SOLITAIRE IMBOLC RITUAL
by Micheal Hall

Note - by Matrika - this ritual was written by someone I knew from the Boston 
MA. area a couple of years back. It is based on a combination of the lore of the 
Wicca and some of the afro-caribbean diaspora traditions of Paganism and Magick.
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On your altar should be placed a circle of 13 stones and, within the circle of 
stones, a circle of 13 candles.  Within the circle of candles should be spread 
some maize - i.e. corn meal - and in that a waxen female candle to symbolize the 
Goddess on your altar. On the eastern side of the altar should be placed a small 
sheaf of grain with a candle inserted inside it.

You should dress in your usual ceremonial garb for Magickal rites or skyclad, as 
you prefer.

Retire to bathe in salt-water (use sea salt) before the ritual. As you do so 
picture the water cleansing the soul and spirit, just as it cleanses the body.  
When you have dressed, anoint yourself with a holy oil.  When you have prepared 
yourself, sit in a dim quiet place and light a candle - ONE THAT IS NOT BEING 
USED IN THE RITES - and meditate on how at this time of year the Goddess in her 
fiery aspect AS LIGHT was welcomed back into the Temples and the Homes of the 
land.

Take this candle and walk slowly to your altar.  Place it in the circle of the 
13 candles.   Then light the two altar candles, which are separate from the 
circle of lights also, and the incense.  (Incense should be stick or powdered 
incense on charcoal in a swinging burner.)  Then light all the quarter candles 
in the 4 directions, starting in the east and going clockwise.

Cast your circle in the usual manner, but Invoke the Goddess with the following:

"Sacred womb, giver of the secrets of Life, Mother of all that exists in the 
Universe, I ask your guardianship of this gathering and your assistance in my 
work. I am gathered in celebration of your gifts and my work is most holy. SO 
MOTE IT BE"

Invoke the God in the following manner:

"Fire of the sky, guardian of all that exists in the Universe, I ask your 
guardianship of this gathering and your assistance in my work.  I am gathered in 
celebration of your gifts and my work is most holy.  SO MOTE IT BE"

(continue with the circle casting if it is not already finished)

Light the 13 candles and then the Goddess candle in the center and say:
"Warm and quickening Light
awaken and bring forth beauty
for thou art my pleasure and my bounty
LORD and LADY
OSiRIS AND ISIS"  (or you may substitute whatever names your circle uses for the 
God and the Goddess - or those you personally prefer)Reflect a moment on the 
coming of the light and offer up the incense.

Say
     "O ancient Ones
     Timeless Goddess and Sacred King who art
     the heralds of springtime and it's bounties
     be with me now in celebration
     Hail to Osiris and Isis
     Harvest giver and blessed Lady
     Let this be a time and a place sacred to your power and your beauty
     SO MOTE IT BE"

Light the candle in the sheaf of grain and hold it up with the loaf of bread in 
the other hand and say (or the cakes - whatever you or your tradition uses for 
the cakes and     wine/juice ceremony)

"My Lord and Lady, as the seed becomes the grain, so the grain becomes the 
bread, Mark the everlasting value of our seasons and their changes. "

Break a piece of the bread or cakes off and burn it as an offering in the 
central candle.

Then say

"In the deepest Icy Winter the seed of the Earth lies deep within the womb of 
the Great Mother. The Spring brings the heat of the Father and with their 
joining comes new life.  The completion of the cycle brings food to the children 
of the world.  As I taste the food I shall know the wisdom of the cycles and be 
blessed with the food of wisdom throughout my life"

Consecrate cakes and wine/juice in the usual manner and partake of them, but 
first raise your chalice or drinking horn and say

     "Hail to thee ISIS
      Hail to thee Osiris
      For thou art blessed"

After this commune in meditation with the Lord and lady for a while, then close 
the circle in your usual manner.

     GOOD IMBOLC

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Everyone is a collector of something. And everyone’s collection looks peculiar to someone else. And yet, who knows why an item may have a certain appeal to one particular person. The shape, the color, the whole idea may have a hidden background, but it is most definitely there!

It may be old books, or magazines. Perhaps it is pill bottles, fishing hooks, or something “I may need someday when…” Who knows the reason old calendars continue to hang, and scraps of this and that may someday be just what I need.

