Author: downinthebayoubeyond

If You Were Born Today, April 16

Happy Birthday

If You Were Born Today, April 16

While you yearn for security and stability, you are easily bored with routines and can get antsy if you don’t have freedom of movement. This can make you somewhat difficult to please at times! You can be quite indecisive in love, and in long-term setups, you’ll need to vary the routine frequently in order to keep your interest levels high. Dynamic and spirited, you have a kooky sense of humor and your interests (as well as talents) are many. Famous people born today: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Peter Ustinov, Ellen Barkin, Charlie Chaplin.

Your Birthday Year Forecast

With the Sun and Moon in harmony in your Solar Return chart, the year ahead should be satisfying and balanced overall. You are in comfortable demand and personally popular, and you are able to achieve a decent balance between work and play; personal and professional life. For the most part, you are on top of your game this year, and positive connections with others can be made fairly easily. With the ability to handle your emotions successfully, there is less stress on both your mind and body. Your self-confidence and positive attitude will reward you!

With Uranus electrifying your Sun this year, you can expect a rather liberated and interesting period ahead. Changes are in store for you, and they’re likely to be very positive if you recognize and honor your need for newness in your life. This influence brings about big changes, sudden events, unanticipated disruptions, and surprising situations into your life. These happenings are likely to have a major impact on your character, vitality, and individuality. You may feel the urge to break out and embrace new and exciting things. Life will be exciting–and the changes positive–if you go with the flow. If you deny your urge for change, feelings of restlessness and rebelliousness will unexpectedly erupt, prompting sudden lunges for freedom that can have surprising results and reactions. This influence stimulates your creativity, excitability, self-will, and originality. Sudden flashes of insight increase your spiritual awareness. You may become more outspoken, even rebellious. Career breaks or changes are possible. Alternatively, you might change the direction of your life path to suit the “new you”. Unexpected events may cause you to rethink some of your goals and ambitions. In the area of relationships, there could be sudden attachments and equally sudden breakups. Ongoing connections with others may also undergo abrupt fluctuations.

Transiting Saturn harmonizes with your Sun until November, however, and this is a steadying, helpful influence. You are practical in your choices (for the most part), keeping your feet on the ground and paying attention to, and honoring, tradition as well as tried-and-true methods. You have the power of practicality, realism, and caution on your side in the year ahead. Work you have done in the past begins to pay off this year–not necessarily in dramatic ways, but in small, measurable ways. You may be recognized or rewarded in some way for the efforts you put forth. Because you project a more responsible and credible “you”, people in authority are more inclined to appreciate you and recognize your work.

Considering both of the above influences are in force at the same time, this can be an excellent period for blending the progressive and traditional and for finding new ways of doing things without sacrificing security and stability. You may be making experimental situations work for you now.

You are likely to form new relationships or connections that further your spiritual growth or to enhance existing relationships with a spirit of camaraderie. People in authority regard you favorably. Events take place in which you feel like you are moving forward and growing into a new phase of your life.

This is a time when you feel confident and supported enough to pursue your desires. You rather readily direct your energies into meaningful activities. It’s a good time to take steps towards making yourself feel more secure and safe, as well as for family or domestic activities.

It is easier than ever to express your individuality in a manner that is true to you this year. You are attracted to mind-body healing activities and can benefit greatly from them.

With Venus in a tense aspect to Saturn in your Solar Return, getting serious about love or money (or both) will be a theme this year. Money may be tight, or the need to buckle down with your finances may be necessary. This does not necessarily signify financial losses or hardship, but you are likely to have an increased awareness of your limits. The responsibilities of partnership are magnified this year. You are likely to be more earnest on a romantic level. An existing relationship may become more serious, or you may form a new partnership with a serious or older person. You are likely to work hard this year, and this could interfere with pleasure time.

Even so, you have distinct opportunities in the relationship department at other points in the year. As well, your personal magnetism is excellent. You are playfully competitive and might win a major competition, if applicable. This is a good period for creative projects and joining with others in pursuing a common goal.

Personal appeal in the period ahead is strong, although there can be some ups and downs in relationships from time to time. The year ahead is excellent for teaching, guiding, sharing, and learning. This can be a time of career advances and is a strong period for focusing on priorities. You may be pouring a lot of your energy into particular projects. You are practical in your decision making, and you’re able to bring both enthusiasm and practicality to your endeavors this year. When you are motivated, you can accomplish great things, bringing new life to old goals. 

 

2017 is a Number Three year for you. Ruled by Jupiter. This is a year of sociability. It is a friendly time when it is easy to enjoy life and other people. Focus is on personal freedom, reaching out to others, making new friends, and exploration. You are more enthusiastic and ready for adventure. It is likely to be a rather lighthearted year when opportunities for “play” time are greater than usual. It’s also a good year for expressing your creativity. Advice – reach out, but avoid scattering your energies.

2018 will be a Number Four year for you. Ruled by Uranus. This is a year of work and development. It’s “nose to the grindstone” time. It’s a time to deal with practical matters, and it’s not a time to be lazy or especially gregarious. Sometimes, it can be a year that feels hard, monotonous and routine, and/or lonely. Positive new relationships are generally not formed in a Four personal year. Advice – get yourself organized, work to build your resources, keep busy.

 

Courtesy of Cafe Astrology

 

Weekly Karma Forecast for April 15 – 21, 2018

Weekly Forecast: April 15 – 21, 2018

Kelly M. Beard
a message from Kelly M. Beard
You can view more of Kelly’s insight at www.KarmicTools.com

The Karmic Tools Weekly Forecast covers the current planetary transits which affect people in different ways and to various degrees of intensity. Take notice when it is a Personal planet (Sun / Moon / Mercury / Venus / Mars) interacting with a Social (Jupiter/Saturn) or Collective planet (Uranus / Neptune/Pluto). And pay extremely close attention when it is a Social planet interacting with a Collective planet because that means something *big* is brewing that will move large groups of people along their evolutionary paths. Tuning in to the energy and rhythm of the planets can serve as a useful *guide* as you move along your Individual Path. It also helps to understand your place within the context of the larger Social & Collective Story. Below, you will find out how these energies tend to manifest, as well as guidance and direction.

*NOTE*  There are some days when there are NO CONTACTS (besides the Moon), please note that there are no missing entries, we just list the actual Activations of each week + the day they happen. 

Weekly Forecast:  April 15 – 21, 2018

4/15 ~ Mercury Direct @4* ARIES:

Hopefully, the review period has yielded new information and you’re ready to truly initiate the new year.

4/17 ~ Venus (love, art & beauty) ~oppose~ Jupiter (expansion):

This is a great energy for enjoying nature, really good food & drink, fun company and lots of laughter! This is a celebration type of energy, to be enjoyed but not to excess or to the neglect of your health or well-being. It’s very creative and activates the true Inner Artist within all of us. It’s also good to consider that you are at a MidPoint in a relationship or creative project that you started about 6-months ago; is it still viable? is the Story you’re telling still true? where’s the value? is it worth it? So whether you are an artist or not, this activation can facilitate an infinitely creative mood, and expand your work immensely. Activate your imagination, think big, have fun & laugh today, but tomorrow, plan to start moving in a new direction that is more authentic for you personally.

4/17 ~ Venus (values, relationships & resources) ~trine~ Pluto (purification & transformation):

Anytime Pluto’s involved the intensity levels go up and you are able to hear/feel your SoulSelf more clearly than usual. Venus brings up that which is most important to you personally, your individual values & priorities, where your relationships & resources are concerned. This is an easy angle, making purification & transformation smoother than usual too. So, what are you ready to change? How have your values & priorities changed completely in the last year or so? Use this activation to deepen your connection with those you love most and allow the relationship to evolve to a totally new level. If you’re working on your relationship with money or self-worth specifically, this activation is a good time for prayer or ritual that supports positive change and your vision for the future. Pour any intense emotions or revelations into art of any medium or do a vision board, but give expression to the depths you recognize as coming to the surface of your consciousness.

