Spring Showers
I love living in the Inland Northwest. I love living in a place that has amazing seasons changes and where I can feel the wheel of the year in action. I love the general timing of these changes here and how just when I begin to tire of one, the wheel turns. Admittedly Spring has taken the most adaptation on my part. There can be thunder, hail and snow all at once and then five minutes later the sun emerges so full of energy that the temperature jumps 15°F in 10 minutes, only for there to be a hard frost that night.
The gardener in me cringes somewhat at spring in Spokane but the dirty worshipping witch in me dances in the rain, laughs into the wind and basks in the radiant sun (all in the space of an hour mind you.) Soon enough summer will be here and the gardener will be appeased with zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans and more though.
This weekend we will be camping with friends, assuming all of the Stewart household are healthy (Damian just healed from a head cold and so far Michael and I seem to have been mostly spared.) The forecast for Utopialaughastan* is expected to be 80°F and sunny so hopefully that will banish any remaining vestiges of illness on our part. With fingers crossed for good health, I can’t wait!
* Utopialaughastan, aka New Geyershire, is 40 acres out near Moses Lake that our friend recently purchases. This will be our first trip out there as a group and we will be clearing an area for camping and blessing the land. Oh yes, there will be photos.
Frost Warnings and Names
Got to love the mad dash to protect the seedlings when late season hard frosts threaten. Since I covered everything and the world revolves around me, it did not happen of course. Not that I am complaining, after all, how cool is it to have the world revolve around you?
I placed the boxes around each transplant and filled them loosely with shredded newspaper to keep my tender green babies insulated. I find this method works well, I can store the boxes the next morning and either spread the shreddings around like mulch (they break down very quickly) or toss them in the compost as brown material.
On a seperate matter I am still working on a name for our little rented homestead. I want it to be something simple that reflects our beliefs without being horribly cliche. The hard part is finding just the right combination of words that reflects our little family. Small Steps Stead was an early though (reflecting children as well as our small steps towards a more eco-conscious life as well as owning a some land outside the city) but I don’t know…
Does your home, farm, ranch or even apartment have a name? How did it come to be?
Beltane
The last harvest was brought in and winter is past. The Sun god having spent his energies providing the light and warmth needed for crops to flourish hung low over the southern sky. The God was spent and soon died. Mother Earth also labored hard under the sun and needed rest as can be told by the withered grasses and fallen leaves. Gaia curls up in slumber and awaits the day her consort will again return to her while protecting the seeds of life deep within her self. At Yule the new Sun God was born young and strong he was yet too distant to warm the Earth but watches Gaia slumber from afar. The Sun grew and became strong learning of the beauty of the Earth and those lovely creatures upon her. Though tempted by other’s beauty he yearns to be close to Gaia, to reunite with her. Growing ever stronger he circles closer gently warming her till she begins to awaken. Beneath the growing warmth of the Sun Gaia gently pushes the first new plants through the melting snows. Having grown to maturity the Sun encircles Gaia, warming the Earth and fully awakening her. They dance about one another while his passion burns…
This is part of the narration during the Beltane ritual that we attended this past Saturday at Sal and Rusty’s home in Medical Lake. Sal and Rusty reenacted the Sun enticing the Earth to bloom into summer. It was a beautiful rite full of love and a healthy dose of humor at some points! I was very honored to attend and be a part of it (I called water and set up the associated quarter altar.)
Beltane is an ancient Celtic festival celebrated around May 1st that marks the beginning of the pastoral summer season. For our modern day celebration of the rebirth of the warmer weather about 40 or 50 people showed up, which is a fantastic turn out for our area. Beyond the ritual (which included a labyrinth walk and spiral dance) we erected and wove a maypole, built a belfire and of course a huge groaning board feast, drumming, music, divination and as well as the usual camaraderie. Later people jumped the belfire too, in the rain, which was fun to watch.
The Inland Northwest felt as though we had to enjoy all her wonderful aspects throughout the day so we started of with bright warm wonderful sun, then some wild wind, then rain and more rain and finally a bit of clearing before the day was done, followed by more rain.
I don’t think the weather dampened anyone’s spirits though. If anything the success of this ritual makes me look even more forward to the Pagan Campout on summer solstice, though I don’t think I will play such an active role in it. It takes two to take care of a toddling Damian and I know I left Michael hanging a few times. Sometimes it is nice to just sit back and enjoy.
