#riteofsacrifice

Meditation:

Feast of Lights

Dearest Mistress, that have prayed beside the running streams and beneath the shining moon, how dreadful is the vow that You have taken. You that are the One Spirit have become soul, chaste as the flower that blossoms from the snow. Like to the spotless garment of the sacrifice; pure maid You are, without a trace of sin. Yet You have vowed to tread the darkest regions, to suffer things more cruel than I can know. Most noble soul, how simple in Your courage; how steadfast and unswerving in Your love. Open my soul, I pray You, that she may be transfused by Your clear light.

page 20 of The Coming Age periodical, issue 9, 1979

Details about the Madrian Feast of Lights

The Feast of Lights, 10th Brighde - This feast commemorates our Lady's promises to bring light to every part of fallen creation, and Her acceptance of Her coming death. White is worn at Sacrifice or Communion, and the place is lighted with many candles. The candles are also blessed that are to be used throughout the coming year. It is a feast day. Before midnight on the Eve of Lights, all Nativity decorations and evergreens should be taken down. It is considered unlucky for even one leaf to remain. They may be replaced by Box in honour of the Feast of Lights.

page 19 The Coming Age periodical, issue 1, Winter 1976

(February 1st cross quarter day)

...The candles for use in the coming year may be blessed after the Lection on this day. The Celebrant should make the Pentacle over them, saying: "May our Lady's blessing rest upon these waxen creatures." The flower of the feast is the snowdrop, from the legend that at every step our Lady took away from Her Mother a snowdrop sprang up in Her track. Only snowdrops and box may be used for the altar, and small sprigs of box may be used for house decorations. (until Passion. 2 words from page 20 The Coming Age periodical, issue 9, Winter 1979).

heading & paragraph from page 15 The Coming Age periodical, issue 5, Winter 1977 & Moura 1978

It is the white festival, with white Altar cloth and candles, snowdrops on the Altar and all maids present wearing white. The "lights" of the festival are the many candles burned during the Rite.

on page 20 The Coming Age periodical, issue 9, Winter 1979 & Moura 1980

No additional Feast of Lights information in The Coming Age periodical, issue 13, Winter 1979 & Moura 1980 or in The Coming Age periodical, issue 17, Winter 1980 & Moura 1981

~ Warning Triggers

I spent one Feast of Lights in Burtonport, I do not remember anything because on the day before I had been instructed to cut candles down. Left alone, I was still completing the task when Mestré Mari returned. I had ruined the wrong type of expensive candle. I was naturally upset at my misunderstanding, which never resulted in mercy being shown. So all through the Feast and for probably 3 days up to a week I was in a state of frightened anxiety until she decided to cane me. Not spiritually uplifting.

We privately wrote our faults onto a piece of paper, then folded it up for later.

We lit our carrying candles from the parlour fire which was never supposed to go out. http://www.catsmeowmysticalshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1014 We carried these out over the freshly swept door step.

In my mother's household and the corrupted Madrian household in Burtonport, Ireland we made besom brooms and ritually swept over the door steps and swept the fallen leaves up for a bonnie fire.

"The Besom Broom

The besom is used as this time both practically and symbolically. It sweeps away the last of the Autumn leaves, but is also used ritually to sweep out the old, to clean and clear away old energy, creating space for the new. Traditionally besoms are made from birch twigs - the birch is associated with purification and renewal.

You can make a besom at this time of year by gathering a large bundle of birch twigs tied together. Drive a broom handle into the middle of the bundle - ideally hazel or ash." http://www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/samhain

Then we all lit papers sticking out of the bonnie fire. Usually, we had to stand back afterwards, whilst the flames were encouraged with some petrol!

The first ritual action was to throw our fault notes into the bonnie fire. This was a solemn and silent action. These would rise up in the smoke to Dea to help us overcome.

Then we would pray for our departed loved ones.

"Loved ones who have recently died are remembered and their spirits often invited to join the living in the celebratory feast. It is also a time at which those born during the past year are formally welcomed into the community." http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/samhain.shtml

We were singing a silly little ditty, banging saucepan lids with spoons and laughing around the fire, so I asked afterwards why we were singing about Simovane (Shim - oh - vane)* goblins and witches and was given the following explanation. Giggling and laughter being a sign that we are one with Her divine laughter - remembering how our spirits are created in every moment. It really did turn the Feast day into a spiritual experience for me.

Important thealogy of the scary imagery

All of the frightening images of goblins, witches, the use of the colour black, ghosts etc. symbolises the darkness of ignorance and being spiritually lost. It symbolises the unknown which is illuminated by the light of the lanterns and the bonnie fire. Fire on Earth is directly linked to Spirit and the Holy Mother Mari as the supernal Sun. The lantern guides us along the pathway to our Divine Mother and Eternal Life.

Here is a nice list of symbolism, many of which also occur in our Faith. http://artofmourning.com/2011/01/30/symbolism-sunday-the-lantern/

We ate a dinner of baked potatoes and sausages.

Then served a Rite of Sacrifice.

The second year, I had been initiated into the Madrian Faith after a year and a day. Then I was welcomed at Samhain Feast of the Dead into the Ekklasia for a second time. Since I had been initiated, we were attending a Great Rite for communion.

[Note: * Simovane (Shim-o-vane) is an older Celtic word for Samhain (Sow (as in cow) inn). ArchMatrona Ghrian has mentioned that another pronunciation for Samhain (usually pronounced Sow-inn) is also Shah-vin. And I have found this here:(http://clubs.ncsu.edu/spm/FAQ/11pronounce.html). It is also the Irish for November.]