4/17 ~ Saturn Retrograde @9* CAPRICORN:

This is Saturn’s first time in Capricorn since 1988-1990 and today brings its first retro in its home sign. This is a tremendous amount of stabilizing energy that you can direct consciously on your own behalf. In general, you can look to any area of your life that requires you to upgrade & fortify because it has essentially run its natural course and is more/less worn out. But you can also look to your Capricorn House, and see if the Areas of Life it represents, also may require some much-needed focus & dedication. Saturn often gets our attention by creating blockages & delays, pointing out weaknesses & oversights, and during its retrograde, there are reports of folks feeling like they are being ‘held back by the elbows’. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. A better use of Saturn’s amazing energy is to slow down and check in with your personal base. How organized are you in general? Are you naturally focused and self-directed or do you succeed more often when you have a structure? This is a time to develop your Inner Authority to make choices & decisions on your own behalf, with courage & confidence. Take time to organize your thoughts or create a plan or strategy for adjusting to the changes being forced on you at this time. Start with small, manageable goals because accomplishing them will also give you the momentum & fortitude to go after the bigger goals. It’s time to release fear & doubt and redefine your reality on some level, if nothing else, for the new year alone.

4/18 ~ Sun (essential self & core drives) ~conjunct~ Uranus (disruption & liberation):

This energy serves to provoke a radical shift within you, catalyzing the desire to breathe fresh, clean, new vital energy into your idea of who you are and what you came to contribute. It may not be comfortable, but it is necessary and even more so for those of you who are rigid in your habits & thinking, or depend on others to validate who you are and what you contribute. Sometimes a little disruption serves to get you focused on what is really important to you. And at this time, change is in the air. It is far better to use the intensity of collective change to shift on personal levels, rather than try to go it alone or worse, play the martyr or victim. It’s time for your most unique Self to contribute the piece only you can. This activation may bring the sudden clarity you need and a refreshed attitude toward life, which can help tremendously as you fortify the connection to what makes you feel truly free & independent. If you resist the shift, you will manifest other disruptions that are far less productive, much more frustrating and significantly more costly.

 

 

 

Copyright © 2000-2018 * Kelly M Beard * http://karmictools.wordpress.com * All Rights Reserved * Permission granted to copy & redistribute Kelly’s Forecasts & Updates on the condition that it’s distributed freely, content remains intact & includes contact/link back to post.

The Study of Pagan Gods and Goddesses- Lugh, Master of Skills

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Lugh

Master of Skills

Similar to the Roman god Mercury, Lugh was known as a god of both skill and the distribution of talent. There are countless inscriptions and statues dedicated to Lugh, and Julius Caesar himself commented on this god’s importance to the Celtic people. Although he was not a war god in the same sense as the Roman Mars, Lugh was considered a warrior because to the Celts, skill on the battlefield was a highly valued ability.

In Ireland, which was never invaded by Roman troops, Lugh is called sam ildanach, meaning he was skilled in many arts simultaneously.

Lugh Enters the Hall of Tara
In one famous legend, Lugh arrives at Tara, the hall of the high kings of Ireland. The guard at the door tells him that only one person will be admitted with a particular skill–one blacksmith, one wheelwright, one bard, etc. Lugh enumerates all the great things he can do, and each time the guard says, “Sorry, we’ve already got someone here who can do that.” Finally Lugh asks, “Ah, but do you have anyone here who can do them ALL?” At last, Lugh was allowed entrance to Tara.

The Book of Invasions
Much of the early history of Ireland is recorded in the Book of Invasions, which recounts the many times Ireland was conquered by foreign enemies. According to this chronicle, Lugh was the grandson of one of the Fomorians, a monstrous race that were the enemy of the Tuatha De Danann.

Lugh’s grandfather, Balor of the Evil Eye, had been told he would be murdered by a grandson, so he imprisoned his only daughter in a cave. One of the Tuatha seduced her, and she gave birth to triplets. Balor drowned two of them, but Lugh survived and was raised by a smith. He later led the Tuatha in battle, and indeed killed Balor.

Roman Influence
Julius Caesar believed that most cultures worshipped the same gods and simply called them by different names. In his Gallic War essays, he enumerates the popular deities of the Gauls and refers to them by what he saw as a corresponding Roman name. Thus, references made to Mercury actually are attributed to a god Caesar also calls Lugus, who was Lugh. This god’s cult was centered in Lugundum, which later became Lyon, France. His festival on August 1 was selected as the day of the Feast of Augustus, by Caesar’s successor, Octavian Augustus Caesar, and it was the most important holiday in all of Gaul.

Weapons and War
Although not specifically a war god, Lugh was known as a skilled warrior. His weapons included a mighty magic spear, which was so bloodthirsty that it often tried to fight without its owner. According to Irish myth, in battle, the spear flashed fire and tore through the enemy ranks unchecked. In parts of Ireland, when a thunderstorm rolls in, the locals say that Lugh and Balor are sparring–thus giving Lugh one more role, as a god of storms.

The Many Aspects of Lugh
According to Peter Beresford Ellis, the Celts held smithcraft in high regard. War was a way of life, and smiths were considered to have magical gifts.

After all, they were able to master the element of Fire, and mold the metals of the earth using their strength and skill. Yet in Caesar’s writings, there are no references to a Celtic equivalent of Vulcan, the Roman smith god.

In early Irish mythology, the smith is called Goibhniu, and is accompanied by two brothers to create a triple god-form. The three craftsmen make weaponry and carry out repairs on Lugh’s behalf as the entire host of the Tuatha De Danann prepares for war. In a later Irish tradition, the smith god is seen as a master mason or a great builder. In some legends, Goibhniu is Lugh’s uncle who saves him from Balor and the monstrous Formorians.

One God, Many Names
The Celts had many gods and goddesses, due in part to the fact that each tribe had its own patron deities, and within a region there might be gods associated with particular locations or landmarks.

For example, a god who watched over a particular river or mountain might only be recognized by the tribes who lived in that area. Lugh was fairly versatile, and was honored nearly universally by the Celts. The Gaulish Lugos is connected to the Irish Lugh, who in turn is connected to the Welsh Llew Llaw Gyffes.

Celebrating the Harvest of Grain
The Book of Invasions tells us that Lugh came to be associated with grain in Celtic mythology after he held an harvest fair in honor of his foster mother, Tailtiu. This day became August 1, and that date ties in with the first grain harvest in agricultural societies in the Northern Hemisphere. In fact, in Irish Gaelic, the word for August is lunasa. Lugh is honored with corn, grains, bread, and other symbols of the harvest. This holiday was called Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-NA-sah). Later, in Christian England the date was called Lammas, after the Saxon phrase hlaf maesse, or “loaf mass.”

An Ancient God for Modern Times
For many Pagans and Wiccans, Lugh is honored as the champion of artistry and skills. Many artisans, musicians, bards, and crafters invoke Lugh when they need assistance with creativity. Today Lugh is still honored at the time of harvest, not only as a god of grain but also as a god of late summer storms.

Even today, in Ireland many people celebrate Lughnasadh with dancing, song, and bonfires. The Catholic church also has set this date aside for a ritual blessing of farmers’ fields.

_________________________

Lugh

Birth
Lugh’s father is Cian of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and his mother is Ethniu, daughter of Balor, of the Fomorians. In Cath Maige Tuired their union is a dynastic marriage following an alliance between the Tuatha Dé and the Fomorians. In the Lebor Gabála Érenn Cian gives the boy to Tailtiu, queen of the Fir Bolg, in fosterage. In the Dindsenchas Lugh, the foster-son of Tailtiu, is described as the “son of the Dumb Champion”.

A folktale told to John O’Donovan by Shane O’Dugan of Tory Island in 1835 recounts the birth of a grandson of Balor who grows up to kill his grandfather. The grandson is unnamed, his father is called Mac Cinnfhaelaidh and the manner of his killing of Balor is different, but it has been taken as a version of the birth of Lugh, and was adapted as such by Lady Gregory. In this tale, Balor hears a druid’s prophecy that he will be killed by his own grandson. To prevent this he imprisons his only daughter in the Tór Mór (great tower) of Tory Island, cared for by twelve women, who are to prevent her ever meeting or even learning of the existence of men. On the mainland, Mac Cinnfhaelaidh owns a magic cow who gives such abundant milk that everyone, including Balor, wants to possess her. While the cow is in the care of Mac Cinnfhaelaidh’s brother Mac Samthainn, Balor appears in the form of a little red-haired boy and tricks him into giving him the cow. Looking for revenge, Mac Cinnfhaelaidh calls on a leanan sídhe (fairy woman) called Biróg, who transports him by magic to the top of Balor’s tower, where he seduces Eithne. In time she gives birth to triplets, which Balor gathers up in a sheet and sends to be drowned in a whirlpool. The messenger drowns two of the babies, but unwittingly drops one child into the harbour, where he is rescued by Biróg. She takes him to his father, who gives him to his brother, Gavida the smith, in fosterage.

There may be further triplism associated with his birth. His father in the folktale is one of a triad of brothers, Mac Cinnfhaelaidh, Gavida and Mac Samthainn, and his father in the medieval texts, Cian, is often mentioned together with his brothers Cú and Cethen. Lebor Gabála Érenn Two characters called Lugaid, a popular medieval Irish name thought to derive from Lugh, have three fathers: Lugaid Riab nDerg (Lugaid of the Red Stripes) was the son of the three Findemna or fair triplets, and Lugaid mac Con Roí was also known as mac Trí Con, “son of three hounds”. In Ireland’s other great “sequestered maiden” story, the tragedy of Deirdre, the king’s intended is carried off by three brothers, who are hunters with hounds. The canine imagery continues with Cian’s brother Cú (“hound”), another Lugaid, Lugaid Mac Con (son of a hound), and Lugh’s son Cúchulainn (“Culann’s Hound”).[18] A fourth Lugaid was Lugaid Loígde, a legendary King of Tara and ancestor of (or inspiration for) Lugaid Mac Con.

Lugh joins the Tuatha Dé Danann
As a young man Lugh travels to Tara to join the court of king Nuada of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The doorkeeper will not let him in unless he has a skill with which to serve the king. He offers his services as a wright, a smith, a champion, a swordsman, a harpist, a hero, a poet and historian, a sorcerer, and a craftsman, but each time is rejected as the Tuatha Dé Danann already have someone with that skill. But when Lugh asks if they have anyone with all those skills simultaneously, the doorkeeper has to admit defeat, and Lugh joins the court and is appointed Chief Ollam of Ireland. He wins a flagstone-throwing contest against Ogma, the champion, and entertains the court with his harp. The Tuatha Dé Danann are at that time oppressed by the Fomorians, and Lugh is amazed how meekly they accept this. Nuada wonders if this young man could lead them to freedom. Lugh is given command over the Tuatha Dé Danann, and he begins making preparations for war.

The sons of Tuireann
Tuireann and Cian, Lugh’s father, are old enemies, and one day his sons, Brian, Iuchar and Iucharba spot Cian in the distance and decide to kill him. They find him hiding in the form of a pig, but Cian tricked the brothers into allowing him to transform back to a man before they killed him, giving Lugh the legal right to claim compensation for a father rather than just a pig. When they try to bury him, the ground spits his body back twice before keeping him down, and eventually confesses that it is a grave to Lugh. Lugh holds a feast and invites the brothers, and during it he asks them what they would demand as compensation for the murder of their father. They reply that death is the only just demand, and Lugh agrees. He accuses them of the murder of his father, Cian, and sets them a series of seemingly impossible quests. The brothers go on an adventure and achieve them all except the last one, which will surely kill them. Despite Tuireann’s pleas, Lugh demands that they proceed and, when they are all fatally wounded, he denies them the use of one of the items they have retrieved, a magic pigskin which heals all wounds. They die of their wounds and Tuireann dies of grief over their bodies.

The Battle of Magh Tuireadh
Using the magic artifacts the sons of Tuireann have gathered, Lugh leads the Tuatha Dé Danann in the Second Battle of Mag Tuireadh against the Fomorians. Nuada is killed in the battle by Balor. Lugh faces Balor, who opens his terrible, poisonous eye that kills all it looks upon, but Lugh shoots a sling-stone that drives his eye out the back of his head, wreaking havoc on the Fomorian army behind. After the victory Lugh finds Bres, the half-Fomorian former king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, alone and unprotected on the battlefield, and Bres begs for his life. If he is spared, he promises, he will ensure that the cows of Ireland always give milk. The Tuatha Dé Danann refuse the offer. He then promises four harvests a year, but the Tuatha Dé Danann say one harvest a year suits them. But Lugh spares his life on the condition that he teach the Tuatha Dé Danann how and when to plough, sow and reap.

Later life and death
Lugh instituted an event similar to the Olympic games called the Assembly of Talti which finished on Lughnasadh (1 August) in memory of his foster-mother, Tailtiu, at the town that bears her name (now Teltown, County Meath). He likewise instituted Lughnasadh fairs in the areas of Carman and Naas in honour of Carman and Nás, the eponymous tutelary goddess of these two regions. Horse races and displays of martial arts were important activities at all three fairs. However, Lughnasadh itself is a celebration of Lugh’s triumph over the spirits of the Otherworld who had tried to keep the harvest for themselves. It survived long into Christian times and is still celebrated under a variety of names. Lúnasa is now the Irish name for the month of August.

According to a poem of the dindsenchas, Lugh was responsible for the death of Bres. He made 300 wooden cows, and filled them with a bitter, poisonous red liquid which was then “milked” into pails and offered to Bres to drink. Bres, who was under an obligation not to refuse hospitality, drank it down without flinching, and it killed him.

Lugh is said to have invented the board game fidchell.

He had several wives, including Buí and Nás, daughters of Ruadri, king of Britain. Buí lived and was buried at Knowth. Nás was buried at Naas, County Kildare, which is named after her. Lugh had a son, Ibic, by Nás. His daughter or sister was Ebliu, who married Fintan. By the mortal Deichtine, he had another son, the hero Cú Chulainn.

One of his wives, Buach, had an affair with Cermait, son of the Dagda. Lugh killed him in revenge, but Cermait’s sons, Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine, killed Lugh in return, drowning him in Loch Lugborta. He had ruled for forty years. Cermait was later revived by his father the Dagda, who used the smooth or healing end of his staff to bring Cermait back to life.
In other cycles and traditions
In the Ulster Cycle he fathered Cúchulainn with the mortal maiden Deichtine. When Cúchulainn lay wounded after a gruelling series of combats during the Táin Bó Cuailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley), Lugh appeared and healed his wounds over a period of three days.
In Baile in Scáil (The Phantom’s Trance), a story of the Historical Cycle, Lugh appeared in a vision to Conn of the Hundred Battles. Enthroned on a daïs, he directed a beautiful woman called the Sovereignty of Ireland to serve Conn a portion of meat and a cup of red ale, ritually confirming his right to rule and the dynasty that would follow him.
In the Fenian Cycle the dwarf harper Cnú Deireóil claimed to be Lugh’s son.
The Luigne, a people who inhabited Counties Meath and Sligo, claimed descent from him.
Ainle is listed as the son of Lug Longhand and is killed by Curnan the Blacklegged in the Rennes Dinsenchas. Ainle, whose name means “champion” is described as being renowned and glorious, but in the same poetic verse is also described as being a weakling with no grip in battle.
In the Dindsenchas, Luat the son of Scal Balb (another name of Cian) is mentioned as the husband of Bairend.
Possessions
Lug possessed a number of magical items, retrieved by the sons of Tuirill Piccreo in Middle Irish redactions of the Lebor Gabála. Not all the items are listed here. The late narrative Fate of the Children of Tuireann not only gives a list of items gathered for Lugh, but also endows him with such gifts from the sea god Manannán as the sword Fragarach, the horse Enbarr (Aonbarr), the boat Scuabtuinne / Sguaba Tuinne (“Wave-Sweeper”), his armour and helmet.

Lugh’s Spear
The lore around Lugh’s Spear is traced as follows:

Four Treasures Spear of Lugh
Lugh’s spear (sleg), according to the text of The Four Jewels of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was said to be impossible to overcome, taken to Ireland from Gorias (or Findias).