But more dear than any of these are the happy thoughts we collect to use along the way. We can use them to cheer someone, to pass along a word of courage, a simple prayer, a smile. And when someone has time to share with us an experience that we may profit by the pain they felt – yes, these are collector’s items. These priceless bits of life’s fabric, woven by someone’s cares and offered to us in hopes that it will help.

Whatever it is that we collect, we must never forget the dearest collections are the kindnesses, the thoughtful acts, the smiling faces that can be ours by giving the same.

What could be so priceless as true friendship? Friends for which time and space do not exist! It is written, “What a great blessing is a friend with breast so trusty that thou mayest safely bury all thy secrets in it, whose conscience thou mayest fear less than thy own; who can relieve thy cares by his counsels, thy sadness by his good humor, and whose very looks give thee comfort.”

All of us have had many friends, but the special ones remain forever in our memories. The dearest are those who believe in us and are willing to trust us with their friendship.

We cannot force friendship. It is something mutually understood and silently accepted. It is our opportunity to demonstrate our very best selves – to as no questions and to pass no criticisms.

“Before us is a future all unknown, a path untrod;
Beside us a friend well loved and known –
That friend is God.”

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – January 31

“In sharing, in loving all and everything, one people naturally found a due portion of the thing they sought, while in fearing, the other found need of conquest.”

–Chief Luther Standing Bear, SIOUX

There are two systems of thought that are available for us to choose from. One is the love-thought system and the other is the fear- thought system. If we choose love, we will see the laws, principles and values of the Creator. If we choose fear, the results will be so paralyzing that it will cause us to take over and not rely on the Great Spirit. The fear-thought system will automatically cause attack, conflict, need to control over others. The love-thought system seeks peace of mind, unity and causes us to be love seekers.

Great Spirit, today let me see only love.

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January 31 – Daily Feast

Sensible people do not get ruffled easily and are known to be reliable in a crisis. We want these stable people with us as friends and team members when the game is terribly important. We have heard the calm voice and felt the strong hand when our knees wobbled and our hands shook. It is easy to recall those who sustained us with their words, their caring. And sadly, we remember those who did not. Whatever common sense is, the heart has it, not the head. It is having the right priorities, knowing what is important, and giving as much as, or more than, we have received. Indians of old has this stalwart strength to stand like straight arrows to give support. They reached out to lift someone before they stopped to think whether he deserved it. The price is the same now as then – patience, love, loyalty – those things that seem so scarce.

~ I learned many English words….could recite some of the Ten Commandments….I knew how to sleep in a bed, pray to Jesus, comb my hair, use a toilet….I learned that a person thinks with his head instead of his heart. ~

SUN CHIEF, 1890

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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How shall I begin my song in the blue night that is setting? In the great night my heart will go out; toward me the darkness comes, rattling; in the great night my heart will go out. –Papago Medicine Woman Chant
Soul Message: The wheel of life moves me toward expanded horizons. The sky appears wider, the mountains stand taller, and the space around me is vibrant with possibility. In the midst of life’s wild and quickly flowering currents, I remain centered, allowing the rainbow bridge of opportunity to connect me with my destiny.

Alchemy and Transformation: At this stage of initiation, the spiritual seeker confronts more and more subtle growth opportunities and challenges, in order that a more permeable and transparent ego identity can be forged beyond the confines of attachment and fear. This stage of life heralds a deep and abiding inner freedom

Awakening to the Archetype – The Rainbow Goddess: The Rainbow Goddess carries the potential to manifest in all spheres and in all circumstances. You are invited into the Womb of Potential where, like the Rainbow Goddess, you gestate your dreams. Hidden treasures within you are waiting to blossom.

Everyday Encounters: You are asked to open your heart and soul to the many opportunities that surround you each day. The wheel of fate is shifting and new values, concepts, and ideas are forming within. You may wish to take a class, rearrange your daily schedule, or branch out and do things you have been thinking about but have not taken the time for. It is not to your advantage to remain stuck in the same routines, fearing the significant changes looming on your horizon. Meet this wonderful opportunity with an open mind.

