A decadent loaf studded with chocolate chips and walnuts, enhanced with the flavors of cinnamon, vanilla extract, organic applesauce and winter squash puree. Yum!
Here’s an easy recipe that is perfect for any ritual celebration, be it a Fall or Winter Sabbat, Esbat, Birthday or just an afternoon tea with loved ones. Winter squash and apples complement each other in a most delicious way!
You can use Acorn Squash or Butternut Squash, which can be roasted a day or so in advance, then refrigerated. The actual loaf batter can be mixed up in a matter of minutes.
It’s so delicious warm from the oven with melted vegan butter, your favorite apple butter or jam (or Marty’s favorite) slather on some peanut butter. Serve with a pot of your favorite tea.
Before making the loaf, roast the Acorn or Butternut Squash:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and fibers (save seeds for birds and/or squirrels at the winter feeder).
Put Squash halves in a baking dish and pour in 1 cup of boiling water.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool before scraping the squash from the shell.
Roasted squash keeps very well for several days covered in the refrigerator.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Oil a Pyrex loaf pan and sprinkle with cornmeal.
Ingredients:
Blend the following ingredients in a food processor, blender or with a submersible hand blender:
3/4 cup roasted Acorn or Butternut squash scraped out of the squash shell 3/4 cup organic applesauce 1/4 cup non-dairy milk 1/4 cup of olive oil 1/3 cup coconut sugar, sucanat or your favorite sweetener 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 tablespoon almond, cashew or peanut butter
Pour blended ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Add:
2 cups organic flour 1/4 cup organic cornmeal 2 tablespoons baking powder 3/4 cup walnut pieces 3/4 cup chocolate chips (or use raisins or currents)
Stir the dry and wet ingredients together until you have a well mixed batter. The batter should be thick.
Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Let the loaf cool for 15 minutes, before using a spatula to turn it out onto a decorative plate for slicing. Enjoy!
Head of Brigantia excavated from ancient Roman Fort, 2nd century A.D.
Candlemas (or Imbolc, also known as Oimelc) is dedicated to Saint Brigit, whom Robert Graves believes was formerly Brigid, the White Goddess. Thus, this day is dedicated to the quickening of the Triple Muse or the Threefold Muse (Brigid of Poetry, Brigid of Healing and Brigid of Smithcraft). She is also known by the names of Brigid and Bridgit and by Brigantia in England, Bride in Scotland, Caridwen in Wales and Brigandu in Celtic France. In Scotland her symbol was the white swan and she was known as the Bride of the Golden Hair, Bride of the White Hills, mother of the King of Glory.
A Cornish invocation (to eliminate scald) offered to the local Brigid Triad reads:
Three Ladies came from the East, One with fire, two with frost, Out with thee, fire, and with thee, frost.
She is a clear example of the survival of an early Goddess into Christian times. She was called the daughter of a Druid by her followers. She ruled metal-smithing, poetry, inspiration, healing, fertility, childbirth and medicine. Moreover, she ruled over the ‘fire of the hearth and the ‘fire of the forge’. She was associated with her famous cauldron of knowledge and inspiration, where she could be invoked as both a muse and healer. She was worshiped by poets, granting them great protection. Often a golden branch with tinkling bells was carried in her honor.
Sheep, cattle and other livestock are sacred to her, as well as snakes (in Scotland). It was believed that Brigid’s snakes emerged from mounds in the Earth on Candlemas to test the weather and possibly determine if there was to be an early spring. This belief has morphed into Groundhog Day in the U.S. and Canada.
Brigid’s Well, Kildare, Ireland
She is associated with the rivers Brent and Braint. Ancient, sacred underground springs and wells were attributed to her and there is a famous one in Kildare, Ireland. Offerings could be made to the Goddess in the forms of coins or brass/gold rings which were cast into her sacred wells or springs. Other sacred sites dedicated to her were where three streams came together.
Her triple aspect is not considered to be separate Goddesses, but rather aspects of one deity, unified by fire. Her name indicates “bright one”, “bright arrow” or “the High One”. The worship of this ancient pagan Fire-Goddess continued into Christian times where fires were kept burning in shrines for 20 day cycles. Into the 18th century, a version of her ancient song was sung: “Brigid, excellent woman, sudden flame, may the bright fiery sun take us to the lasting kingdom.” (The Book of Goddesses and Heroines, Monaghan)
Both fire and water were sacred to her, evident by her powers over the forge (heat forms the iron and water tempers it) and cauldron (heat and water to make teas and medicine).
Another of symbols was the Brigid’s cross, resembling a swastika, often woven from rushes and dating back to Celtic times. It is traditionally used as a talisman for protection.
