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Nascian Wicca:
Candlemas
Jason Rath
February comes from the Latin: "to cleanse." In ancient Greece this was a
time to purify Temples and the Self. The Nascian tradition celebrates the New Year during
the Winter Solstice. At this time both the God and Goddess are restored to youth. The
Wheel of the Year starts its cycle once again.
During the Candlemas ceremony the Goddess as Virgin (or Maiden) symbolizes the immortal
flame in all women and men. More specifically, She symbolizes the point of spiritual
consciousness where humanity and divinity separate and unite. Here the Goddess symbolizes
truth and imagination. She is the force of intuition and instinct in
Nature—attributed to Netzach, the seventh path on the qabbalistic Tree of Life. Her
connection with the consciousness of men and women is strongest during the tide of
Candlemas. The God during this time symbolizes love of freedom and the need independence
and originality. Both the God and Goddess reflect needs within the individual, as well as
the need for partnership; in other words, the need to meditate on the inner worlds of the
self and apply this to the mundane world, and vise versa.
Rite Sign Keyword Tarot Element
Winter Cap.InnerRetention Devil Earth
Solstice
Candlemas Aqu.Illumination Stars Air
Vernal Ari.ActivityEmperorFire
Equinox
Beltane Tau. StimulationEmpressEarth
Summer Can.OuterRetentionChariot Water
Solstice
Lammas LeoCompletion StrengthFire
Autumn Lib.Unification Justice Air
Equinox
Samhain Sco.TransformationDeath Water
At Candlemas the sun is in the sign of Aquarius which is the ruler of the tarot card
The Star. The occult title for The Star is the Daughter of the Firmament or the Dweller
between the Waters. The Star symbolizes the Maiden Goddess in Her Venusian aspect, the
most accessible aspect. The Winter Solstice (Devil) represented the Yin and Yang forces of
nature and the transmuting process (Death and Rebirth), that we resist. But then the
Goddess (in Her loving aspect) fills the soul and mind of Man. As the Star, She gives him
new hope. One must rise into the heavens of the Self to understand the special importance
of this card. A vital part of the Candlemas rite is meditation on the High Self, to
understand the Ego.
In the typical Tarot deck, the Star pictures a nude woman, symbolizing truth and purity
of men and women. She holds in her hand two cups: one gold, one silver. She pours ethereal
water from the golden (masculine) cup upon herself, symbolizing Her material (external)
presence, which will fill the earth with the fertile promise of abundant life. She pours
immortal liquor from the silver (feminine) cup onto the earth, symbolizing Her loving
support of the earth and life, and Man's inspiration (internal). (Of course, the esoteric
meaning of The Star is more specific.)
The woman holding the two cups in the Star card and spirit of Candlemas relate to
another card: the Two of Cups. This card is the Lord of Sacred Love and is ruled by Venus
in Pisces. It illustrates the intimate relationship between the God/Goddess and humans at
this time of year. The balance between the God and Goddess at this point promises fertile
months ahead. (For more details, see the section on the Two of Cups in "Tarot:
Twos," vol.1, no.2.)
At Candlemas, the bonds of Capricorn (Winter) are broken and the cycle of life
continues anew. Ice melts and forms rushing rivers. Now the Goddess Aradia manifests in
the consciousness of both men and women. At Candlemas, Man's consciousness separates from
that of the divine Spirit of the Universe. At this time the gates of human consciousness
are closest to the intelligence of the Creators—the God and Goddess—as
symbolized by The Star.
In nature new life fights its way through the bitter tenacity of winter. This gives new
hope. We praise the Goddess, for this is Her day of brilliance. On this day we
metaphorically suckle at the breasts of Aradia. Her warm milk fills our barren soul with
fertile ideas. She rests both in a pool of water (the mind of Man; the cauldron of
regeneration) and upon dry land (the body of Man; the fields of Nature). We have faith in
those things that we hope will come (Spring and the vigor of the Ram).
In the Nascian Candlemas (see vol.1, no.4), practitioners invoke the Goddess as an
oracle and practice all forms of natural divination. The three forces or laws that govern
natural divination are karma, intuition and faith. According Nascian legend the Old Ones
taught humankind how to interpret dreams, astrology and many other mysteries during
Candlemas. This is the time the Goddess teaches Her children of the mystical secrets of
human nature. We recognize the voice of the God and Goddess as intuition. This is the
power which, in concert with imagination and will, allows us to communicate with the inner
worlds, that we may illuminate ourselves.
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