick up after a reaper b : to strip (as a field) of the leavings of reapers 2 a : to gather (as information) bit by bit b : to pick over in search of relevant material

Day 22 Summer and Winter Solstice

The irony of the seasonal merry-go-round is that, as we Australians celebrate the longest day and Summer Solstice, our friends in the Northern Hemisphere are preparing for the shortest day and the Winter Solstice. 'Curiouser and curiouser' as Alice would say.

Day 23 Dreaming of Boxing Day

The [Australian] community encourages drinking to the point of addiction... it goes without saying that most leisure pursuits are accompanied by compulsive drinking, few would think of going to the cricket, football or tennis without an Esky full of cold cans and fewer would go yachting or picnicking without a trusty supply. For many, leisure equals drinking.

Day 24 Christmas Eve

Santa will be given plenty to eat.Feed the wild life tonight.

Day 25 A Salute to the Pioneers

Australia's history might have been very different if a gale had sprung up on Christmas Day, 1768. On that day the Endeavour was sailing down toward Tierra del Fuego and Mr Banks entered in his diary: 'Christmas Day all good Christians, that is to say all good hands, got abominably drunk so that all through the night there was scarce a sober man in the ship. Weather, thank God, very moderate, or Lord knows what would have become of us.'

2004 Calendar for Writers and Artists 

Day 1 Breathe Life In To Altered Books

Perhaps one of the most rewarding things for me this year (2004) has been seeing the altered books that the Grade 3, through to Year 12, students have made in each of the schools I have been working in.

Day 2 Collaged Boxes

There is no time like the present to get yourself organised and begin making Christmas presents for your friends and family. Collage boxes and use them to hold your gifts.

Day 3 Make a Beaded Doll

Megan Noel takes you, step by step, through making a beaded doll.

Day 4 Write an Urban Myth

Anita Maria Moscoso wrote telling me that she loves urban legends... Bloody Mary, the hitchhiker (it's usually a teenage girl in a prom dress), that gets picked up in front of a cemetary and when the driver turns around after a few minutes the girl is gone. Who knows where these stories come from but they are passed on.

Day 5 A Mystery Tour

Each year my Year 12 English class and I go on a Wild Mystery Writing Tour. This year we went into the Melbourne Central Business District with a tour guide and looked at our own city through the eyes of a tourist. Each student had a camera and a theme and they were each surprised to discover pockets that they had never visited before. Koko's Chocolate Bar and The Mingary were amongst the 'best find' awards. A chance meeting with Kramer, on the steps of Flinders Street Station was a highlight for my tour guide and I.

Day 6 Nesting

The original page about visiting Heide was removed by the request of the author. This page is all about making a nest.

Day 7 Jewelry Forest

Learn from Gwen Myers how to make a jewelry forest.

Day 8 Recycle Old Vinyls

My Year 7's had a wonderful time redecorating my old Reader's Digest Vinyl Covers. You can buy old vinyls with drab covers in Charity Shops. Aaron Zino made this one which will be a brilliant gift for his Mum this year. It includes a personal profile on the back and, he can always slip a CD of her favourite tracks inside.

Day 10 Make Paper Dolls

Sylvia Kleindinst pointed out a site where the teacher had students explore their identity using paper dolls. It reminded me of an activity I used where students laid on the ground and traced one another's bodies. Then they worked on self portraiture exercises. Early next year, when I begin working with my students I will be undertaking this project.

Day 11 Finger Puppets

At every school I visited this year the children loved making finger puppets.Students simply traced around their hand and then created small characters on each finger. As they drew I talked to them about characters having different moods and gave suggestions about who the people might be - members of a gang, friends who had gathered in a secret cubby place, murky underworld figures, gangsters, girls who just wanted to have fun.

Day 12 Dutch Christmas

Aletta Mes introduces the Cafe to a Dutch Christmas.

Day 13 Homing

Stephanie Hansen leads a fun 'homing' activity.

Day14 Creative Birthing

Take the time to birth some creative hopes and dreams.

Day 15 Santa's Workshop

Lots of free things to wile away the hours during the seasonal holiday period.

Day 16 Kingdom of Imagination

Enter the kingdom of imagination and you will be intrigued.

Day 17 Brigid Goddess of Creativity

The symbolism of wells and springs reflects the connection to the waters of life that emerge from unseen sources. In psychological terms, this could signify the wisdom of the unconscious that flows from mysterious origins. The key is developing a practice of receptivity. For example, contemplating our dreams can open us to an awareness greater than our conscious knowing.

Day 18 Making Special Gifts

Handmade gifts are still the most popular.

