Anagantios: The Stay at Home Moon.
Many of you are aware of the annual Druid Moon during which Michael goes around to everyone's home with the light of Brighid to bless our homes. This year, he took Seamus with him to do the work. This year, we are blessed with these extra hands, and I am so proud of Seamus. This year, however, my name is not on the list. You see, I decided after much consideration that I wanted to bless my space myself. And I did. :)
I began as soon as my family left my home, cleaning everything that looked at me funny. I sang and meditated and made the cleaning process an offering to Brighid. I felt her moving from room to room with me, organizing, cleansing, providing peace and purification. I recall that I was singing songs I don't know, but those must have been just between us as they are all gone now. I dismantled and cleaned out my altar area in my room, making offerings to the Shining Ones, Noble Ones and Ancestors as I handled and cleaned their objects. I hailed and honored Persephone, Athena, and Idunna as I polished my representations. I hailed Freyja as I draped my amber and prepared it for blessing. I even hailed Arachne when I found a glow-in-the-dark spider under my altar--a reminder that there are those who are here whose purpose I may not know, but whose presence I should respect when it is made known to me.
I created an altar on top of my stove, placing objects of particular interest to a rite for Brighid: an altar cloth made from a shawl Helen brought me from Israel, an old horseshoe that has long (eight years) been my representation of the Goddess Brighid, fire, well, offerings, and a goblet of water. I prepared my altar in my room as well, lighting the candles and honoring the Kindred.
I walked through my home with a lit incense stick and sang a song of preparation and hallowing. I carried this incense back to my kitchen and placed it in the holder as I began the rite proper.
Garanus, I called as gatekeeper. I made offering to the Kindred, and then I called to Brighid. It seemed in the beginning that she was saying, "You know I am already here. We spent a half an hour together just yesterday." And so I modified my words to reflect renewal rather than to be a formal invitation. I then carried her flame from room to room, using my own impromptu version of the prayer I know Mike and Seamus were using today. I blessed every room of this house, including the basement. The words I needed in each room were there waiting for me, and I truly felt her filling up each space as I called to her.
I took her back to the kitchen and pulled omens:
Beorc: The Birch Tree.
Ur: The Aurochs
Wynn: Joy
What more can I say after omens such as these?
This process took me three hours, and I feel at peace in my home more than ever. It is warm and bright, and I can feel the promise of spring hanging in the air.
As an aside as I finish writing this, the sun has gone, and it has once more begun to snow. Many of you who have been reading this blog for the past two years will know what I mean when I say I feel like Isa is my rune, and for the first time, I think I actually understand it now. Isa calls us to learn patience, to see the beauty in silence, and to think before we step. Isa calls us to bridge the gap between the past and the future with purpose and intent, no matter the difficulty of the journey. Isa, I think, is a mother with an autistic child.
May the lady Brighid warm your hearths and provide you with the words and ideas that you need to fill these last days of cold and snow. Patience, dear ones, as we weather the last of the storms. Spring is forthcoming. She is here. She just hit snooze. :)
I began as soon as my family left my home, cleaning everything that looked at me funny. I sang and meditated and made the cleaning process an offering to Brighid. I felt her moving from room to room with me, organizing, cleansing, providing peace and purification. I recall that I was singing songs I don't know, but those must have been just between us as they are all gone now. I dismantled and cleaned out my altar area in my room, making offerings to the Shining Ones, Noble Ones and Ancestors as I handled and cleaned their objects. I hailed and honored Persephone, Athena, and Idunna as I polished my representations. I hailed Freyja as I draped my amber and prepared it for blessing. I even hailed Arachne when I found a glow-in-the-dark spider under my altar--a reminder that there are those who are here whose purpose I may not know, but whose presence I should respect when it is made known to me.
I created an altar on top of my stove, placing objects of particular interest to a rite for Brighid: an altar cloth made from a shawl Helen brought me from Israel, an old horseshoe that has long (eight years) been my representation of the Goddess Brighid, fire, well, offerings, and a goblet of water. I prepared my altar in my room as well, lighting the candles and honoring the Kindred.
I walked through my home with a lit incense stick and sang a song of preparation and hallowing. I carried this incense back to my kitchen and placed it in the holder as I began the rite proper.
Garanus, I called as gatekeeper. I made offering to the Kindred, and then I called to Brighid. It seemed in the beginning that she was saying, "You know I am already here. We spent a half an hour together just yesterday." And so I modified my words to reflect renewal rather than to be a formal invitation. I then carried her flame from room to room, using my own impromptu version of the prayer I know Mike and Seamus were using today. I blessed every room of this house, including the basement. The words I needed in each room were there waiting for me, and I truly felt her filling up each space as I called to her.
I took her back to the kitchen and pulled omens:
Beorc: The Birch Tree.
Ur: The Aurochs
Wynn: Joy
What more can I say after omens such as these?
This process took me three hours, and I feel at peace in my home more than ever. It is warm and bright, and I can feel the promise of spring hanging in the air.
As an aside as I finish writing this, the sun has gone, and it has once more begun to snow. Many of you who have been reading this blog for the past two years will know what I mean when I say I feel like Isa is my rune, and for the first time, I think I actually understand it now. Isa calls us to learn patience, to see the beauty in silence, and to think before we step. Isa calls us to bridge the gap between the past and the future with purpose and intent, no matter the difficulty of the journey. Isa, I think, is a mother with an autistic child.
May the lady Brighid warm your hearths and provide you with the words and ideas that you need to fill these last days of cold and snow. Patience, dear ones, as we weather the last of the storms. Spring is forthcoming. She is here. She just hit snooze. :)