Moura came to a close yesterday with the holy day of Kala. It is the day where the Daughter is slain by the Dark Queen. At Kala, icons of the Daughter are veiled to represent her death and absence from the world of the living. Today is a day that is not part of the liturgical calendar of Filianism and related beliefs. Hiatus is the time where the Daughter hangs upon the pillar at the center of the Nether World. It is a time where we are called to not think of the future and do our best to focus upon the appeal to the Mother to rescue her Daughter from the realm of death and restore her to life.
Kala was a quiet day at my home, for the most part. While I did not keep a full fast, as many would, I did fast from meat during daylight hours and did my best to refrain from having sweets during that time frame. As I veiled my icons of the Daughter and quenched the light that I have for her on my altar, I tried to release the troubles that had been bothering me over the last year and, in some minor and symbolic sense, die to the past. As today is a time outside of time, I refrained from magical working and focused my prayers towards the person of the Mother.
My prayers were focused upon three things. I prayed for the return of the Daughter and the renewal of the world. I prayed that the evil within the world be transformed through the Daughter's death and resurrection into good. And I prayed that I might shed that which hinders me and 'die' to the unhealthy and harmful things of my past. The candle that I burned through Moura remains lit upon my altar.
As I have burned that candle, I have meditated upon the Daughter's descent and death. It is apt that this candle is nearly fully used at this time. After tonight's burning, I will dispose of the candle (in an ecologically responsible fashion). Tomorrow, I will relight the light that I have for the Daughter on my altar and take the covering off of the icons. I will replace the somber indigo colored altar cloth with the cobalt blue one that I made prior to Moura and replace the devotional candle with one that is yellow. This yellow candle is symbolic of the new light of spring and the renewal of the world.
Where the candle for Moura was very plain and austere, this yellow candle is elaborately carved and pleasantly scented. I will offer it up not only for Dea but to the gods of the Nordic pantheon that I follow. While I have kept the rigors of Filianic 'lent' as best I could, I also spent time focusing on what I needed to do to prepare myself for the spring and a renewal in my devotional relationship with them as well. The response to this has been general approval. Loki strongly exhorts me to burn something more then a candle for the transition of the season. Fortunately, I have some incense that I can light. Freyr has felt much more 'present' over the last few weeks.
He has been giving me direction for how to proceed in several things. I anticipate the taboo that was placed upon my writing will be lifted soon. Freyr has been talking about things he wants to see me work on in my professional arenas. He has also been encouraging me to take my gardening endeavors much more seriously. As such, I have begun the work of getting the pots of old soil dumped out in the new flower bed that I have been attempting to establish (which is much easier with them being more or less frozen right now). He has been making comments that I should focus more on herbs and flowers this year. Freyr has also been firmly instructing me to begin making a decisive effort to improve my health and focus upon building more happiness in my life.
Thus with the beginning of the new liturgical year tomorrow, I have many new tasks ahead of me that I will attempt to share with you as I progress forward. I will also be resuming my writing on Tuesdays and Sundays. I sincerely hope that the holiday has brought blessings into your life, for those who celebrate Ostara today, and that the day of Hiatus has not been too agonizing for those who observe it.
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