Something totally amazing is happening this year on the translated Solemnity in my hometown... The total solar eclipse!! Yes, when the Spirit overshadowed Mary and God's Son was conceived in her womb, the Moon is going to align with the Sun!! I'm totally stoked and I haven't found anyone else who is 😭 so please celebrate with me, new friend.
My dear Kristin I'm sitting at my kitchen counter contemplating bread-making for the first time in a very long time and can't help smile at the serendipitous timing of ((finally!)) reading this post.
Each poem, photo, reflection and bit of history is like unwrapping small treasures in brown paper, prompting and "oh...!" or a sigh after reading and viewing each one.
Your words are a deep well, my friend, offering a drink to those of us who don't realize just how thirsty we are.
You always bring a smile to my face!! I'm so glad this landed with you just as you were thinking of bread-making. So serendipitous indeed! And I'm excited to send some goodies your way. :) Thank you for rejoicing in all of these hidden gems with me!
I did not know about the Annunciation symbolism of Irises, my favorite flower. Delighted to have learned that today! As well as the detail about almond blossoms...I have always had a special love for Cicely Mary Barker's illustration of the almond blossom fairy and the accompanying poem, which heralds the coming spring and even mentions–of course–swallows! https://flowerfairies.com/almond-blossom-fairy/.
I have been thinking a lot this Lenten season about the relationship between lent and the land, . Hoping to write something about during EasterTide once my tulips bloom–if they do–after their period of vernalization–Lent this year has been kind of a spiritual vernalization for me. I think we have a lot to learn from the lifecycle of flowers and how they reflect the liturgical year–and our spiritual lives.
The almond blossom fairy is one of my favorites too, and I have it framed and up on the wall!! I haven't ever read the poem, though - what a beauty. Thanks for sharing it.
I'm so glad you enjoyed reading and finding some fun nuggets of floral symbolism...that whole language of botanicals just captivates me to no end. I've been especially in an iris mood lately...my grandma loved them and grew them in her yard, so I have such a nostalgic pull toward them.
I'll look forward to your vernal article - I've had tulips on my mind lately as I dig into St. Mark's day. :) And I 100% agree: as Alice would say, we "can learn a lot of things from the flowers"!
This is such a rich post. Thank you for putting all of this information together so beautifully!
I once taught English at a Christian school, and one of my favorite lessons was Annunciation Poems. We read "Annunciation" by John Donne and "Annunciation" by Scott Cairns, and then the students wrote their own annunciation poems. I especially loved their amazed responses as the meanings of Cairns's poem unfolded.
Those poems are BEAUTIFUL, and what a fantastic method to have them write response poetry!
Thanks for your kind words...I'm so glad you enjoyed the post. It's a favorite holiday of mine, so writing about it felt extra daunting somehow (it's hard to know when to stop, haha!)
So much beauty, wisdom, and goodness here Kristin! Whenever I read your work, I just want to send you such a big thank you. Such an important service you do bringing us all into these rhythms of return, symbolically, artistically, liturgically. I absolutely love the story of Lady Mabella!
Aw thank you so, so much Katie! That really warms my heart to hear...and it's just such a joy & privilege to get to share in all these things with folks like you. I'd thought this was all so obscure once upon a time, and now realize many people resonate with it!
Isn't Lady Mabella such a marvel?! I love that story.
For those of us living in upstate NY, March is for tapping maple trees and gathering their sap for syrup. Sometimes piercing the trees seems a bit mean, but also reminds me of the many ways God's creatures sacrifice for us. Our sheep are due any day. It kind of breaks my heart how much they trust us as we witness them give birth to beautiful lambs--lambs we will one day sacrifice for food.
The other day at the butcher picking up our processed lamb, I heard a gunshot in the back room and the sound of a big animal falling with a thud. The butcher shrugged it off with a joke--gallows humor (something farmers have to have to survive). Navigating life and death is so hard. I thank God I believe in an afterlife, but that doesn't always make things easier.
So true, and so wise, Adrienne. Whenever the butcher is here and I hear the shot go off, it does break my heart a bit. But I think that's a good thing...we're meant to take these lives very seriously.
Tapping maple trees!! Now isn't that just quintessential New England late winter/early spring.
Marvellous post, so much to talk about here! I have visited the lily crucifix at Godshill, it's surprisingly little known despite being very rare as a painting. A fascinating church, too. Maybe I will do a post on it sometime. I don't farm fields but I have started planting in my small polytunnel and today plan to move the remains of last year's spinach plants in there to get a first picking by Easter. The ground is so wet this year. I look forward to the return of the swallows but that will be April, not March. Perhaps they will arrive for this year's transferred feast of the Annunciation, on April 8th? Let's hope so!
Thank you so much! Oh my goodness, to see the lily crucifix at Godshill in person...what a treat. It's one of my favorite depictions. I'd surely love to read more about it, if you find the time!
