seattle

hello... im in seattle for the week.

it's beautiful here, and for the time being i will be without internet...

I'm at a conference called "New Partners For Smart Growth."

love,
me

Candlemass and Groundhogs

Taken From http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/candlemas.html February 2 is one of the great cross-quarter days which make up the wheel of the year. It falls midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and in many traditions is considered the beginning of spring. Awakening the Ground In Western Europe, this was the time for preparing the fields for the first planting. Even in Seattle, you can begin turning over and enriching the soil in anticipation of the first sowing in March. Pamela Berger has written a book, The Goodess Obscured: Transformation of the Grain Protectress from Goddess to Saint, about the rituals celebrated at this time of year, when the ground is first awakened and the seed placed in the belly of the earth. This is a significant moment in a community which depends on the earth for sustenance. The fields were purified and offerings were made to the goddess. This medieval Anglo-Saxon plowing charm, recorded by Berger, was said by the farmer while cutting the first furrow. Whole be thou Earth Mother of men. In the lap of God, Be thous as-growing. Be filled with fodder For fare-need of men. The farmer then took a loaf of bread, kneaded it with milk and holy water and laid it under the first furrow, saying: Acre full fed, Bring forth fodder for men! Blossoming brightly, Blessed become; And the God who wrought the ground, Grant us the gifts of growing, That the corn, all the corn, may come unto our need. The promises of the return of the light and the renewal of life which were made at the winter solstice are now becoming manifest. It's the dawn of the year. It's the time when a woman who is pregnant begins showing. It's time to creep out of the hibernation of winter, cautiously, like the Ground Hog who supposedly emerges on this day to check his shadow. It's the time of germination. This is a traditional time for new beginnings. Covens of witches usually initiate new members at this time.
St. Brigid, the Grain Goddess In Ireland, this holy day is called Imbolc and begins at sunset on February 1 continuing through sunset February 2nd. There are several different derivations offered for the name Imbolc: from Ol-melc (ewe's milk) because the ewes are lactating at this time, from Im-bolg (around the belly) in honor of the swelling belly of the earth goddess, and from folcaim (I wash) because of the rites of purification which took place at this time. All of these explanations capture the themes of this festival. February 1st is the feast day of St. Brigid, who began her life as a pagan goddess and ended up a Christian saint. She was a fire and fertility goddess. In her temple at Kildare, vestal virgins tended an eternal fire. On her feast day, her statue was washed in the sea (purification) and then carried in a cart through the fields surrounded by candles. The legends about the goddess, Brigid, gradually became associated with (the somewhat spurious) Saint Brigid who founded the first convent in Ireland (where else?) at Kildare. To celebrate St. Brigid's day, people put out a loaf of bread on the windowsill for the Saint and an ear of corn for her white cow, offerings for the grain goddess like the loaf buried in the first furrow. A small quantity of special seeds are mixed with those to be sown. Wheat stalks are woven into X-shaped crosses to serve as charms to protect home from fire and lightning. In the HIghlands, women dress the corn doll or last sheaf (from Lammas or the autumn equinox) in a bridal gown and put her in a basket, which is called the Bride's bed. A wand, candle or other phallic object is laid across her and Bride is invited to come, for her bed is ready. Purification The Catholic Church, as it was wont to do, found an opportunity to superimpose a Christian holiday on this pagan festival. Jewish women went through a purification ceremony 40 days after the birth of a male child (80 days after the birth of a female child). So in the 6th century (according to J.C. Cooper in The Aquarian Dictionary of Festivals,February 2 (which falls 39 days after Christmas) was declared the feast of the Purification of Mary. The theme of purification remained a link between the two holy days. Like many miraculous babies, Jesus is recognized as a future hero from the time of his infancy. One of these recognitions occurs in Luke 2:21 when he is being presented in the temple (at the time of Mary's purification ) and a holy man, Simeon, recognizes him as the Christ, calling him “a light for revelation.” This is the ostensible reason given for the custom of bringing candles to church to be blessed by the priest on February 2nd. They are then take home where they serve as talismans and protections from all sorts of disasters. This custom is the origin for the name Candle-mass. In Hungary, according to Dorothy