Spinning Threads.....

Today, 7 January, used to be known as Distaff Day, or in England St. Distaff's Day (there was no St. Distaff though - the name was, for them, a joke). The distaff was a tool used in the spinning of flax or wool fibres; these are first wrapped around the distaff to keep them untangled before heading for the spinning wheel. The term distaff eventually came to be used in reference to the female side of a family "the distaff side".

Distaff Day was the first day after the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas and marked by women, because their work at the distaff was then meant to be resumed. "The duty seems to have been considered a dubious one, and when it was complied with, the ploughmen, who on their part scarcely felt called upon on this day to resume work, made it their sport to set the flax a-burning; in requital of which prank, the maids soused the men from the water-pails." See HERE.

Following the thread....to a song, it is Music Monday:

Spinning Wheel, written by Canadian vocalist David Clayton-Thomas, of the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. He described the song, released in 1969, as being "written in an age when psychedelic imagery was all over lyrics...it was my way of saying, 'Don't get too caught up, because everything comes full circle.'"

What goes up, must come down
Spinnin' wheel, got to go round
Talkin' 'bout your troubles it's a cryin' sin
Ride a painted pony,
Let the spinnin' wheel spin

Ya got no money, and ya
Ya got no home
Spinnin' wheel all alone
Talkin' 'bout your troubles and
Ya never learn
Ride a painted pony,
Let the spinnin' wheel turn

Did you find a directing sign
On the straight and narrow highway?
Would you mind a reflecting sign
Just let it shine, within your mind
And show you the colours that are real.

Someone is waitin' just for you
Spinnin' wheel spinnin' to
Drop all your troubles by the river side
Catch a painted pony
On the spinnin' wheel ride...

Vocal David Clayton Thomas, arranged by saxophonist Fred Lipsius, and produced by James William Guercio.

Still following that thread, those lyrics brought to mind a quote from the late, and still greatly lamented, Bill Hicks:

The world is like a ride at an amusement park. It goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it’s very brightly coloured and it’s very loud and it’s fun, for a while.

Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: Is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, “Hey – don’t worry, don’t be afraid, ever, because, this is just a ride…” But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok.

Jesus – murdered; Martin Luther King – murdered; Malcolm X – murdered; Gandhi – murdered; John Lennon – murdered; Reagan… wounded.

But it doesn’t matter because: It’s just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one.

Here’s what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money that we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.

AMEN. From Distaff Day, via spinning wheels, carousels and fairground rides, to arrive at those words from an individual not of the female aka "distaff side": "The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one" reminds that there's another facet of The Feminine - a facet we all have within us, whatever our gender.

Blogging... following threads.....it's a funny ol' game!