I hope you have good luck with your polytunnel! Do you have cuckoo birds appearing yet? One of the other Annunciation flowers - the pink Lady's Smock - is also called Cuckoo Flower. I'm always curious about how the timing actually works out.
I will put Godshill on my planned posts list, though you can't get in front of the lily crucifix as the Chapel where it is located is locked, so you have to look at it from the side and poke your camera through the bars! But the church is really interesting, with lots of rare survivals.
Yes, we call them cuckoo flowers here, though we don't have cuckoos in this area. Occasionally we get one that is lost, it hangs around for a few days and then heads off when it realises there are no other cuckoos here. But it's probably another month till they appear.
What a beautiful post, Kirstin. Your writing always takes me back to the nuns who educated me and all of the feast days surrounding Mary we would learn about and celebrate, culminating in a May crowning of a statue of Mary on the property of the school. Thank you for all of your research, really lovely. And the Fra Angelico is gorgeous — I also love the Botticelli Annunciation. We would stop every day at noon for the Angelus and we also would often recite the Magnificat, whose opening line ‘my soul magnifies the Lord’ I think is one of the most beautiful prayers. ✨
There is so much in this post that I want to comment on but instead I will stay silent and reflect, soak it all in. I am learning more about Mary this year and so the Annunciation will be a special day for me and I think donating a la Lady Mabella to the local Food Bank with flour items is something I can easily do. My granddaughter is called Iris and she is also learning about Mary as the Mother of Jesus and Mother of us all. Thank you again Kristin for a glorious feast of knowledge, beauty and gentle reminders of how to live life carefully and with presence.
Oh my goodness, Iris - what a beautiful name! I love Marian feasts & have been learning so much through them. I'm so glad to know that you found some lovely food for thought in here...and how wonderful to see Lady Mabella's fortitude living on!
Something totally amazing is happening this year on the translated Solemnity in my hometown... The total solar eclipse!! Yes, when the Spirit overshadowed Mary and God's Son was conceived in her womb, the Moon is going to align with the Sun!! I'm totally stoked and I haven't found anyone else who is 😭 so please celebrate with me, new friend.
Your Substack is amazing!
Isn't the translation timing REMARKABLE?! SO stoked right alongside you, friend!
The amount of research you do for all of these is astounding. Thank you for this gift.
It's really a pleasure...thank you so much for sharing in the obscure liturgical goodness with me!
My dear Kristin I'm sitting at my kitchen counter contemplating bread-making for the first time in a very long time and can't help smile at the serendipitous timing of ((finally!)) reading this post.
Each poem, photo, reflection and bit of history is like unwrapping small treasures in brown paper, prompting and "oh...!" or a sigh after reading and viewing each one.
Your words are a deep well, my friend, offering a drink to those of us who don't realize just how thirsty we are.
You always bring a smile to my face!! I'm so glad this landed with you just as you were thinking of bread-making. So serendipitous indeed! And I'm excited to send some goodies your way. :) Thank you for rejoicing in all of these hidden gems with me!
I did not know about the Annunciation symbolism of Irises, my favorite flower. Delighted to have learned that today! As well as the detail about almond blossoms...I have always had a special love for Cicely Mary Barker's illustration of the almond blossom fairy and the accompanying poem, which heralds the coming spring and even mentions–of course–swallows! https://flowerfairies.com/almond-blossom-fairy/.
I have been thinking a lot this Lenten season about the relationship between lent and the land, . Hoping to write something about during EasterTide once my tulips bloom–if they do–after their period of vernalization–Lent this year has been kind of a spiritual vernalization for me. I think we have a lot to learn from the lifecycle of flowers and how they reflect the liturgical year–and our spiritual lives.
The almond blossom fairy is one of my favorites too, and I have it framed and up on the wall!! I haven't ever read the poem, though - what a beauty. Thanks for sharing it.
I'm so glad you enjoyed reading and finding some fun nuggets of floral symbolism...that whole language of botanicals just captivates me to no end. I've been especially in an iris mood lately...my grandma loved them and grew them in her yard, so I have such a nostalgic pull toward them.
I'll look forward to your vernal article - I've had tulips on my mind lately as I dig into St. Mark's day. :) And I 100% agree: as Alice would say, we "can learn a lot of things from the flowers"!
If you like irises (and other botanicals) you will love the stoneware collections from Emerson creek pottery - they’re a small business in rural Virginia, thanks to whom our dining room table is always adorned with Irises! https://emersoncreekpottery.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqpSwBhClARIsADlZ_Tk-BkzagyUBDvL8nF6Kbp5EffK7xhpFyECCW3j6YObBDkndsHT_L0EaAlllEALw_wcB
This is such a rich post. Thank you for putting all of this information together so beautifully!
