Messages In This Digest (16 Messages)
- 1.
- "Share A Recipe Day", 3/19/2012, 4:00 am From: which_witch_is_witch@yahoogroups.com
- 3.
- Fw: Get Ready for Ostara!: Day 6: Ostara Crafts and Creations From: Cher Chirichello
- 4.
- Fw: A Short Reminder from Columcille From: Cher Chirichello
- 5.
- Awareness Shop New Hand 'Crafted' Items Available... From: Cher Chirichello
- 6.
- Today's Goddess: OSTARA Easter (Date and Location Vary) From: Cher Chirichello
- 7a.
- New Beginnings Spell From: Cher Chirichello
- 8a.
- Daily Aromatherapy Tip - No Worry Blend From: Cher Chirichello
- 9a.
- Cascarones From: Cher Chirichello
- 10.
- Egg Rolling Choices Divination A Spring Ritual From: Cher Chirichello
- 11a.
- Equinox egg-balancing myth From: Cher Chirichello
- 12a.
- OSTARA OR EOSTAR MARCH 20-23 From: Cher Chirichello
- 13.
- Ostara Spring Equinox From: Cher Chirichello
- 14a.
- The Old Ways: Spring From: Cher Chirichello
- 15a.
- Ostara Incense From: Cher Chirichello
- 16a.
- Ostara Correspondences From: Cher Chirichello
Messages
- 1.
-
"Share A Recipe Day", 3/19/2012, 4:00 am
Posted by: "which_witch_is_witch@yahoogroups.com" which_witch_is_witch@yahoogroups.com
Mon Mar 19, 2012 12:43 am (PDT)
Reminder from: which_witch_is_witch Yahoo! Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/which_ witch_is_ witch/cal
"Share A Recipe Day"
Monday March 19, 2012
4:00 am - 5:00 am
(This event repeats every month on the third Monday.)
Notes:
"Share a Recipe Day" Share your favorite recipies, if it has
anything to do with Holidays/Sabbat/Esbate/season, please share more about it with us or share some memories or old traditions.
If you borrow the recipe please make sure that persons name is on it and also links if possible so people know where you got and get credited for it
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2012
Yahoo! Inc.
http://www.yahoo.com
Privacy Policy:
http://privacy.yahoo.com/ privacy/us
Terms of Service:
http://docs.yahoo.com/ info/terms/
- 2.
-
Early Bird Discount for Blue Ridge Beltane Festival ends soon
Posted by: "Jenn" myautumnkitty@yahoo.com myautumnkitty
Mon Mar 19, 2012 7:26 am (PDT)
You know what this crazy hot-cold-snow-sunshine Virginia weather means? Spring must be on its way—and it's bringing the Blue Ridge Beltane Festival with it!
That's right! It's time to start making some plans, if you haven't already, for the Blue Ridge Beltane Festival, May 11-13, at the beautiful Stoney Creek Campground Resort (www.StoneyCreekResort.net).
When you register you, your friends, and your family before MARCH 24, 2012, at www.BlueRidgeBeltane.org, you'll save as much as $20 off the regular at-the-gate registration price.
So, sign up early, and save some much needed cash that you can then use for practical stuff, like gas, groceries—or that new tarot deck you've been eyeing from one of the vendors!
This year's entertainment line-up will include an OPEN MIC on Saturday afternoon (for real this time—we promise), as well as singer Mike Dolan (lead singer of Featherscale) and our headliners Tuatha Dea—a drum-heavy Celtic-inspired rock band coming all the way from Tennessee!
You only have until March 24 to get the absolutely best price we can offer on registration. Go to www.BlueRidgeBeltane.org and make your bargain hunting ancestors proud!
Bright Blessings,
Blue Ridge Beltane Planning Committee
- 3.
-
Fw: Get Ready for Ostara!: Day 6: Ostara Crafts and Creations
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 8:33 pm (PDT)
Get Ready for Ostara!: Day 6: Ostara Crafts and Creations
If you can't see this email, click here
Get Ready for Ostara!
Day 6: Ostara Crafts and Creations
From Patti Wigington, your Guide to Paganism / Wicca
Spring is here, and it's time to get hands-on. Embrace your creative side, and try making a few simple crafts that celebrate the season. Today, we'll talk about some ideas for projects you can make and share with friends, or keep around your home for Sabbat celebrations!