(The grounding labyrinth, walked before the ritual. If you would like to read more about Beltane, I blogged about it a couple years ago. I also have more photos from the day up here.)
I hope everyone had a blessed Beltane full of love, wonder, joy and peace.
Beautiful Days
It has been beautiful for several days now, mid 60s, sunny clear blue skies, bird singing (or whatever that ruckus the pine jays make is…) So naturally I have been spending very little time indoors. Damian is like me, he hates being cooped up when the Mother Nature rouses from her winter slumber and calls us out. We have been going on lots of walks since Windigo went missing and they have been wonderful in this weather. I have more or less stopped wearing Damian in a wrap since he has become too active to be tied up like that all the time. He loves riding in his red stroller now though, especially with a sippy full of water. He points it this way and that in a (successful) attempts to direct me. “I’ll drink, you drive!” Seems to be his motto as of late.
Beyond our walks, I have been working in the yard. I finished building the compost bin and the herb bed beside the deck (still have to buy the soil to fill it) and am currently working on raking up all the winter debris from the rest of the yard so that I can build a potager for my summer vegetable garden. I have resisted the urge to plant thus far, mostly. I know there will be another hard frost, no matter how beautiful is right now. I did cave and sow some mesclun mix inside in a cut off milk jug, and a bush variety snap bean in another container (both of which are out on the deck enjoying the warm sunshine today.)
Damian either stays on the deck or in his playpen when I am doing yard work. When his playpen is in the yard though, I am finding I need to put a blanket under it to keep him from eating too much dirt. When he becomes determined though, he can push the whole thing off the blanket (and all around the yard in fact) which while frustrating, is extremely cute. I could stake it down I suppose…
…but I would much rather take frequent breaks and sit in there too with a tall glass of lemonade. He even has a little lemonade from time to time. We discuss politics, religion and the flavors of dirt and weeds from around the yard. You know, the usual.
Speaking of weeds, he adores sautéed dandelion greens, and so do I! We made a potato frittata with some this morning, yummy! I will save edible weeds for another post though, the sun is calling and Damian just woke from his nap.
Spring Self-Portrait
If I was keeping up a pattern here I would have a very long relatively informative post about the Vernal Equinox and my beliefs in the place of this photo. Truth is, I haven’t even gotten beyond the outline form in the past few weeks with moving and all. And I don’t have one ounce of shame regarding that fact, it will just have to wait until things settle down (and be posted next year.)
I took this photo of Damian and me in our backyard today. I was taking photos of the yard I can plan gardening work (what better way to celebrate the coming of Spring?) I have started working on two raised beds recently too. I’ll post pictures and descriptions about that later, but right now I need to go weave two loaves of challah bread and finish a curried chicken salad.
Oimelc
If today be sunny and bright, Winter again will show its might.
If today be cloudy and gray, Winter soon will pass away.
In northern climates, the first days of February look nothing like Spring, but if you look closely you can see the small but sturdy signs of changing seasons begin to appear. Maybe it rains more often then it snows, or the days are noticeably longer, maybe the winds bite is a little less harsh, or the sun a little warmer. Whatever the sign is, it hints that Spring is just around the corner.
Oimelc falls on February 1st, approximately half way between Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox. It literally means “ewe’s milk”, and refers to the ewes are nursing their newly born lambs, another indication of the coming of Spring. It is sometimes called Imbolc, Brighid, Lupercalia (not celebrated until the 13th) or Candlemas (though this refers to a Catholic holiday.)
As with many of the Pagan sabbats, Oimelc’s history is firmly rooted in Celtic tradition, though it also borrows some Roman and Christian ideas. Lupercalia was an ancient, possibly pre-Roman, festival where all evil spirits were driven out of the city and spirits of health and fertility were invited in. Old hearth fire were extinguished and new ones lit, old candles were also replaced and blessed. Many of Lupercalia’s customs were integrated into Catholicism when the Roman Empire converted, minus the orgies of course.
In Celtic culture, this was a time of weather divination, usually done by observing the hibernation patterns of snakes, many believe that this custom evolved into the secular Groundhog Day. The snake was a creature revered for its sacred wisdom. The snake was one of the many animals associated with the goddess Brighid, to whom this day is also given to, Là Fhéill Bhrìghde. She was such a powerful deeply ingrained symbol to the Celtic tribes, the Christian missionaries chose to make her a saint rather then try to remove her from importance.