Nature’s Healers: Madia

Be Love Today

Today, our focus is on love.  Today, I wish you to realize that the love you give to others is also a gift you are giving yourself.  When you fill your heart with love, even toward those who have hurt you, then you have the healing benefits of a heart full of love, pumping love to all parts of your body.  And love is a soothing and healing nutrient, stronger than any other.

And so, today, give yourself the gift of forgiving and loving others.  Release yourself from the prison of resentment, anger and judgment.  Let yourself walk free into the place of love and light.

Just let it go.  All of the old thoughts, all of the bitterness, just let it go.  Release everything that is not love.  Let it float off you like a heavy, heavy burden you have carried for too long.  And in its place, let love fill you.  Fill yourself with a deep love of yourself, of life itself, of all people in all of their struggles, no matter where they may stand on their path. 

Fill yourself with a warm embracing love which contains complete forgiveness. Let that flow within you.  Feel the warmth and healing power of love as it heals you and connects you to all that is good and wonderful in this world.

 The Goddess Companion      

 )0(

Seasons of the Witch!   Ancient Holidays (and some not so ancient!)       

Today Is:Moon Day 

True Initiation Comes from Within

by Maren M. Ulberg

Walk into any pagan or progressive bookstore and count the number of books available on the subject of magick, paganism and witchcraft: more than a few. Less than 20 years ago, even 15, for the most part this would’ve been a rare occurrence, and yet magickal and pagan “textbooks” are now a hot commodity with the purported wisdom of the ages available to anyone who can crack a wallet. Myself, I love it; I remember the thirsty, lonely years. I admit I’m a little overwhelmed at times by the sheer multiplicity of it all, but I’m pleased that it’s there: so neat and tidy, so bright and shiny it’s a wonder we can call anything esoteric anymore.

Something bothers me, though: Where did this smorgasbord of expertise in the paranormal sciences come from, aside from acknowledged elders and scholars? And, is my uneasy sense valid that many seekers (of the Crafts) are going to consume instruction indiscriminate of the source, and worse, without serious self-insight? Why does it bother me? Why do I think that there is a problem?

Well, since I know that I don’t feel particularly territorial about the subject of magick, perhaps I’m concerned with the result via the methods. I’m concerned that a shallow survey of magick, instead of the complexities of formal study, could result in a belief that magick based in the empirical is necessarily more effective than magick based in the intuitive. I believe this has derived from a twofold influence, on the reliance on scientific methodology as the “right” way to approach a discussion and study of magick, and on the comfort of formula-based magick, which has come to rely on a complex of correspondences, spell-scripts and tools. Ideally, these are meant to focus the will of the magician into activity and entice the attention of the powers that be. At the worst, they certainly have effectiveness as imitative magick. They still fit a standard witch’s definition of magick: “the ability to bring about change in the world through an act of will.” Unfortunately, is there a danger of losing our ability to employ an act of will by relying on pedestrian brands of magick without any personal investigation of the self?

As witches, we most certainly will undergo some form of initiation or initiations in the course of our lives. I propose to briefly discuss initiation as it has been used in the classic sense, and then discuss a theory of the mystic, or transcendent initiate, aiming to return the power of the intuition to the realm of the magician.

Magick by its very nature is boundless and difficult to describe or define much the same as our notions of spirit, soul, love, the sacred or the mind; each culture and person acquires their own definition, while some do not desire to contemplate the concept at all. As a witch formally trained in the studies of anthropology, comparative philosophy, art and medicine, I have some skills that help me describe such weighty topics, and yet when I make the attempt to codify the concept, I feel something is lost. Something vital, something inexplicable. This is the same dilemma and result experienced by anyone, no matter what their professorialship, dedication, theory, census, fecundity of data or the quantity of profundity applied to the subject. Some things defy our logic and control. For these things, only the arts come close to conveying the subtlety and depth required of their subjects. Art, like magick, derives from the use of skill (by learning and experience) and becomes true through creative intuition.

Ed Fitch, of the Feraferia tradition, describes magick as “that which is beyond our casual knowledge,” or esoteric. His definition embraces both concepts of esoteric knowledge, received through study, training and the physical initiation into a magickal circle or society, and intuitive or mystic knowledge.

