Kala & Covid-19 : Thoughts.

It seems oddly and eerily appropriate that Kala is accompanied by exceedingly visceral reminders of the consequences of the death of Our Lady. For the people who are not familiar with Filianism, Kala is the day that the Daughter is slain and Her body is hung upon the World Pillar in the Netherworld by the Dark Queen. This is the day that the Daughter descends into the abyss of khear farther than any of our souls might go because She has gone there and protects us from it's endless destruction.

Right now, over on Tumblr, I am leading a Novena to the Healer of the World. I recognize that some people would argue that it is inappropriate to continue this Novena through Kala and Hiatus (which is 2 days this year instead of the usual 1 because it is a leap year).  This is because the Daughter is dead and this renders the world still, lifeless, and filled with all manner of suffering as per the holy texts. I argue, however, that the Daughter is still sustaining the world because we have not vanished into oblivion today. She is currently engaged in the greatest act of healing for the world - healing the rift between all of creation and Déa. As such, prayers to Her are still appropriate.

I also am of the opinion that now is an especially good time to pray to the Bright Mother to come and rescue not only Her Daughter from the abyss of khear and utter death, but all of us from the dangers of Covid-19. For this reason, I will be reciting my rosary. It is a custom that I have developed to pray the "Catholic" style rosary with my focus on Marya, the Bright Mother. Once a season, I pray a fifteen decade rosary to Marya. I will be doing that today. My focus will not be the entire mythos, which it usually is when I do so. It will be instead for the healing and safety of the world and Our Lady.

Today is day three of social isolation for my children and I. We've been doing our best to get some semblance of a learning schedule and get started on home schooling. It's been challenging. I may add on some prayer time for success in settling into the new normal. My husband had to go to work. I have been praying for their health and safety. If you are willing to send up a prayer for us, I would appreciate it.  If you are interested in the Novena to the Healer of the World, check things out over on Tumblr.

Hiatus & Equinox.

Hiatus is the time of non-time in the Filianic calendar. At this time, the holy Daughter, who was slain on Kala (the day before, and the final day of the month of Moura), hangs upon the pillar that passes through all worlds. It could be likened to the time of mourning that Christians observe in honor of the time that Jesus hung upon the cross and then was laid in the tomb before his resurrection. This traditionally in the Filianic and Déanic communities is a time of deep reflection and a moment when all things come to a brief halt to await the resurrection of the Daughter. (This year, it comes on the day after the Equinox. Other years, it is the day of the Equinox, but it always falls on the 21st of March in the Northern Hemisphere and on the 21st of September in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Thinking about the future and discussing future events is generally considered taboo in this religious tradition. As someone who practices a blended faith, I try to adhere to this taboo, but there are things that simply force me to break it. A fine example is the fact that I have mundane things such as doctor's appointments and bills that I need to address. This requires some future planning. So, I focus my efforts on attending to only matters that require my attention at this time, so if future planning is done it is only what is most essential. Like others of the Filianic faith tradition, I cover my icons of the Daughter with a veil. I use a dark blue cloth, as it is the color associated with Moura and mourning. Technically, this is a time for mourning the death of the Daughter. I also try to keep my clothing simple and I generally go with darker colors.

It is also the Equinox, which is celebrated in Wicca and much of the Norse/Germanic based faith traditions as Ostara. Rituals are done to honor Ostara, the goddess of Spring and fertility. It is also considered the time when Freyr returns to the lands of the living after having been slain at the time of the autumn harvest. From this perspective, today is an auspicious day. Though there is snow on the ground right now, the sap is running through the trees and I have heard robins out singing when I was taking a walk this morning.

I sit here pulled in two very different directions today. The blessing here is the fact that the celebration of Ostara is not tied to a specific date on the calendar and the astronomical equinox does not fall on the same date every year (because precession is a thing and such), so I am not bound by a hard and fast date to observe Ostara and the equinox. I am going to use this to my advantage this year. I am spending time today treating life as though seeds are germinating beneath the soil and I am in a sacred period of waiting. Tomorrow, when the Filianic celebration of Eastre comes, I will celebrate Ostara at the same time. I am going to give my children some sweets for the day. I got that ball started early today with some donuts. I will also be invoking blessings on my seeds and such.

Today, I am going to prepare my 'soil' and wait. I am going to do my best to focus on what I need right now and address that. While I had wanted to have a few projects done by today, I recognize that life chose otherwise. And today I must accept this. Tomorrow, things will begin anew. I will be renewed. So, today, I will tidy things up and do my best to be as focused on the present and my needs as I can be. This day is a day of necessity and addressing what I must let go to proceed forward into a healthy new year.

Regardless of what ever festivals you celebrate at this time, may your and yours be blessed with happiness and health.

♥

Hiatus/Ostara 2015

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.