Pinecones and Christmas

I've written a few posts about what pinecones mean to me as a symbolic connection between the inner and outer worlds we live in, so I figured that when I went shopping for Christmas decorations for my new unit, I would keep an eye out for some esoteric looking decorations to have around me this Christmas season. 

It certainly wasn't a hard task, either.
The Third Eye (Pineal Gland)

This one above turned out to be one of my favourites, with the twin pinecones hanging above Santa's head from a red string (of destiny?), or red ribbon more accurately.
Touch the Red Thread of Destiny
I also like how Santa's head appears to be coming out through the center of the cross-cut log, which kind of reminds me of a dartboard pattern, where instead of a bulls-eye we have the starting point of the tree's early life with growth rings spreading out towards the edge as the tree has grown older.

This decoration above also struck me as having that dartboard like pattern with the musical notations seeming to emanate from the center outward.
Dartboards Again?

So, my little 2-foot-high tree is full of silver pinecones and decorations that feel rather symbolic to me and the inner/outer journey of life.

My Canadian blogging friend Brendon Wolf-Shield Culliton made the above film which focuses on asking people what they think the pinecone represents to them.
It's quite interesting ... but also quite long, although if you have a few spare hours, you can watch his films below on You Tube.

 A film worth pondering over the coming holidays, I think.

Free Peter Pan Christmas card
 floating around Brisbane in 2015

I picked up this free Christmas postcard above at the Palace Centro cinema when I went to see the film, The Lobster the other day -
Spectre, The Lobster and 4:20
The postcard is one where you have two slightly different scenes, and you see the other scene by tilting the card on a different angle to catch the scene that wasn't visible before.
So, one angle shows the Pan like boy in the background and only the words,"The Wonder" visible, while the other angle gives you the Pan like boy in the foreground and the words, "The Wonder of Christmas", fully visible on the card.

It wasn't lost on me that the movie Pan starred a Brisbane based boy as the lead in the recent movie of the Peter Pan tale, also starring Hugh Jackman.
And I just saw this recent news story ironically enough, about Hugh Jackman "flying" into Brisabne -
Hugh Jackman's security clashes with paparazzo at Brisbane airport
"A scuffle has broken out between Qantas security and a paparazzo over the airline's new global ambassador, superstar Hugh Jackman.

The "Boy From Oz" flew into Brisbane Airport on Friday night on a Qantas Boeing 737-800 from Sydney with his 10-year-old daughter, Ava.
But when the movie and musical star disembarked, he was greeted by a photographer waiting in the arrivals/departures area, a fellow passenger said.
Media usually wait for celebrities in the arrivals lounge, but it's understood that it's not uncommon for paparazzi to try access to the next area to get an exclusive shot." 
Welcome to Brisbane Hugh.

I also thought about Brendon's esoteric movie review of the movie Pan, starring Brisbane based actor Levi Miller which I wrote a post about not long ago this year.

Pan and the Esoteric Journey of the Dreamer: Conscious Movie Review

And the ginger-bread decoration I bought is to remind me to read the Joe Hill novel NOS4A2 that I bought a few weeks ago and to have it read by Christmas day.

NOS4A2

Because sometimes Christmastime can be a bit of a nightmare, as well;-)
Christmasland: A Psychedelic State?

Time to get those decorations that mean something to you up and ready for the holiday season and I hope you all have Happy Holidays this year.

Update: 11:10pm, 5th December, 2015
And here is a real-life horror story I just saw on a news feed when it comes to Christmas decorations -
Matt Golinski fire: Christmas tree lights or power board 'likely cause' of fatal blaze at TV chef's home

"A house fire that killed the wife and three daughters of celebrity chef Matt Golinski is likely to have been started by Christmas tree lights or a power board, Queensland's Coroner has found.

The blaze had ripped through the home by the time firefighters arrived in the early hours of Boxing Day in 2011.
Coroner Terry Ryan concluded: "The fire was most likely started from an ignition source located on or immediately below the Christmas tree.
"Possible sources include a four-outlet power board, the 240V Christmas lights and other electrical equipment close to the tree."

Matt Golinski

I don't even think King could write a story as horrific as what Matt has gone through.
Stay safe over the holidays.