Have a Magical Beltane!
9:21 AM
Beltane: A Festival
of Fire and Fertility
The Wheel of the Year turns once more. Ostara, the Maiden
Goddess, at Beltane yields to the May Queen and the celebration of life.
Beltane, also known as May Day, begins at sundown on April 30.
Beltane, an ancient Celtic festival of fire and fertility, may
have evolved from the six-day Roman festival Floralia, which celebrated the
goddess Flora and occurred on April 27 or 28. The Floralia commemorated the
flowering of spring and included theatrical performances, and competitive games
paid for by fines collected when public lands were encroached upon.
Beltane in contrast, is primarily a fire and fertility
festival, and is the last of the three spring fertility festivals, following
Imbolc and Ostara. It marks the halfway point between the vernal (spring)
equinox and the summer solstice. In ancient times, Beltane celebrated life, the
end of the dark time of winter, the beginning of summer, and the virility of
the Sun God, known during the festival as the May King or Green Man.
On May Eve, Druids lit the Bel fires (bright fires,
balefires) for luck and protection. Witches jumped the flames to fortify the
protection spells. Cattle were driven between the balefires to safeguard the
herd. Couples spent the night in the woods “A-Maying.” Married couples cavorted
as well. They were allowed to remove their wedding rings, and for the night were
free of the restrictions of marriage.
Then on May Day, villagers danced the Maypole. The
phallic-like pole represented the god; the rainbow ribbons, the goddess. As the
dancers circled the Maypole, their entwining ribbons wrapped around the pole,
signifying the joining of the god and goddess.
THE BELTANE ESCAPE
Lady Fenella, Thaness of Thorburn,
has no idea her fate is shackled to a powerful sorceress. She believes
Merlin and the Lady of the Lake are myths, Gran’s warnings about Fairy are
superstition, and Fairy was invented to make children behave. But a
spell cast forward to sixteenth century Scotland finds Fenella and leads to her
being branded, stolen, and betrothed. Traumatized and separated from her clan,
the Highland heiress finds an unexpected ally in her kidnapper’s son. But their
fragile romance is tested when the Lady of the Lake lures Fenella’s cousin into
Fairy. Fenella has seconds to decide. Should she remain with Edward, or should
she dive into Fairy to rescue her beloved cousin, endangering her clan, and
abandoning Edward to his ruthless father?
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Ostara
March 20, 2016
Sun enters Aries at 12:30 AM, Eastern Standard Time
Moon enters Virgo 1:39 PM,
Eastern Standard Time
On the vernal equinox, ancient Teutonic/Saxon tribes
celebrated winter’s departure with a festival dedicated to Ostara, Goddess of
the Dawn. Also known as Eostre and Eastre, Ostara’s arrival symbolizes birth,
rebirth, and renewal. These concepts, along with Ostara’s name and principal
symbols — the egg and the hare — became incorporated into the Christian
celebration of Easter.
A maiden, lunar, and fertility goddess, Ostara personifies
springtime. In her footsteps, new flowers grow. According to legend, Ostara
once arrived late and discovered a bird that could no longer fly because its
wings had been damaged by the frost. Filled with remorse and compassion, Ostara
transformed the bird into a hare, and blessed it with great speed so it could
outrun its predators. The hare became her companion and totem. Each year on the
vernal equinox, the hare relives its avian past by delivering baskets of eggs
in Ostara’s honor.
How the Legend Grew
The World Land Trust provides this explanation for
the egg-laying hare: “The shallow hollows or 'forms' used by
hares to rest and rear their young are similar to the nests of ground nesting
birds such as lapwings and plovers, which are commonly found on open grassland
or arable farmland.
Due to
this similarity, people sometimes find eggs in what looked like hare forms!
This gave rise to the belief that hares laid eggs in spring, and explains Pagan
myths about mysterious egg-laying hares.” http://www.worldlandtrust.org/news/2013/03/march-hares-easter-eggs-exhibition-opens-world-land-trust-gallery-0http://www.worldlandtrust.org/news/2013/03/march-hares-easter-eggs-exhibition-opens-world-land-trust-gallery-0
Hares, especially the March Hare, are potent symbols
of fertility. The March Hare, a nocturnal animal associated with the moon,
mates in March. Its 28-day gestation cycle matches the length of the lunar
cycle.
Symbolism
of the Egg
Ostara’s other symbol, the egg, is often thought of as
the perfect form. It symbolizes fertility and rebirth and has been described as
embodying the earth and moon, or the sun and moon. Modern science explains the
connection between chicken eggs, modern symbols of Ostara and Easter, and the
longer days that follow the vernal equinox. Light stimulates the chicken’s
pituitary gland, which produces the hormones that affect the bird’s fertility
and egg laying. Chickens cease laying eggs when daylight drops below 12
hours. Ostara’s arrival signaled lengthening daylight and the return of the
egg-laying season.
Ostara Foods
Hardboiled eggs, spring greens, sprouts, flower dishes,
seasonal fruits, and hot crossed buns.
Ostara Incense
Jasmine, strawberry, lotus, narcissus, and rose incense may
be used.
Ostara Activities
Plant a magical herb garden. Plant vegetable or flower seeds.
Hold an egg hunt or color eggs.
Ostara Altar
Use a bright, spring green altar cloth, and decorate the
altar with rabbit figurines, colorful eggs, and spring flowers. Strew flowers
to delineate the ritual circle.
Hare
Magic
The hare symbolizes fertility,
frenetic and fertile energy, the ability to evade predators, tricksters, moon
magic, and messengers to the underworld. To encompass the essence of Ostara, paint
a rabbit and the moon on a wooden or hardboiled egg. While painting, think of
what you’d like to give birth to or complete, or your own spiritual growth or
rebirth. Place the finished egg where you will be reminded each day of your
wish/goal.
Picture
credits:
(This beautiful image of the goddess
is included in Stephen D. Farmer’s wonderful oracle card deck, Earth Magic.)
