Epiphany: All Have Made a Journey

BABY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS
~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS ~

Detail of Ellie's first ornament ~
received last year from some dear friends

Last year, this little treasure
went straight to the top of the tree!

This year, I had a different idea!
I thought instead of gold, frankincense, and myrrh,
the Wisemen could bring something Mary might really
need: new shoes for her Baby!

These three Wise Kittens had a similar idea:
they brought a delicious Plum Pudding!

For the Season of Epiphany:
"All Hail Cat Jesus!" ~ by Louis Wain (1860 – 1939)

After the conclusion of the Twelve Days of Christmas
(December 25 - January 5),
comes the Day of Epiphany (January 6)
and the arrival of the three wisemen with their gifts.

As soon as the day came, earlier this month,
I started seeing Wise Ones everywhere, in sets of three
-- such as the kittens above, and the travelers below!

Storypeople ~ "Heading South"
by Brian Andreas (b. 1956)

Epiphany is a season of revelation, a time, as poet Anne Ridler explains, that we should leave our "minds ajar / For once to admit the entrance of a stranger," to understand old truths in new ways. Ridler has written in celebration of numerous feasts and seasons. See, for example, the poems featured in my recent posts: "The Pause Between Seasons," "All Souls Observed," and "This Colorful Friday" (after Thanksgiving). In the following poem, she offers an alternative, deeper explanation for each of the traditional gifts presented by the Three Kings (of Orientar):

Poem For A Christmas Broadcast

Woman's Voice
Perhaps you find the angel most improbable?
It spoke to men asleep, their minds ajar
For once to admit the entrance of a stranger.
Few have heard voices, but all have made a journey:
The mind moves, desiring dedication,
Desiring to lay its gifts, as a dog its bone,
At the feet of the first creation. "Take it or leave it"
Says pride, "You made it; You must bear the blame."
But secretly the heart "O make it good."
"Either God acts in vain, or this is God."

1st King
Melchior brings gold. O teach me to give,
For this was infancy's first love:
Its first possession; its adult passion
O new creation
Take my treasure and make me free.

2nd King
Caspar, incense: all that is strange,
Oblique, projected beyond the range
Of the First Person. Such mediation
O new creation
Take, that we dare the direct sight.

3rd, King
Death is a strong wish. Balthasar
Brings his desire in a gift of myrrh ;
Seeking perfection in pain and cessation
O new creation
Die for me, make me desire to live.

All Three
Mary, who nourished glory on human kindness
By springs of power hidden from the mind,
Here is our small self-knowledge, now
Make it acceptable, or teach us how.

Mary
He will accept it, never fear,
For his audacity is my despair.
O do not give what he should not bear.
His boldness is beyond belief,
His threats, his lightnings, his short grief.
Is it divine or mortal confidence?
Mortal ignorance, godlike innocence.
Brazen, he takes love as a right;
He knows to demand is to give delight.
Youngling, here we offer love
What have we to offer but love?
And what is our love? Greed and despair.
O do not take what you should not bear,
Or tainted love by true convince:
Let us not harm you, helpless Prince.
Sin is the chance of mercy;
Then even sin contrives your greater glory.

Anne Barbara Ridler (1912 - 2001)
[see also]
In this favorite Nativity scene,
both a a Wise Woman (gold scarf)
and a Shepherd Girl (pink skirt) are seen to be
"hearing the voices, making the journey," and offering gifts.

See also:
Wise Women Also Came

****************
Next Fortnightly Post
Friday, January 28th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blog posts
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com

Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com