Brighid was the keeper of the sacred flame and guardian of home and hearth, though she is said to have had two sisters, Brighid the Physician and Brighid the Smith. Most people see these three women as aspects of the same goddess, one of poetry, healing, and smithcraft.
In Scottish legend is the said that one the eve of Oimelc, the Cailleach (Old Woman Winter) takes a journey to a sacred well on a magical island. As dawn breaks , she drinks from it and is transformed into Bride (another spelling of Brighid), the beautiful maiden whose white wand turns the bare earth green again. Again, many people see the Cailleach and Bride and Brighid as one and the same, often referring to her as a triple goddess, at once maiden, mother and crone.
All these celebrations have led to very diverse Oimelc celebration among modern Pagans. This is a time many will reevaluate personal relationships and habits to decide what needs to be discarded in their lives. Renewal of old pledges or commitments to new ones are done at this time as well.
This emotional purging is often accompanied by physical purging, either by beginning Spring cleaning or decluttering altars and other spiritual supplies. Many Pagans make or purchase their candles for the year around this time and consecrate them on Oimelc as they are an important symbol of this sabbat.
On a personal level, I rarely do much on Oimelc. It has taken me a long time to be able to connect with this sabbat as most other Pagans I know connect it more with a goddess then a seasonal transformation. As I have become acclimated to life in the Inland Northwest though I have started to see the unique beauty in this time of year.
To me, Oimelc represents a hidden transformation. I feel the coming of Spring in my heart more then see it in the land. The increasing daylight lightens my mood and renews my energy so that I can work on projects that have probably taken a back burner during the drearier days Winter. I take time on Oimelc to meditate on what I would like to see grow in my life and in my community. If we listen closely we can hear the land whispering of the changing seasons. The Vernal Equinox is only seven weeks away and Oimelc celebrates the anticipation of Spring.
Oimelc: in our home
(Collecting reeds with our friend Sal to make Brighid’s Crosses.)
Activities:
- Burning Winter Solstice greens
- Candle making and consecrating
- Candlelit purification procession
- Ritual: initiations, dedications
- Spring cleaning
- Visiting a spring or well
- Writing poetry
Crafts:
- Bread Making
- Brighid’s Wheel
- Candle Making
- Knitting and Weaving
Decorations:
- Candles
- Cauldron
- Colors: red, white
- Hibernating animals
- Seasonal plants and foods
- Suns
- Woolen items
Oimelc: feast
We went over to some friends this year for Imbolc, so I just made bread and dip to share. Otherwise I would have made red (tomato) and white raviolis with cheese filling, roasted herbed potatoes and granitas from pluots I froze this summer. Maybe next year!
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BREAD: focaccia
This year I added 1/4 cup chopped dried tomatoes that I packed in oil this summer. I also infused some of the oil with basil and oregano and used that as well.
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BREAD DIP: Sun-dried Tomato and Basil
- 8 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp dried basil (2 tbsp fresh if you have it)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
Put everything into a blender and pulse till smooth. Let sit for 6 hours or overnight.
I hope you all have a most blessed and joyful Oimelc, Winter is drawing to a close and the wheel turns to the warmth of Spring.
Oregon Grapeholly (Mahonia aquifolium)
Oregon Grapeholly (Mahonia aquifolium) is a plant native to the Pacific Northwest and are the state flower of Oregon. They are commonly found in this areas Douglas-fir forests. We spotted this one on Memorial Day while we were hiking around Michael’s parents’ property.
Oregon Grapeholly is an evergreen shrub and not related in any way to the grape. It gets its name from the clusters of purple berries which can be harvested in August and September (they are edible.) Michael says when he was a kid they tried to make a pie of out them and it was not very good because the berries were so tart. The berries an bark can be used to make dye. the berries create a purplish-red dye and the inner bark of the larger stems, as well as the roots can be used to make yellow dye.
Oregon Grapeholly is used in herbal medicine, often as an alternative to the threatened Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis.) It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties used to treat a wide range of condition (giardia, candida, viral diarrhea, cholera, eczema and psoriasis.) It also has exhibited anticancer properties which are currently being researched. (Oregon Grapeholly is not recommended for pregnant of breastfeeding women.)
Sources:
OSU Pocket Gardener
Wikipedia