Make a Spring Snake Wreath for Ostara
St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, at least according to legend, but what he really did was eliminate a lot of the old Pagan faiths by introducing Christianity. Many Pagans and Wiccans quietly protest St. Patrick by wearing a serpent pin or shirt on St. Patrick's Day. If that's not an option for you, or if you'd just like to do something a bit quirky and different, you can decorate your front door with a Spring Snake Wreath instead. Make a Snake Wreath
Seed Packet Greeting Cards
It's not easy to find Ostara cards at your local greeting card shops, so why not just make your own? Use colorful seed packets and card stock to create simple yet fun greeting cards for the season? Put together a bunch, and mail them to friends! How to Make Seed Packet Greeting Cards
Make an Ostara Tree
A fun project to do at Ostara is make and decorate a tree for the Sabbat. It doesn't have to be huge or fancy, but it's nice to have one sitting indoors to remind you of the changing seasons. You can make an Ostara tree with items you already have around the house. How to Make an Ostara Tree
Magic Crystal Ostara Eggs
This is a neat craft project you can make before Ostara. It takes a little time, but it's worth it for the smiles you'll get in return. Hide these eggs for your kids to find, and then when they crack them open, they can find the treasure hidden inside! How to Make Magic Crystal Ostara Eggs
Color Your Ostara Eggs Naturally
Ostara is a time of fertility and rebirth, and few things symbolize this as well as the egg. By coloring them with bright pinks, blues and yellows, we're welcoming the colors of spring back into our lives, and saying farewell to winter. However, a lot of commercially available egg-dying products are made from chemicals. They may not be toxic, but on the other hand, you might not have a clue what the ingredients are. Why not try using natural sources to get a variety of shades, and REALLY celebrate the colors of the season? How to Make Natural Egg Dyes
Tomorrow: Your Ostara Celebration
No Sabbat celebration is complete without feasting and food! In tomorrow's lesson -- our final one! -- we'll look at some great recipe ideas to help you plan your Ostara get-together.
This email is written by:
Patti Wigington
Paganism / Wicca Guide
Email Me | My Blog | My Forum
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- 4.
-
Fw: A Short Reminder from Columcille
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 8:34 pm (PDT)
Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
Columcille Megalith Park
Upcoming Events
_____________________ _________ __
Spring Equinox 2012 Reminder
_____________________ _________ __
Â
Spring EquinoxÂ
Tuesday, March 20th at 7:00am
Sunrise observance on Signal Hill
Sunrise at 7:03am EDT
Â
Â
Â
_____________________ _________ __
_____________________ _________ __
Columcille Land Care Days
_____________________ _________ __
Â
And speaking of Spring,each Saturday in April Columcille will have Land Care and Cleanup days.
Also, Bill will be available during the week for those who wish to stop by to lend a hand at welcoming Spring to the Land of Columcille.
Kindly call (610) 588-1174 for more information.
Happy Spring from Columcille!
_____________________ _________ __
Â
_____________________ _________ __
Full Moon Gatherings Resume
_____________________ _________ __
Women of Columcille Full Moon Celebrations will resume in April. We will gather for the 'Budding Tree Moon' in the circle of stones at 7:00pm on Friday, April 6th. The celebration is open to men and women who wish to participate. Feel free to bring your favorite instrument and any songs or chants. You can also bring crystals and gems for the Moon to cleanse and energize that evening.
In this powerful year of 2012 - a year of Change and Transcendence - let us empower ourselves with Full Moon energies!
No need to RSVP - your presence is all that is required.
_____________________ _________ __
Columcille Megalith Park
2155 Fox Gap Road
Bangor, PA 18013
www.columcille.org
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- 5.
-
Awareness Shop New Hand 'Crafted' Items Available...
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 8:34 pm (PDT)
Awareness Shop AwareMail
You're receiving this newsletter as you, Cher Njp, are subscribed to our mailing list with the email address of chic0411@yahoo.com .
Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe.
Awareness Shop AwareMail
Monday, March 19, 2012
Just a quick note, Cher, to tell you about some awesome new hand 'crafted' items.
As you know, The Awareness Shop has many great hand 'crafted' items from our scented votives, to our incense wands and blends to bath salts and mojo's. Well, we've been hard at work again and wanted to give you some info on some brand new hand 'crafted' items that are available today!
Be sure to browse our online store as we have been adding many more items into stock! We've gotten in new Candle Holders, Athames, Bath Salts, Crystals, Candles, Cauldrons, Pagan Accessories and Much Much More.