Day 19 Angel Factor

The pages of this Advent Calendar came together on a wing and a prayer and with the help of loyal patrons of Soul Food.Compiling twenty five fresh pages with a little bit of WOW factor is challenging.

Day 20 Red Umbrella Day

J.F. Archibald used to say that what Australia needed most was a Minister for Red Umbrellas - meaning someone representative of the gaiety and colour of national life

Day 21 Self Portraiture

Use avatars to help define self. Avatarity is a site dedicated to being the best place on the net to come for Avatars. Whether you need an Avatar, an identity, for an online forum, a web page, or just to put into an instant messenger profile, you're sure to find it here! In fact, we have the biggest, best organized collection of searchable Avatars on the web.

Day 22 Make Retablos

'Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom'
Marcel Proust

Day 23 Luminaries

Luminaries are beautiful! You can make them easily out of paper bags or tin cans. For the outdoors, fill a brown paper lunch bag half way with sand and place a small votive in the sand.

Day 24 Christmas Eve in Australia

Christmas Eve in Australia really is quite unique.

Day 25 Christmas Day Nativity Story

Aletta Mes provides her unique perspective of the Nativity story.

2005 Travel the Soul Food Silk Road 

Day 1 The Piper Calls

"The greatest of journeys begins with a single step." Would this quote be the root of my undoing, or would it be the beginning of another glorious adventure for me to learn from? No sense in dithering about that now. I am standing before the door I must pass through to truly begin.

Day 2 Preserving the Journey

There are many creative ways to make sure that you preserve your journey. It is all about finding containers.

Day 3 Lemurian Artefacts

Many Lemurian artefacts have been gathered during our journey.

Day 4 Unbottle Your Emotions

Take the time to let the Genie out of the bottle. Feed the Genie Jelly Beans and get on with making art.

Day 5 Call of the Gypsy Camp

The Romany (or Rom) is a world wide nomadic group of people with a defined culture and language. No one is sure of the exact numbers, but there are estimated to be 12 million Rom across the globe. The Romany people are believed to have originated in India, and began wandering 1000 years ago.

Day 6 Doll Guides

One of the destinations on the Silk Road is Baba Yaga's House. Baba is the famed Russian Crone who Clarissa Pinkola Este's wrote about in her classic 'Women Who Run With the Wolves'. Vasalisa the Wise is sent to Baba's house and has to undertake many tasks for the old crone. Vasilisa has the doll her mother gave her as a guide. Her mother stressed that Vasilisa must hide the doll at all times.

Day 7 A Path for The Heart

"Solitude renews the mind, just like a walk in the woods or the park. Nature sustains us. Where would we be without trees? Colours also resonate to different parts of us -- see which part of the body the colours relate back to on the photos to the right. Colour healing is widely known to be affective. Call back your solitude and go within, or explore outside, taking a good look at the colours around you.

Day 8 Temple of Mnemosyne

Drink from the waters of Mnemosyne, mother of the Muses and of Memory and remember.

Day 9 Bath House

Luxuriate in the Bath House and was away all doubts and inhibitions.

Day 10 Ancient Market Town

At dawn the caravanserai snaked its way into the old market town of Suakin. Overhead there's a high whistling cry, the familiar call of whistling kites.

Day 11 House of the Serpents

Meet your inner donkey and take a ride of a life time to the House of the Serpents.

Day 12 Golden Seed Grove

Within Lemuria seeds are sown and ideas flourish, as accomplished and struggling writer's alike congregate. From the golden seed of the silver birch came the elegant birch that so gracefully filters the morning sun as it streams in the windows of Carnforth, the home of the Soul Food Cafe. Similarly writing germinates from seeds sown in writing workshops, from writing within the forums here at Soul Food.

Day 13 Perfume of the Gods

After visiting the old market town of Suakin, which is not far south from Port Sudan, we are crossing the Red Sea and picking up the old frankinscene trail into Makka and will travel north towards Petra and Alexandria where our creative makka lies waiting.

Day 14 Visit Live Muses

Enter the workshops of members of the Soul Food Cafe.

Day 15 Grave Tales

Anita Marie Moscoso, of Curiosity Shop fame, manages to regularly chill us to the bones with her deliciously horror filled stories and Stone Hearts, which she presented to Gorgons in the banquet hall of the House of the Serpents, is no exception. It is wonderful to have Anita around. She not only manages to keep us all on our toes but finds gold in dark places.

Day 16 Hermitage Solitude

The caravans have pulled into the Hermitage, which is not far, as the raven flies, from the religious scholar's town, Medina.There is much clattering of hooves in the old courtyard of the Hermitage as everyone arrives and dismounts. The Hermit has prepared rooms for travellers and stables for the animals. We will be staying here at the Hermitage for four days before making our way to Alexandria.

