mirror

Since February 1st was St. Brigid's Day, and this week's Theme Thursday is "mirror" I'm taking the liberty to post this piece again. St. Brigid is, after all, the patron saint of poets, so she would be pleased, don't you think? Hmm, I don't know, is there a patron saint of mirrors? She must be the saint who protected Snow White!

Time Travel

Deep in the mirror,

her eyes meet mine

in the glow of her low

ceilinged room.

Ancient mother,

tends the hearth,

smoors the fire,

rakes my dreams

of earthy peat.

Her besom prayers

kindle bright,

while sacred three

light my night.

Then beckons me

with withy broom,

sweeps circled heaps

of embers,

St. Brigid offers solace

in her cinders.

willow, 2009

to my ancient grandmother, Anne Mackie, 1580, Galloway

"Smooring the fire" is an artistic and symbolic ceremony performed by the woman of the house before retiring for the night. A ritual blessing, recited over the fire in Gaelic is called "smaladh"; in Scottish, "smooring". The embers are evenly spread on the hearth and formed into a circle, which is then divided into three sections, with peat laid between each.

As a prayer to St. Brigid, the first peat is laid down in name God of Life, the second in name God of Peace, the third in name God of Grace. The circle is then covered over with ashes sufficient to subdue, but not to extinguish, the fire in name of the Three of Light. You might remember seeing this lovely tradition performed in the movie The Secret of Roan Inish.

This also makes me think "smores", the traditional campfire treat, consisting of a layer of roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker, doesn't come from "s'more" or "give me some more", but rather from the tradition of smooring the fire. Maybe the correct spelling should actually be "smoors"? This is making me drool. Where'd I hide that last Ghirardelli square?

Just so you know, a "besom" is a broom made of a bundle of strong flexible "withy" or willow stems. How appropriate.

For more Theme Thursday participants click [HERE].

Preach always. If necessary, use words. ~ St. Francis

Do you regularly wear a piece of jewelry, other than an obvious piece
like your wedding ring, that is particularly significant to you? One I've
worn for years, that is especially symbolic to me, is this vintage gold
St. Francis of Assisi medal. The simple life and wonderful words of St.
Francis have long been a source of inspiration to me. When I feel this
lovely charm against my skin, I feel peace.

Make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi, 13th century

.

.

St. Lucy

Being raised in a Protestant family in the Midwest, I was until recently,
unaware of the history and background of many saints, which I now
find fascinating. As I was putting a St. Lucy ornament on tree, a gift
from The Netherlands, I realized I knew nothing about her and thought
it might be an interesting post. Saint Lucy was born to a noble family
in late third century Sicily. When she refused to marry a pagan, he
denounced her to the governor, who condemned her to death. It is said
that her eyes were plucked out and presented to her suitor before her
death, since he had always admired them. (Ick!!) Because her name
means "light" she soon became the great patron saint of the "light of
the body", the eyes. Under the Gregorian calender, her feast day fell
on the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. Now it is observed
on December 13, where in Sweden, the eldest daughters of a
household, kick off the Christmas season by dressing in white gowns
and wear wreaths of candles on their heads as they awaken the family
with coffee, pastries and song. It sounds lovely, doesn't it?

Here is Swedish artist, Carl Larsson's depiction of St. Lucy's day,
Lucia, 1908. Funny, it reminds me of Goya's candle hat. Below is
a Swedish girls choir singing the charming Santka Lucia.

Christina the Astonishing

Last week I enjoyed adding many of my books to the little library
gizmo on my sidebar. I happened onto a book that I had totally
forgotten. Lucy's Eyes and Margaret's Dragon, The Lives of the Virgin
Saints, charmingly written and illustrated by Giselle Potter, whose
illustrations have been published in The New Yorker and The New
York Times Magazine. This book contains short bios on thirteen
female saints, accompanied by fabulously quirky paintings. Today,
July 24, happens to be the feast day of Saint Christina the

Astonishing, who is also the patron saint of psychiatrists. She was

born in Brussels in 1150, orphaned at an early age and suffered from

epilepsy. At 21, she suffered such a massive seizure, that witnesses

assumed she had died. At her funeral, she was said to have rose from

her coffin and levitated to the church rafters. The mourners all fled in

horror except for her sister, to whom Christina complained of the

offensive garlicky breath of the congregation! She explained that she

had returned to liberate the souls she had seen in purgatory. For the

rest of her life she had an acute sense of smell and often climbed tall

trees to escape the odors of man! (I have often wondered what life

before toothpaste must have been like.)

.....

"Many texts question the existence of some of these women, but
whether they are mythical characters of heroines of history, they
still have admirers around the world. These virgin saints are

examples of strength and courage for all women." Giselle Potter