Awareness Shop Incense Cones
Awareness Shop Incense Cones
Just $3
We now have our own line of Hand 'Crafted' Magickally charged incense cones. They come in 20 different scents/purposes. Our packages contain 15 cones for your delight.
Click the picture for more information
Lavender Mist
Lavender Mist
Just $7
Use for relaxation & meditation. Draws calming energies.
At the Awareness Shop we strive to hand 'craft' as many of our items as possible to ensure that they are made to the greatest specifications. These mists are handmade from pure lavender flowers.
Approx. 3 Fluid Ounces
We also have Sage, Protection and Healing Mists available.
Click the picture for more information
Money Magick Roll-On
Money Magick Roll-On
Just $9
MUse this to draw prosperity into your life. Use to annoint bills, money, checks, lottery, raffle tickets, job applications, etc.
This Roll-On contains genuine US Currency, Gold Leaf, Essential Oils & Herbal Extracts.
At the Awareness Shop we strive to hand 'craft' as many of our items as possible to ensure that they are made to the greatest specifications. This is handmade and magickally charged while using the finest ingredients and purest intent.
Approx. 1 Fluid Ounce.
Click the picture for more information
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The Awareness Shop fully respects your privacy and will not sell, trade or otherwise disclose any information about you to anyone else.
The Awareness Shop, 180 Main St., New Paltz NY 12561 Ph. (845) 255-5756.
© 2010 Esoteric Consultations Inc. Sent in full compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act.
- 6.
-
Today's Goddess: OSTARA Easter (Date and Location Vary)
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 8:54 pm (PDT)
Today's
Goddess:OSTARA
Easter (Date and
Location Vary)
Eostre By Thalia Took
Themes: Fertility;
Rebirth
Symbol: Egg
About Ostara:The Tuetonic Goddess Ostara presides over personal renewal, fertility,
and fruitfulness. Not that spring is here, it's a good time to think about
renewal in your own life. Ostara represents spring's life force and earth's
renewal. Depicted as lovely as the season itself, in earlier writings she was
also the goddess of dawn, a time of new beginnings (spring being the figurative
dawn of the year). One of Ostara's name variations, Eostara, slowly evolved
into the modern name for this holiday, Easter.
To Do Today:All spells and foods that include eggs are appropriate today. If
you've been ill, try an old folk spell that recommends carrying an egg for
twenty-four hours, then burying it to bury the sickness.
To improve fertility of all kinds, make
eggs for breakfast at dawn's first light, the best time to invoke Ostara. As
you eat, add an incantation like this one:
Ostara, bring me fertility; with this egg
now bless my fruitfulness!
Or, if you're feeling down and need a
little extra hope, get up before the sun rises and relase a symbol of your
burden to the earth by dropping or burying it. Don't look at it. Turn your back
and leave it there. Turn toward the horizon as the sun rises, and harvest the
first flower you see. Dry it, then carry it with you often as a charm to
preserve hope in your heart.
By
Patricia Telesco
- 7a.
-
New Beginnings Spell
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 8:57 pm (PDT)
New Beginnings Spell
Now is a time of new beginnings becoming visible, hope and inspiration dancing into
being. Take a white and a black candle, and place them in front of you. Light
them, and breathe in the glow that comes from the balance of light and dark.
Speak this verse as you bask in the glow:
Wakening Earth,
Shake off your slumber
Feel the sunlight.
Kore has returned,
Spring has begun.
Â
All is possible,
Everything awakens.
Pulses quicken,
Rivers flow,
As each and every creature knows.
Â
Excitement fills each
brook and stream,
Creatures living in a dream.
Energies bursting from the ground-
Magic,
Prana,
And possibility all around.
Â
Now awakening,
My powers are strong and true.
Surrounded by new life,
New visions are coming through.
Â
Maiden goddesses dance
To each bud’s joyous opening.
I am replenished,
Like the baby chick,
I am not finished.
Â
Like the flower bud,
My powers are opening.
I am becoming,
My creative power
blossoming.
Â
The promise of life is
fulfilled,
Spring has returned,
and we are renewed.
What I initiate now
Grows quickly,
And balance is easy.
So mote it be.
 By: Abby
Willowroot,
- 8a.
-
Daily Aromatherapy Tip - No Worry Blend
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 8:58 pm (PDT)
Daily
Aromatherapy Tip - No Worry Blend
Here is a blend to help you let go of those worries, calm stress, relieve
tension, soothe and comfort.