Initiation is a metaphor for rebirth after a simulation of death. It is a lesson of sacrifice: the willing participation in the holy mystery of existence, of life consuming and begetting life. At times, according to Frazier, its purpose within animistic cultures was the temporary transfer of the initiate’s soul or essence outside his or her body into an object or totem animal as a safeguard during the powerful changes occurring in coming to sexual maturity. This had the effect of introducing the totem animal to the initiate and ushering in the person as a full, adult member of society. Manly P. Hall, in his work The Secret Teachings of All Ages, relates the achievement of initiation into the Mysteries (here he refers to those of classical Greece): that man becomes aware of and reunited with the anthropos, or overself, without physical death, “the inevitable Initiator.” The physical body was considered to be only one-third of one’s immortal self, a periodic descent of spirit into matter. Through a process known as “operative theology,” the law of birth and death was transcended momentarily to awaken and reunite all parts of the self and connect with the whole of existence.

Forms of initiation, or rites of passage, occur at the many critical phases of a person’s life and development, such as marriage, induction into age sets and societies, professional inductions such as taking the Hippocratic Oath, onset of a woman’s menses or conference of status or degree. Themes common to formal initiations include:

• Aspects of secrecy (initiation performed only by other initiates)
• Conveyance of knowledge, revelation of mysteries
• Physical change (scarring, tattooing, piercing, the onset of menses, circumcision, taking sacramental drugs, loss of a tooth or clothing and so on)
• Passing of certain tests
• Advancement into age sets, societies, degrees, orders and so on
• Purification (leaving off the “old” person)
• Concept of death of the old self and the birth of a new, with a new name
• Ritual binding, kidnapping, killing, laying in a tomb
• Existing in a liminal phase

The “liminal” is an anthropological term devised by Van Gennep and Turner in Rites of Passage, which describes “that which is neither this nor that, and yet is both.” Those in liminal phase are statusless, sexless and outside secular space and time in a sense, they occupy the limitless existence before birth. “The liminal subject experiences ‘communitas,’ a comradeship among equals.” T.M. Luhrmann writes in Persuasions of the Witches Craft: “The techniques of the liminal [phase] can be used to make that-which-is-not persuasively more realistic,” resulting in a profound experience when the initiate has an extensive period in which to move into a state of “not-being.”

A Persian mystical writer and thinker, Azizi-Al Muhhamed Nasifi, relates a form of initiation as mystical transcendence, a form I propose can deepen and further magickal work. In his work Tanzil ur arwah, dated 1360 C.E., he describes the necessary “vita purgativa” (inner death) to move through the arenas of spiritual progress to “ghayat” (freedom):

“The essence of purification is separation while the essence of prayer is connection. A form of initiation relates as a mystical transcendence, an aspect I propose that can contribute to deeper progress in magickal arts. Where connection in a moral stage creates out of one’s self, purification in the act of escaping the fetters of the old self.”

At what point this transformation was to be recognized is unclear, but perhaps it was a state of the heart instead of a condition of the intellect. Although the light of the intellect is sharp-sighted and farsighted, he says, “the fire of love is even more sharp-sighted and farsighted.” Therein Nasifi has combined intellect and love as the question requires for spiritual transcendence. He felt the path of the mystic could reflect clearer insight by freeing the heart and mind of preconscious beliefs (dogma) and the mundane practices of the theologian. He writes, “Wherein the theologian, he who travels the path of religious dogma, learns each day something he did not know before, the mystic, he who travels the path of the initiate, forgets each day something that he knew.” Yet both strive for knowledge, for ignorance plays no part in this path of forgetfulness.

Magick in the witch’s Craft relies on the theory of immanence and the knowledge that it can be directly contacted and influenced or directed through the will of the witch, an act that requires a change of consciousness. Imman describes where there is no split between spirit and matter, magick or immanence in an ever-present quality, like a river one lives beside, draws life from and can enter at will.

If magick is a reflection of that which is possible beyond our casual knowledge, then the mystic initiate would seem to be in a position of greater strength through transcendence (intuition) as a magician than one who relies on esoteric learning alone.

When Nasifi exhorts us to polish our heart as if it were a shining mirror in order to reflect the world as it is, I can imagine that in my chest is a great crystalline globe, and rather than filling it with bits of paper inked with the interpretations of others, I leave room and shine it to allow the immanence to flow within me. To fill me so that I may dip into the pool of the sacred. The magick.