Spicer in The Book of Festivals,February 2nd is called Blessing of the Candle of the Happy Woman (Gyertyazsenteio Boidog Asszony). In Poland, it is called Mother of God Who Saves Us From Thunder (Swieto Matki Boskiej Gromnicznej). Actually, this festival has always been associated with fire. In ancient Armenia (writes Spicer), this was the date of the pagan spring festival in honor of Mihr, the God of fire. Originally, fires were built in his honor in open places and a lantern was lit which burned in the temple throughout the year. When Armenia became Christian, the fires were built in church courtyards instead. People danced about the flames, jumped over them and carried home embers to kindle their own fires from the sacred flames. Since Lent can sometimes begin as early as February 4th, some Candlemas customs became associated with Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) and the beginning of Lent, which is a time of purification.
Celebrating Candlemas Candles and Christmas Greens The main element of your decorating scheme for Candlemas is fairly obvious: candles. You can gather all the candles in your home in one room and light them from one central candle. Or place a candle in each window (but watch them carefully). Candlemas is one of the traditional times for taking down Christmas decorations (Twelfth Night, on January 6th, is the other). If you are very careful (because they are tinder dry), you can burn them. Or, better yet, return them to the earth mother by using them for compost or mulch. Certain foods are traditional for Candlemas, including crepes, pancakes and cakes, all grain-based foods. Pancakes and crepes are considered symbols of the sun because of their round shape and golden color. If you have a fireplace, clean out your hearth and then light a new fire. Sit around the fire and reflect on your hopes for the coming year. What do you hope to accomplish? What are you passionate about? What seeds do you wish to plant? Discuss these ideas with others or write them down in a journal but make them concrete in some way so that on Lammas (August 2nd, the festival of the first harvest), you can look back to see what progress you’ve made. Brigid is the goddess of creative inspiration as well as reproductive fertility. This is a good time for sharing creative work, or, if you don't think of yourself as especially creative, an idea that worked or a plan that materialized. Thank the Goddess for her inspiration, perhaps by dedicating a future work to her. Making Pledges and Commitments Since Candlemas is a time of new beginnings, this is a good day to ritually celebrate all things new. Plan a ceremony to name a new baby, officially welcome a new person into a family or plight your troth to your beloved. Make a commitment to a goal (like a New Years resolution): this would be an especially powerful thing to do in a group. In San Francisco, the Reclaiming Collective sponsors a big public ritual called Brigid, which focuses on political commitment. After acknowledging despair over the events of the past year, the participants reflect on the source of their own power and then make a pledge in front of the community about the work they intend to do during the coming year. During this ritual, the flames in a cauldron represent Brigid's Sacred Flame, the fire of inspiration and passion, while a punch bowl filled with waters gathered from all over the world represents Brigid's Holy Well, the source of healing and purification. If you plan your own ceremony, use these two powerful symbols: fire and water. For instance, wash your hands and bathe your face in salt water, which is especially good for purification. Light a candle as you make your pledge. Incorporate the third symbol of the holiday — seeds — by planting a seed or bulb in a pot to symbolize your commitment, or by blessing a bowl or packet of seeds that you will plant later. Purification and Renewal Have you ever given anything up for Lent? If not, you might consider it. You don’t have to be Catholic to gain spiritual benefits from the voluntary surrender of something you cherish. You can give up something frivolous or something serious, but it should be something you will notice. Folk wisdom says it takes six weeks (or approximately the 40 days of Lent) to establish a new habit, so you may end up with a lifestyle change. The kids in our neighborhood have eagerly embraced the idea of giving up something for Lent. We know one little girl who gave up TV for Lent and another who gave up catsup, her favorite food. In the last two years, I've given up alcohol and coffee for Lent. Forty days is enough time to notice the difference in the way you feel without a favorite substance or distraction. Since Candlemas is often considered the beginning of spring, you can perform another ritual act of purification: spring cleaning. This would be a good time to do a thorough house cleaning, sweeping the floors with salt water, banishing the gloom of winter and creating a sparkling, shiny new setting for spring.