Gae Assail
Lugh obtained the Spear of Assal (Irish: Gae Assail) as fine (éric) imposed on the children of Tuirill Piccreo (or Biccreo), according to the short account in Lebor Gabála Érenn (Poem LXV, 319), which adds that the incantation “Ibar (Yew)” made the cast always hit its mark, and “Athibar (Re-Yew)” caused the spear to return.

Areadbhar
In a full narrative version called [A]oidhe Chloinne Tuireann (The Fate of the Children of Tuireann), from copies no earlier than the 18th century, Lugh demands the spear named Ar-éadbair or Areadbhair (Early Modern Irish: Aꞃéadḃaiꞃ) which belonged to Pisear, king of Persia, that its tip had to be kept immersed in a pot of water to keep it from igniting, a property similar to the Lúin of Celtchar. This spear is also called “Slaughterer” in translation.

Finest Yew of the Wood
There is yet another name that Lugh’s spear goes by: “A [yew] tree, the finest of the wood” (Early Modern Irish: eó bo háille d’ḟíoḋḃaiḃ),[34]:204-5 occurring in an inserted verse within The Fate of the Children of Tuireann. “The famous yew of the wood” (ibar alai fhidbaidha) is also the name that Lugh’s spear is given in a tract which alleges that it, the Lúin of Celtchar and the spear Crimall that blinded Cormac Mac Airt were one and the same weapon (tract in TCD MS 1336 (olim H 3. 17), col. 723, discussed in the Lúin page).

Sling-stone
Lugh used the “sling-stone” (cloich tabaill) to slay his grandfather, Balor the Strong-Smiter in the Battle of Magh Tuired according to the brief accounts in the Lebor Gabála Érenn. The narrative Cath Maige Tured, preserved in a unique 16th century copy, words it slightly different saying that Lugh used the sling-stone (here liic talma § 133, i.e. lía “stone” of the ‘tailm “sling”) to destroy the evil eye of Balor of the Piercing Eye (Bolur Birugderc).

Tathlum
A certain poem recorded by O’Curry in English translation says that the missile fired by Lugh was a tathlum (táthluib “(slingstone made of) cement”).

Nature Myth Items
Lugh’s projectile weapon, whether a dart or missile, was envisioned by symbolic of lightning-weapon. Lugh’s sling rod, named “Lugh’s Chain”, was the rainbow and the Milky Way. Unlike the rod-sling, Lugh had no need to wield the spear himself. It was alive and thirsted so for blood that only by steeping its head in a sleeping-draught of pounded fresh poppy seeds could it be kept at rest. When battle was near, it was drawn out; then it roared and struggled against its thongs, fire flashed from it, and it tore through the ranks of the enemy once slipped from the leash, never tired of slaying.

Fragarach
Lugh is also seen girt with the Freagarthach (better known as Fragarach), the sword of Manannán, in the assembly of the Tuatha Dé Danann in the Fate of the Children of Tuireann.

Lugh’s horse(s) and magic boat
Lugh had a horse named Aenbharr which could fare over both land and sea. Like much of his equipment, it was furnished to him by the sea god Manannán mac Lir. When the Children of Tuireann asked to borrow this horse, Lugh begrudged them, saying it would not be proper to make a loan of a loan. Consequently, Lugh was unable to refuse their request to use Lugh’s currach (coracle) or boat, the “Wave-Sweeper” (Irish: Sguaba Tuinne).

In the Lebor Gabála, Gainne and Rea were the names of the pair of horses belonging to the king of the isle of Sicily [on the (Tyrrhene sea)], which Lug demanded as éric from the sons of Tuirill Briccreo.

Failinis
Failinis was the name of the whelp of the King of Ioruaidhe that Lugh demanded as éiric (a forfeit) in the Oidhead Chloinne Tuireann. This concurs with the name of the hound mentioned in an “Ossianic Ballad”, sometimes referred to by its opening line “Dám Thrír Táncatair Ille (They came here as a band of three)”. In the ballad the hound is called Ṡalinnis (Shalinnis) or Failinis (in the Lismore text), and belonged to a threesome from Iruaide whom the Fianna encounter. It is described as “the ancient grayhound… that had been with Lugh of the Mantles, / Given him by the sons of Tuireann Bicreann;…”

That hound of mightiest deeds,
Which was irresistible in hardness of combat,
Was better than wealth ever known,
A ball of fire every night.
Other virtues had that beautiful hound
(Better this property than any other property),
Mead or wine would grow of it,
Should it bathe in spring water.
O’Curry’s excerpt ends here, but the subsequent verse runs “The three full-fledged heroes are called Sél, Donait and Domhnán. The dog of the fairest figure, Failinis was brought to Finn”. These threesome also appear in Acallamh na Sénorach though in that work the wonder-dog is called Fer Mac.

Name and nature

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia’s quality standards. The specific problem is: Lots of unsourced material, possibly original research and synthesis Please help improve this article if you can. (February 2014)

Lugh’s name has been interpreted as deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *leuk-, “flashing light”, and he is often surrounded by solar imagery, so from Victorian times he has often been considered a sun god, similar to the Greco-Roman Apollo though historically he is only ever equated with Mercury.[citation needed] He appears in folklore as a trickster, and in County Mayo thunderstorms were referred to as battles between Lugh and Balor, so he is sometimes considered a storm god: Alexei Kondratiev notes his epithet lonnbeimnech (“fierce striker”) and concludes that “if his name has any relation to ‘light’ it more properly means ‘lightning-flash’ (as in Breton luc’h and Cornish lughes)”. However, Breton and Cornish are Brythonic languages in which Proto-Celtic *k did undergo systematic sound changes into -gh- and -ch-.

Lugh’s mastery of all arts has led many to link him with the unnamed Gaulish god Julius Caesar identifies with Mercury, whom he describes as the “inventor of all the arts”. Caesar describes the Gaulish Mercury as the most revered deity in Gaul, overseeing journeys and business transactions. Juliette Wood interprets Lugh’s name as deriving from the Celtic root *lugios, “oath”, and the Irish word lugh connotes ideas of “blasphemy, cussing, lies, bond, joint, binding oath”, which strengthens the identification with Mercury, who was, among other attributes, a god of contracts.

It is also worth noting that parallels exist between the Irish Lugh, British Lleu, Gaulish Lugus, German Wotan, the English Woden, and Norse Odin. Odin was worshipped by the Norse as a god of war among other things, including poetry and the arts. Odin may have replaced Tyr as god of war among north Germanic peoples. As such, it may be that Lugh was also worshipped as a god of war by the Irish. On that note it is worth noting that the ultimate Irish warrior hero Cu Chulainn is cited as the son of Lugh.

Locations named after Lugh
The County of Louth in Ireland is named after the village of Louth, which in turn is named after the God Lugh. Historically, the place name has had various spellings; “Lugmad”, “Lughmhaigh”, and “Lughmhadh”. Lú is the modern simplified spelling.

 

Reference
Patti Wigington, Published on ThoughtCo 
Wikipedia

It is Wednesday, April 11th and I have good news

I have good news and not so good news. I know Lord Myst said I wouldn’t be on this site again. He was wrong. A lot has happened in a day’s time. First, we were not on the internet because we were at the courthouse paying our tax bill. My deepest gratitude to each of you who donated and purchased merchandise to make this happen. The taxes are paid, construction can now begin on Lady A’s house and all is well on that account. Again, you have all of our deepest appreciation, gratitude and thanks.

Next good news, Lady A will be getting out of the hospital Friday. She is doing extremely well. I believe it has something to do with healer heal yourself. We were there yesterday when the doctor came in and he told her she had made tremendous progress and would be released as planned. Also, the cast on her left leg has been removed. It was removed when they placed the steins in. They put the steins in on the right side but she had been complaining of pain in the lower part of her calf on the left side. The doctor knew how much trauma that leg had been through. He made the determination that possibly a clot could have come from that leg. He consulted the orthopedic doctor during surgery and the ortho doctor told him it was time for the cast to come off anyway. It was then removed. Lady A was trying to be humorous, made a joke about thinking she went to the Summerlands because the cast was off. I am glad she can make jokes. But she is doing great and I am sure it also has to do with your thoughts and prayers.

