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Now that the autumn equinox has arrived and the darkness is creeping in, we need a way to begin to fend off the growing gloom and darkness.
And so, my seasonal souls, we have Michaelmas, The Feast Day of St. Michael + All Angles, which falls each year on September 29.
Today's message is light-hearted and meant to cheer your souls as the year wanes and the dark sets in.
Michaelmas used to be a much bigger celebration than it is today, but it is a beautiful seasonal feast that we can revive in our own Wheel of the Year practice.
In England, Michaelmas (pronounced Mikel-mas) is one of the four quarter days in a year. Lady Day, March 25; Midsummer - St. John's Day, June 24; Michaelmas, September 29; and Christmas, December 25. Isn't that a lovely little wheel of the year to work with? It corresponds to the four directions and the four elements. They also fall close to the equinoxes and solstices.
If you slide in the old English cross-quarter days, Candlemas, February 2, St. Walpurgis Night/May Day, April 30th-May 1st, Lammas, August 1, All Hallows, All Saints and All Souls, October 31 - November 2, and you have an alternate eight festival wheel to work with. Our more recent ancestors in the British Isles would recognize it.
St. Michael is one of the principal angelic warriors, protector against the dark of the night, and the Archangel who fought against Satan and his evil angels. As Michaelmas is the time that the darker nights and colder days begin – the edge into winter – the celebration of Michaelmas is associated with encouraging protection during these dark months. It was believed that negative forces were stronger in darkness and so families would require stronger defences during the later months of the year.
St. Michael is the defender of light and the defeater of darkness. A powerful presence you can call upon as the days get shorter.
It has been said by mystics that the angels were originally engravings (archetypes/patterns) on the chariot throne of God. Through the Power of Lady Wisdom, they flew off the throne and became the energy pattern for what they governed - planets, trees, animals, etc.
I so love that idea.
The creator engraved the original archetypal patterns on the golden throne. Then, the enlivening energy of the divine feminine animates them, allowing them to fly off the throne to become the organizing power that creates and protects their manifestation in the physical world.
I have long known there to be angels/archetypes of trees, stones, the elements, etc.
Asters, which bloom this time of year, are also called Michaelmas Daisies. Michaelmas was traditionally celebrated with a feast of roast goose.
"The Michaelmas Daisies, among dede weeds,
Bloom for St Michael's valorous deeds.
And seems the last of flowers that stood,
Till the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude."
*The Feast of St. Simon and Jude is October 28.
Giving someone Michaelmas daisies symbolizes saying farewell, just as the Michaelmas Daisies seem to bid farewell to the growing season.
Legend says that Queen Elizabeth I was eating goose on September 29 when she was informed of the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and she resolved to eat goose every Michaelmas going forward.
Michaelmas is the last day to pick blackberries because, on that very day, Lucifer was expelled from heaven and fell to earth, landing in a thorny blackberry patch. So enraged was he that he cursed the plump, shiny fruit, spat on it, and stomped on the berries, utterly spoiling them.
"On Michaelmas Day the devil puts his foot on blackberries". ~ Irish proverb
In Scotland, a sizeable scone-like cake is baked to celebrate Michaelmas. It's called St. Michael's Bannock or Struan Micheil. Baked from cereals grown on the land and sheep's milk, it represents the bounty of field and flock. Traditionally, it's baked by the eldest daughter, who speaks this charm over it:
"Progeny and prosperity of family, Mystery of Michael, Protection of the Trinity"
I love this solemn incantation spoken over the bread and the inherent symbolism that the bakers and eaters of the Struan Micheil clearly understood. We need more of that in our celebrations, practices, and religions. Sacred ceremonies on the personal and family level during everyday life would go a long way to healing and satisfying our longing for community, connection, and, most importantly, meaning.
St. Michael’s Bannock
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix together:
2 cups of flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cut in 2 tablespoons butter (not margarine)
1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
handful of raisins or currants
On a floured surface, knead the dough until smooth, then pat into an 8-inch round loaf and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 40 minutes.
For a more festive look, score the dough with crosses.
Cool on a cookie rack.
May be served with butter or jam.
Recipe courtesy of https://houseofjoyfulnoise.com/st-michaels-bannock-recipe/
Michaelmas is the perfect time to consider and connect with how wise, benevolent, protective spirits animate our material world.
This is a particularly comforting thought to take into the winter months.
Light a candle tonight, gather some Michaelmas Daisies, and honor the angels and archetypes as part of the moving into winter darkness celebration.
Is Michaelmas new to you? Do you have Michaelmas traditions you use to celebrate? Do you welcome the dark or loathe it?
The comments section is a safe and welcoming space to share your insights and experiences.
Comments and conversation are always appreciated and enjoyed, so feel free to let your voice be heard. I read them all and try to respond to each one.
Thank you for reading Hedge Mystic and participating in this vibrant and growing community of creative, spiritual humans. You are always welcome here, appreciated, and loved.
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It's one of my daughter's birthdays!
This is my favorite time of the year! I feel the need to gather, the need to prepare for the shorter days and longer nights ahead. For me it’s a time to rest, to settle in! Tomorrow I will be baking the Bannock Bread to mark Michaelmas. Blackberries don’t grow here on the coast so I will be content in serving it with blackberry preserves. This is my first time doing this and yes, I’m the oldest daughter! Thank you Jan! 😊🧡🍂🍁