Sing Praise,
when p*u*s*s*y willows show
and daffodils push
through the snow.
The sunlight
the mourning cloaks
have sought
warms sister hare,
twixt seasons caught."
Be Blest: A Celebration of Seasons by Mary Beth Owens ~ March
At approximately 5:45 PST this morning, the wheel turned, the season has changed and life is once more returning to the world. Today is the Vernal Equinox and the first day of Spring! I really just want to do a happy dance right now. I arose early today and was meditating before my altar as the wheel turned. It was wonderful to watch the sun peek over the horizon and feel it's warmth and light wash over me.
This year, we also have the uniquely rare ocassion of Easter being only a couple of days away instead of almost a month. Why did that happen? Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the first full moon after the Equinox (tonight's the full moon). It can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25. It will be on March 23 this year, but will not be so again until 2160 (the most common date for Easter is actually April 19). There, that's a nice bit of trivia for you. :D
Ostara and Easter both have a lot in common with their roots. The same symbols are used in both instances, with slightly different meanings in each but at the heart it is all a celebration of the return of life, rebirth, renewal.
The egg itself represents resurrection, return to life, fertility, abundance. The shell is seen as the Universe, which surrounds us all, the white is the Goddess, the golden orb of yolk represents the Sun God, and the whole is a symbol of rebirth. Today, the young Goddess has awoken from her long winter slumber. She has resumed her throne and presides over the season of spring with her companion, the rabbit (ah, so that's where bunnies come in). and she has concieved not only the God (the Light) to be reborn at Yule (Winter Soulstice) but the bountiful Autumn harvest as well.
There are other symbols that overlap also, such as the lamb (another ancient symbol of fertility, purity and life), the rabbit (fertility, abundance), the white lily ( beauty, hope, the resurrection, purity) and the basket (fertility, the womb).
But why a bunny presenting eggs? Well, this comes from a story of the Goddess Eostre. It's actually a rewritten myth based on the Goddess’ sacred animal, the hare. One beautiful Spring day, she was strolling through her gardens when she came upon a beautiful bird. The poor little bird's wing was injured and the Goddess, feeling great compassion, chose to heal it. But it was so injured that Eostre knew it would never fly again. So, She decided to help the little creature in such a way that it would retain mobility and a little something more. She turned it into a rabbit! However, during the transformation, the rabbit retained the ability to lay eggs. The little rabbit was so grateful to the Goddess for saving it that it laid a sacred egg in Her honor. It was then joyously decorated and humbly presented to the Goddess. She was so touched by the thoughtful gift that She wished all humankind to share in the joy. So, to honor her wishes, the rabbit journeyed around the world distributing the beautifully decorated little gifts of life.
We still color and decorate eggs as an offering. In these times, they are seen as on of the ultimate signs of the season. You know it's spring when you see gaily dressed children running through the grass hunting for their elusive treasure as they swing their baskets with shouts of laughter.
There is more to the beautiful Ukrainian Pysanky eggs as well. They are rich in symbolism that is almost endless in number and variation. In fact, one myth tells of a demon monster that would devour the world if it was not imprisoned. It is heavily chained but as it strains and pulls, the links are weakened. However, every Spring the chain is strengthened in proportion to the number of Pysanky eggs that were made and exchanged. In fact, the word pysanky comes from the root word pysaty (to write) because the signs are written on the surface of the egg. You can learn more about the symbolism here. If you'd like to make your own, Hearthsong has a great kit. Just type in a search for Pysanky. LearnPysanky.com is also a very informative site.
Today I (or we):
Have redecorated my altar to reflect the season.
Have put a swag of roses over our front door.
Will be dyeing our eggs this evening.
Planting seeds I especially blessed for this day. (You can find kits here and here.)
Taking a walk this evening to reflect on Nature and her bounty.
Today, I am also spring cleaning!
Traditional foods are leafy green vegetables (such as spinach), dairy foods (I prefer creamy cheeses for today, and the kids and I have even made our own before), flower dishes (think edible flowers, especially candied flowers), sprouts, nuts and seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower and pine. So, I have set aside a couple of nice recipes for today. I don't have much planned tonight for dinner. Just a light spinach souffle and a spring green salad on the side. I would love to make Paksha or a Simnel cake, but alas, this year I'm unprepared and so will have to plan accordingly for next year. Or, perphaps I'll just make one of these for Easter dinner with the family on Sunday. I might have time for that. I am definately making a rice pudding though! A good source for Ostara recipes is here at Moonsweb. Oh, and if you'd like to view my altar, you can see it here. This is the one in our living area downstairs.
A few good books:
  
  
If spring came but once a century instead of once a year,
or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake and not in silence,
what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts
to behold the miraculous change. "
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow |
Mar. 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment