Propitiate, v. (< L propitiare, to render favorable, appease) 1. trans. To render propitious or favorably inclined; to appease, conciliate (one offended).
The good news: it may not be time to kill the black goat in the back yard just yet.
Not quite.
In pagan lore, a propitiation is an offering that you make when you want Them (or one of Them) to stop what They're doing. As one would expect, propitiatory sacrifices take many forms.
Here in Snow Country, winter started off understated, but late in January it turned nasty. We've been running 20-30 degrees colder than usual (we haven't seen above freezing for almost a month), and we broke the historic snowfall record for the month of February. There's a blizzard predicted this weekend and another for mid-week, with possible total accumulations of twelve or so inches to add to the three-some feet of snow already on the ground.
Fortunately, everyone agrees that Old Witch Winter loves pancakes. Why, I'm not sure—there must be a story out there somewhere, probably buried under the snow—but she does.
So, as I write this, the yeast sponge bubbles away in the warmth of the oven. By the time the snow falls on Saturday, the batter will be nice and sour and stinky: just the way she likes it.
Some prefer pancakes with preserves, some with maple syrup. (Most years we'd be out in the sugar bush by now and there would be new syrup to go with them, but not this year: it's been too cold for the sap to rise.) For me, though, a slather of sour cream and a generous sprinkle of chopped green onion is the best way to eat pancakes.
So I'll invite you to join me in propitiating Winter with pancakes this weekend, wherever you live. Feed your household, and don't forget to leave some out on the doorstep for Her Bleakness.
Here's the magic: each pancake is a hot little Sun. We'll melt Her from within.
And if that doesn't work, there's always the black goat.