Very good for insomnia Do not use in a nebulizing
type diffuser. Benzoin is quite thick.
Blend together
Lavender 4 drops
Benzoin 1 drop
Sandalwood 1 drop
Orange
(Tangerine or Clementine)) 2-4 drops
by
AromaThyme.com -
- 9a.
-
Cascarones
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:10 pm (PDT)
Cascarones
You will need the following things for this craft. Fresh eggs, herbs, confetti, or other lightweight item for filling, clear tape, colored pens or tissue paper and glue to decorate eggs with.
1. Empty egg shells by making a small hole in the larger end and a slightly larger hole in the small end (be sure to puncture the yolk). Be careful not to crack the rest of the egg). Then gently blow on the larger end of the egg to gently push out the egg's innards. (save these for scrambled eggs or omlettes)
2. Rinse out the eggs with cool water and let them dry overnight.
3. Close the bottom hole with a tiny piece of tape or a bit or glue.
4. Carefully fill the shells with herbs, confetti or other light- weight filling.
5. When full, seal the top hole with tape or glue.
6. Carefully decorate the outside of the egg.
7. On Ostara morning, catch your loved ones by surprise and break the egg over their head. As the filling rains down over your loved one and you, you are both showered with blessings, love, luck, and new life of the season.
- 10.
-
Egg Rolling Choices Divination A Spring Ritual
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:11 pm (PDT)
Egg Rolling Choices Divination
A Spring Ritual
Assemble Materials
You need to have an undecorated, unpeeled hardboiled egg and at least one waterproof coloring tool such as a crayon or permanent marker.
New Growth Choices
Pick four things you might choose to do this Spring that have the potential of enriching your life. These things can be options that you already have been considering doing. They also may be things that occur to you as you do this part of the exercise. If more than than four things occur to you, pick the four most intriguing to you.
Write these four possible actions on the back of this paper or on a separate sheet. Choose a symbol or word to signify each action. Mark it next to the fuller description of the four possible actions.
Egg Decorating
Hold the egg in your hands a few moments and silently focus on it being a spiritual helper on your life's journey. Silently thank the bird species that produced it (such as chicken, duck, goose). Acknowledge it as the synthesis of the Elements of Nature -- the Earth which is its physical form, plus the Water, Fire, and Air that hardboiled it, and Spirit, its connection with you as your spiritual helper. When you feel complete with the meditation, begin decorating the egg.
Throughout the egg decorating process, keep your attention focused on it being a spiritual helper. Decorate the egg with symbols as follows:
At one end of the egg make a circle and inside it put your name or initials, plus a symbol that represents the Spring season to you.
At the other end of the egg, make a circle and inside it put a symbol or word that represents Divinity to you (such as a deity name or a sacred color or shape).
Now draw four vertical lines dividing the remainder of the egg into roughly four segments.
In each of the four segments put the symbol and/or word of each of the new growth options you are considering.
When you are done decorating the egg, hold the egg a few moments in your hands and imagine it glowing with a spiritual light. Connect again with it as a spiritual helper in this decorated form. When you are complete with this, place the egg on the altar in the divination egg basket for use later.
Divination
After the indoor ritual is completed, get your egg and, weather permitting, journey outdoors to take part in the egg rolling divination part of the ritual. As part of group ritual, present yourself and your egg to the directions and focus on your connection with the Divine within and in all of Nature around you.
After this is done, begin your personal divination. Find a sloped area to serve as the place for your egg rolling. If necessary, clear a way for the rolling by removing by hand sticks, leaves, and other debris.
Once this is done, center yourself and holding the egg in your hands, request guidance by repeatedly saying something like: "Guidance for New Growth, come."
Roll the egg. Keep your eyes on it as it rolls. Notice where it lands.
Go to the egg after it stops rolling and then examine what side and symbol is facing the sky. Focus on the segment that is most predominantly facing upward. Call to mind what this symbol represents. Spend some time meditating on what has shown itself to you. Reflect on yourself putting this option into action in your daily life.
When done, give thanks for the guidance received and take up your egg. What you do with the egg is up to you -- for example, you can eat it as a sacred food, or you can take it home and place it on an altar or other special place, or you can bury it in the Earth, or you can leave it at the Stone Circle or other sacred site at the Sanctuary as an offering. Whatever you choose, keep in mind its sacredness.
Implementation
Make a note about the guidance you received. Write about your experiences.
Manifest the action in your life and notice in what ways you grow as a result of doing this.
