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We often find ourselves yearning for light and warmth during these last winter months in the northern hemisphere. We grow tired of being bundled up, of shivering, of staying indoors. Yet, if we look carefully, we begin to notice that, little by little, the light is growing. Situated in the fading of winter, the holidays celebrated on February 2nd -- Groundhog Day, Imbolc, Candlemas -- feature an interplay of shadows and light as we approach revitalization in many forms.
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Candlemas
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The crown of candles sits on the table by the door. I see it every time that I come into the house.
On Bridey's Eve, it graced a sacred head. The tall white candles bathed her in warm light, the leaves of its wreath crisply green against the white of her veil.
That was thirteen nights gone. Now the brittle leaves crumble as I unwrap the gold ribbon that holds them to the crown. The ribbon goes back onto its spool; the leaves I will strew in the snowy garden, to nourish another harvest.
The candles, half-burned, go into the chandelier in the temple, where they will light our next rite.
The crown, denuded, returns to its peg in temple storage, to await the coming of another February.
More than 300 years ago, Robert Herrick wrote in his poem "Candlemas Eve":
It's the morning of the Eve of Oimelc. I sit on the front porch with our youngest coven kid, waiting for the school bus.
As we wait, we sing songs of spring.
Walker in the silent places,
Walker where no one may go,
our aloneness cries out to you,
Walker in the Snow.
The Arctic cold that has paralyzed the city for days has finally broken. There's even a little moisture in the air. A dusting of snow has fallen overnight; the snow diamonds sparkle.
In Sweden, she comes on Old Solstice Day
But elsewhere in Witchdom, she comes in early February.
The Bride of Light.
Singing she comes. Crowned with candles and greenery she comes. Gowned and veiled in white she comes.
Before the Sun, she wakes us.
We rise, dress, and follow to where she leads us.
To breakfast.
And to sunrise.
We generally do this dance in a circle, facing in, with everyone singing and clapping. One by one we jump into the center and act out the verse.
You could also do it with the lord (or lady) of the dance leading the singing in the middle, with the dancers circling and miming around.
Likewise, although when we do it everyone usually sings the whole thing together, you could do it as a call-and-response:
One: There was a pig went out to dig
All: Candlemas Day, Candlemas Day
One: There was a pig went out to dig
All: Candlemas Day in the morning.
My daughter and I love watching BBC / PBS shows. Victoria is the most recent one we are watching. As I watched how people lived in the 1800s, I considered what it would be like to only have my life lighted by candles and sunlight. It would certainly make the dark part of the year different.
By 4:00 or so at night, flickering candlelight would be my only illumination. This reduces my scope of environment drastically. Right now, if it’s dark I flip a switch and illumination of my surroundings occurs. But what if I only had dripping smelly candles to light my way? What would it feel like to be surrounded by darkness? Would fear well? Would loneliness envelop?
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