The Epiphany of Prosperity

Brrr-rr it's cold outside.  We're in the bleak mid-winter, in a monochromatic City-scape of all shades of matt slate and glinting silver. The clouds, which sprinkled us with little snow flurries these last few days, have bared all to reveal a chilling cold blue sky, leaving the earth rather exposed without its seasonal security blanket.  The dock outside our house is frozen solid across.  A Council of Swans, Seagulls and Moorhens is currently deliberating the meaning of it all.  Where has their ability to go with the flow gone?  Now they are forced to resort to walking, rather cautiously I might add, on water.  Symbolically amazing, but rather uncomfortable on the feet and certainly way out of their comfort zone.  Will a normal situation ever return to the serenity of the dock?  Dream on, the Great Thaw will come, it always does…

Today's Epiphany, the twelvth day of Christmas, so are you keeping warm by dancing with some leaping lords, while admiring a partridge in a pear tree and 5 gold rings?  If not, then maybe instead you might like to celebrate the way that our French neighbours do across the English Channel.

Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Three Kings from the Orient who came bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.  Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar are also called The Magi, or the Wise Men, and even Sorcerers is probably a better translation.  They obviously knew a thing or two about epiphany, the manifestation of prosperity.  They brought gifts which were symbols of prosperity, a first aid kit and highly priced riches: gold, frankincense and myrrh, altogether definitely jolly good presents.  Gold, of course, has great monetary value, but it's also got anti-bacterial qualities, while frankincense, which is often still burned in Churches, is a disinfectant (very useful when there are lots of people gathered together with winter sniffles), and myrrh is known for its skin healing properties.  If you've read Freedom in Exile the autobiography of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, you'll notice that there's an uncanny similarity in the story of wise men coming looking for the baby.

As a child in France, I always loved this feast the best of the winter festivities.  After all the hoop-la of Christmas and fanfare of New Year's Eve, it seemed as though there was a never ending dreary winter to get through till the blossom started to appear on the trees and the daffodils' golden glow brought a thrill to the park lawns.  But no, right here, on 6th January, it was time to celebrate the prosperity and royalty of the year that opened up ahead.

Traditionally, the French serve a Galette des Rois.  It's made with flaky pastry with a frangipane stuffing.  Secretly hidden inside is a small little porcelain trinket, often of a little baby in a crib.  The Galette is sliced and handed round.  Whoever finds the trinket in their slice becomes the King (or Queen) for the rest of the day, wearing the gold (well, gold embossed cardboard) crown for the rest of the day.

This year, here at home in London, I decided to do things a little differently.  First I decided to make our own Galette des Rois , from scratch (omitting the eggs, and adding a little je ne sais quoi).  In it I put three little porcelain angel buttons which meant that there would be one for each of us.  Next I made our own crowns using some long jasmine stems from the garden which I bound with lots of ribbons and beads.

And what fun we had. The lashings of butter which go into the Pate Feuilletee and the Frangipane reminded me of all the butter in the Prashad which you receive when you leave a Sikh Gurdwara.  Galette des Rois, I guess, is its nearest Gallic interpretation.  It feels opulent, abundant, and rich (small servings are very appropriate - not just for the waistline but for the enjoyable digestion of it).

We are witnessing global and local economic structures changing. The kaleidoscope is being shaken. Those who will flourish in these times are those with the spirit of prosperity, those who want continuing success and well-being, for themselves and those around them. Prosperity is a mind-set and to enter it know what you want, what your purpose is, learn how to relax and sleep well, how to love and feel loved.  Be trustworthy. See opportunities, where others see despondency.  See a way through challenges to a better way of living.  Share your success. Find innovative ways to approach issues, and recognise that the surest sign of insanity is repeating old ways of doing things while expecting different results.  Most of all, enjoy the best of life, the best in life. Because you're worth it.  That is the Epiphany.

Listen here to my podcast called Prosperity is in your Projection.