Candlemas Seasonal Message - Kate Braun
http://www.tarotbykate.bigstep.com/
kate_braun2000@yahoo.com
“I See the Moon and the moon sees me /
Under the shade of the old oak tree...”
Friday, February 2, 2007 is Candlemas, also called Imbolc. It falls on a Friday, Freya’s day, and coincides with a Full Moon in Leo. Full moon energies focus on completing the plans put in motion at the new moon and tend to energize us. If you get the urge to frolic in the moonlight and sing to Lady Moon, I suggest you follow your impulses, weather permitting. Also, if you pick a sprig of St. John’s Wort on a Friday and wear it in your lapel or hatband, it will repel negative energies and promote good-feeling.
Decorate your altar, your table, and yourself in the colors White, for the Goddess-as-Virgin and for milk; Pink, to signify true love, peace, and all blessings; Pale Yellow, for the young Lord Sun.
Candlemas welcomes Lord Sun and urges him onward as his reassertion of power becomes more visible. It is a festival of light, involving candles, electric lights, oil lamps, and all shiny surfaces. Before your guests arrive, be sure to clean all windows and mirrors and dust/damp mop all shiny surfaces so as to reflect the most light possible. Many of the rituals associated with Candlemas have become associated with “spring cleaning”. Not only will your efforts to reduce dust-bunnies and light-obscuring clutter enhance Lord Sun’s emergence, they will also create a more festive mood in your home for both yourself and your guests. If you invite your guests to arrive before sundown, they can assist you in another ritual associated with this festival: at sundown, form a procession with each person carrying a light (I recommend a small flashlight) and move in a clock-wise direction through the house. You, as leader, will turn on the lights in each room and open doors and drawers. The last person in the procession will close the doors and drawers in each room and turn off the lights. As each guest passes the open doors and drawers, he shines his light into the space, being sure to illuminate all corners. This ritual dispels winter’s darkness and invites Lord Sun into your home as well as your soul. Your procession may then proceed to the dinner table.
Serve your guests cheeses, especially cheese made from sheep’s milk, custards, cream-based soups, seeds, breads, lamb, and spicy foods. The term “Imbolc” refers to milk, specifically sheep‘s milk as February is when lambs are born. Curried lamb stew garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds, some soft cheese and whole-grain bread to spread it on, and a custard for dessert is only one menu possible for this feast-day.
Reminder: There is a new fair in a new location now added to the regular rotation of Metaphysical Fairs in the Central Texas area:
March 10 & 11, 2007
Hotel Waco
1001 MLK Blvd.
Waco, TX 76704
254-753-0261
March 10 (Saturday): 10 AM to 6 PM
March 11 (Sunday) 11 AM to 6 PM
March Fair Special: print this, bring it with you to the fair, give it to Kate, and you will receive an extra 5 minutes of Tarot-consultation time. This offer good only at this fair, this location.
