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Dear friends & family,

Last night, my niece Polly Mottonen (who is also our art director) and her husband Mark put on their annual holiday bash. A groaning board of deliciousness fed 70 guests. Swagger, a rollicking Irish band for which Mark plays drums, roused a crowd in the living room. There are friends I see only at this party. This year has flown ~ it seems we were together only three months ago. The main difference is the kids: taller, hairier, more worldly wise. I'd swear ~ time lurches.

Amidst the festivities, it's a week to get a bit nostalgic, say goodbyes, daydream possible futures, choose new paths. Midweek, it's also my birthday, which energizes this tendency for me. Yes, it's probably my favorite week of the year.

Greta Belanger deJong
Ed. & Publ, CATALYST

PS: Last week I shared that CATALYST applied for nonprofit status. A wholehearted THANKS to those of you who voted in favor of CATALYST's future with your dollars. There's still time to make a tax-deductible contribution before the end of the year (click HERE). Community Foundation of Utah (CFU) has agreed to be our fiscal sponsor while our application is being processed. (You can also mail a check to us directly: CATALYST, 140 S McClelland St, SLC 84102. Make check out to CFU.)

Here are my picks for this week. Click on the cover at left for the December issue. Share this email with a friend. Send me comments.
Event picks for
December 24-31

Funky Reggae Hip Hop Drive


Sat, Dec 26, 8pm-2am
Metro Bar, 615 W 100 S
  
Reaper the Storyteller, Lynnea Devine, Simply B, Jamal Lythgoe. Local arts & crafts. Open mic time for free styling. Sponsored by the Salty Nomads. $10.
 
 

Sunday Kirtan
 
Sun, Dec 27, 6-8pm
Millennium Dance Coplex, 918 E 900 S
Free (love offerings accepted)
 
Singing, dancing, spreading the love. Kirtan is a form of devotional chanting, primarily in Sanskrit, whose roots go back 500 years to India. It is a form of Bhakti Yoga (yoga of devotion) and has the power to open the heart. The singing is accompanied by musical instruments and rhythmic drumming. You are encouraged to participate by chanting, clapping, or even dancing.

The Bee: True Stories from the Hive

Sun, Dec 27, 6-7pm
KRCL, 90.9fm
 
 
The Bee: True Stories from the Hive
takes over RadioActive on 90.9fm KRCL, recorded live at Urban Lounge and the Leonardo. Six times a year, local storytellers "lovingly compete" extemporaneously in front of sold-out audiences. Brave souls. We applaud them all!   
 

Releasing Ceremony
 
Thurs, Dec 31, noon
Inner Light Center
4408 S 500 E 
Free

Bless and release old energy; welcome your heart's desires for 2016.
 
 
New Year's Eve Burning Bowl
 
Thurs, Dec 31, 6:30pm
Salt Lake Center for Spiritual Living
332 W Bugatti Dr
Love offering



Using meditation and chakra cleansing, while surrounded by a supportive community, you are invited to release what has been and embrace the full scope of who you really are. Celebrate the coming of a new year with a clear vision of all that is possible in 2016.  Facilitated by Linda Forrest and Salina Baugh.
 
 
 
Emancipator @ O.P. Rockwell
Thurs, Dec 31, 9pm-1am 
 268 Main St. , Park City
$55 21+ 
  
  
 
Dance out the old, dance in the new. Sacred sweat. Nightreq presents Loci Records Showcase. w/ Cloudchord, Lapa, cameragrammar.
 
Hot Buttered Rum | Head For the Hills
Thurs, Dec 31, 9pm-1am 
The State Room, 638 S State St.
21+ GA $45
Prom Night theme
 
 
Blog Updates 
 
The next several days unfold with conflicting time signatures and sometimes the contrast is so stark, even the steadiest schedules are disrupted. Don't be dismayed if you're discombobulated and feel a little like the Mad Hatter. At certain points during the day, time may seem to stand still-for example, when you're in a hurry and waiting for a train that never seems to arrive. At other intervals during the day, the seconds, minutes and hours fly by so quickly, you're likely to panic because it feels as if there won't be enough time to get everything done. It's not quite a start-stop-start or a hurry-up-and-wait rhythm. But it is "retrogrady". And it is not Mercury Retrograde playing mind games and screwing around with the time distortions. It's Uranus, which goes direct on Christmas Day, and until it moves "forward", daily life plays out at a peculiar pace...(read more)