Gill was tidying up her garden ready for Spring recently. – “We found this in our damp dell whilst cutting back ferns to give emerging snowdrops more light. This is a Scarlet Elf Cup (Fungus), A beautiful deep scarlet, hidden within the soft blush cup. Vibrant colour, in a woodland floor of decaying twigs and leaves, and mosses. Creation surprises us with unexpected delights. Rich red on a gloomy, cloudy, drizzling day.”
For more information, visit the Woodland Trust website, which describes the Elf Cup as ‘Mystical and cheery.’ Mystical and cheery, the scarlet elf cup grows on decaying sticks and branches in damp spots and beneath leaf litter on the woodland floor. Their bright pops of colour brighten up even the darkest winter day.
Elsewhere we read that, ‘The Scarlet Elf Cup’ gets its name from folklore that says woodland elves use the vibrant, cup-shaped fungi as tiny goblets to drink morning dew or that fairies bathe in the rainwater collected in them. Its bright red colour against the winter woodland floor, combined with its delicate, cup-like shape, inspired these imaginative tales of mythical beings.
Elf-cups (a poem by Mr G)
Hidden beneath decaying leaves forest debris moves. Soil crumbles beneath finger and thumb of creation’s constant action. Earth changing shape as pale wintry light penetrates the woodland womb bringing to birth cup-like, colourful fungi signs that winter prepares to herald Spring. God’s creation always surprises us, if we but look with open hearts ever expectant to be captivated.
Yet look again – these chalices of winter dew may carry Nature’s sacrament of new life to waiting elves!
Galette des Rois photographed by Gill Henwood, cooked by her daughter, Kathleen.
This photo of an amazing and mouth-watering cake was sent to me by my friend Gill Henwood. It was made by her daughter Kathleen for the delectation of her two sons.
The cake is known as Galette des Rois, literally the Kings’ Cake.The name derives from the Kings or Wise Men who visited the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, having seen a bright star in the East. These Magi (Wise Men) travelled taking their bearings from the Star. The Gospel account recorded by Matthew in Chapter 2, verses 2 to 12, tells us of their journey, their visit to King Herod and then the arrival at the home of Jesus. Here, they knelt to pay Jesus homage and presented Him with three gifts ~ Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Each of the gifts had a significance. Gold was given because Jesus is worshipped as a King; Incense to celebrate His Divinity (God) and Myrrh which is used to embalm the dead. It was a foretelling of the Crucifixion when the Son of God died for the well-being of humanity and opened the way for us to turn aside from sin and so live for God and in the depth of God’s love for us.
The feast of the visit of the Wise Men is known as the Epiphany – the showing forth of God’s Glory. There are other Epiphanies during this extended Christmas season to Candlemass (February 2nd). The Epiphany to the Magi is kept on January 6th, which coincides with Christmas Day in the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Because the Wise Men brought three gifts it is commonly held that there were 3 of them and because they travelled from the East over desert lands, it is believed that they rode on three camels. Later documents increased the number of kings – St John Chrysostom even suggested that there were 12 of them! The Venerable Bede, writing in the 7th Century named them and that has become fairly definitive – Balthazar, Gaspar (Caspar) and Melchior. Many other legends and customs grew up around them. The Galette des Rois is one of them.
In many places on the night before the feast of Epiphany, a special cake would be served with three beans hidden inside, two white beans and one black one. Whoever found the beans would be the King at the Epiphany feast. Dressed in fine robes, they would preside over the feast and before leaving would hand out small gifts, equivalents of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In the royal courts of the Middle Ages, Epiphany Cakes would contain a bean for the king and a pea for the Queen. Whoever found the bean and the pea would be the King and Queen of the feast. A more recent variation is that the figure baked into the cake (especially in France) is a tiny plastic or ceramic statue of Christ. An alternative name for the Cake is therefore Christ cake. Whoever found the statue would be especially blessed throughout the coming year.
There are many recipes available for making the cake, especially in France, from where it takes its name. It is as popular in France as the Christmas Cake or Pudding are in Great Britain. The cake itself can be made with puff pastry, though often it is brioche. It is often filled with frangipane, an almond paste. As you will see on Kathleen’s cake, it is decorated with crowns and small figures of the kings. There are hearts representing God’s love and in the centre, a circle of pastry which tells me about this love of God which is eternal.
