Mothers Night

Tonight is known as Modraniht, or Mothers Night, by Saxon Pagans - the start of Yule. My ancestors were predominantly Anglo-Saxon, that is, of English and Germanic descent, and I've done some research into modern Saxon Paganism in an attempt to reclaim some of my heritage and better connect me to my ancestral roots.

When Anglo-Saxons first began to settle in England they brought Yule with them. We don’t know too many details about what this festival entailed: They cut a Yule Log to provide fuel and gradually pushed it into the fire as it burned. They decorated homes and halls with evergreen leaves and branches. They feasted. Some records say it lasted 12 nights.

Modern Pagans celebrate the start of Yule on either December 20th or 21st. On the first night of Yule they pay tribute to the ancestral mothers who protected and watched over the family, helped with childbirth, and healed illnesses.

Agenda today:

1. Read a Novena

2. Light a candle for Purpose

3. Read "The Book of Doing and Being"

4. Soyal retreat practices for Self

5. Purpose brainstorm

6. Bake Melting Moments cookies

7. Mothers Night Fire and Prayer

8. Hang our stockings with care

1. Read a novena:

Today is the fifth day of the Christmas Novena, a Catholic ritual of a prayer recited or sung during the nine days leading up to Christmas Day. I've been reading this Creation Novena from the Indian Catholic Matters site:

Day 5: A Prayer for Water

Creator God, we give thanks for water. We thank You for the rich depths of the seas, their unimaginable variety. We thank You for the rivers and lakes in our communities, for the sparkle of light that dances on their surface.

We thank You for all the ways that water sustains us. We give thanks for the clean water that we are blessed to drink. We give thanks for the moisture that rises from the seas to become the rain that waters our crops. We give thanks for the power of the waves that stay within their shores.

As we pollute and warm Your waters, give us foresight. Help us see the consequences of soiling Your waters and changing their ancient compositions.

Help us protect our children and grandchildren now, by taking even small steps to preserve the great gift of water.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

2. Light a candle for Purpose:

At Soyal, I review the Divine Laws, as I see them, meditate and write about my priorities, and make plans for the coming year based on guidance from the Spirits. Today I am giving attention to my Self as a whole and my purpose on earth.

Purpose: Find clarity on my values and priorities and follow where they lead; be a creative force in the world, and grow into the best person I can be.

 

Today I light a red candle for my Purpose, and ask the Spirits to bring the rain of loving care down upon the whole world. I ask:

What are my most important reasons for living? What are my priorities? What would my best life look like? What actions give me the feeling of a meaningful life, and best support my beliefs and values?

 

Describe my life path now - Is it clear or foggy? What are my next steps in life? Do I have any well-defined missions?

 

What dreams do I have for the New Year? What might I do in the New Year to better express myself? How do I want to grow? Imagine accomplishing my goals; how do they benefit my family and community? 

 

As I move into retirement, what work do I cling to, and why? Is this the work I'm called to do? How do I discern the next chapter in my life?

3. 

Read "The Book of Doing and Being":

I am just starting this book by Barnet Bain (2015) subtitled "Rediscovering Creativity in Life, Love, and Work". He claims that your life is a creative act, and we are the writer of our life story. "That knowing is a fundamental shift in perception -- a transformation. It happens when you are intimate enough with your past that you are able to create a an original framework that is yours alone ... living from the inside out... Every act is a creative act."

I can creatively redefine and reimagine my life at any time. I just need to figure out my next part in the story of my life, and that just takes an understanding of my Self. 

"Creativity is a relationship you nurture..." It requires a conscious admission of a particular state of mind. Our medium is our BEING, our presence. "You will find your real work in your values and what matters most to you; in your creative ambitions; in your skills and abilities; and of course in your strengths, talents, and gifts." 

4. Soyal retreat practices for Self:

This Christmas I am using the Soyal Way of Being as a guide for my days; that is, I'm keeping Mother Earth in my thoughts as I move quietly and respectfully about my days, in order to establish the right mood for the coming year, and reach a unity of everything in the universe. Each day I will fit in some reading and writing, some focused walking, and some order-creation. At the end of the day I will brainstorm some goals and resolutions for 2026, based on guidance from God.

My practices today are:

1. Reorder and re-dedicate my Retreat Room, clearing away everything that distracts from my purpose.
2. Walk to town and use my body to help to connect to my Being and my purpose.
3. Grub just a bit to gently connect to Mother Nature; get the ducks fresh water and straw; dump the compost.

5. Purpose brainstorm:

Today I am brainstorming some goals and resolutions for my life purpose - following the true course of my life, writing my own story. My ideas:

• Be a creative force in the world: Specifically, write a book about how to shift the paradigm towards Nature-Culture, and then spread the message widely.
• Love and serve my family, becoming the Zen Grandma who has patience, peace, courage and wisdom.
• Take action on climate change and biodiversity loss and advocate for the nature that has no voice or power in this world. Report the realities and the steps we can take.
• Simplify my spaces and my life down to the essentials, and bring myself into order and integrity.

6. Bake Melting Moments cookies:

Ingredients:

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• ¾ cup butter

1. Combine dry ingredients. Cream butter until fluffy. Add to flour mixture and beat thoroughly.

2. Refrigerate 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

4. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with lightly floured fork. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are just lightly browned. Don't over bake.

7. Mothers Night Fire and Prayer:

This first Yuletide evening, we sometimes have an open house, and a solstice fire. I invite family and a few friends to drop in for hot chocolate, cookies and a fire ceremony.I ask each visitor to add two sticks to the fire: One for something light, and one for something dark. We might share out loud, or we might not.

This year we have a mud pit in our backyard, so tonight I will go outside alone and have some quiet time to honor my ancestral Mothers, those wise female ancestors who hold the authority of my lineage as a whole; I choose to honor those women who transcended the racism of their times, and who knew how to live sustainably on the earth. We all come from a mother, so it seems fitting to start the Yule festivities here. 

I thank the spirits of all the wise and well women who came before me, back to the start of time, for your gifts of life, love, and light. 

Grandmothers: I honor you, and thank you for giving me the strength to be a good mother, grandmother, wife, daughter and sister, and for passing on a legacy of kindness, hope & strength of spirit to me and to my descendants. Thank you, thank you, thank you.