Day 17 Arabian Night Ball

Enjoy this Masque Ball.

Day 18 Epona Soul Parable

Go to the Lemurian Stables and find your night mare to take you on a night ride.

Day 19 Donkey Christmas Party

When Fran Sbrocchi set out along the Silk Road on her donkey I doubt she knew what lay ahead, that she would become the much loved secretary of the Donkey's Union.

Day 20 The Lemurian Abbey

Savour the sanctuary of the Lemurian Abbey.

Day 21 Pregnant with Possibility

The Black Madonna is the alter ego of the Virgin Mary, they are Queen of the Earth as Mary is Queen in Heaven and fertile and sensual as Mary is icon of the Immaculate Conception and Incorruptibility. The Black Madonna is the Virgin who belongs to no man or deity, since all life emanated from her as Mother Nature. In contrast Mary received the seed of God in the form of the Holy Spirit

Day 22 Solstice

Celebrate this Solstice on Owl Island.

Day 23 Festival of Larentalia

Discover the joy of the Festival of Larentalia.

Day 24 Isle of Ancestors

Gather up your candles and prepare to go to the Isle of Ancestors tonight, from the Duwamish Quay, to be with your ancestors for a few quiet hours before the Christmas festivities begin.

Day 25 Wyse Women of Lemuria

The Wyse Women of Lemuria and the Soul Food Silk Road came bearing many gifts this year. These pages are a testimony to their creativity and wisdom.

Fun Advent Calendars 

Advent Calendar Game

This is a lovely, interactive, flash Advent Calendar which will have a lot of appeal for little ones.

Make a Felt Calendar

Making a felt calendar could become a family tradition each December.

2006 The Grand Lemurian Tour 

Day 1 Portals

The 2006 Adventure Calendar is all about following the footprints of others and exploring the exotic Lemurian Cosmos, a fantasy cyber realm at Soul Food.

Day 2 Meeting Enchanteur

Amid a flash of colours Enchanteur appears like a whirling dervish snapping her fingers, giving directions, offering last minute suggestions. Within split seconds you pass through a portal and the beauty of the Lemurian Cosmos all but blinds you. Like the White Witch in Narnia Enchanteur has you snared in her web and will make you earn your keep in Lemuria.

Day 3 Owl Creek and the Alluvial Mine

Enchanteur informs you that the road that you, and your animal companion must travel, now that you have stumbled in to Lemuria, is known as Owl Creek Road. It winds it's way through Owl Creek Valley until, eventually, you reach the Olympic Mountains and the Alluvial Mine.

Day 4 Home Hosts

To avoid the problems often faced by travellers who only meet coachmen, ferrywomen, stablewomen, hoteliers and intrepreter guides it is recommended that travellers stay with home hosts while they are in Owl Creek Valley and other parts of Lemuria.

Day 5 Alluvial Mine

The Keeper of the Mine is satisified with the gifts of appeasement that you have left and she tells Annie Marshall, one of the guides who work in the mine, to bring you to the entrance of the main caverns that leads to the Lemurian Alluvial Mine.

Day 6 Dream Seeds

Le Enchanteur's Dream Seeds of hope, light and creativity have become legendary. It is no wonder that travellers come from all over the world seeking a packet of these potent seeds.

Day 7 Riversleigh Manor

"Imagine for a moment that you are stretched out on a couch with a comfortable group of well-heeled friends who are brought together by their love of the written word, their love of fine art, and their love of their own voices. People who sit together on numerous occasions for the simple pleasure of talking about anything that comes to mind -- politics, love, painting, their upper-class friends and colleagues, their own writing, other people's writing (especially if they don't like certain popular or rising writers, and they wish to make their views known). Imagine participating in exciting debate or idle chatter, or exchanging your latest work of fiction for that of your friends in order to help solidify a sentence or clarify an image. All the while, hot drinks and platters of food are passed around to quench other forms of hunger and thirst."

Day 8 Digging In

It is one of the reasons that your Temple is such an interesting idea. What is there is not the pure idea, of course, for much that has been left there was put there for you. But what if - what of the pure idea? What if there were a place that people who were unsure could come and put something, not having to wonder if it would be right, perhaps putting it down when no one saw and walking away. And what if, likewise, someone who was grieving could come and take what they needed?

Day 9 Mapping the Heart

"Of course you know it isn't going to be that easy," the bees buzz. As I'd now shed my skin, they are free to fly around me for the first time. I am touched that they don't make a big deal out of this, or berate me for hiding them from view. They seem to understand that our symbiosis is not an easy one for me.

