Thinning of the veils and a birthing-day

Today as I write this post the moon is in it’s dark phase, this is a time for new beginnings, or to take on any creative or spiritual endeavors that may be needing our attention. And it is with this in mind that I sit down to write….

Last night I cleared our family alter in preparation for the new one that my daughter Zahra and I will create today.

I have begun to lay out the things of importance to me while she is at school, but the other fun things can wait until later this afternoon when she comes home.

Some of you reading may wonder why I more often mention my daughter and and not my son? I myself have been musing on this for some time now, and have come to realize that the truth is that Zubin is now a teenager and honestly more interested in spending time in his room working on his various projects then helping mom make an alter or bake a magical cake. But also, he is just simply not called to these sorts of things or interested in it at all. Perhaps he will come to it on his own time, but right now he has no interest.

This has been something I have known since he was a wee one,  and so we have allowed him to follow his creative interests on his own, which unfortunately has steered him away from my spiritual inclinations, and this is ok with me, but it was not always this way. As with much of life, it has been a process of letting go.

But getting back to the story of veils and birthing, I have also known that my daughter was seriously called since she was a wee one and she has given us many stories over the years, from remembering past lives to drumming, meditating and doing yoga on her own from the time she understood that it made her feel peaceful. For this I take no credit though, because it was her dadi-jan{paternal grandmother}, not I, that taught her yoga and although I taught her to meditate I also taught my son and he has no interest, Zahra took these things up on her own…

Ahhh but I am getting ahead of myself here!

It is said that this time of year is the time when the veils between this world and the spirit world grow thin. This is also the month that I gave birth to Zahra here in our home in water very peacefully on the 30th of October, the day before Halloween.

That said, this is a special time of year for us over here!

The night before I gave birth to her, I had gone to Ani Defranco concert and it was about 3 songs in that the friend I was with, who was also a fellow  doula at the time said to me-”Nikiah-I think you are in labour!” I being completely stoned on hormones looked at her and said–”you know I think you are right!” And that that very moment Ani said to the audience something like this–”I don’t know why I am asking, but are any of you pregnant?”  and my friend Liz yells back–YES!!! OVER HERE–AND SHE IS IN LABOUR TOO!!!”

Needless to say I gave birth in the early hours of the following morning in a waterbirth pool surrounded by my son, beloved husband and dear friend and doula Nao.

When Zahra was born she was undecided as to if she wanted to walk earthside, she did not breathe for a very long time, to the point that my midwife had to cut her cord and take her to clear her airways, at which she gave a very tiny mew and then cried!

This moment was so intense that when she finally cried my husband cried with her in utter relief! It was intense and powerful.

Birth is magic, I know this from giving birth twice myself and from witnessing all of the babies being born into loving hands during my years as a doula.

The tears cried, the joys felt, and even the suffering of being a women who has lost a baby to miscarriage, supporting many friends through their own miscarriages, and deeper yet, bearing witness to a beloved friends baby being born who would never take a breath.

All of it magic, all of it a blessing, and all of it, a part of the blood mysteries that make us women.

Today I muse on this inspiration, on the thin veils that I feel as I move through the day making a bridge through my ancestor alter and honoring those who have passed before us on our family ancestor alter.

Happy 9th Birthday dear sweet daughter, this Sunday we shall celebrate your being born, but today I remember being two weeks overdue with you and wondering if I should go to the Ani Defranco concert, which as it turns out it was one of the best concerts I had ever seen!

I love you and can not wait to see what this next turning of the wheel brings for you~

 

 

 

 

On finding inspiration in the Divine Feminine

All you have to do is look….she is in the most wonderful places…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She is always near us.

She is in simple pleasures.

And in wild abandon….

She is in the wind……

And she can be oh so gentle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or Fierce!

 

And she lingers in the most magical places……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where do you see her?

Imbolc and Brigid the goddess of fire……

Today is February st and-Imbolc/brides day, or St Brigid’s day,/Candelmass which interestingly enough can also be celebrated tomorrow or the 12th depending on where you are from and has everything to do with the subtle change in the season and the lengthening of the days, it is said to be the harbinger of spring.

Imbolc comes from the old Irish word i mbolg meaning “in the belly” refering to the pregnancy and lactation of sheep this time of year. Thus the symbols of milk, sheep corn dollies and white flowers which represent the coming light and soon enough spring.

Imbolc is also known as a celebration of the hearth and home, and of the lengthening days, which I have to admit having another things to celebrate really breaks up the monotony of the rain and winter!

Tomorrow is also Ground Hog day, which is a crossover from ancient European times  when Badgers and Snakes{which are one of Brigid’s sacred animals}were originally observed coming out of their holes to test the warmth in the air and thus the coming of a possible early spring.

Over here though, I watch the bees and I have to say they have been out more then once in the past week or so, an exciting thing for beekeepers all over because it means that their bees have survived the winter thus far!

The goddess Brigid is the patron goddess of Imbolc since she is also a goddess of the hearth and home, of fire and poetry and it was said that she was born at dawn and that the sun coming up behind her home shone so bring the towns folk thought it was on fire.

Brigid  has become somewhat of a patron goddess for me in the last few years as she and I share some special things in common as Brigid is known as the goddess of fire and smithing among many other things and fire has been an element close to my heart for some time, especially now that I have begun to learn smithing.

Celebrations for Imbolc often has special foods such as butter, milk, bread and whatever preserves were left after the long winter.

Imbolc was also a time for lighting fires and divination, which involved using the ashes from the hearth and this was done by spreading smooth the ashes before bed and asking a special question, then in the morning it is said that the will appear new patterns and possibly symbols in the ashes that can then be read, much like a tea leaf reading.

This year, in the spirit of the day Zahra and I have prepared Brigit/Brides mound cakes made with honey and lavender, and we used a new pan I found while thrifting last week that make perfect little mound cakes!

We iced the cakes with a new recipe I just recently discovered for a chocolate honey icing and it is the most delicious thing I have tasted in a long time! For the top I looked and looked for just the right thing and in the end settled on using some candy bones{ The Celts liked them some bones!} and formed them into little Celtic crosses on the top, which you can sorta tell once you know what you are looking for.

Last night the kids and I had a fun time decorating our alter with spring flowers and a new corn dollie we made with the husks I kept this past summer, we then added some new  candles to represent the new light and a few cakes and milk as offerings to the goddess Brigid and tonight we will have  a grand feast with the sweet cakes for desert.

Today I have also bought myself a new broom from a local company, and will sweep out the old to make way for the new and it is with a light heart that I do my work.

I do love this new broom, in fact I might just fly away on it…..

Have a Blessed Imbolc!