Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a 46-day period of preparation for the joyful Easter celebration. The word lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "lengthen"; it refers to the longer days of spring. 

Lent is about mortality and transformation; death and rebirth. Marcus Borg says "It means dying to an old way of being, and being born into a new way of being, a way of being centered once again in God."

Agenda for Lent:

1. Set intentions for Lent

2. Write a daily Lenten calendar

3. Hang up the Lady Lent

4. Make pretzels

1. Set intentions for Lent: 

My theme for Lent this year is the Land I Live On. Most of my activism focus is on climate change, and I want to fuel that work with a strong and intimate connection to this land. I want to better understand my relationship to the natural world and the cycles of the seasons, the history, culture, and ecosystem of my valley, the indigenous peoples and how I connect to them, and the responsibility I feel for the land.  

Also, because I am caring for my grandson this year, I have a unique opportunity to see the natural world through a baby's eyes, with Wonder and Discovery. I want to re-connect to the awe I felt as a child for Creation. 

At Lent I allow myself to be slow, simple, and thoughtful. I spend time each day in focused study and prayer. And I choose something to temporarily reduce or cut out of my life, as a reminder that what I truly need is the nurturing of Spirit (I try to choose something to fast from that is a good symbol of how I am trying to grow). And I also observe Lent as a time of creative action, acting on what I learn. My goals this year are to:

• Explore Wonder practices: 

  Wonder begins in the senses, the imagination, and the natural curiosity about the grand adventure of life. I want to be an explorer of both my inner and physical world, and add in some useful daily habits to awaken my awe: Slow down, be curious, and explore new things.
• Educate myself: I'm reading the book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I'm also reading books on the Willamette Valley.
• Meditate and Journal: Ground myself in optimistic hope for the future of our planet, and become more open to the best actions to take. 
• Fast: This year I decided to start 16/8 intermittent fasting: I'm going to eat only between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. every day. My purpose is to strengthen my discipline, and focus attention on my relationship with the foods of the land.  
• Take creative action: It's going to be a challenge this year, but I plan to join zoom events, speak up at city council meetings, write and make artwork, and take some other small compassionate actions each week to make the world better.

2. Write a daily Lenten calendar:

I really like the calendars that some churches publish for Lent, with a daily reading and a task of some kind. Here is one Lenten Family Calendar, and a Climate Calendar, but as usual, I will write my own calendar, and the first week is posted just above this entry. Today - 

1. Begin fasting: Today I start "16/8 intermittent fasting": I'm going to eat only between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. My purpose is to strengthen my discipline, and focus attention on my relationship with the foods of the land.

 

2. Study Braiding Sweetgrass, section 1: I'm well into this first section, and today I read ‘An Offering’, about the meaning of ceremony that is “fed from the same bond with the land, founded on respect and gratitude.” How can I express my gratitude and responsibility for the gifts of the land? What can I offer earth in return?

3. Wonder Practices: Go on a wonder walk with Aldo, just walking around our yard at the pace of a toddler and stopping to taste the leaves, smell herbs, feel the mud and the rain.

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in." Rachel Carson

3. Hang up the Lady Lent:
Greek children make a paper doll for Lent, called Kyra Sarakosti (Lady Lent). The Kyra always folds her hands in prayer, and she has no mouth because she is fasting. Also, she has seven legs, representing the number of weeks in Lent. Each Saturday, the children fold back a leg as they count down the weeks.

I made a Lady Lent a couple years ago that I can use each year- Now she hangs in my living room as a visual reminder of the countdown to Easter. The instructions are here.

4. Make pretzels:
Pretzels are a traditional bread for Lent because they are made with no dairy or eggs.

Pretzels were invented by an Italian monk as a reward to children who learned their prayers. The strips of baked dough are folded to resemble arms crossing the chest. The monks called the breads "little arms" (bracellae). From this Latin word, the Germanic people later coined the term "pretzel." The recipe is here.