In Irish legend Breo Saighead, or the “Fiery Arrow or Power,” is a Celtic three-fold goddess, the daughter of The Dagda, and the wife of Bres (King of Tuatha De Danann). She is mother to the craftsmen ‘Sons of Tuireann’: Creidhne, Luchtaine and Giobhniu. It is believed that she was born at sunrise (thus a Sun or Fire Goddess) and a tower of flame burst from her forehead, as the goddess descended from Heaven to Earth. She is more than likely referenced in a line from the famous Song of Amergin ( or Amairgin, which was an orally transmitted poem thought by some scholars to date back to before the Roman invasion of the British Isles). Robert Graves translates this line as “I am a God who forms fire for a head.” Incidentally the Song of Amergin is an excellent poem to recite during a Sabbat Ritual.
Some equate Brigid with The Lady of the Lake from the Legend of King Arthur and possibly it was she who forged his sword Excalibur. Like Arthur, she is associated with Avalon, or the Isle of Apples, as it is believed she has an apple orchard in the Celtic Otherworld.
The White Goddess/Lady aspect of her is known as Cailleach, who rules the season of Winter. At Candlemas or Imbolc, also known as Oimelc (translated as “in the belly” and possibly related to the pregnancy of ewes), Brigid transforms into her maiden aspect and she calls back the light, which leads to spring.
Imbolc has long been associated with the beginning of the lambing season, which could begin as early as two weeks before the first of February.
Some scholars believe that the date of Imbolc is associated with the Neolithic period. This is based on the alignment of some Megalithic monuments. For example, at the Mound of the Hostages on the Hill of Tara the inner chamber is in alignment with the rising sun on the dates of Imbolc and Samhain.
If indeed, this festival dates back to the Neolithic period, one can imagine the struggle by ancient people to survive through the winter. By February, food was scarce; the land frozen and barren.
During the times of early agriculture, the ewes giving birth to the first lambs of the year, could provide the people with warm milk and other rudimentary milk products such as curds and whey.
Candlemas is a time of hope, purification and divination.
Relief sculpture of Brigantia from Birrens, Dumfriesshire, 3rd century A.D. Scotland
Below is my daily altar, with a red Archangel Michael candle. I always have an assortment of these candles on hand, in a variety of colors. They are inexpensive and burn for several days. Best of all, they have never failed me! Whether, I burn blue for a healing, white for help with a spiritual matter or green for a money spell, etc. I find these candles perfect for candle Magick.
The Archangel Michael is known as the Angel of nature, who gives us both food and knowledge. Red candles are used in ritual to ‘change ones luck for the better’, also to impart courage, determination, self-confidence, action, activation, achievement, ambition and motivation. Orange candles are used in ritual to impart optimism, expansion, success, happiness, encouragement, motivation and stimulation.
Here we are before Candlemas 2018 and now is a great time for an “Increase your Luck’ Spell”. You need a waxing or full moon and a red or orange candle. You can anoint the candle with the appropriate herb-infused oil if you wish. You can burn a good quality Frankincense and Myrrh incense (or your favorite attraction incense) while you do this. Write your prayer or request on a piece of paper. Read it out-loud, while petitioning your patron God or Goddess to hear and answer your request.
End your prayer with:
“Up to Heaven I fly, for favors pray I; Up to Heaven most high, and down to Earth I call Thee! O most ancient (name of deity) hear my prayer addressed to thee and As My Will, So Mote It Be!”
Place the written prayer under or near the candle. Before the candle flame goes out, burn some additional incense.
Read your prayer out-loud again, then say:
“Up to Heaven I fly, for favors pray I; Up to Heaven most high, and down to Earth I call Thee! Oh mighty and benevolent (name of deity), I thank thee for listening to my prayer and I humbly ask thee to grant my request. Oh ancient, Blessed One, hear my prayer addressed to thee and As My Will, So Mote It Be”
Now burn your written prayer by lighting it with the candle’s flame and setting it in your thurible to burn itself out. If paper ignites rapidly, with a large flame and burns quickly, it is considered a sign that your prayer has ascended up to spirit and that the outcome will be favorable.
January has started with unbelievably frigid air which originated as part of the polar vortex from Siberia, descending down into N. America. We’ve had sub-zero temps (-10 below at night and 5 degrees for highs during the day) since Xmas. We are breaking weather records that are 4 and 5 decades old. It has been a struggle to keep all of our animals warm and healthy. We have triumphed! The Siberian weather is going to break tomorrow. We’ve had heat lamps in the bird house to keep them warm (Below: one year old peacock, Ollie decided to venture out into arctic-like weather and display his feathers, as if to say, “old man weather can’t stop me!”). Also, heat lamps in the insulated cat room in the barn and the propane heater in there has ran for almost 10 days non-stop. Please light a candle and say a prayer for the homeless, the wild creatures and neglected pets who have had to endure this deadly weather. Blessed Be, L. Demeter