Give thanks for this growth and change.
- 11a.
-
Equinox egg-balancing myth
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:12 pm (PDT)
Equinox egg-balancing myth
http://www.plantea.com/equinox- egg.htm
And how my little sister eggs me on...
By Marion Owen, Fearless Weeder for PlanTea, Inc. and
Co-author of Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul
A few years ago, my younger sister Mara phoned from Seattle with a challenge. "It's the first day of spring," she chirped, as if the lift in her voice would ward off yet another drizzly day. "I'm going to balance an egg today. How about you?"
I promised to give it a try, though the idea of standing an egg upright on its end seemed a little far-fetched. Amusing, though. And it would be hard to snub my sister by not trying.
Four years my junior, Mara is a petite, hard-working gal, with to-die-for, brassy white hair. She juggles several jobs at once, including a variety of caregiving duties for housebound "clients," as she calls them. As serious as her work is, Mara carries a childlike curiosity in everything she does. She's like a kid opening presents on Christmas morning or discovering helium balloons for the first time. And you gotta love her for such enthusiasm.
For example, while she's the one to cheerlead the entire family to go on a whale watching trip in Hawaii or sit through Blue Lagoon for the umpteenth time, she's slow to warm up to certain things. Take email. Leery of computers, she's the family caboose when it comes to embracing technology. We all know she'll get there eventually, but only after she's thoroughly researched laptop models A to Z. (She started the process 4 years ago.) Meanwhile my brother, who lives downstairs in the same apartment complex, hand delivers email messages cc'd to her so she can stay on top of family events.
On the other hand, she can quote, to the penny, what last month's phone bill was, and how it is that all calcium supplements on the market are not created equal.
To spend ten minutes with Sis, is to realize she's a blend of serious and silly, like a corporate CEO who carries a set of keys with toys dangling from the ring. Or balancing an egg on the first day of spring.
In the northern hemisphere, the Spring Equinox floats by us Alaskans, usually in the early morning when we're sipping our first cup of coffee. Another name for the equinox is the the Vernal Equinox. It's also known as The Day When You Can Balance an Egg on End.
The equinox occurs when the Earth's position on its axis, as it waltzes around the sun, places the sun directly over the Earth's equator. Day and night are of approximately equal length at 12 hours each. The hours of daylight peak around June 20, which is called the Summer Solstice, called the time when the sun stands still. The sun is again directly over the equator around, September 22, marking the Automnal Equinox.
Legend has it that on the equinoxes, when all things are equal, one can balance an egg on its side. Hence, Mara's phone call and the other carrot-dangling question: "Can you do this in Alaska?"
I hung up the phone and went right to the refrigerator. I selected an egg and set it on the counter. Cupping my hand over the top of the egg I positioned my fingers as evenly as I could around the circumference. The egg stubbornly ricocheted and played bumper cars from finger tip to finger tip as I struggled to find the balance point. After about five minutes it suddenly stopped shifting around as if it had had enough fun for the day and stood there, as vertical as a fence post.
I felt proud as a peacock until I read an article about Kevin Kehne, an assistant professor of physics at Delta College in Saginaw, Mich. "Each year, science fans tear their hair out when some media outlet features a story about the dubious physics of seasonal egg-balancing," says Dehne, who frequently lectures his classes on widely believed examples of junk science.
True eggheads know the Earth's alignment on its axis causes many miraculous phenomena. The changing of the season's is one; an upright egg is not. "You can balance an egg on its end any time of the year if you have the patience," adds Kehne.
The article went on to explain that the flawed theory most commonly used to explain the egg-equinox connection is that the Earth and sun have aligned "gravitationally." And somehow the sun's and Earth's gravitational pulls are in a delicate balance that makes eggs more stable.
For some reason, the spring equinox inspires more egg-balancing frenzy that the autumn equinox. Perhaps it's because spring is associated with newness and rebirth, which is represented by many symbols, particularly the egg.
Through time, rituals and invocations have marked the Vernal Equinox. New crops being planted would often be held during the new moon closest to the Equinox (traditionally a good time to plant). According to Ed Hume's Garden Guide, those dates fall on March 23 and 24 (in 2004) which also mark a good time to sow seeds of leaf crops such as lettuce, cabbage and mustard greens. You might also enjoy my article, Planting by the Moon.
Even after learning that balancing an egg on its end could be accomplished any day of the year, I couldn't resist calling Mara to boast about my achievement.
"I did it!" I blasted into the phone as soon as she answered.
"So, that wasn't so hard, was it?" she teased as only little sisters can. She didn't stop there, though. "One time I balanced three eggs at one time."
My balloon deflated. Yet if she had the patience to balance three eggs, then I wasn't about to pop her bubble with my scientific discovery. Besides, she'll figure that out the first time she does a search on Google!
Happy Equinox, in whatever hemisphere you live!
- 12a.
-
OSTARA OR EOSTAR MARCH 20-23
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:14 pm (PDT)
OSTARA OR EOSTAR MARCH 20-23
This is the Spring Equinox, known also as Ostara or Eostar. It's the
time of balance, when light and dark are equal and the Earth swells
with new life. In ancient times, people celebrated the arrival of spring, and the Goddess Eostar, or Eostre, whose symbols were the egg and the hare, both representations of the Great Mother.
Ostara is a festival of fertility and resurrection, the union of sun and soil, a time of planting, mothering, and tending to young children and animals.
At the Spring Equinox, the God and the Goddess are now equals, and they dance together across the Earth. Where ever they step, flowers appear and bloom beneath their feet, and sorrow turns to delight as the world is reborn.
Traditional symbols of this Sabbat are eggs, lambs, chicks, and rabbits-all symbolic of the Goddess in her "mother" aspect. Eggs are considered a symbol of the universe itself, with the shell representing earth; the membrane, air; the yolk, fire; and the white, water. An ancient Ostara custom was to dye eggs red, the color of life-force and regeneration. Other traditional colors of this Sabbat are silver and penny-candy pastels.
Celebrate Ostara with fresh spring flowers, bouquets of freesia, daffodils, lilac, and herbs such as clover, lemngrass, and mint.
Make "oracle eggs," Draw magical symbols on hard-boiled eggs with paraffin or white crayon. These can include astrological signs, runes, and dream symbology. Have an egg hunt; drop the eggs into pots of dye, and divine your future by the symbols that appear.
Water your houseplants with rainwater that has been steeped overnight in the light of a full Moon. Play favorite childhood games. Blow bubbles, play hopscotch and jacks, and jump rope using affirmation as rhyme. bless the seeds for our garden, and envision health, happiness, and prosperity growing for you in the warmth of the Sun.
Michele Morgan
- 13.
-
Ostara Spring Equinox
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:15 pm (PDT)
Ostara
Spring Equinox Dear Goddess, mother of all creations, you
are the fertile Earth. Please allow my seed
of love and compassion to take root and
grow this spring season. Dear God, father of all creation, you are
the life-giving rain and sun. Please allow
my seed of patience and forgiveness to
take root and grow this spring season. Dear eternal parents, thank you for calling
me to the Witch/Wiccan faith; please grant
me the strength I need to do your will. So Mote It Be. Author Unknown
- 14a.
-
The Old Ways: Spring
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:16 pm (PDT)
The Old Ways: Spring
Spring (Earrach) or Vernal Equinox, on approximately March 21, is the mid-point of the Waxing Year. The spark of light that was born at Winter Solstice has reached maturity, and from this point forward, the days grow longer than the nights. This is the time of full Dawn, 6:00 a.m. on the Year Clock, and so was the time of the festivals of the Grecian Goddess, Eostre, and the Germanic Ostara, both Goddesses of Dawn. (It is from these Bright Ladies that the modern Easter holiday takes its name). This is the time that is often seen as the time of Kore’s return from the Underworld, where She (as Persephone) has ruled throughout the Winter. It is also the time of the celebration of the rebirth of Adonis the Beautiful.
Spring is the time for a celebration of planting and of the greening of the Earth. The supermarket is a sign in itself, as the produce department begins to fill with fresh fruits and vegetables. People start to talk about having ‘Spring Fever’ and doing ‘Spring cleaning’, as the brighter sunshine provides a needed morale boost.
Non-Pagans start to shop for Easter finery (putting on new clothes, just like the Earth Mother), or Passover foods, unaware that we are all truly celebrating the same thing: the Revitalization of the Earth, as She warms to the waxing rays of the Sun. We have survived another Winter and are once more surrounded by the delights of Spring. Some authorities say that this was probably the time that the Christian Church should have chosen to celebrate as the birth date of Jesus, since this would have been the time for paying taxes in ancient Jerusalem and, according to the myth, Mary and Joseph were traveling to fulfill that obligation. It is also the season of lambing, the only time shepherds would ‘watch by night’.
