Burning Bright

The autumn festival of Michaelmas, one of the ancient holy days, has come back around. Michaelmas Day is considered the feast of the Archangel Saint Michael and/or the feast of all the Angels. The celebration appears to come out of the Christian tradition. If you dig deeper, you will find references and similar stories coming out of the Vedas in India.

In Waldorf schools, Michaelmas is celebrated by honoring the brave knight St. George when, with the assistance of the Archangel Michael, he conquered the dragon. There is lots of symbolism woven through out this story, the main one being how we need to slay, train or master the dragon within us. The dragon can be seen as our lower chakra, the self that acts out of fear, using our primal brain over our higher awareness and the dark. Carl Jung views a dragon as a symbol of the universal unconscious. The main message of the story of St. George and the Dragon, no matter which version(s) you may subscribe to, is that ultimately good prevails over evil.

After looking at many paintings from the 14th through 19th century depicting this story I noticed something interesting that was not evident to me in the past. Look closely, and you will see a maiden in almost all these depictions. Thus another symbol here is that the brave knight is rescuing a damsel in distress, or the divine feminine, from the monster. I'm thinking about the Netflix series Stranger Things here, but that's another post!  The feminine is the aspect of our self that is centered on love, the right brain, circular form of being/thinking. She is not necessarily a "woman", we are looking at the symbol here. There are loads of women in our society that have severed themselves from their feminine side. The symbol is about balancing our selves and the dualistic nature of this reality that pulls us away from the truth.

The alchemists interpreted this aspect as Sol y Luna, the sun and moon, who in the process of transformation are balanced and become one.

In the story of Vespertina, she is a truth seeker, a lover of the ultimate truth hidden behind the veils of reality. She is struggling with many dualistic principals throughout her epic journey.

I've selected Vespertina as our collective anointing balm since she is a female hero and the perfume contains lots of the resin frankincense. I see the resins as holding the light, just as we are beckoned to do here in the Northern hemisphere as the light begins to dwindle and the dark rises.

More posts on Michaelmas here.

Images:
Gustave Moreau, St. George and the Dragon, c. 1870. Oil on canvas. The National Gallery, London
Alchemical Image
Photograph of Vespertina Round Compact, Roxana Villa

The Dark is Rising

"Think of yourself as an incandescent power,
illuminated and perhaps forever talked to 
by God and his messengers."
~ Brenda Ireland

The shift from light to dark has becomes more apparent as we spiral our way toward Samhain on the Solar Wheel of the Year. This is a time of when the Earth goes into her dormant mode here in the northern hemisphere. The light of the sun diminishes causing cooler temperatures. Nature perceives this lullaby, witnessed by the apparent death in the landscape, with energies turning inward. Trees display their new cloaks of vivid color, the palette of the terrain changes dramatically and the hive of the honey bee begins to contract.

Samhain is a time of contemplation, our awareness becomes heightened to the cycle of life and death. Light ceremonies and bodily cleanses are prominent now in preparation for the window into the next cycle.

The most conspicuous symbols of the season here in modern western culture are sinister creatures and death. Goblins, zombies, skeletons, ghosts, black cats are all emblems of the shadow side which serve as a nemesis to test our commitment to our will forces. Like the story of the angelic warrior hero Michael conquering the fiery dragon.


This is the time of year we engage our courage and strive to conquer over the darker forces of our lower energies and chakras. On the Emerson Waldorf School website I found a nice little piece which sums this up succinctly:

"The strong, willful iron of Michael’s sword acts as an antidote to this desire to fall asleep and goads us to face the feeling of emptiness before the dying world of nature. It is this spirit of resolve and inner warmth that we seek to carry with us as we begin the school year." 1

Thus light a candle and remember who you are as we courageously move into this new phase. While studying aromatherapy in the nineties I made a Will Force blend that included elemi, grapefruit and thyme. I just listed a revision of this synergy in organic jojoba oil at the E-shop for you. Use it like a natural perfume of Michael's sword to give yourself courage and resolve as needed, the blend includes three types of Frankincense. I can make it up for you as a solid by personal request.

1 Emerson Waldorf School, Festivals

Images:
Artwork (Vespertina / Sanctum Sanctorum)  ©Greg Spalenka
The Magick Circle by John William Waterhouse courtesy of ArtMagick
St. Micheal courtesy of SmallBay

The Dragon's Breath

"We're our own dragons as well as our own heroes,
and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves."
- Tom Robbins

Today marks the autumn festival of Michelmas, one of the ancient holy days that I have a fascination with. I first became conscious of the day when I attended the Michelmas play at my daughters Waldorf school. At the time Eve was only about four years old and having a challenging morning saying goodbye to me. The teacher suggested I stay and come along to see the Michelmas play up the hill put on by the second grade.

The play and festival centers on the brave night St. George who is assisted by the Archangel Michael to conquer the dragon. The story is a metaphor for taming that inner dragon within each of us.

Many of the holidays that begin now focus on light, often referred to as festivals of light. We enter the darker portion of the great seasonal wheel, as nature moves toward inward sleep, humankind is challenged to find the light within and courageously banish the dragon.

So, during these most challenging times of great Maya, we look inward for that most luminous light within which will carry us forward into uncharted waters.

Botanical perfume ingredients that have a dragon-like feel are those associated with fire. Here are a few possibilities: spice, some of the resins, tincture or infusion of dragons blood, amber bases, sulphuric aromas and something with a burnt quality like choya or cade. The spice will help add lift as well as pepper and some citrus.

Read last years post on Michelmas here.
Roxana Illuminated Perfume

Image: "Apocrypha" ©Greg Spalenka, an original painting and avialable as limited edition Giclee print. (I was the model.)

Autumn

"I rise through the strength of Mi-cha-el, Light of the Sun, Radiance of the Moon, Splendor of Fire, Swiftness of Wind, Depth of Sea, Stability of Earth, Firmness of Rock. Mi-cha-el!"
- St. Patrick

September marks a new season replete with the start of school and many celebrations. The Fall Equinox took place last Friday, September 23rd, marking another seasonal turn in the wheel. This "holy" day is often associated with the gratitude for the bounty of the harvest as well as signaling a time to move inward as the light begins to diminish.
Michaelmas on September 29th is my favorite of all the Autumnal celebrations. I came to know this feast day when my daughter Eve was four, attending a Waldorf School. Michaelmas celebrates courage, the heroes journey and conquering our dark side, symbolized by the battle with the dragon. The stories tell of Archangel Michael coming to the aid of St. George, a brave knight, who slays or tames the dragon. This festival calls forth our inner light as nature goes into her winter sleep. It is the first of a series of seasonal celebrations of light.

Waldorf Education
Michaelmas at a Waldorf School on YouTube