Creating Magickal Amulets

by Rev. Paul V. Beyerl

Rev. Paul V. Beyerl has published several books, including The Master Book of Herbalism, and heads The Hermit’s Grove and The Rowan Tree Church, located in Bellevue. This article is an excerpt from A Compendium of Herbal Magick, a work in progress covering the documented historical uses of herbs in folklore, ritual and religions.

The making of an amulet could easily take up the space of a small book, but I will attempt to distill a seven-hour workshop into a few paragraphs.

The words “amulet” and “talisman” are frequently used as if interchangeable. Many years ago, in order to distinguish between them, we adopted the following definitions: An amulet is a container that may be filled with herbs, stones or other things to promote magick. A talisman may be a disk, pendant or solid item, upon which may be depicted sigils or images. These definitions are used in this context only within The Hermit’s Grove and The Rowan Tree Church. It is not suggested that other uses of these words are either wrong or inappropriate.

An amulet is a tool created to help bring about changes within your life. It is a small container that, when completed, has energy or power and is quite magickal. We believe that amulets may be among the oldest forms of herbal magick, when the village wise one, sensing that a plant or stone had power within it, placed it in a pocket or container to carry about.

A “traditional” amulet (traditional outside my community) is one that has a purpose. All aspects of its design and creation are oriented toward the attainment of that goal. The amulet is assembled and constructed within the context of ritual, made very carefully and considered every bit as powerful and sacred as any of your ritual tools. An amulet is given a specific blessing or consecration toward that purpose, just as a novice may be initiated and ever after be considered a priest or priestess.

One of the mysteries of an amulet is that it is a microcosm of yourself, of the person for whom it is made, or of the situation that is the focus of the goal. It is like a small energy cell or battery, containing physical ingredients and focused energies providing a steady flow of energy. An amulet can be designed so that it will continually provide access to the infinite power of the universe throughout its existence. To understand a traditional amulet, give thought to the concept of the cauldron of Cerridwen, that infinite womb of creativity that is the core of the universe. From another perspective, an amulet is somewhat like a black hole, drawing energy from throughout the universe but holding it within, focused, directed solely toward the image that encompasses all aspects of your goal.

Our custom is to begin with a circle cut of leather. It should be at least six or eight inches in diameter. This flat circle is symbolic of a pentacle, that flat, round ritual tool that represents earth, or manifestation within the physical world.

To the practitioner, leather represents a gift of the creatures of the earth, representing elements of sacrifice, touching the mysteries of life and death, and is the material we can find that most closely corresponds to your physical body, which is the temple of your soul. The use of leather should never be taken lightly but is a very sacred and profound choice.

Around the perimeter of the leather circle, a series of holes should be pierced using either a leather punch or, as we have often done, a simple paper punch. A cord (chosen so that the length, color and type of thread enhance your magickal desires) is then threaded through the holes, creating a small drawstring bag.

Choose your herbs carefully. Any herb, including those too dangerous to ingest, can be included. You may also select small gemstones, add a personal piece of jewelry or lock of hair and even scribe sigils, images or words that will focus your will to bring your magick into manifestation. We recommend assembling your ingredients over a period of time. When my leather is complete, I set up a small altar. I lay the leather upon my copper pentacle or upon my altar stone and upon it I set a hand-carved, round wooden container with a flat lid. On days I consider important, I add one herb, replace the lid and set a votive candle upon the top. Sometimes I might cast a formal circle, and at other times I go about my activities, the light from the candle a constant reminder that there is magick brewing and an amulet in the works.

The final day should be one with natural power, whether a Full Moon or a birthday. Your amulet will be more powerful if all aspects of the work have power. Within an intricate ritual both formal and playful, the leather is cleansed and all ingredients placed within it. All movement and sound within the ritual is designed to draw upon the natural forces and connect the amulet with their power. And then, with ritual poetry and song, the leather circle is drawn closed and special candles are used to drip wax upon the opening so it is sealed.