Many traditions associated with Spring Equinox have been retained over the years and grafted onto the Easter celebration. Even today, people arise early on Easter morning to attend ‘Sunrise Service’. (Remember Eostre, the Dawn Goddess?) If your group is not opposed to getting up early, a Dawn Circle to greet the Sun on the morning of the Equinox can be wonderful! Legend says the Sun Dances and, if it is reflected in a bowl of clear water, you can see it for yourself! However, we would not recommend this if you are night-owls. It’s hard to put your whole heart into ritual when you are bleary-eyed and groggy. Festivals should be FUN, not tests of your determination!
Decorated eggs have always been symbols of fertility. In 17th century France, gifts of decorated eggs were given to new brides, in hopes they would bear many children. In Germany, bowls full of eggs were given to the field-workers by the farmer’s wife, to insure a rich harvest. Many cultures see the egg as a symbol of Life, or the actual home of the soul. The egg is the symbol of all good fortune in Russia and decorated eggs are still given as gifts to loved ones and buried in graves to insure rebirth. These elaborate and ornate treasures are sometimes even set with precious stones. (Note Faberge’ and Tiffany eggs.)
Each color applied to the decorated eggs had meaning to villagers in the Ukraine. Eggs, given as gifts, conveyed particular wishes. Meanings varied from village to village, but here are some examples:
White Purity
Yellow Wisdom, a successful Harvest, or Spirituality
Green Spring, rebirth, wealth, youth, growth, happiness
Blue Good health, clear skies
Orange Power, endurance, ambition
Red Happiness, hope, passion, nobility, bravery, enthusiasm, love
Brown Enrichment, good Harvest, happiness
Purple Faith, trust, power
Pink Success
Black Remembrance
Decorating these eggs, called Pysansky, was a women’s ritual. The eggs were gathered only from hens who lived near a rooster, as a non-fertile egg meant there would be no fertility in the home. No one was allowed to watch the women work as they transferred the goodness of the household to the designs on the eggs and thus kept evil away. Secret family recipes were use for mixing the dyes and the women placed special blessings on each egg.
It is fun for the Coven to gather, on the night before Equinox, for an egg-decorating party. Don’t stick to the commercial egg-dyes. Instead,>use felt-tipped pens to create bright-colored designs of leaves and flowers. If you want to go to a little more trouble and be more authentic, gather various leaves, roots, and flowers, and tie them tightly to the eggs before boiling. The vegetable dyes released in the water will create lovely patterns on the eggs.
The following day, the eggs can be used as altar decorations and given as gifts.. Later, at the feast, you can indulge in a little game called Egg-shackling. Two people crack their eggs against each other. The holder of the first egg cracked pays a forfeit to the other. Egg-shackling and Pace-egging (children going from door to door to receive gifts of painted eggs) are still part of Spring celebrations in Northern England.
We have, in our own Coven, a member of Russian heritage. At Spring, she prepares a traditional (and very luxurious) dessert called a Paskha. It is made from farmers cheese with lots of eggs, butter and sugar, pressed into a tower-shaped mold that has been in her family for many years. The ‘mountain’ of sweetened cheese is topped with a frosted lace cloth and decorated with tiny sugar flowers. It is representative of the snow melting from the mountains and Spring returning. This is served with a rich fruited egg-bread called a Kulich.
The fig is well-known as a fertility symbol. The tree contains both the masculine and feminine principles: the leaf is seen as male and the fruit as female. The ‘Mano in Fica’ or ‘Fig Hand’ is used as a hand sign for woman or Goddess. (This is done by closing the fist and projecting the thumb between the first and second fingers.) A popular custom, maintained as recently as the 19th century, involved climbing to a hilltop for a picnic of fig-cakes during the Spring celebration. A ritual feast of figs is appropriate (if a little messy), or the delicious little fig-newton available at any market will do.
There is fairly good evidence that Hot Cross Buns (seemingly a wholly Christian custom), really have their origins in The Old Ways. Two petrified small loaves of bread, five inches in diameter and marked with a cross, were found by archeologists at Herculaneum (destroyed in 79 c.e.). It was doubtful that these were made for a Christian celebration. Early Anglo-Saxons ate wheat cakes decorated with crosses at Spring and cakes of this type were part of a Spring festival dedicated to Diana. At Hertfordshire, in England, ruins of an altar to Diana of the Crossways have been found. Coincidentally, the area is famous for it’s Hot Cross Buns!