The next is about Lord Myst and it is not that great of news. Jacob made the post the other day that all of you read. He moved several of you to action and for that we are again grateful. It also moved Lord Myst. He got angry at Jacob and insisted that he had undermined him.  He shoved Jacob into a wall and I heard it and got up to see what was going on. Jacob told me and Lord Myst didn’t have a word to say. They got into an argument about Jacob making the post and Lord Myst told him he had no business even being on the computer to start with. I asked Lord M had he lost his mind, shoving his own nephew into a wall. He told me he was going to shut down everything here and move Lady A and the boys back home with him. Well my reply was, “over my dead body.” He has no authority to do anything. He has no authority to keep me off this site and he has no authority to close anything down. Why he moved the date up on the store closing, I don’t know. But it will not be closing the 16th. More than likely it will not close at all. Lady A trained Jacob and myself on how to use WordPress and the store in case anything ever happened. She told us both we would probably have problems out of Lord Myst and we have. He told me he would go to the hospital and have a talk with Lady A about the entire situation. I have bound him from going near her. I have also bound him from our rented house, the office property and Lady A’s home’s property. I saw the man’s eyes and if looks could kill, his own nephew would have been dead. That is why I took such measures. The bull Lord M was telling you, please disregard.

As far as telling Lady A any of this, we haven’t. She would be outraged that he shoved Jacob and no telling what she would try to do. Right now, she has no business trying to do anything except heal. If she asks about him, we are going to tell her he had to go home for an emergency. And when she gets out of the hospital Friday, I will make sure this post is gone. I am getting ready to make two new user accounts for the site. One will be for Jacob and the other Lynette. Since we have had people asking for our information to continue, Lynette will be doing the daily posts for a while. She knows how to operate a computer and has been looking back on previous posts to see how we do things. Jacob is learning to become a witch perhaps he will share his new Path with us.

I owe each of you an apology. I know I am a difficult person to get along with but I am going to try my best to change for Lady A’s sake. She loves you dearly and it is apparent that you love her. I was wrong. I didn’t understand nor believe such a bond could be made over the computer such as you and her share. But there is that bond and I see it now. I hope you understand, at first I didn’t believe it but now I have seen it with my own eyes. You do love her and for that I am very, very thankful. I promise you no more harsh words or bad temper from me. I will straighten up and fly right, you have my word on that. Please accept my apologizes. I am truly sorry for my past actions.

We all deeply appreciate everything you have done for Lady A. For all the love and caring you have shown for her over the years. I know the stubborn witch, she will be right back in the mix of things before you know it. I hope she at least takes a week or two off anyway but we will have to wait and see on that one. When we told her that the tax bill had been paid, she started to cry. We all embraced and through her sobbing, she told me to tell each of you, “thank you and I love them more than they will ever know.” She is my blood sister, you are her family and you are my family now.

Thank you and my deepest gratitude to each and everyone of you,

Eleanor

After I made the two new accounts, Lynette and the ladies will resume the Daily Digest tomorrow. Things will continue as normal and as Lady A wishes. I will pick her up from the hospital Friday and you will have your daily information.

Nineveh: The Discovery

Nineveh: The Discovery

THE COMMENTARY GAZETTE

 

The Discovery of the Tablets at Nineveh by Layard, Rassam and Smith

In 1845-47 and again in 1849-51 Mr. (later Sir) A. H. Layard carried out a series of excavations among the ruins of the ancient city of Nineveh, “that great city, wherein are more than sixteen thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left; and also much cattle” (Jonah iv, II). Its ruins lie on the left or east bank of the Tigris, exactly opposite the town of Al-Mawsil, or Môsul, which was founded by the Sassanians and marks the site of Western Nineveh. At first Layard thought that these ruins were not those of Nineveh, which he placed at Nimrûd, about 20 miles downstream, but of one of the other cities that were built by Asshur (see Gen. x, 11, 12). Thanks, however, to Christian, Roman and Muhammadan tradition, there is no room for doubt about it, and the site of Nineveh has always been known. The fortress which the Arabs built there in the seventh century was known as “Kal’at-Nînawî, i.e., “Nineveh Castle,” for many centuries, and all the Arab geographers agree in saying that tile mounds opposite Môsul contain the ruins of the palaces and walls of Nineveh. And few of them fail to mention that close by them is “Tall Nabi Yûnis,” i.e., the Hill from which the Prophet Jonah preached repentance to the inhabitants of Nineveh, that “exceeding great city of three days’ journey” (Jonah iii, 3). Local tradition also declares that the prophet was buried in the Hill, and his supposed tomb is shown there to this day.

The Walls and Palaces of Nineveh

The situation of the ruins of the palaces of Nineveh is well shown by the accompanying reproduction of the plan of the city made by Commander Felix Jones, I.N. The remains of the older palaces built by Sargon II (B.C. 721-705), Sennacherib (B.C. 705-681), and Esarhaddon (B.C. 681-668) lie under the hill called Nabi Yûnis, and those of the palaces and other buildings of Ashur-bani-pal (B.C. 681-626) under the mound which is known locally as “Tall al-‘Armûshîyah,” i.e., “The Hill of ‘Armûsh,” and “Kuyûnjik.” The latter name is said to be derived from two Turkish words meaning “many sheep,” in allusion to the large flocks of sheep that find their pasture on and about the mound in the early spring. These two great mounds lie close to the remains of the great west wall of Nineveh, which in the time of the last Assyrian Empire was washed by the waters of the river Tigris. At some unknown period the course of the river changed, and it is now more than a mile distant from the city wall. The river Khausur, or Khoser, divides the area of Nineveh into two parts, and passing close to the southern end of Kuyûnjik empties itself into the Tigris. The ruins of the wails of Nineveh show that the east wall was 16,000 feet long, the north wall 7,000 feet long, the west wall 13,600 feet, and the south wall 3,000 feet; its circuit was about 13,200 yards or 7 1/2 miles……Read more

The Jones’ of Mesopotamia

The Jones’ of Mesopotamia

THE COMMENTARY GAZETTE

Those who searched Antiquity:

So for nearly two thousand years has the haunting memory of the once-powerful city pervaded Christian literature, while its broken walls and ruined temples and palaces lay buried deep in desert sand. The history of the ancient land of which it was the capital survived in but meagre and fragmentary form, mingled with accumulated myths and legends. A slim volume contained all that could be derived from references in the Old Testament and the compilations of classical writers.

It is only within the past half-century that the wonderful story of early Eastern civilization has been gradually pieced together by excavators and linguists, who have thrust open the door of the past and probed the hidden secrets of long ages. We now know more about “the land of Babel” than did not only the Greeks and Romans, but even the Hebrew writers who foretold its destruction. Glimpses are being afforded us of its life and manners and customs for some thirty centuries before the captives of Judah uttered lamentations on the banks of its reedy canals. The sites of some of the ancient cities of Babylonia and Assyria were identified by European officials and travelers in the East early in the nineteenth century, and a few relics found their way to Europe. But before Sir A.H. Layard set to work as an excavator in the “forties”, “a case scarcely three feet square”, as he himself wrote, “enclosed all that remained not only of the great city of Nineveh, but of Babylon itself”……Read more

Hymn to ISHTAR

Hymn to ISHTAR

THE COMMENTARY GAZETTE

There were two dialects in ancient Sumeria, and the invocatory hymns were composed in what was known as “the women’s language”. It must not be inferred, however, that the ladies of Sumeria had established a speech which differed from that used by men. The reference would appear to be to a softer and homelier dialect, perhaps the oldest of the two, in which poetic emotion found fullest and most beautiful expression. In these ancient days, as in our own, the ideal of womanhood was the poet’s chief source of inspiration, and among the hymns the highest reach of poetic art was attained in the invocation of Ishtar, the Babylonian Venus. The following hymn is addressed to that deity in her Valkyrie-like character as a goddess of war, but her more feminine traits are not obscured:-

To thee I cry, O lady of the gods, Lady of ladies, goddess without peer, Ishtar who shapes the lives of all mankind, Thou stately world queen, sovereign of the sky,  And lady ruler of the host of heaven–lustrious is thy name… O light divine, Gleaming in lofty splendour o’er the earth–Heroic daughter of the moon, oh! hear; Thou dost control our weapons and award  In battles fierce the victory at will– crown’d majestic Fate.

