"Make thou my spirit pure and clear as are the frosty skies."
-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Godfather Death:
An Imbolg Myth
There once was an old woman who owned a small farm. She was a widow
and had many children and grandchildren that she fed and supported
from the land she had. Now it wasn't a large farm and they had
barely enough to get along, an sometimes they did not have enough.
Unfortunately it came to pass that one of her daughters came to her
with the news that they would soon have yet another mouth to feed.
Dismayed, the mother knew what she would be forced to do. When the
day came, she took the squalling new born form the exhausted
daughter and bundled him up tight and left the house. There was no
way that she could feed yet another mouth.
On her way down the road she met a cloaked figure. He asked her
what was in the bundle. "Ah, a poor wee child. My family is already
too large and I am but an old woman barely able to survive with the
many children already in my home.
To this the man replied "Dear mother do not expose this child to
the elements but give him into my foster care. In exchange I will
give you this rowan wand and you will become a great healer. Merely
wave the wand over the person. If Death appears at the head of the
bed the person will be saved. If however Death appears at the foot
of the bed, that person must die.
The mother gratefully gave over the small infant to the godfather
and in exchange, received the wand. It soon came to pass that she
became renowned for her great healing skills throughout the land.
Eventually becoming so well off that her and her family were able
to live in relative comfort.
It finally happened that one day she was called to save the queen's
son, which she had done twice before when he had been gored by a
stag , that she was unable the save him. For the first time the son
was dying of unrequited love. Death had appeared at the foot of the
bed and taken the queen's son.
So, she decided to go see godfather and ask him why this had
transpired. But when she went into the house, she found that things
were most strange there. On the first floor a black cat was
fighting with a dog and there was a terrible row. "Where does
godfather live?' the woman asked . At once the cat turned into the
dead queen's son and sang:
"Rowan, rowan, silver twig of life
Cast my shadow on blood of strife"
The woman went deeper into the house. On the walls were the shadows
of the many animals that the godfather had slain, stags and bear
and bison. And there were the shadows of men there too. On the
floor there were many dead babies, the children who had been given
to the sky.
"Where does godfather live?" the mother asked these children. They
sprang up and sang:
"Rowan, rowan, silver twig of life,
Cast my shadow on skull of strife."
So the mother went deeper, for farther on she could see a room
scattered with skulls. When she touched them with her rowan wand,
they came alive and spoke:
"Rowan, rowan, curse me not
For godfather has caused my flesh to rot."
Deeper yet the mother could smell a dreadful odor. She came then to
a rotting forest, all the trees blackening with death, all the
animals fallen down, and the grass withered like the fingers of
dead children. Only the rowan bush remained untouched, and it
glowed with life, it's little buds opening with life even as she
watched.
She knew then where to find the godfather. Indeed he was hidden in
the rowan bush. When she saw him, she said, "Godfather, what are
these strange apparitions in your house? At the entrance I saw your
animals become children."
"And I saw your hair become grey, old mother," he replied.
"Then I saw the shadows of all your kills on the walls."
"Ah. So you know then why you are here."
"Then I saw a room full of skulls," she said.
"You found your own people."
"Then a rotted forest."
"The world to come," he explained.
"Then the rowan bush."
So he leaped out and made as if to grab her, but she was a quick
old woman and she got away from him. When she looked back and saw
his horns and red eyes, she realized who he was and ran all the
faster.
She was so fleet that she came back into her own land, and when her
people saw her they fell to rejoicing, for their old mother had
become a young maiden again.
Variation on Grimm's Fairy Tales- same title.
http://www.thecauldron.com/html/newsletter.html#myth
Imbolg
The forests, fields and rivers are changing
Under the pulse of the greatest law.
Life in secret returns to the Earth
From East and South and West and North.
Released from Winter, Life is renewed.
Future hopes lift the weight of the past.
Days become longer, winds are perfumed
And swallows sing to the skies at last.
The path that leads to the future is
Unfurled by the beautiful Goddess of Spring.
The promise lies in the bud of the snowdrop
When wind's in the East and bird's on the wing.
The greatest force is the magic of change
Revealed in the bloom of the beautiful Goddess;
The greatest rhythm is heard once again
In the wild songs of Pan that resound through the forest.