I once taught English at a Christian school, and one of my favorite lessons was Annunciation Poems. We read "Annunciation" by John Donne and "Annunciation" by Scott Cairns, and then the students wrote their own annunciation poems. I especially loved their amazed responses as the meanings of Cairns's poem unfolded.
Those poems are BEAUTIFUL, and what a fantastic method to have them write response poetry!
Thanks for your kind words...I'm so glad you enjoyed the post. It's a favorite holiday of mine, so writing about it felt extra daunting somehow (it's hard to know when to stop, haha!)
That poem is incredible!
Isn't it though?!
So much beauty, wisdom, and goodness here Kristin! Whenever I read your work, I just want to send you such a big thank you. Such an important service you do bringing us all into these rhythms of return, symbolically, artistically, liturgically. I absolutely love the story of Lady Mabella!
Aw thank you so, so much Katie! That really warms my heart to hear...and it's just such a joy & privilege to get to share in all these things with folks like you. I'd thought this was all so obscure once upon a time, and now realize many people resonate with it!
Isn't Lady Mabella such a marvel?! I love that story.
For those of us living in upstate NY, March is for tapping maple trees and gathering their sap for syrup. Sometimes piercing the trees seems a bit mean, but also reminds me of the many ways God's creatures sacrifice for us. Our sheep are due any day. It kind of breaks my heart how much they trust us as we witness them give birth to beautiful lambs--lambs we will one day sacrifice for food.
The other day at the butcher picking up our processed lamb, I heard a gunshot in the back room and the sound of a big animal falling with a thud. The butcher shrugged it off with a joke--gallows humor (something farmers have to have to survive). Navigating life and death is so hard. I thank God I believe in an afterlife, but that doesn't always make things easier.
So true, and so wise, Adrienne. Whenever the butcher is here and I hear the shot go off, it does break my heart a bit. But I think that's a good thing...we're meant to take these lives very seriously.
Tapping maple trees!! Now isn't that just quintessential New England late winter/early spring.
Marvellous post, so much to talk about here! I have visited the lily crucifix at Godshill, it's surprisingly little known despite being very rare as a painting. A fascinating church, too. Maybe I will do a post on it sometime. I don't farm fields but I have started planting in my small polytunnel and today plan to move the remains of last year's spinach plants in there to get a first picking by Easter. The ground is so wet this year. I look forward to the return of the swallows but that will be April, not March. Perhaps they will arrive for this year's transferred feast of the Annunciation, on April 8th? Let's hope so!
Thank you so much! Oh my goodness, to see the lily crucifix at Godshill in person...what a treat. It's one of my favorite depictions. I'd surely love to read more about it, if you find the time!
I hope you have good luck with your polytunnel! Do you have cuckoo birds appearing yet? One of the other Annunciation flowers - the pink Lady's Smock - is also called Cuckoo Flower. I'm always curious about how the timing actually works out.
I will put Godshill on my planned posts list, though you can't get in front of the lily crucifix as the Chapel where it is located is locked, so you have to look at it from the side and poke your camera through the bars! But the church is really interesting, with lots of rare survivals.
Yes, we call them cuckoo flowers here, though we don't have cuckoos in this area. Occasionally we get one that is lost, it hangs around for a few days and then heads off when it realises there are no other cuckoos here. But it's probably another month till they appear.
What a beautiful post, Kirstin. Your writing always takes me back to the nuns who educated me and all of the feast days surrounding Mary we would learn about and celebrate, culminating in a May crowning of a statue of Mary on the property of the school. Thank you for all of your research, really lovely. And the Fra Angelico is gorgeous — I also love the Botticelli Annunciation. We would stop every day at noon for the Angelus and we also would often recite the Magnificat, whose opening line ‘my soul magnifies the Lord’ I think is one of the most beautiful prayers. ✨
Truly, truly one of the most beautiful prayers. And I have such a soft spot for the Botticelli Annunciation, too (well, all of his work!)
Thanks so much, Jolene - it's a real treat to know that it brings you back to those lovely May crownings from childhood.
Thank YOU, Kristin, and apologies for the typo in your name in my comment!
There is so much in this post that I want to comment on but instead I will stay silent and reflect, soak it all in. I am learning more about Mary this year and so the Annunciation will be a special day for me and I think donating a la Lady Mabella to the local Food Bank with flour items is something I can easily do. My granddaughter is called Iris and she is also learning about Mary as the Mother of Jesus and Mother of us all. Thank you again Kristin for a glorious feast of knowledge, beauty and gentle reminders of how to live life carefully and with presence.
Oh my goodness, Iris - what a beautiful name! I love Marian feasts & have been learning so much through them. I'm so glad to know that you found some lovely food for thought in here...and how wonderful to see Lady Mabella's fortitude living on!