December 2023

Welcome to the December issue of FOCUS Magazine.

This holiday month, I’d like to take you on a little journey into a holiday season long past. Please imagine with me an almost Dickensian Christmas day with children bundled up, wandering from house to house, singing traditional holiday songs. Holiday trees adorned with fruit decorate the town center and houses of worship. At home, the scent of pine, baking cakes and mulled wine fill the air while mothers prepare a feast and drape the family’s mantle with long festive garlands. As the chilly evening approaches, friends and family join together in a procession toward the town center. A few snow flurries fall on a choir singing hymns as people dance their way to their community hearth, joyfully celebrating the season and the coming of their divine infant savior.

Sounds a bit like a Norman Rockwell painting, right? Surprise! I’m talking about ancient Greece. Rural Dionysia was a holiday that originated as a time for communities to gather together and celebrate the birth of Dionysus, son of the god Zeus. The ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, which was held around the same time of year, had many parallels with the celebration of Rural Dionysia. Saturnalia was the most popular of Roman festivals celebrating their god Saturn. Homes were decorated with evergreen boughs and sprigs of mistletoe. It was (and still is, in some places) a festive time when classes came together around a common hearth to celebrate the shared origins of their community and traditions.

So what do these ancient traditions have to do with us in December of 2023?

Well, the word hearth in Latin just happens to be “focus.” It’s true! The hearth was the main gathering place in the home and in rural communities. In ancient Greek homes, the hearth was in the center of the house, in the most important room. It was the “focus” of the home. Men like Aristotle would have spent many hours lounging around a hearth socializing, eating and drinking, and discussing politics of the day.

Our use of the word FOCUS in English means something slightly different now. But this month, I ask you to think about the word FOCUS from the perspective of those ancient communities. Being part of a community that is bound together with a common interest is so important for our creative growth and our personal happiness. It’s not surprising that Aristotle realized we are “social, rational animals” who need our communities in order to flourish. He famously said, “Man perfected by society is the best of all animals.”

Our FOCUS group is larger than it has ever been, and we continue to grow. Many of us gather in our chat group and events to share our art or support and celebrate others who share their art with us. Just by reading this article now you are participating in the community too. The magazine, chat group and Flickr groups are our virtual “hearths.”
And just as the word “focus” is shared by so many languages and cultures, we also share our community with people from all over the globe. We have members that span across the world and speak different languages, and yet we all gather together under a common umbrella we call art.

So this month, I ask that no matter where you are, no matter what country you call your own and no matter what winter celebrations you participate in, remember that you also have a “focus” here in SL to share your passion for art and friendship.

Please enjoy this special issue with Meycy Bailey as our featured artist. Additionally, Hermes Kondor interviews Naru Darkwatch, a talented builder, and Fynnyus discusses art and religion in Second Life.
I hope that everyone has a happy, safe and merry holiday season, and a very Happy New Year!

With warm wishes!
– Angela Thespian

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Let’s build something together.