Once an amulet is sealed, it should never again be opened. It is not medicine pouch. When your goal has been accomplished or the patterns of time have reached completion, the amulet must be returned to the universe. My preference is to bury it as a gift to the Mother, but there have been times when one has been placed into a flaming cauldron until reduced to ash, the ash then strewn upon sacred soil. Amulets are a wonderful way to develop your magickal skill, but they should be made rarely. The more lightly you treat this magickal use of herbs, the less likely they are to assist you with their magick. I have an amulet hanging in my truck. We have a household amulet, and I can’t imagine magickal life without a few of these sources of change.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for Everyone:

56: The Wanderer

Monday, January 31st, 2011

 General Meaning: A seasoned traveler knows that a special kind of decorum is called for when one ventures far from home. He or she must develop a yielding nature outwardly, so that the ‘local contact’ or host can open doors and prevent unseemly errors. But inwardly, the wanderer knows that it is sometimes impossible to discern the true intentions of strangers — are they hostile, friendly or merely opportunistic?

The twin houses of mystery and discovery rule any journey. Each new day is launched on a fresh landscape, one that reaches out to grab our full attention. Though new adventures are a great teacher — and often a great equalizer — there is an art to living lightly in a strange land. Mindfulness and discernment become the keys not only to success, but also to survival.

If you are entering a new environment of any sort attempt to be sincere, flexible and undemanding, rather than obstinate. Let go of old attitudes and habits that could encumber you, or make you overly conspicuous. The onset of a great journey is not a favorable time to enter into binding agreements, or to start new enterprises.

Today’s Tarot Card for Everyone:

Wheel of Fortune

This Tarot Deck: Moon Garden

Waiting for Spring: How One Pagan Greets the Earth at Imbolc

by Catherine Harper

Spring comes to Puget Sound early and slowly. First, there is the false spring in January, the few warm bright days that arrive along with the seed catalogs so soon after the Winter Solstice and tempt the gardener outside. I always seem to plant a few seeds for New Year’s, no matter how well I know that winter is not over, a few broccoli and hardy lettuces, or a row of radishes. By the middle of the month, the ground has frozen again. Yet the first stirrings of a lasting spring aren’t far behind.

As the days lengthen, even if the skies are leaden, the air full of rain and the thermometer nailed at 40, plants again begin to grow. It’s an odd time of year for eating. What’s in season is what has lasted from the year before — root vegetables, squash and suchlike — and what can be kept in the garden, such as cabbages and leeks that hold well there even if they don’t grow. And then there are the first shoots of new growth. The corn salad that went to seed in my garden last summer and sprouted in the fall has resumed its growth, giving me half a bed of 4-inch leaves for salads. In my herb garden, the salad burnet is producing new green leaves like serrated coins, tasting of cucumber. And throughout the yard are the tender young rosettes of wild sorrel, dandelion and pepper grass.

It isn’t much of a season for foraging; your time and effort will grant you only damp knees, cold fingers and a scant handful of leaves. But I find these few young shoots and last year’s gleanings irresistible, the first new tastes in the kitchen since the end of last year’s harvest. My salads are tiny handfuls, sometimes, masses of little leaves more strongly flavored than lettuce. I dress them simply with a sprinkling of oil and a few drops of good wine vinegar from our vinegar barrel — unlike the tough imported commercial greens of this season, their taste is worth savoring. Dandelion, picked young, is tender and only pleasantly bitter, rather like the taste of a cultivated chicory. Sorrel is a sharp green lemon, pepper grass a spicy cress, corn salad mild and crisp. And soon, within weeks, perhaps even only days, the first sprouts of chives will appear above the surface, marking another start of the year.

When writing for a pagan audience, it’s sometimes tempting for me to discuss these forays in terms of ritual practice: a recognition and greeting of earliest spring, or an opening to a discussion of holidays and symbolic significance. There’s something a little naked about saying “I went out today and saw a beautiful tree, and it made me tremble at my very roots,” and sometime I find it comforting to hide behind history, behind symbolic reference, behind, essentially, my own intellectual understanding of magic.

Yet in some ways, whatever lofty words I use will be but an abstraction of the simple physical reality. Outside, right now, there are green shoots. The waxing of the year might not be very far along, but it has started, because these shoots are growing more quickly now after almost stopping altogether only a few weeks ago. If you check on them regularly, you can see this. And if you go out into your yard, or someone else’s yard, a park or an overgrown lot, you can find them growing among the grass, plantain and pineapple weed. If you are hungry, you can pick them and eat them. There is still in me a great love of ritual, and yet at times all the ritual seems to pale before taste of these greens on my tongue.

In the kitchen, it’s a vexing, restless season, the time I am most tempted by imported peppers and avocados. With so little new choose from, it’s hard not to reach for some faint echo of summer. But it’s a time for patience, too, a time to acknowledge the cold and dark that is so much larger than our little pools of light, instead of trying to ignore them. At this time of year, I fire my brick oven frequently and bake bread, and then while the oven is hot I make dinners in clay pots — mousaka or lasagna, roast game hens, braised leeks. Late in the evening, using the recipe of a Finnish friend I put a pot of oats in the warm oven (a brick oven, once fired, holds heat for at least 20 hours) with water, cream and perhaps a little cinnamon, honey or molasses. In the morning I open the heavy iron door and pull out hot porridge, slow-cooked over the night.

It’s a good time of year to see what can be made with what you already have. Risotto with chanterelles saved from last autumn, or stored butternut squash and prosciutto. Dried black-eyed peas cooked with ham hock, dried tomatoes and peppers. Muffins with a handful of last year’s frozen blueberries. Potatoes sliced and baked with leeks and a little cheese.

And, of course, it’s the season of soup. I love soup. Noodle soups built on the last of the frozen broth from the Thanksgiving turkey carcass. Eight-fungus hot and sour soup. Red lentil tomato soup (which has the virtue of neither looking nor tasting like mud, a challenge that faces all lentil soups). Thin soups with ginger and pepper to drink when you have a cold. Thick soups for dinner with crusty bread. Winter minestrone to simmer on the back of the stove and feed whatever hordes might descend on your kitchen. Borscht to teach you a proper respect for those stout winter vegetables. On that note…

Winter Minestrone

This almost falls in the category of reaching for summer…. but the tomatoes are canned, oregano is growing in my garden, and even in the darkest months I can usually come up with a handful or two of greens fit for the pot. Broccoli greens are a favorite for this, though kale, chard, cabbage or even spinach will work just as well.

• Dried beans
• 1-2 onions, chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic
• Canned tomatoes (at least two 14-ounce cans, but amounts are approximate)
• 1 chunk parmesan rind
• At least a double handful of noodles (shells are my favorite)
• A couple of handfuls pot greens, coarsely chopped
• 1 glug red wine
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or a teaspoon or two dried

Cover the bottom of a soup pot with dried beans, though the layer should be no more than two beans thick, and one is plenty. Soak the beans for at least three hours in warm water; overnight is better. Drain off the water, replace with some inches of fresh water and simmer gently over low heat until the beans begin to be tender. Add onions, garlic, tomatoes and parmesan. Simmer for another half-hour or so. Add noodles. Around the time the noodles just start to get tender, add greens, wine and oregano (you can also add a similar amount of dried basil, or of fresh basil should you be so lucky as to have any). Salt and pepper to taste, and serve when the greens are tender with crusty bread.

Borscht

I cannot claim any lineage of note for this borscht. The base recipe came from a cookbook some years ago, and I have adapted it (some might say taken liberties with it) to suit my tastes. Somehow borscht — even without either bacon or sour cream — manages to be more warming and filling than can be expected from a bowl of vegetables.

• 2-3 pieces farmer’s bacon (optional)
• 1 large leek (or two smaller ones)
• 3-5 medium beets
• 3-4 large carrots
• 1 small or 1/2 large head cabbage
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 glugs wine vinegar
• Salt
• Sour cream

Cut the bacon into small pieces, and fry them in the bottom of a large thick-bottomed pot. Chop up the leek, and fry it in bacon grease (or omit the bacon and use some decent oil). When you can no longer prevent everything from sticking to the bottom of the pot, add a bit of water. Finely dice beets and carrots, add them to the pot and add enough water to cover. Chop cabbage (reasonably fine) and add it to the pot — add water if necessary, but remember that the cabbage will go limp soon and release its fluids. It doesn’t really need to be covered all the way. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Add paprika, vinegar and salt. Cover and cook a few more minutes, and correct seasonings. Serve big steaming bowls, each with a dollop of sour cream.