1995 Ezmi K Witty
The Homeric Hymn to Demeter
Demeter, thick-haired Demeter, sacred goddess,
I shall sing of her and her daughter
with the slender ankles whom Aidoneus seized away
and loud-thundering, far-seeing Zeus gave her away
far from Demeter with her golden sword
and her glorious harvests, the daughter was playing
with the deep-breasted daughters of Oceanus.
They were gathering flowers, roses and crocuses
and beautiful violets in a soft meadow;
there were irises and hyacinths and a narcissus
which Gaia grew as a snare for the flower-like girl,
for Zeus willed it and The Receiver of Many
wanted it, and the flower shone wondrously.
Everyone who saw it was amazed, immortal gods
as well as mortal men. From its root there grew
a hundred blooms which had a scent so sweet that all
the wide heaven above and all the earth and all
the salt swelling of the sea laughed aloud.
And the girl too wondered at it, she reached out
her hands to take this thing of such delight,
but the earth with wide paths gaped in the plain of Nysa,
and the Lord, The Receiver of Many, sprang upon her
with his immortal horses, that son of Cronos with many names.
He caught hold of her, protesting, and he took her away,
weeping, in his chariot of gold.
Then she screamed in a shrill voice, calling for her father,
the almighty and invincible Son of Cronos.
But no one, neither the immortal gods nor mortal men,
no one heard her voice, not even the olive trees
heavy with fruit...
Yet the goddess, as long as she could see the earth
and the sparkling sky and the fast-flowing sea
full of fishes and the light of the sun
and as long as she still hoped to look upon
her dear mother and the race of gods who live forever,
then that hope charmed her great heart in spite of her grief...
And the peaks of the mountains and the depths of the sea echoed
with her immortal voice, and her queenly mother heard her.
A sharp pain seized her heart. With her lovely hands
she tore the veil from her long ambrosial hair,
she let fall her dark blue cloak from off her shoulders
and like a solitary wild bird she streaked out
across dry land and sea, searching...
>From The myth of the Goddess
by Anne Baring and Jules Cashford
Translated by Jules Cashford
Invocation
I am the cup,
The chalice of life
Ever-filled, ever-flowing
Molded by what I hold
Shaping what I pour
I am the waters of creation.
I am the sword,
Giver of death and spring
Ever-sharp, ever-piercing
Edged by what is true
Cutting what is not
I am the fires of rebirth.
I am the censer,
Keeper of the air
Ever-fresh, ever-blowing
Scented by what I touch
Moving with my will--
I am the winds of change.I am the salt,
Purifier of Earth
Ever-seasoned, ever healing,
Birthed by what is rock
Growing with the world
I am the spice of Mother.
I am the pentacle,
Circle of the void
Ever-changing, ever-returning
Pointed by the elements
Beginning with my end
I am the essence of magic.
Patricia Telesco
_A Victorian Grimoire_
If Candlemas day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas day be clouds and rain,
Winter is gone, and will not come again.
-- E. Holden
Recipes:
========
Patricia Telesco, in _A Kitchen Witch's Cookbook_ says of
Candlemas, "A quiet but lovely holiday full of lights; the idea
here is to help the sun on it's journey. Therefore, prepare
yellow, red and orange foods, visualizing this color reaching the
heavens." Below are some examples of recipes from her book.
In _The Magic in Food_, Scott Cunningham says of Imbolc, "Imbolc is
an old festival connected with the coming of spring and the growing
warmth of the Sun. In some areas of Europe, this day marked the
emergence of a few brave plants from beneath the snow. As such,
Imbolc was an occasion for feasting.
"Because the Sun was usually seen as the source of the Earth's
fertility, Imbolc (known in Catholicism as Candlemas) was a solar
festival. Practitioners of pre-Christian religions lit fires and
carried torches in ceremonial processions to urge the Sun's
'return.'
"Appropriate foods for Imbolc are spicy and hot, in honor of
the Sun. Those utilizing garlic and chile peppers are suitable, as
are curried dishes."
Fish Canape'
1 cup crabmeat or other cooked, flaked fish
1/2 teaspoon horseradish or seafood sauce
Dash of lemon juice
Dash of pepper
1 tablespoon plain yogurt or salad dressing (approx)
Toast pieces for Canapes
In a small mixing bowl, mix together the crabmeat, horseradish,
lemon juice, pepper, and just enough plain yogurt to make the
mixture spreadable. Spread on toast pieces. Yield: 1 c. spread.
