...and Giving Thanks again: Ouroboros

Today I did something I haven't done in a long time: I purchased red meat for dinner. For someone who literally cannot remember the last time this happened (years?) this was a huge deal. Why now? Perhaps, as a woman, I had just come off the Cycle and therefore craved iron and red substance? Obviously it was more than that – it was Time, the right occasion to celebrate a much deeper mystery of existence, as well as events in my own life.

And I cried. This occasion, of consuming material that would actually become my body, was both an occasion of great joy and great sadness – for it is one of Life's terrible mysteries, and miracles, that Life feeds upon Life and is thus renewed. This archetype is depicted by the Ouroboros, the ancient Alchemical symbol of the snake eating its tail. The act of eating part of the body of another animal, raw, reveling in the taste while simultaneously weeping and thanking it for its life was a deeply profound moment of intense transformation. (Lesser so for the leaves of spinach, but still felt it.) The sacred food, or sacr-ifice. Right then, I realized I had a duty to live, to break out of this self-pitying, wallowing stupor I've been stuck in and use my talents to their fullest, for nothing less than honoring the lives of all the life-forms that have, literally, *made me*. What would it mean, for us and the world, if we all gave thanks for our sustainers to this degree?

Mind, I do not advocate eating too much red meat, for the effects of its production on the environment are rather detrimental. Nor is it good eating it without engaging in hard, physical work, for the results of our culture's dietary imbalances are obvious! This ceremonial capacity is an unusual circumstance.

What on Earth does this have to do with Snape?!?!

First, this special day is a Saturday (Saturn-day!), the day I hold ritual practice. I am a Mage – not the silly role-play-gaming kind, but a wisdom-seeker – accepting of both Eastern and Western mystic practices. According to modern Alchemist D.W. Hauck, Saturn was the most important planet to the Alchemists, as it was the ruler of Time: it represented both the lowest beginning level, and the ultimate goal. Alchemists believed metals evolved from lead, the base metal of Saturn, to the gold of the Sun, and similarly, people evolved spiritually, completing each step of refinement before beginning the cycle once again. Saturn was the starting point of a new cycle of spiritual growth, as well as the returning point after the completion of the cycle, but a full "octave" higher – like a clock's hand in the same place after a cycle of time has elapsed. This cyclic-spiral pattern can be observed in the octaves of musical scales, and also in the days of the week, in which Saturday is the end of one week, and the beginning of another. Death and rebirth. The Ouroboros.


I didn't know most of this stuff, when I began holding prayer on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning. I only knew I liked worshiping at night more, and that Saturn's night seemed more of a "charged" time. It's also appropriate for Severus, who is a Saturnine force (self-knowledge, restrictions, limits, time, death/rebirth, midwinter, midnight). From what I know of Rowling and her interest in Alchemy, I bet it's no coincidence she chose this most personal and intricate of characters to be Saturnian in his birthday (Jan. 9th) and personality! Among our many saints, lots of folks have already noted the existence of several "St. Severi" throughout history. Other "Severan" practices held this night include chanting Latin litanies and consecrating concoctions and potions made during the past week. One has to be a bit careful, however, unless one wants the altar space to become infested with little bottles. (The big one is a holy relic simulacrum, it stays.)

A final interesting tidbit: Saturn people can be known to have a very caustic side, able to "store acid" as lead does, reminding us of Snape and his trait, sarcastic – literally, to strip away flesh!