The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Chocolate Rabbit


Ostara Comments

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Chocolate Rabbit

Sure, Ostara is a time to celebrate spirituality and the turning of the earth, but there’s no reason we can’t have a good time with it as well. If you’ve got kids — or even if you don’t — this simple rite is a great way to welcome the season using some things that are readily available in the discount stores at this time of year!

Bear in mind, this is meant to be fun and a little bit silly. If you think the Universe has no sense of humor, click the Back button on your browser immediately to exit this page.

Arrange your ritual supplies on your altar so they look pretty. Kids can do this — typically the chocolate rabbits end up in the center, surrounded by an army of Peeps and several rings of jellybeans. A quick note — you might want to perform this ritual well in advance of mealtime, or all the kids will be too full of candy to eat a real dinner.

  • A bag of jellybeans
  • Marshmallow Peeps — chicks, bunnies, etc.
  • A chocolate rabbit for each participant
  • A glass of milk for each participant

First, give everyone present a handful of jellybeans. Point out the different colors in the jellybeans, and what they can represent. As you call out each one, eat the jellybeans in that color. Feel free to be a bit goofy. Say something like:

Behold, little jelly eggs, small symbols of the season,
How we adore you!
Green is for the grass that springs from the land! (eat all the green jellybeans)
Yellow is for the sun shining above our heads! (eat all your yellow jellybeans)
Red is for the tulips that grow in our garden! (eat your red jellybeans)
Pink is for Aunt Martha’s new Easter hat! (eat your pink jellybeans)
Purple is for the crocuses that sprout along our driveway! (eat the purple ones)

Continue this until all the colors are gone — if you really want to have some fun, make the kids take turns naming off the colors and what they mean to them. When they’re all gone, call out:

Hail! Hail! to the mighty jelly bean of Spring!

Next, hand out the marshmallow Peeps. As you do, say:

Behold the Peep! The Peep is life, brought back in the spring!
Little Peep chickens, we honor you! (bite the Peep chicks)
Little Peep bunnies, we honor you! (bite the Peep bunnies)…

Continue this until the Peeps are all gone — it’s probably a good idea to limit each kid to just two or three Peeps at the most. When the Peeps have all vanished, call out:

Hail! Hail! to the mighty Peeps of Spring!

Finally, distribute the chocolate rabbits. Say:

Behold the great chocolate rabbit!
As he hops through the land, he spreads joy and happiness!
O, how we adore the chocolate rabbit and his great big chocolate ears! (eat the rabbit’s ears)
Praise the chocolate rabbit, and his delicious chocolate tail! (eat the rabbit’s tail)
Honor this chocolate rabbit, and his chocolate hoppity legs! (eat the rabbit’s legs)
He is a wonderful rabbit, and he is special indeed! (eat the rest of the rabbit)

When the rabbits are all gone, say:

Hail! Hail! to the mighty chocolate rabbit of Spring!

Give everyone a glass of milk, and raise your drinks in a toast to these three symbols of the season.

To the jelly beans!
To the Peeps!
To the chocolate rabbit!
We drink in your honor!

Drink your milk, and sit back to enjoy the sensation of being stuffed with ritual candy.

Article published on & owned by About.com

Spring’s New Life, Ostara


Ostara Comments

Ostara

Winter’s barrenness has subsided,
From the death of Winter
Springs new life!
Spring is coming to the land.
The days grow longer,
Warm breezes begin to stir,
All around us we see signs ~~~
The growing things are beginning anew.
It is a resurrection of the dance of life.
The dance of the stems and stalks
As they push forth from the Earth.
It is the season of creation.
Growth has turned outward,
The land has become fertile again.
The Earth is caressed by
The loving touch of the Mother.
Where her hand passes:
Atoms twine together to create growth.
Buds burst open,
Leaves and vines unfurl.
She creates a vision of green beauty.
Beauty so breath-taking after
The dark solitude of Winter.
It is this vision that we celebrate
On her day of Ostara
The world recreating itself ~~~
Returning from the death of Winter,
Into the new life of Spring
Through the love of the Goddess.

—by Aurora

Proudly Introducing Our Newest Affiliate Site, The Eupterra Foundation

Proudly Introducing Our Affiliate Site

The Eupterra Foundation

Charlene A. Rountree, Founder

263171lxlble1hnk

Hello everyone,About-Me-e1397065272848

my name is Charlene and I have had a passion for the natural sciences since kindergarten, well… maybe even prior to that, too 😉

A bit of history…

Being born in Miami, Fl, I grew up as a kid seeing lots of wetland, oceanic, and tropical critters and spent a bunch of time having fun catching lizards, frogs, and crab spiders around my parent’s pool. As I got older, my family moved to the Midwest and settled in central Indiana, where I got to learn more about the American farming country and the many Native American cultures that lived here during the pioneering days.

Growing up, I developed a love for biology and the ethnic sciences, and learned about them extensively. I looked through the works and influences of National Geographic, Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society, Conservation International, and even our local farmer’s market. Through this, I saw at an early age what many in these groups and vocations acknowledged: mankind’s interconnection with the natural world and the direct consequences of this physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

As time would go on, I began to see and believe that all of us living in the post-modern industrial world needed to re-learn how to not be at odds with our own “habitat”. Throughout my studies attending both Indiana University in Bloomington, IN and Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, the fields of ethnobiology, medicine, medical anthropology, and environmental sustainability showed an increasing need. For instance, in the field of medicine, testing the efficacy of conserved knowledge still held in traditional medical practices and how they may offer insight into bettering our modern practices is an example of one way we are beginning to explore methods that may be more financially frugal as well as less harmful in the form of side effects to the body, and long-term issues to the environment. Essentially, what would be known as medical anthropology.

From this I formed the belief that through an organized accumulation of already held knowledge, we could solve so many difficult or commonly believed “impossible” problems, man-made or otherwise, through natural methods or synthesized technology that worked harmoniously with it. Slowly, but surely, the idea for a foundation formed, a place where these bits of information and ideas converged for everyone to have ready access to in order to help advance their fields, their studies, our daily lives and overall well-being.

A place that would serve to honor and promote one “true” Terra, a unified foundation placing its focus on solving humanity’s natural problems one long-lasting healing method at a time. Through an understanding of ourselves, our environment, and our relationship with the latter I thought this was possible.

Eupterra-logo-BW-2

Charlene created the Eupterra Foundation to help folks have a central resource for information regarding tidbits of what our natural world has to offer us, especially in the healthy living department. She also wanted it to be a place that brings awareness to organizations like Aveda, Distant Village, and Society for Medical Anthropology, who are furthering sustainability in our future through their own indirect way. For those who like to travel from the seat of their chairs, Charlene thought a forum and collection of cultural articles and recommendations as to where one can learn more about healthful practices would be good to share.

The Eupterra Foundation that Charlene created is a very informative as well as beautiful site. When you visit her site you will find Charlene loves to talk about the various properties of food, ayurvedic medicine, and tips for a beautiful natural life.

We are honored that The Eupterra Foundation has agreed to become an affiliate partner of ours. Charlene will have her own category here on the WOTC. You can ask questions about essential oils, foods, ayurvedic medicines and any others that you might have. Charlene brings a lot to the table. She is very informative and has devoted her life to her study and passion of a more healthy life and practices for all mankind. Charlene will be posting information that I am sure all of us will find very beneficial. You can ask her questions, discuss and just get to know her. This affiliation has been a year in the making, I know it will be a great benefit to all our members.

Welcome Charlene & The Eupterra Foundation to The WOTC! We are honored to have you join us.

263171lxlble1hnk

To Visit Charlene on The WOTC, visit her category,

Charlene’s Oils

To visit The Eupterra Foundation, please follow the link below.

Eupterra-logo-BW-2