Happy Solstice everyone! Boys due home the day after tomorrow and much prep left, so I’ll also take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year!
And to ask a question.
After literally feeling sick watching Maddow yesterday, today I heard a new blog title in my head : Pattern and Refuge.
And it makes me want to ask, although there is no getting away from the current political mess, where do you find Sanctuary?
The kitchen remains a place of refuge and solace for me. Today, it’s a hearty vegetable soup.
Years ago as we slowly evolved from celebrating Christmas and turnied towards honoring the Winter Solstice, I came upon a Celtic Winter Solstice Blessing, (can’t remember the source) but these words have been part of my Winter Solstice acknowledgement for many, many years.
“Deep peace of the running waves to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the shades of night to you.
Moon and stars always giving light to you.”
Dee, while I also find refuge in the kitchen, at this time of the year, starting in 2010 when I began naturally dyeing cloth, I have a calming ritual having to do with all of the cloths that I have naturally dyed but that have not yet spoken to me to be made into a landscape collage. At this time of the year, I find slim pickings for foraged dye materials. Yes, I can dye with red onion skins , tea, avocado pits, etc, frozen berries but that doesn’t satisfy my instinctive need to be out on the land, foraging for treasures. For me, it is all about the experience of wondering what this or that weed, leaf, bark, pod, flower will give in terms of color, in terms of markings.: So I go to my stash, unroll and lay them all out on my bed. My cloths are sorted by color and sometimes by pattern when I have used rusty bits, etc. As I hold each one, I recall what was used and where I sourced the dye treasures. It’s easy to remember but I also take photos of each and every dye attempt and the ensuing cloth pieces as well as those that I stitch into landscape collages. All of my work has to do with landscape. I have a chair in a corner of the room and during the month of December, especially, I place the re-sorted cloths so that I can “feel” their story and draw solace from the sense of place given to me by these sacred ordinaries..
Thank you for this Marti. I may post the Celtic blessing in the new year. It’s lovely. Your year end ritual sounds like it lets you access gratitude and memory through tactile and emotional cloth prompts. What a nice idea! Peggy over at womanwithwings shares lovely rituals, too — though after a string of tough years I’ve found I’ve had to avoid anything that requires a close look at the previous year’s calendar (I’m thinking of her month by month query: what did I learn in this month?) That’s why I like yours. It’s less cerebral and centers on your relationship to the earth and fibers rather than with people. I wish you had a blog so I could see some pix!
LOVE your way with words … LOVE you!
As Ellen would say, “right back at ya!” 💫🌟
I have a few: walking in the woods, lying in the middle of my living room rug petting and goofing with the dogs, and training zora. In those times I can more easily focus on the moment and shove the current world to the side. Glad you have the kitchen and cooking as a refuge.
My sweetie Finn also has a way of bringing me into the moment and opening the glad heart of joy. He gets me outside almost every day too, which is a very good thing. I also enjoy reading and a wide range of TV.
In the words of Michael Leunig
“Let it go,
Let it out,
Let it all unravel,
Let it free
And it will be
A path on which to travel.”
http://www.leunig.com.au/works/poems
He’s the absolute greatest, isn’t he?
I love the deep peace poem too. I also have it on a cd, but can’t remember who sings it; I can look it up if anyone would like to know.
I would like to know. But only if it’s easeful
Sue, thanks for your comment because it prompted me to go to Wikipedia where I found the below link. It is from ancient Gaelic and has to do with nature. Later a line having to do with the light of Christ was added at the end by the composer John Rutter.: I deliberately left off the last line because it had to do with the light of Christ and I am a pagan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Gaelic_Blessing
I really love your Celtic blessing and have enjoyed all the comments so far. I find refuge in the same places: making things, family, playing with the pets, the beauty of the landscape around me. Gathering my family around the table for Christmas dinner will make me happy. Happy Solstice!
We will be celebrating with a family dinner on Christmas Eve and that will make me happy too. As does planning the menu, baking, and decorating the house (my new glass icicles arrived from Amazon today, by the way. THEY make me happy!)
Exactly. Yay for new decorative doodads.
Every Wednesday I meet up with anywhere between 25 or 35 women and we play the ukulele. We take our practices quite seriously because when well prepared we are able to bring comfort and joy through our music and smiling faces to many of our area nursing homes. The friendships I have developed are not unlike the friendships I’ve made here in the world of Jude and Grace…. I have so much love and admiration … mostly gratitude for having all of them and you to fill me with a warmth and anticipation of a better tomorrow … Always!
Reading this makes me want to learn ukulele! It gives me such a nice new window into you.
Dee~ I like the new title for as much as I want to believe that raging & protests work, they don’t seem to be working too well now. We all need a little Refuge from the madness. I find mine in watching Tiny House shows and dreaming of a life that would be simple, but I know logically may never come. I have years of working and getting through before any dreaming could even become a possibility. I also fine refuge in viewing long-time favorite movies and listening to old favorite music on you tube. Or by connecting and learning new things w/ friends on FB.
What I’d LIKE to be doing is more stitching, writing, walking and … Oh well, maybe soon.
I become over this holiday season more and more each year. Too much pressure and focus on stuff for me. Solstice may move more and more to the forefront. I wanted to go with my sister to a celebration tonight, but alas I am home sick.
May this season bring you joy and fill you with…well, whatever fills you!
Big Love xoNancy
Hey Nancy. Happy holidays to you! I wish you had more time for yourself. I know that goes without saying but it seems to want saying. I’ve never watched Tiny Homes but I’ve heard from others that it’s good. Ken and I enjoy Fixer Upper now and then.
I hope you feel better soon! I had a weird little stomach thing two days ago and missed a cookie-swap I’d been looking forward to.