Though we are beyond January 6th it is not too late to bake a Galette des Rois. In France it is quite common to eat this cake throughout January.
A Prayer for the Galette des Rois
O God, guiding light of the world, As we share this Galette des Rois, we remember the journey of the Magi, Who followed a star to find Your Son, Jesus,.
Bless this cake, a symbol of our gathering, And bless each person who shares it with us today, May we find the hidden bean, and in that simple joy, Find a reminder of Your grace,.
May we be guided by Your light through the darkness, May we share our blessings and our love, And may the sweetness of this moment bring us closer to You, And to one another.
My friend Gill Henwood’s photographs and thoughts regularly appear on this blog. The other day she sent me this photograph of a winter cherry tree at Kew and the thoughts it inspired.
“Here’s a beautiful winter cherry in the Japanese garden at Kew Gardens, yesterday. The tree is a cloud of delicate blossom in the winter gardens of bare skeletal deciduous trees and dark sombre conifers. For Gill it speaks to her of “Hope, for peace in the world. Prayers, for Japan and so many places where natural events challenge, and wars destroy. Trust, in the presence of God’s cloud of peace with us, is often unnoticed. May the gracious, comforting Spirit bring the peace that passes all understanding to sore hearts.”
At a time when intense negotiations are going on about brokering peace in the Ukraine and in the aftermath of Gaza, the photo brings a glimpse of purity in what feels like a dark, sombre and impure world.
What I am constantly hearing and seeing is despair, uncertainty and a sense of futility. The question : What can I do or make a difference, in the sense of not being in a position to affect real change in the International struggles in our world?
Perhaps we could take a more local and personal view. The late Rabbi Lionel Blue once told a story about meeting an old-time party member of the Soviet Communist Party. He spoke in tears that the Revolution got hijacked because of personal ambition, greed and power. “We tried to understand society to change it, but we didn’t start with ourselves.” (Rabbi Blue).
That is where we all can start – with ourselves. We can cultivate gentleness, kindness, care, approach-ability. We can and should stand up for goodness in our society and acceptance of others. Perhaps even a bit more listening to others rather than telling them what they should be like or believe. Above all we should open our hearts to a hope which isn’t just a feeling but a prayer and an action.
A little story I love tells me that one thing we can avoid is believing that we have nothing to contribute to growing peace in our world.
A little sparrow laid on its back with its legs in the air. Another sparrow walked past and asked the sparrow in its back what it was doing. It replied that it had heard that the sky was going to fall in and thought that it should try and help hold it up. The other sparrow laughed and said, “You’re only a little sparrow with little legs. How can you hold up the whole sky?The little sparrow lying on the floor with its legs in the air, turned its head and said:“I know, but one does what one can.”
Doing what we can is about living in peace and harmony with others and with creatures and the world in which we live. It’s about rejoicing in creation and protecting the part of our world where God has placed us. It’s also about refusing to let our world be taken over by those who would dominate, abuse, bully and live self-centred lives. It’s about allowing God’s beauty, joy, hope radiate from our lives just as it radiates from the Winter Cherry Tree at Kew.
It’s about praying this prayer, written for world peace in 1978. By praying and seeking to live it out in our lives may we recognizing that we have just increased peace in the world.
A Prayer for World Peace, 1978
We pray for the power to be gentle; the strength to be forgiving; the patience to be understanding; and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding on to what we believe to be right.
May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred.
We pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world emancipated from violence, a new world where fear shall no longer lead men or women to commit injustice, nor selfishness make them bring suffering to others.
Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace, praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfil the destiny for which we and all men and women were created.
– Author Unknown, Offered by Beth Amyot published by Xavier University Cinncinati
Last leaves turning gold and falling from a Japanese maple, on Advent Sunday. Nearby, very long established daffodil shoots seeking the short daylight, waiting for their time in Spring.
Waiting, watching, sensing the time is coming: themes of Advent. Hope, for light in darkness. Longing, for the approaching birth. Trembling, with anticipation for new life. Fearing, for hostile forces muster.
“Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to us O Israel”
The angels will sing: “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to all people of good will”
Mr G's Ponderings 