Seasonal Messages! Cosmic Greetings!

Perchta (or Berchta) means “Bright One, “Shining One” and “Bride of the Sun”. She is the fire in the winter. She is the Light returning at the Solstice, and as such is a Sun Goddess. She is Goddess Mother who taught spinning and weaving. She is wild and a shape shifter. She has one foot which is a swan or goose foot which remains so always. She is the Guardian of Animals, the Lady of the Beasts. She is associated particularly with wolves, black and gray dogs, and the snowy barn owl. People see her as white, wearing a white cloak, having long, flowing white hair, floating or drifting across the fields like a mist. Perchta came to Her people to protect them from death by cold and by hunger, both of which were yearly dangers.

Some consider Holda (Holle or Hulda) her Sister in the Northern Germanic Tribes. Holda’s festival began on the 24th of December and went for 12 days until January 6th. January 6th was Perchta’s festival day. But before the uniting of the Germanic tribes, Perchta’s festival time was in all the days between the Solstice and the 6th of January. Perchta is a Goddess of the Place In-Between. The time between the longest, darkest night and the time when the sun could actually be seen to be making the light of the day longer. During that time of spiritual danger, Perchtenlauf was enacted, and still is to this day. It is believed to have been continuously performed at this time of year since before history began to be recorded in that region. There are two types of “perchten” – the good and beautiful, enacted by women with wooden masks portraying beauty, and the frightening, terrible perchten enacted by men with hideous wooden masks with fangs and horns. During the nights of this post-Solstice time, the men with the hideous masks will go through people’s homes scaring away all possible evil spirits and then the women will come through and bless the houses. It is thought to be a time when spirits are abroad because it is also the time of The Wild Hunt. Perchta leads The Wild Hunt, gathering all the spirits of those who have died that year and driving them to the Other World. She flies through the skies with the moaning and wailing spirits trailing behind her. She also gathers to her the souls of unbaptized children and babies and carries them tenderly, lovingly to Her beautiful place to protect them and give them an eternal home. It is speculated that this annual ritual of Perchtenlauf is a remnant of an ancient shamanic initiation ritual, of which there is no information remaining. Such a powerful representation of the Light and the Dark Goddess Mother, who banishes dangers and takes into her care those innocents who die so young!

Frau Perchta very specifically insists that fish and dumplings be eaten on her day, January 6th to honor Her. When people did, they were blessed, and when they did not, the story was Perchta would come in their sleep and split them open, take out their entrails and stuff their belly with straw and pebbles. She wasn’t fooling around. The same fate awaited those who were not industrious, kind and loving, and women who neglected their spinning. To those who are good and faithful, Perchta appears as a beautiful Goddess of Light blessing them with good health and prosperity. Often they would find a silver coin in a bucket or in a shoe the next day. To the evil-hearted, deceitful and wicked, Perchta appears as a ferocious demon with fangs, horns and a wild eye. In that shape, She will always protect Her people from harm, both physical and spiritual.

In the time between the Solstice and Jan 6th, there were days of both fasting and feasting. Today is Perchta’s feast day. In later years, pancakes were prepared and eaten on Perchta’s feast day and special care was taken to make a plate for her and leave it outside.

May we all behold The Shining One today, coming to us all in winter white, bearing loving gifts of good health and prosperity for this New Year! Blessed Be!

c. Diane Horton 2014

Source: https://www.facebook.com/diane.horton.16/posts/1021393451210732

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