This article would not be complete without a word about the good, old bunny. The poor little bunny, a fertility symbol for obvious reasons, has been relegated to the role of ‘egg-delivery boy’ in modern times. How he must long for the time when he was the Moon-Hare, Sacred to Goddesses all over the world! (The hare was thought related to the night and the Moon because it is born with its eyes open.)
The following song is from the ‘Oxford Book Of Carols’. We would say that it is sung to the tune of ‘Good King Wenceslas’, except for the fact that, according to Oxford, this is the original version. Wenceslas is the filk!
FLOWER SONG
Spring has now unwrapped the flowers Day is fast reviving Life in all her growing powers Toward the light is striving Gone the iron touch of cold Winter time and frost time Seedlings working through the mould Now make up for lost time!
Herb and plant that, Winter long Slumbered at their leisure Now bestirring green and strong Find in growth their pleasure All the world with beauty fills Gold the green enhancing Flowers make glee among the hills And set the meadows dancing!
Through each wonder of fair days She herself expresses Beauty follows all Her ways As the World She blesses So, as She renews the Earth Artist without rival In Her grace of glad new birth We must seek revival!
So, once again, we discover that the customs we practice today are rooted in The Old Ways. Eggs, bunnies and Sunrise Circles continue to represent the coming of Spring, even as they did for our ancestors. As you plant your seeds, bless your plants and decorate your eggs, think about the Continuity of Life and have a Bright and Blessed Spring!
- 15a.
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Ostara Incense
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:18 pm (PDT)
Ostara Incense 2 parts Frankincense
1 part Benzoin
1 part Dragon's Blood
1/2 part Nutmeg
1/2 part Violet flowers (or a few drops of Violet Oil)
1/2 part Orange peel
1/2 part Rose petals Burn during Witches/Wiccan's rituals on Ostara (the Spring Equinox,
which varies from March 20th to the 24th each year!) or to welcome
the spring and to refresh your life.
- 16a.
-
Ostara Correspondences
Posted by: "Cher Chirichello" CHIC0411@YAHOO.COM chic0411
Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:21 pm (PDT)
Ostara Correspondences
  Celebrated on or about March 21st on the date of the
Veranl Equinox (a time when the sun passes the celestial equator and day and night are equal in both hemispheres). Also the day the sun enters
the sign of Aries.
Activities and Rituals: planting, welcoming spring, coloring eggs,
making/wearing new clothing, fertility rites, rituals of balance, herb
work â€" magical, medicinal, cosmetic, culinary and artistic, spells for
prosperity/fertility, new beginnings, potential, action
Stones/Gems: Jasper, amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone and red jasper.
Incense: African violet, jasmine, rose, sage and strawberry
Herbs/Flowers: Honeysuckle, Iris, Peony, Violet, Woodruff, Gorse,
Olive, Iris, Narcissus, Daffodils, Jonquils, Primrose, Forsythia,
Crocus, all spring flowers, pine tree
Colors: Green, Yellow
Symbols & Decorations: four leaf clover, baskets, eggs, lambs,
flowers, chicks, bunnies, budding twigs, flowers, pussy willows,
sprouting bulbs, colored ribbons
Foods: jelly eggs (jelly beans), chocolates, lamb, eggs, seeds, leafy green vegetables, spiced or flower cupcakes, fruits, hot cross buns,
sprouts, honey cakes, unleavened
bread
Deities: The Maiden, Astarte, Aurora, Eostre, Eos, Ostara, Kore or
Persephone (as the maiden), The Green Man, Ares, Mars, Attis, Adonis,
Osiris, Narcissus, Hyacinth
and Dionysus
Animals: rabbits, hares, robins, dragons (associated with eggs the earth and fertility), lambs, chicks
Other Holidays: St. Patrick’s Day (Christian-Mar. 17), Eostara (first full moon after equinox), Easter (Christian-first Sunday following
Spring Equinox and full moon), Ides
of March (Roman New Year March 15),
Hilaria or the Day of Joy (Roman-March 15), Festival of Astarte (Mar
17), Feast of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Passover
(Judaism)
Also called: Lady Day, Alban Eiler (Druidic), Eostara (Teutonic),
Oestara, Eostra, Alban Eilir (Druidic), Vernal Equinox, Summer Finding
(Asatru), Naw Ruz (Persian New
Year), Alban Elfed, Festival of Trees, No Ruz, Ostra, Rites of Spring
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