Ishtar most high, Who art exalted over all the gods, Thou bringest lamentation; thou dost urge    With hostile hearts our brethren to the fray;  The gift of strength is thine for thou art strong; Thy will is urgent, brooking no delay; Thy hand is violent, thou queen of war Girded with battle and enrobed with fear…  Thou sovereign wielder of the wand of Doom, The heavens and earth are under thy control.

Adored art thou in every sacred place, In temples, holy dwellings, and in shrines, Where is thy name not lauded? where thy will  Unheeded, and thine images not made? Where are thy temples not up-reared? O, where Art thou not mighty, peerless, and supreme?…Read More

Agrippina: Nero

Agrippina: Nero

THE COMMENTARY GAZETTE

We do know, however, that after the death of Germanicus there was formed at Rome, in the imperial family and the senate, a party of Agrippina, which began an implacable war upon Tiberius, and that Tiberius, the so-called tyrant, was at the beginning very weak, undecided, and vacillating in his resistance to this new opposition.

His opponents did not spare his person; they did their best to spread the belief that the emperor was a poisoner, and persecuted him relentlessly with this calumny; they were already pushing forward Nero, the first-born son of Germanicus, though in 21 A.D. he was only fourteen years old, in order that he might in time be made the rival of Tiberius.  The latter, indeed, tried at first to moderate the charges of high treason, his supreme defense; he feigned that he did not know or did not see many things, and instead of resisting, he began to make long sojourns away from Rome, thus turning over the capital, in which the praetorian guard remained, to the calumnies of his enemies.  Of all these enemies the most terrible was Agrippina, who, passionate, vehement, without judgment, abused in good faith both the relationship which protected her and the pity which her misfortune had aroused.  She allowed no occasion for taunting Tiberius with his pretended crime to escape her, using to this end not only words, but scenes and actions, which impressed the public even more strongly than open accusations could have done.  A supper to which Tiberius had invited her became famous at Rome, for at it she refused obstinately and ostentatiously to touch any food or drink whatever, to the astonishment of the guests, who understood perfectly what her gestures meant.  And such calumnies and such affronts Tiberius answered only with a weary and disdainful inertia; at most, when his patience was exhausted, some bitter and concise reproof would escape him.

I have no doubt that Tiberius had resolved at the beginning to avoid all harsh measures as far as possible; for unpopular, misunderstood, and detested as he was, he did not dare to use violence against a large part of the aristocracy and against his own house.  Furthermore, Agrippina was the least intelligent of the women of the family, and her senseless opposition could be tolerated as long as Livia and Antonia, the two really serious ladies of the family, sided with Tiberius.  But it is easy to understand that this situation could not long endure.  A power which defends itself weakly against the attacks of its enemies is destined to sink rapidly into a decline, and the party of Agrippina would therefore quickly have gained favor and power had there not arisen, to sustain the vacillating strength of Tiberius, a man whose name was to become sadly famous-Sejanus-the commander of the praetorian guard…..Read More

Equinox Special

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Equinox Special

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Equinox March 2018

Celia Fenn
a message from Archangel Michael channeled by Celia Fenn
To read more of Celia’s insight, visit her website, Starchild Global with CELIA FENN

Diamond Light, the New Earth, Sacred Clarity and the Opening of Conscious ReGenesis

Beloved Ones, the Equinox on March 2018 is a powerful moment in the Spiral of the Sacred Year.  The Equinox Star Gate is an 8th Dimensional Solar Gateway and it is transmitting waves of Diamond Light to the Earth along with powerful magnetic waves of Light Codes and Water Codes.

What does this mean for you and for the Earth?

These powerful waves of Light that are being received at the time of the Equinox transition (change of seasons) are assisting you to release and clear away remnants of old Time Lines and to focus on the New Earth Time Spirals that are being activated in this cycle.  Whatever is leaving your life at this moment is not necessary for your New Earth creations and journey.

As the old Time Lines collapse and merge, old feelings and memories may come up.  Fragments of what was or what might have been will surface to be experienced and then released.  Do not hold onto old dreams or old wounds, simply let them go and bless them for what they have given you or what you have learned.

As you let go, you are making space for Dreams and Creations that have more clarity and are in resonance with the Higher Frequencies of the New Earth.

Diamond Light and Water Codes: Transmissions of Divine Love to New Earth

The powerful waves of light that are being received from the 8th Dimension and higher are transmitting the Diamond Galactic Codes for Light and Water.

In both cases, the Codes carry information from Source to create Clarity and Transparency on all levels of life.  When the Light is Clear and the Waters are transparent, then all life can exist in a state of Diamond-like clarity and purity that reflects the pure essence of Spirit through the Soul and into Matter.

As you ascend and evolve to higher levels of consciousness, you will embody these Diamond Codes for Light and Water and you will become more “pure” and translucent, more crystalline and more capable of being a transmitter of the clear radiance of Compassionate Divine Love.

To receive these codes, Beloved Ones, you will need to focus on the Heart and to breathe from the Heart.  For these codes, which are received via the Soul Star and sent to the Heart, are then spun out from the Heart into the manifestations of Time and Space that you call Reality.  In the Diamond Consciousness, the Creations of your Hearts will be Clear and Light and Beautiful.

And, the power of the Diamond Codes will cleanse and clear and regenerate life on Planet Earth so that Earth may become a multi-dimensional Paradise Garden.

Conscious ReGenesis: The Next Step in the New Earth Manifestation

Since 2012, the Diamond Children have been incarnating on Earth.

These are children with a very High Frequency and who are born fully aware of and connected to their Galactic heritage.

They have a very clear mission, which is to lift Earth into the Diamond Frequencies of the 9th Dimension so that these energies can be felt and anchored into the Fifth-dimensional New Earth.

At this time, these beautiful children are assisting many of you to rapidly upgrade your personal frequency to the 9th Dimension (Galactic connection), so that you may also begin transmitting the Frequencies of Clarity and Light to the Earth.

Soon, there will be many of you including Light Warriors and Light Workers and Diamond Children, who will be anchoring and holding these frequencies of clarity in a conscious way to assist the Earth to regain her Luminosity and her Sacred Clarity.

Beloved Ones, the process begins with you.  As you recognize that you have lost your sacred and clear connection with the Earth and with nature, you will seek to heal that within yourself.  You will relight the Sacred Earth Fire in your Heart and you will clarify the Sacred Earth Waters in your body so that Spirit may move through you in its pure and clear essence as Divine Love.

And then you will begin to see the miracles of the New Earth that will happen around you.

The Diamond Beings will come forwards as warriors of the New Spirituality to transform the Earth into a garden and to clarify the waters of the Planet.

One by one they will come forward as their Hearts motivate them, to be part of the conscious process of ReGenesis.  That is, the new beginning where the Diamond Light and Water Codes will spark waves of Creativity and Abundance in the Hearts and Lives of those who are holding these frequencies.

The process of ReGenesis starts with you Beloveds.  As you turn inwards and look at the deserts and the arid and barren places within, you will seek to heal these and once again create an inner Temple Garden of the Heart and Soul on Earth.

And, once you have created your inner Sanctuary garden, you will begin to create this on Earth.

The Earth is ready.  She is simply waiting for the Creators of the Diamond Frequencies to sing a New Song and speak the Languages of Light that will activate New Spirals of Creation.  Waves of Magical Sound and patterns of Light Dancing will weave the New Earth Reality across the Dimensions of Light and Magic on Earth.

ReGenesis is Now.

It is waiting for you to open your Heart and to receive the Light and Water Codes of these powerful waves of Equinox energy.  It is waiting for you to send forth your dreams and creations on a new Time Spiral in these New Frequencies of Light and Clarity.

What was before is over.

What awaits you is a New Creation.

Beloved Ones, open your Hearts and sing with your Souls.  Become Conscious Creators of the Planetary and Personal ReGenesis.

 

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Equinox Passageway

Lisa Transcendence Brown
a message from Lisa Transcendence Brown
To read more of Lisa’s insight, visit her website, Awakening to Remembering

This Equinox Passageway Floods Every Cellular Organism with the Highest Frequencies of PURE Divine LOVE as DEEP Cosmic Christed Heart Openings Continue Powerfully and Pristinely for/within ALL

Days upon days of LOVE frequencies, flooding our atmospheres (inner & outer) for this Super Powerful Equinox Gateway we are in….

These pristine frequencies, sooooooo very soft, so simple to hold immense love in every exchange, flooding all to experience Divinity with great ease. The beauty of Divine Essence available to all embracing and allowing themselves this.

One of the purposes of all of these ultra-high Light Frequencies (Codes), is for all to RETURN to the Purity of Love that they ARE and assist with the physical/energetic release of all that is not LOVE. Each will be SHOWN THIS through their own energy, their own feelings, their own actions, their own experiences and what presents in the physical to also observe/see…. Everywhere that IS NOT LOVE…. these are Catalysts that assist with a huge cleansing process, on every level, which is imperative for our NEW Earth Existence here.

Highest Consciousness is about how we behave, how we treat ourselves and others, how we view realities, how we show up, how we relate, how we communicate, how we “do” everything. It is each going so deep inside that the Light of their own SOUL can emerge, so that all that is not kind, respectful and aligned with LOVE can become visible for each to see. This can be by way of one’s own feeling or what plays out in the physical…

The beauty that is available to each is beyond, the ability to observe self/all in order to consciously shift/align is as easy as each allows.

For that which exists in DUALITY… this is ego programming that has to be dissolved/resolved within each. The observation that there are some heavy-duty clearings going on for collectives, this is an important part of this collective up-shift, so be patient and kind to yourself. Let the judgment go. It’s a cellular cleansing of old unconscious programs that held all to unconscious realities before (deep beneath the veils of amnesia that continually lift for all). Heightened emotions and physical pain are an akashic clearing, a dissolving of the ego constructs and where they were held within each. The process of UNIFICATION occurs AFTER these old frequencies have been released/cleared and the body template is allowed to re-structure/re-code with new programming to replace the old… which can occur without you even being aware, in your sleep, while  you are having a conversation, out in nature, working, playing… or you may be “full blown” in the depth of a huge clearing, which will pass when all of that energy is “gone” or the moment you come into full consciousness (when your heart opens and your head is no longer in control).

These frequencies are pristine…. the COSMIC WEATHER very calm for days…. as we prepare and continue through this passageway for the completion of this Gateway that anchors in with the 3/31 Full Moon, thereby shifting us to other Gateways we are also currently in.

This is a process of full self-accountability, full self-responsibility, full self-awareness, without creating judgment feelings of blame, guilt and more. These passageways are OPPORTUNITIES to release/let go of all that is not love, all that no longer serves your highest purposes, all that you held onto before, all that represents separation within you…. so that you can breeze through and come out on the ‘OTHER SIDE’ FREE’r, more expansive and Light’r than you were before. Those old unconscious programs/emotions/thoughts/actions are of a vibration that cannot “pass through”. They have to be released… for they can no longer “exist” (live) inside of you.

Your next reality awaits you, one that is of a much higher vibrational MATCH. Not just one, infinite ones, that prepare right now to come forth/materialize in the physical as you HOLD your own HIGHEST STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS and allow the physical to realign for you. Our realities are SIMPLE, where we allow them to be…. for all we have to do is HOLD and ALLOW, while “doing” each moment/day, that which is highest aligned too.

On a deep SOUL Level, that Light inside of you is bursting to come forth. That beauty, that magnificence, that amazingness and that simplicity and ease…. will flood your entire body/system as you allow yourself this. The deeper you go inside of yourself, the more you allow to fall away, the more you resolve all AS LOVE, the simpler everything is… and the easier it is to fulfill your highest purposes/missions/roles, because all that is aligned to support you, is also “allowed” to come forth.

On a DEEP SOUL LEVEL, we each are re-connected through the Purity of LOVE. The only difference is whether our current realities are fully aligned or if there is something vibrationally that takes us down different paths. That connection though, is always there, for it transcends the physical everything. That connection can only be temporarily “severed” by our own ego/separation, yet on a deeper level, it never can. ♥

This passageway is both subtle and profound, it’s visible and it is not, it’s FELT and EXPERIENCED so deeply from within us and emanates out through our breath, our essence, our FIELD to touch the hearts of all other Souls open and ready to fully experience the PURITY of this too. ♦

I love you. It’s been the most beautiful everything…. I do hope that each one of you will allow yourself to experience these GIFTS and the ABUNDANCE available through a fully open heart/mind/body/energy and through Unity Love Consciousness as it washes and weaves through you too. ♥

Lisa Transcendence Brown ☼

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Equinox & High Dimensional Light

Kara Schallock
a message from Kara Schallock
To read more of Kara’s insight, visit her website, Soulstice Rising

It may seem that we are in a deep freeze; silent; inactive and still, while we dissolve remaining illusions, old beliefs, and old patterns. A meditation that helps is to create a special room; perhaps a cave; with your favorite colors and items…or ask that it be created for you. This special space is your Pineal Chakra. When you meditate here, you activate and expand your connection to your Soul Guidance. Your Pineal Chakra is connected with your Crown and 3rd Eye Chakras, so these are activated as well. Your Pineal serves as the distributor of high dimensional Light when there are downloads, which is constant these days. It distributes this Light to where it needs to go. When we receive high dimensional Light, old energies surface; this is purposeful, for it readies us for action steps.

There are some choices to make through Heart-intention…to step into our Power as sovereign beings or remain in the old and predictable comfort zone of staying small. Those who choose to stand in their Power will experience such Bliss and Light; with the coming Equinox, there is a profusion of Light that infuses us with more Love. With this choice to expand into being more Soul-merged, you may experience some High Heart phenomena.This can appear as butterfly wings or pressure or something else; do not be alarmed. This pulsing, pressure or fluttering is an expansion of your Joy Chakra (Thymus) and is activated by high dimensional Light. It is whatever is necessary for you to rise to be more. These rays of Light are quite high in vibration and not only infuse us, but infuse Gaia. Our energetic bodies are heightened, as is Gaia’s and this shifts us to a higher expression of Ascension.

As we increase vibrationally, there is some surfacing of old beliefs, patterns, and illusions that bubble up for Transformation. These might include expectations of self and others and lies (illusions) we’ve been told and have allowed to integrate within us as truth and beliefs, only these illusions have only served to keep us asleep and in control. Many truths are slowly being revealed and as always, be sure you use Discernment with all you hear and read; allow it to resonate. And when you speak, speak with Integrity; your Heart’s Knowing (not your intellect). This includes no gossiping or complaining, for these keep you tethered to the lies of old. Be who you are, which may necessitate you to let go of wanting to belong. You belong to yourself and to a bigger version of who you have allowed yourself to be. If you are wearing a mask in order to be accepted, take it off and be the beautiful and shining being you are.

It is preferable to not be normal; in the New, there is no normal. Normal is an illusion. Express your Authentic Self and your sacred individuality. If fear or insecurity arise, release them, for they are driven by separate ego to hold you back in the old. Be free to be you. If this feels strange, let it be. Feeling strange and being unsure are wonderful aspects of the New. Follow your Guidance, for you are being led in the New, away from predictability and an unawakened state. Watch the children and learn from them. They are wise beings with fully immersed Souls. Allow for a new way of living, rather than the old “I gotta make money.” This frees you to manifest your Joy and Passion along with Freedom. Your Creativity kicks into high gear, so to speak, and helps you live in ways you thought you couldn’t. Be patient and trusting, as this is a shift and shifts take place only when you are ready.

