Sunday, 17th March 2019
Blessings of Saint Gertrude’s Day!
Thanks to my friend who runs Cauldrons & Broomsticks for reminding me on Facebook!
I have been tardy over the last six – eight weeks with my ambition to post a blog post weekly; consequently, when I have sat down to write, there has been so much on my mind that I haven’t known when to start.
Today is most well known for being the Feast Day of Saint Patrick. As a Polytheistic Pagan, I’m not a fan. As someone with Irish heritage, some of the stereotypes ‘celebrated’ don’t sit so well with me either. Although if you are a devotee of Dionysus or Bacchus, well…
Some Pagans celebrate All Snakes Day as an alternative, and I have mixed feelings about that too.
If you have *no* idea what I am talking about (it happens!) – here’s a crash course in links to other blogs (because I love to spread the love!).
Links about St Patrick and All Snakes Day:
(In roughly chronological order)
- All Snakes’ Day: The Hidden History of St. Patrick
- Why I Still Celebrate All Snakes’ Day
- Saint Patrick, Druids, Snakes, and Popular Myths
- St. Patrick’s Day, snakes, and Irish-American pride
- The Whole “St. Patrick’s Day vs. All Snakes Day” Thing
- All Snakes’ Day
Saint Gertrude of Nivelles
I would prefer to honour Saint Gertrude of Nivelles.
She is the Patron Saint of Cats (and Travellers, the Mentally Ill, Gardeners, and the Recently Diseased).
Given that Travellers, Cats, People with Mental Health issues come under her purview, (yes, deliberate pun there), she holds portfolios that are close to my heart, and shared by some of the Deities I honour myself.
Links About Saint Gertrude of Nivelles:
This blog includes this wonderful prayer:
A Prayer to St. Gertrude, Patron Saint of Cats
St. Gertrude of Nivelles, ask you I pray
Safeguard my kitties this and each day.
Defend them from those who might wish them harm.
Keep them at home safe from danger and storm.
Instill in me wisdom to care for them well.
Pray, fill me with strength never to yell.
And Gertrude, a last thing I beseech from thee,
Protect my sofa from claws and my carpets from pee.
Amen.
- Saint Gertrude of Nivelles: The Patron Saint of Cats (More or Less)
- Is There Really a Patron Saint of Cats?
- Gertrude of Nivelles
So Saint Gertrude gets my vote for today.
In other news:
There have been family visitors: I probably won’t share a lot of information here regarding family, as they are their own separate individuals, and I wish to respect their privacy.
Migraines knocked me out for a few weeks – we suspect it is perimenopause, and you can expect a post about that at some stage. I remain a little baffled as the taboos remaining around it.
There have been some some wonderful art and theatre outings with friends.
As a result of my goal towards being a fitter and healthier Fabienne, I have started a gym membership. I turn fifty in July 2020, and I’m *very* excited. Consequently, you can expect to hear more about that too!
Additionally, I have celebrated my first twelve months of wearing a head covering as part of my religious practice, and again, I will be posting a blog entry about that journey as well: it has been an extraordinary journey for me.
On a global scale, or so I like to think, we have also celebrated International Women’s Day.
Mourning for New Zealand
The biggest thing this week has not been a celebration, but a shock and a mourning: the massacre in Christchurch at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Mosque , on the Muslim Holy Day.
I am mourning the loss of fifty lives.
As a devotional practitioner, the fact that they were gunned down whilst at prayer adds an additional layer of horror (as if one were needed).
When the Port Arthur Massacre occurred, it felt like Australia had lost a kind of innocence.
With this massacre, I feel like we have lost something that cannot be regained. I am struggling to articulate that loss, but I am feeling it deeply.
I see all Recent Dead as Travellers, so again, the Feast Day of Saint Gertrude resonates for me on this level.
Donations towards Victim Support: Christchurch Shooting Victims
United for Christchurch Mosque Shootings
These are two fundraising sites that I know of, so if this tragedy has touched you, please ensure that if you can afford it, donate towards the cause.