The evening of January 5th is called Twelfth Night, the Eve of the Epiphany, the night that the three Magi traveled to Bethlehem to see the newborn baby Jesus.
In Italy, the story goes, the Befana (short for Epiphania) was busy sweeping her floor that night, when the Magi stopped at her house. They invited her to come along with them on their trip to see Jesus but she said she was too busy.
Later she changed her mind and decided to follow, but she couldn’t find them. She continues her search each year on Twelfth Night, flying on a broom, going from house to house and leaving gifts.
Agenda:
1. Review the Divine Laws
2. Prayer candle ceremony
3. Discernment queries
4. Year of Hope and Resilience
5. Resolutions postcard
6. Sweeping
7. Make Focaccia della Befana
8. Leave gifts
1.
Review the Divine Laws:
At Soyal, I review the Divine Laws, as I see them. A Divine Law is anything that comes directly from God: a natural law, universal truth, principle, or a rule of conduct that is inherent and essential in human society.
Today I will review my testimony of Discernment: Think before acting; listen within deeply, and seek clarity; make wise choices, with an open mind.
2. Prayer Candle ceremony:
Today I light a white candle for discernment, and ask the Spirits to bring the rain of loving care down upon the whole world.
3. Discernment queries:
Today is the last day of Christmas. I'll give attention today to my inner Befana, the God-Spirit as Grandmother, aged and full of wisdom. She reminds me to pay attention to the path that lies before me, keep my priorities straight, and stay open to what each day offers.
Truth is a continual revelation, a constantly unfolding series of insights about how my mind works, how the world works, how other people view the world, and my role in all of that. The Light of Truth is what guides me, one step at a time, down my path.
If I listen for the voice of Truth in the midst of my daily work and in my relationships, then I will see the road I need to travel.
Where is the road leading me in 2025?
What do I need to gather and pack for the trip?
What distractions and potholes do I face?
It's a little unsettling that my ground is always unfolding before me, like a foggy pathway, but also liberating because it means I don't need to have all the answers right now. I have faith that New Light will be given to me, because that has been my experience.
4. Year of Hope and Resilience:
As soon as I am able in the New Year, I discern a theme for the year. I generally choose something poetic that embraces the overall trend of my goals and resolutions for the year: 2019 was my "Year of Virtue", 2020 - "Year of Gestation". 2021 - "Year of Discovery", 2022 - "Year of Awareness", 2023 - "Year of Being Rooted", and 2024 was my "Year of Witness".
I've settled this year on "my year of active hope and resilience."
Active hope is the practice of creating what I hope for, and has three key steps: Maintain a clear view of reality; identify what I hope for - the direction I’d like things to move in and the values I'd like to express; take steps to move in that direction.
I plan to set myself Hope and Resilience tasks each week: Define a bit of real crisis, a vision of the change I want to see, and steps to take, along with one new resilience skill to build. This week:Resilience is the process of adapting to challenges, with flexibility and equanimity, and it is a skill-set I can learn a bit at a time.
- Crisis: Biodiversity loss- Since 1955, biodiversity loss due to human activities has been greater than at any time in human history, caused by habitat loss, agriculture, over-exploitation, pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
- Vision: Increased urban habitat for birds and butterflies.
- Steps: Plan more native bird and butterfly habitat to plant.
- Resilience skill: Dress for the weather- get a new warm raincoat.
5. Resolutions postcard:
As usual, I'm ready at the New Year to upgrade my health habits, take control of my moods, and have more discipline in general. These are not all of my high ideals and goals, but just three improvements I resolve to make in my daily routine:
6. Sweeping: Twelfth Night is when we take down all the decorations and clean up all the dry greenery. Today I will dismantle my wreath, clear off the mantle shelf, and put all the dried greens in a paper bag in the garage, to save for the Imbalc fire on February 1st. I will stow away the last of the Christmas decorations - I do a thorough search because anything left out is supposed to stay up all year!
Next I will carefully sweep up all the needles, dirt, and dog hair, working my way slowly through the house, sweeping each room, getting into the corners and under the furniture.When I sweep on this day, I give attention to the feel of the broom in my hand and the sound it makes on the floor.
Some people focus on “sweeping away negative energy” but I think about gathering my resources - past, present, future.
This attentive sweeping is how I honor Befana, and all my Grandmothers through the ages, who kept houses clean; and also it's how I remind myself to give full attention to the ordinary work of my life.
7. Make Focaccia della Befana:
This traditional Italian sweet bread is studded with candied orange rind. The tradition is to put a little coin wrapped in aluminum foil inside the bread, and the lucky one who finds the coin will be fortunate in the New Year!Ingredients:
- 3-1/2 c. flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 pack dry yeast
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 eggs
- zest of 1 lemon, minced
- 1/4-c. unsalted butter
- 1/3 c. milk
- 1/2 c. candied orange rind
- 1 egg + 1 tbsp milk, for egg wash
- coin wrapped in foil
- sugar pearls, to garnish
1- Mix the yeast with 1/4 cup of lukewarm water and let it dissolve for 10 minutes.
2- While that happens, combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid), mince the lemon rind, melt the butter, chop up the candied orange peel, and warm up the milk to just lukewarm.
3-Stir the proofed yeast into the bowl with the flour, then add sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and melted butter. Mix, adding the milk little by little until all the liquid is absorbed.4- Knead on a floured board (I used my Kitchen Aid) until an elastic dough forms. (It's supposed to be a soft dough, but I should have maybe put in a little less milk because I needed to add a spoonful of flour.)
5- Add the candied orange peel and shape the dough into a ball. Put it into a clean bowl that is lightly floured, cover with cling wrap, and allow to rest in a warm place for 1 hour.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and pour the dough onto it (I divided mine into 3 small loaves). Pat flat, and form a flower: Covering the center with a mug, and cut the outside into 12 petals with a knife, leaving the center intact. Hide a coin in one of the petals. 
7- Twist each petal once or twice. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar pearls. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
8- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Bake for 15 minutes.
8. Leave gifts:
Traditionally I used to leave gifts tonight for my children, from Befana. It's the last special gift of the Christmas season; this year my grandsons came by to open their last gifts, and will receive gifts from Befana tonight at home.
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