Variation: Make spread adding more yogurt or salad dressing to
make a dip rather than a spread, hollow a loaf of bread, and scoop
mixture into the hollowed loaf. Use bread scraps to eat dip.
Sun Wheel Pickle Tray
1 small jar dill gherkins
1 small jar pickled white onions
1 (16 oz) can large pitted black olives
1 (8 oz) bottle green olives
8 celery stalks
Cream Cheese Stuffing:
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
2-3 drops yellow food coloring
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried onion, or 1 tbs fresh minced onion
Blend together the cream cheese and the food coloring; the yellow
food coloring should give a slightly golden hue. Mix in the
chives, dill weed, garlic powder and onion. Stuff the celery
stalks and black olives with the cream cheese mixture. arrange the
gherkins, white onions, olives and celery on the tray in a sunburst
pattern with the gherkins in a bowl in the center and the olives
and onions forming alternate "rays" with the celery stalks. Yield:
4-6 servings.
Variations: Check your local deli (especially if you have a
mediterranean, greek, or middle-eastern deli close to you) for
olives, you can sometimes find them stuffed with almonds or with
whole garlic cloves.
Yeast Biscuits
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105^ - 115^F)
5 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Combine the flour, sugar,
baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a
fork until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl,
mix the baking soda and buttermilk. Add the buttermilk and the
yeast to the flour mixture; stir well. Chill dough, covered with
a towel, in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
Knead dough 12 times on a lightly floured board; roll 1/2 inch
thick. Cut into 2 inch rounds using a cookie cutter or a glass.
Place on greased cookie sheets. Let rise in a warm spat for one
hour. Preheat the oven to 400^F. Bake until golden, about 15
minutes. Yield: 24 light fluffy biscuits.
Soda Bread
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cardamon1/4 cup butter
1 cup currants or dried cranberries, or raisins
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Preheat the oven to 375^F. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking
powder, baking soda, and cardamon in a large bowl. Cut in the
butter using a fork or pastry cutter until fine crumbs are formed;
stir in the currants. In a small bowl beat the buttermilk, egg,
and lemon rind. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the dry
ingredients.
Knead the dough on a floured surface for 4 minutes. Divide into 2
pieces. Place in greased 8-inch pie pans; press dough until it
reaches the edges. Bake until golden brown, 35-40 min. allow to
cool for 5 hours before cutting. Yield: 2 loaves.
Candlemas Sunrise
Dash of nutmeg
2 eggs, separated2 slices of toast, buttered
2 slices of cheese, any kind
Preheat the broiler. Combine the nutmeg and egg white; beat until
stiff. Spread over the toast. Make a small indentation in the
center; drop in the egg yolk. Sprinkle with salt. Cover the yolk
with 1 slice of cheese. Broil until the egg is completely cooked
and the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes. Yield: 2 servings.
Snow Oranges
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (reserve syrup)
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups whipped cream
In a medium-sized bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the cold water.
Add water to the mandarin orange syrup to make 2 cups. Combine the
syrup and sugar in a medium sized sauce pan. Bring to a boil over
medium heat; boil for 5 minutes. Add to the gelatin; stir until
the gelatin is completely dissolved. Cool to luke warm.
Slowly add the whipped cream to the gelatin. Pour into a chilled
9 X 9 inch pan. Garnish with the orange slices, pushing them down
so that they are just visible through the surface. Chill. Yield:
8 servings.
Korean Spicy Salad
1 cup sliced cucumbers
1/2 cup chopped Chinese cabbage
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
3 tablespoons salt, divided
1 1/2 cups water
5 scallions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red peppers
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Combine the cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, and
carrots in a large bowl. Rinse. Sprinkle with 4 1/2 teaspoons of
the salt. Let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse.
Combine 4 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, water, scallions, red peppers,
chili pepper, and ginger in a large bowl. Add the vegetables;
stir. Cover and refrigerate 4 days before serving. Stir
occasionally. Yield: 6 servings.
[My appologies for the formatting errors... this looked great before I
converted it to ascii for email... oops... ----A.]
Document Copyright (c) 1998 Andi Woods-Fasimpaur
This and all related documents can be re-published only as long as no information is changed, credit is given to the author, and is provided or used without cost to others.