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| Woman with distaff in left hand, and spindle in right hand. |
Distaff Day is the day, historically, when women returned to work after the Christmas holidays.
The distaff is the tool that women held wool fibers on, to keep them ready while using a drop spindle to spin the wool into thread.
Spinning and weaving were never-ending chores. Most women and girls would spin thread while also cooking, caring for children, or minding the sheep. Because women were seen always with a distaff in hand, it became the symbol of “women’s work”.
But during the Christmas season women took a break from spinning. January 7th was the traditional day for women to start back to work, and so was called Distaff Day.
Agenda today:
1. Journal queries:
The Spirit as Goddess is often portrayed as a spinner: Athena, Isis, and Grandmother Spider Woman are all spinners and weavers. Amaterasu spins and weaves sunbeams. The Three Fates control destiny by spinning the thread of life. Frigga works the heavenly spindle to weave the clouds; she has the ability to feel and see clearly.
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| A student using a drop spindle to make yarn. |
So, I celebrate three things today:
- My love of the fiber arts.
- My start back to work (especially housework- cleaning and caring for my home, and making a sanctuary for my family).
- And how I create my own destiny with thought and deed.
What are the threads of my life now and how well do they weave together?
Where can I simplify the pattern?
Where can I add richness?
2. Spindle Meditation:
I’m not much of a spinner, but I always pull out my spindle on Distaff Day, and spin a little wonky yarn. As I work with it I ask the Spirit to give me the ability to slow down, be present, and see clearly.
3. Start a Fiber Project:
On Distaff Day, I usually start a new sewing or crochet project, something small to carry with me. I like to have some handwork to do at meetings or when I'm waiting for a class to start. This is my equivalent of spinning-while-watching-the-sheep, and my way to honor "women's work" through the ages.
This year I have started some small hearts that I might use as valentines!
4. Housework:
Every year on Distaff Day I kick off a month of deep cleaning-- but since it's Sunday, I'll wait until tomorrow to start.
My house has certain mold-related issues that are best done before we get any deeper into winter. Also, winter is a good time for a few big indoor cleaning jobs. I take it one room at a time, and this week I'll clean in the kitchen:
- Monday-- Clean the oven: Remove the racks and soak them in the sink. Turn on the oven's self-cleaning mode (which takes 2 to 6 hours). Let the oven cool for at least 2 hours then sweep out the ashes. Wipe the oven clean with a wet rag.
- Tuesday-- Shine the sink: Fill the sink with hot water, add bleach, and let it sit for 1 hour. Rinse well. Scrub with cleanser and rinse again. Clean around the rim of the sink and the faucets with a brush.
- Wednesday-- Clean the refrigerator: Take everything out, wipe the shelves, and clean the top and outside.
- Thursday-- Scrub the mold from the windows with detergent and warm water, then use a solution of ¼-cup bleach in 1-quart water. Wait 20 minutes and repeat. Wait another 20 minutes. Apply Borax solution and do not rinse, to help prevent mold from growing again. When it's dry, touch up the paint on the windows.
- Friday-- Sweep and mop the floor.
5. Kitchen Blessing:
The Orthodox Church has a tradition of blessing homes within a few weeks after Epiphany. The family prepares by cleaning the house, and then a priest comes to sprinkle holy water and pray for each family member, living and dead.
So what is a blessing? The Church recognizes a blessing as a statement or prayer that invokes God’s favor and power, and prepares one to receive grace, or in the case of a house blessing, prepares the space and those within it.
My own understanding is that the cleaning itself is a blessing, and that sitting still in a newly cleaned room is a good way to remember that we are each blessed, always and forever.
My custom is to bless each room this month, first by cleaning it, and then by remembering. At the end of the week, when I've finished my kitchen cleaning, I will light candles, sit quietly with my coffee, and savor the blessing of a clean kitchen.
I may also say a prayer to the Spirit of the hearth and home. This prayer is an adaptation of the Greek Orthodox House Blessing:
Peace be to this house and to all who live here.
May the Spirit of Love inspire each of us
to develop our talents,
and contribute to the benefit
of our family and our community.
Make our house a haven for us all,
and a place of warmth and caring
for all our friends who visit us.
Enlighten us with the brilliance of grace,
so that, as we go into the world,
we might clearly see our way.
Amen
