Sunday, March 20, 2011

Happy Ostara!!

First day of Spring...and I've got two blankets and the space heater cranked and still have frozen fingers.... LOL Oh well, I know Mother Nature doesn't follow the calendar now hehe On a side note though, it's been a Nature magickal weekend for me, and my father. Today hubby and I went for a cruise for some groceries and coffee and I saw my first hawk since the Fall. My dad said (from my description over the phone) that it was a redtail hawk. Also saw a bunch of geese for the first time yet this year - for me - and of course several robins and other fun folk flying about. OH, and a little off course, but chickens. Fancy chickens eating in the front yard of one of the farm houses down the road. I want pet chickens, seriously. Anyway, my dad saw much more majestic animals this past few days. He saw a large moose while driving to the bush (cuts wood) and an adult bald eagle. Stunning both I'm sure!

I put up my drawing of the Green Man and have a little pot that I'm planning on trying to plant from an acorn I've saved for a couple years now LOL Found it randomly yesterday and then the little green plastic pot was randomly in our front yard today so I thought it'd be a fun test. Gunna google on it to make sure, though my mom said she's pretty sure you need to crack it open and then just plant the seed(s)...So we shall see cuz we still have a huge bag of potting soil in the garage barely touched. So, technically I'm celebrating Ostara tomorrow as I don't have the privacy to do much tonight, and I've also been dead tired all day so would rather wait until tomorrow when I'm more prepared.

I did; however, copy out the Llewellyn's Ostara ritual to look over for possible future use, which I shall copy below. I hope you all had a wonderful and magickally filled weekend!

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For this ritual you will need two small chalices or cups of water or wine, and if you’re working indoors, you will need two bowls in which to pour the liquid. You will also need two candles and some matches. A ritual blade or wand is optional.

Place these items on a small altar, table, or other flat surface. In a pinch I’ve used the stereo. At other times I’ve no trouble using a flat rock or even the ground itself.

Arrange the candles so that one is to the extreme left of the altar and one to the extreme right. Place the chalices of water or wine beside the candles. If you are working indoors, place the bowls on the ground on either side of the candles.

Begin by offering prayers of thanks to the God and Goddess for the blessings of Ostara. List aloud each one. Go slow. Be thorough. As you do this, dip your fingertips in each chalice alternately and flick the water around your immediate area to impart those blessings. Use caution if you are indoors or, if you’re using wine, go through the motion of aspersing without actually touching the liquid.

Focusing on the candles, think about them representing the winter behind you—the time of year with the greatest darkness—and say:
I stand at the center and balanced be,
The charge of seasons meets here in me.
From wintertime’s dark and lonely nights,
To summertime’s warm and lively light.
(Take the matches and light both candles.)
Now at the center at Ostara am I,
Not light or dark to dominate the sky;
But a time of lengthening light and day,
As we pass from balance to summer’s days.
(Extinguish one candle to represent the balance of light and dark.)

Take the chalice to your right and hold it up, saying:
God of the Sun and Lord of Light,
I honor your spirit in which I delight.
Pour the water or wine onto the ground to your right or into a bowl to be poured onto the ground altar. Then take the chalice to your left and hold it up, saying:
Goddess of the Earth and of the night,
I honor your spirit as the earth turns light.
Pour the contents of this chalice onto the earth or into the bowl.

You may spend as much time as you want at your altar, speaking with your deities, meditating, or just contemplating the meaning of your ritual and of Ostara. When you are ready to stop, extinguish the candle with a private word of thanks to your deities. Take any water or wine collected in the bowls and pour it outside onto the face of Mother Earth to complete your offering to the deities.

4 comments:

  1. Happy Spring Equinox to you too hon! I went to the part today and met with some members of the local Pagan Community. We had a collective open ritual: dancing, singing, and I led a storytelling ritual. It was fun because I got some kids to participate and although they were terrified at first, by the end they were having a blast!

    I hope the spring brings you nothing, but great things!

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  2. Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday. I like to do these guest posts every now and then to meet new bloggers.

    I've followed you, so I'll be poking my head in every now and then. ;)

    How did your ritual go?

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  3. I thought about you when I read this ;-)

    http://michelwatson.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/lilac-flowers/

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  4. You have sighted some wonderful wildlife! That is always such a treat. I had a wonderful outdoor ritual for the Equinox. So liberating! I love this season.

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