Merion Mercy Chapel

Deep into the woods far through the forest there sits the Merion Mercy Academy in Pennsylvania. There full of natural light Brother Mickey McGrath has installed what i can only describe as the most striking of his projects to date.

For those of you who may not realize it, Brother Mickey of the Bee Hive Studio has influenced a whole era of religious imaging. His ecumenical approach is pierced through by his pastel and passionate pallet with the deepest sacramental sense.

I just can't get enough of his work.

At Merion Mercy the chapel is filled with portraits of Women's Saints. They are HUGE. Sixteen larger than life women of justce!!! The detail of Mother Theresa's lips, Mary's braided native lady hair, Sister Thea, Dorothy Day, Veronica, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Cabrini, Drexel.......

These portraits are a collection for Brother Mickey's book entitled Women of Mercy combined with the prose of Kathy Coffey.

Click here for slide show

Brother Mickey recently moved his studio onto my block. He can see the greenhouse as he looks out his studio. When imagination and justice come together, art will save us.

Celtic Spring

Candlemass Sunday is the day of Sabbath closest to the hinge between the winter solstice and the spring equinox:

At Sacred Heart we call it Candlemass. We are all given candles to hold during the liturgy and the stil lit Christmas tree. In in the United States this day is celebrated as Groundhog's Day on February 2nd, and for the Celts, February 1st is the first day of Celtic Spring. Father Michael's father would go out and take the iron coulter plow to be sharpened, for soon the earth would begin to thaw on their farm in Ireland. And the blade must cut through the thawing earth soon.


My grandma had died 1-29-08, two years ago. We laid her in the ground on groundhog's day in the middle of the winter. She died unexpectedly, leaving me, her only granddaughter, to wonder what I am learning now from this native matriarchal lineages , to ask questions to people and land.

here's what i wrote 2 years ago:
I had just lost my grandma less than a month ago, unexpectedly, a very quick death, leaving me in an inverse lament. I didn't know my grandma as dying, I only know she died. I was not able to hold her hand, or smile contagiously with her, kiss her all over her face, or ask her that one question as she was dying, being blessed in the fullness of the sole carrier of our matriarchal lineage. I missed those things, but I do have her fishing rod, her deep wholeness in the woods around the farm, and a certain magnestism with carpenters ands teepees.

I wish to stand in this holy hinge of fully joy and fully sorrow.



my -oh -my, Mary ever suffering. As a peace offering to us both, I sit with her as she is dying. She is blessing me through a passionate departure in retrograde, a certain surrogate sorrow, being blessed as a douhla-in-death beside this other river.


My grandma went, beside the Susquehanna, without my hand, and I can only hope that she will help me to remember as I draw close to her death through the compassion with another. I remember the Lakota prophecies of the women with the moving iron in their blood, the women who's hands in the earth will bring the next magnetic pole, full and magnet making fiery iron ferric the age of women and men as equal.

This iron plow




Grandma was quite the accomplished fisherwoman from whom I learned much about land and water.

She died very happy. She knew she was passing as she was sitting at the dinning room table and asked for a hamburger, a sundae, and a cigarette. Then she died.

Fortunately i got to spend a week with grandma at her house by the susquehanna river over this past summer. We spent a lot of time on her front porch-swing watching the birds and the trees and counting freight cars on the tracks. There was one tree in particular that towered high beside the railroad tracks, and one morning we watched as two men from the township brought it down. It made us sad, for the lack of shade on the grassy lawn across the street, and for the squirrels who just lost a home. After every meal that we ate in her kitchen i'd take the compost out to her backyard and feed her pet groundhog who lived under the shed. I can't help but smile inside knowing that we are going to bury grandma tomorrow, on Groundhog's Day.

Groundhog's Day is the midway meeting hinge-time between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. What a nice time to bury a loved one, between death and resurrection. The door to spring is half-way open. Grandma and Grandpa have been really rather supernatural, in the non-creepy sense, and i will have to write about that in the near future . . . .I look forward to her drawing near to me and seeing fully my life in camden.





SHarpen your plows tomorrow friends. remember, a sharp blade is a safe blade.

happy celtic spring.

Howard ZInn passes

Howard Zinn is possibly the most infuential historian in modern society. I know his books have directly taught me the underlying currents of tin, oil, and rubber.

Zinn's economic critique aligned itself rather well within Liberation Theologies. He was an activist and descaling peacemaker. Zinn defended Father Michael and the rest of the Camden 28 when they were arrested and put on trial to face charges of conspiracy for breaking into the draft board during the Vietnam War.

Father Michael Doyle and Howard Zinn testified together in court, alongside with many others. Their spirit of peace and fierce knowledge and compassionate pleas laid the way for a rare acquittal.

Thanks Howard Zinn for everything that you have taught me and all the acts of peacemaking and liberating intellect you have passed on to us.

Thank you in particular for this amazing 2 Act Play about Emma Goldman!!!

<3 href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXLuNza-q-c&feature=sub">Howard Zinn Tribute on Democracy Now with recent interview

heirlooms falling through the sky: food security

All of the seeds are ordered. I am one happy farmer woman right now. The land is frozen rock solid frozen through. Yet out of this frozen earth there is life that waits to peek into germination. Thousands of poppy seeds, winter rye, various legumes, and the heirlooms lie asleep in the frozzzen earth, and it's not even Candlemass yet (groundhog's day). Asleep in the land lies the heirlooms that have fallen and the heirlooms that we have spread, establising themselves as perennials moving us closer into no-till.

When an heirloom garden is grown the farmer plays geneticist and selects the seeds to be saved. After a few generations of seed and natural selection the heirloom is developed into what is called a "land race" variety. A land race is specific to a certain place. Camden's heirloom land races well outweigh the true value of all the bombs in the world now or ever in terms of security. Selecting for seed saving is both an art and a science. All the research advises to choose the 2nd or 3rd fruit that the tomato (or almost any vegetable) bears. Select the variety that you would most likely want to eat, but instead, sacrifice the fruit's innards to let life live on past through hands and winters rising with the warmth.

Heirloom seeds resurrecting year after year.

THis past fall was mild. The frost didn't really come until the beginning of December. We were harvesting tomatillos by the gallons, making garden fresh enchiladas through Thanksgiving. The Junior Farmers and I graded the tomatillos for seed saving. After the freshest tomatillos were taken out, we went through the rest sorting through to find the most beautiful perfect size tomatillos for seed saving for next year. I got the blender out and we ran them through adding water so the "tomatillo pulp" could separate. We replicated the procedure until all jar was full. The dead seeds float, but the one's with life and its codes sink to the bottom. The gook and all the peels and dead seeds and soil is poured off first when you pour this semi-fertile mixture over next year's garden beds out of the blender. Be careful to save as many of the seeds in the bottom of the blender as you can.

The seeds that sank, full of life, can be poured onto a clean bread towel (do NOT use paper towels). Smooth all the seeds flat so they are not on top of each other. Place the bread towel and the seeds inside your oven. Do NOT turn the oven on. The climate in the oven will draw all of the moisture from the seeds and the towel. Put a sign over the oven door warning of the hazards of the pre-heat.

In a few days you have hundreds even thousands of heirloom tomatillo seeds dry and ready for storage. Also, feel free to be creative with how you are creating your own land race heirloom seeds. You can keep isolating them out by a specific color, size, shape, taste, rate of growth, number of seeds. Place all of the seeds that you have saved into a cool dry place out of direct sunlight where the humidity and temperature add to 100 degrees total.

With the rest of tomatillos, walk all around your neighborhood and throw these heirloom seed bombs until you have taken over your community with the ingredients for salsa verde and food security.

Media Coverage

Here's a nice link to the article in today's courier post featuring the Center For Transformation:

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20100125/NEWS01/1250337/-1/newsfront2/Retreat-site-puts-focus-on-future