Day 10 Up the Faraway Tree

Dame Washalot is waiting at the bottom of the Faraway Tree, sleeved rolled up, bucket of water from the Blind Springs, ready to scrub away inhibitions and preconceived notions. Are you ready?

Day 11 Lemurian Greening

How is it that some gardens flourish, while others just sit there doing nothing in particular?
No, it's not some sort of magic, or even green thumbs. It's just a matter of doing the basics: watering, weeding, feeding, pruning and mulching.

Day 12 The Calabar

This is your opportunity to run away to sea and become a fearless pirate on the Calabar.

Day 13 Meet the Temple People

The Island of the Temple people is a part of the Lemurian Archipelago and can only be reached under the steerage of Captain Wilder on the Calabar. As a part of the journey to find the elixir of creativity and the Heroine's Journey, travellers spend time working on the Calabar. The ship usually calls in at the Isle of Ancestors, White Owl Island and the City of Ladies. Make sure to listen to hear the Captains call so that you know when the Calabar is leaving the port again OR linger as long as you like and use your wings to return to your favourite Lemurian hideaways.

Day 14 Anchorage

Have you ever been to a place called Duwamish Bay? I've come by Ship and Ferry, on foot and horseback. I go back over and over again because of these words. I hope they inspire you as they have inspired me

Day 15 The Isle of Ancestors

he Isle of Ancestors is one of the most mysterious, revered destinations on the Silk Road. Travellers who come here are deeply touched by their experience.

Day 17 Blind Springs and Serpents

After an exhilarating journey to the Isle of the Ancestors travellers lie in the Duwamish Bay bath-house listening, agog, as experienced travellers and Ferry Women alike, sit around remembering 'that' journey to the 'House of the Serpents and Blind Springs" back in July 2005.

Day 18 House of the Serpents

he Rainbow Priestess is the protector of the House of the Serpents. She holds the key to the gates and will only provide entry to those who have mapped their heart and lightened their load by unburdening at the Gatehouse. There will be a banquet to celebrate our arrival and travelling trevere will be asked to amuse the Gorgons with a light hearted, comic presentation.

Day 18 Night Rides

After Heather's interview with the Stheino and Eurayle (The Gorgons) they pronounced Heather Gorgophone, or Gorgon Slayer. The Gorgons are new women, with a spring in their step. After the interview Steino took carefully gathered droplets of blood from their coral throne and carefully dropped them in the House of the Serpents stables. Horses rise from these droplets, snorting, offering to take travellers for 'night rides'.

Day 19 Call of Baba Yaga

Everyone gathers, expectant. Everyone has heard the call of the wild, the call of Baba Yaga. It is Baba Yaga who is the keeper of the creative fire.

Day 20 Badges of Identity

Labels? Badges? My God, for so long I was forced to wear them. They are all stuffed in this old box here - the faces are scratched now, the pins rusty, and some are spotted with blood where they dug in and hurt so much.

Day 21 House of the Crone

Myths and fairy tales are often very powerful teaching aids. They frequently describe a journey of discovery about the nature of the world or the nature of the self, and some are initiatory stories of young people going through rites of passage which take them from childhood to adulthood.

Day 22 Solstice with Baba

No one's really sure how long ago humans recognized the winter solstice and began heralding it as a turning point -- the day that marks the return of the sun. One delightful little book written in 1948, 4,000 Years of Christmas, puts its theory right up in the title. The Mesopotamians were first, it claims, with a 12-day festival of renewal, designed to help the god Marduk tame the monsters of chaos for one more year.

Day 23 Baba's Benevolence

Baba Yaga's role as a "witch" in the stereotypical sense is clear in her accoutrements, in her personal habits, and in her participation in the Russian variant of "Hansel and Gretel." However, despite the literal translation of ved'ma (witch), her behavior is far more benevolent, if not entirely benign, in other stories

Day 24 City of Ladies

It was after the visit to Baba Yaga that Belenus, the intellect-ruled donkey, changed forever. And this was not because there was anything wrong with him, but because he wanted it that way.

Day 25 Christmas at Riversleigh

Travellers have arrived at Riversleigh, have found their rooms and are digging in for the holiday season and New Year. Christmas is just one of the annual festivals celebrated in this old manor house. Halloween, Valentines, All Saints and Chinese New Year have been celebrated here. Join this period of festival and festivity at Soul Food. Ebony Wilder, the housekeeper has filled the pantries with food and the staff have been working hard to make sure that everything is in order.