Women's Christmas Retreat: The Map You Make Yourself

I have discovered the tradition, mostly Irish, of Women's Christmas: Epiphany being the time when women took the day off from making everyone happy and caring for everything.

Here is a link to a Jan L. Richardson site that just might be helpful. I posted this link on my primary blog, Ramblings With Lois, but I will speak more fully and regularly about this Women's Christmas on this blog.

I wrote on Ramblings:

"As a clergy woman, I am recognizing a tiredness normal to this time of year. In a year when Lent will begin so soon after Christmas and Epiphany - Ash Wednesday, February 13 - I pledge to myself to take these few weeks in between to take that pilgrimage within, to sort through where I want to be and go, where I might go, who I might be, and just to rest. To stop, and rest. And maybe stand outside or walk about once in awhile for not purpose at all.

"I hope you enjoy Jan. I have read her book Night Visions every day from the Monday before Christmas through the week after Epiphany for, oh, I guess 14 or 15 years now. It inspired me to, every year, to a piece of art and/or write each day as part of my daily devotions during that time of year. 

"One place in the Women's Christmas pilgrimage I want to go is to extend that spiritual practice to all the year round. Pray for me, if you will."

Well, I have begun this self-retreat and Oh cripes, she starts right out, doesn't she!?! and asks the questions, "Where do you want to go? What would it take?" In other words, what's stopping you?

Can't I work up to that? Do I have to dive right in? Well, after all, this is a map I am to make for myself. It might be nice to have some ideas where I might go. But, oh, this is a journey inward. The outward is merely the starting place. So yes, I get to work up to it.

So, to begin: The first thing that comes to mind is money. The second is time but money is the real thing stopping me. What would it take to make this happen? And where do I want to go? Almost anyplace in England, and to Lister in Norway. To take that pilgrimage on the milk boat to the land of my forebears. My mother's forebears.

Where do I want to inward? I will let that unfold.

Now, to rest a bit. Time for a cuppa. Harney's Earl Grey with silvertips - mmmmmm.