We’ve never ever been in this new space before and this can bring up all kinds of fear. Release the fear and trust your Guidance completely. Trust yourself! There is so much change that is occurring within that it may feel as though you just aren’t you and you may feel very ungrounded. If this describes you, meditate and be in Nature as much as you can. Nature heals and grounds you. When you meditate, you access Truth, you ground to the New and you empower your Guidance, which comes as Intuition and Resonance. Everything happens in Divine Time, so let go of any penchant to look for results in your life. Continue to focus on your Guidance, for all comes when you have done your work and have placed complete Trust in your Guidance.

We have been in an unprecedented Expansion and with the Equinox, we expand even more into our True Selves. It may feel as though you’re being kicked out of your comfort zone. Remember that you have chosen this. Nothing or no-one does anything to you. Everything that is occurring is so you move beyond your self-imposed limitations. Get ready to blast forward. As you do, you release great life force. Be reminded that it is not just us who are expanding; Gaia is too. It is fascinating to observe how the long-standing countries, governments, religions, and institutions are undergoing a metamorphosis, even while they try desperately to keep things the way they always have been. If they would just relax and allow things to shift, they would not be in such turmoil. Suggestion: do not complain about the “state of affairs,” for that only keeps countries, governments, religions, and institutions strong in the old. Keep your focus on Source, rather than on the fascinating (separate ego) distractions of the world.

With all that is transforming within you and Gaia, this is when you shine bright. One way is to be strong in your Authenticity, another is to remove your attention from the distractions of the world and another is to anchor your Light within the New Earth Grid. Bring your Awareness to the New Earth Grid which is overlaid on Gaia. There you will find ley lines connected by small spheres of Light. You are one of these spheres. Simply by being a part of this grid, you activate all other Lights and they become part of this grid (all One). Remember too that the earthly distractions are there to take you from being you by instilling in you fear and self-minimizing. Continue releasing emotions such as fear, control, anxiety, confusion, judgment, etc; for these dim your Light. As you release the old, you activate your High Mind, which is your Heart and intellect together as One. When your High Mind is integrated, all thought is Heart-driven; your Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine are One; and you transcend any separation and all things that are born of separation. Drop your old stories; you are no longer that person. And don’t invent a new story, for any story puts you in a box of limitation. Stories are illusions, whether you see them as “real” or if you make them up. Stories come from beliefs. See what is beneath each story and then let it go. Replace the void created with Love.

The energies are intense, aren’t they? More of the old keeps coming up to be transformed. Those who don’t understand what is happening may explode in anger, blame, and judgment. And if you feel these things from others or from yourself, be sure to take a deep breath, place a hand on your High Heart and stay in Love; this is who you truly are. If you are guided to walk away from an unhealthy situation, please do; you need not take on others’ lower and separation energies; you can just love them. Everyone has a choice to react or respond to a situation. When you are focused on Love, that is what you create; how others perceive this is up to them.

The Equinox will accelerate us powerfully. It will accelerate our healing and wholing, as well as the Light we are. Wherever your attention is is what is accelerated in a big way. Choosing to be Love isn’t about saving or rescuing others; it is who we are; it is Source. You can’t be Love in one moment and judgmental in the next. You are Love in all moments. Love listens, accepts; it never judges or preaches.

Relax, Be and hold yourself in and as Love. Do only that which inspires you and keeps your vibration high. Even if others do not understand or accept you, do this for you; this is self-loving. Being Love is to stand strong in adversity. Honor who you are and who you are becoming.

Adonai.

 

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Pagan Study of Gods & Goddesses for March 21 – The Goddess Ostara

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Ostara The Goddess of Spring

Areas of Influence: Ostara the Germanic Goddess heralds the beginning of spring. She is the Maiden Goddess, full of potential, representing the opportunity of growth and rebirth after the stagnation of winter.

There are several different translations of the meaning of her name:- East, dawn and morning light indicating the returning warmth of the sun’s rays and the lengthening days.

In Germany her warm nature is still marked by bonfires lit at dawn on the Spring Equinox.

The Goddess was also known as Eostre and although much of her story has been lost, her name lives on as it is the root of the English words for both Easter and oestrogen.

Origins and Genealogy: Very little is known about the origins of this Germanic Goddess. She has many similarities to the Nordic fertility Goddesses Frigg and Freya.

Strengths: A warm, dynamic and compassionate Goddess.

Weaknesses: Her lateness nearly caused the death of a small bird.

Symbolism: The Rabbits and painted eggs are both potent symbols of fertility, reflecting the nature of this spring Goddess.

When the Goddess came across a young bird that was dying of cold due to her late arrival, she warmed him up and turned him into a rabbit.

These ancient symbols are still found in our Easter celebrations today when the Easter bunny hides chocolate eggs for the children to find.

Festivals: Dates of festivals to mark this Goddess range from the Spring Equinox to the first full moon after the Equinox.

Traditionally people would dress up in new cloths, light bonfires at dawn and decorate eggs as offerings to the spring Goddess.

 

Ostara’s Archetype

The Maiden

The Maiden Archetype represents purity and the innocence of childhood, where the soul’s dreams, magic and make believe still prevail.

It is also an aspect of the Triple Goddess, together with the Mother and the Crone they represents the cycles of the moon and the different stages of a woman’s life.

Shadow Maiden is very self centered all, her dreams and energy is expended on achieving her own personal needs and goals.

These qualities reflect the nature of this Spring Goddess who stands on the cusp of womanhood. Her self-absorbtion meant she was late and nearly caused the death of a young bird but undeterred the resourceful Goddess transforms the bird into a rabbit.

 

How To Work With This Archetype

The Maiden

The Maiden is one of your Archetypes if you are life still in touch with your childhood intuition and fantasies and have used these to fulfill your dreams. Hence you can still have the Maiden Archetype at any time of life.

The Maiden reminds you to look after the magical child that lies within us all.

Shadow Maiden asks you to look at whether your dreams and aspirations are selfish and take no account of the needs of others.

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Ostara/Eostre

Ēostre or Ostara (Old English: Ēastre [æːɑstre], Northumbrian dialect Ēostre [eːostre]; Old High German: *Ôstara ) is a Germanic goddess who, by way of the Germanic month bearing her name (Northumbrian: Ēosturmōnaþ; West Saxon: Ēastermōnaþ; Old High German: Ôstarmânoth), is the namesake of the festival of Easter in some languages. Ēostre is attested solely by Bede in his 8th-century work The Reckoning of Time, where Bede states that during Ēosturmōnaþ (the equivalent of April), pagan Anglo-Saxons had held feasts in Ēostre’s honor, but that this tradition had died out by his time, replaced by the Christian Paschal month, a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

By way of linguistic reconstruction, the matter of a goddess called *Austrō in the Proto-Germanic language has been examined in detail since the foundation of Germanic philology in the 19th century by scholar Jacob Grimm and others. As the Germanic languages descend from Proto-Indo-European (PIE), historical linguists have traced the name to a Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn *H₂ewsṓs (→ *Ausṓs), from which descends the Common Germanic divinity from whom Ēostre and Ostara are held to descend. Additionally, scholars have linked the goddess’s name to a variety of Germanic personal names, a series of location names (toponyms) in England, and, discovered in 1958, over 150 inscriptions from the 2nd century CE referring to the matronae Austriahenae.

Theories connecting Ēostre with records of Germanic Easter customs, including hares and eggs, have been proposed. Particularly prior to the discovery of the matronae Austriahenae and further developments in Indo-European studies, debate has occurred among some scholars about whether or not the goddess was an invention of Bede. Ēostre and Ostara are sometimes referenced in modern popular culture and are venerated in some forms of Germanic neopaganism.

Etymology
Old English Ēostre continues into modern English as Easter and derives from Proto-Germanic *Austrǭ, itself a descendant of the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ews-, meaning ‘to shine’ (modern English east also derives from this root).

The goddess name Ēostre is therefore linguistically cognate with numerous other dawn goddesses attested among Indo-European language-speaking peoples. These cognates lead to the reconstruction of a Proto-Indo-European dawn goddess; the Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture details that “a Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn is supported both by the evidence of cognate names and the similarity of mythic representation of the dawn goddess among various Indo-European groups” and that “all of this evidence permits us to posit a Proto-Indo-European *haéusōs ‘goddess of dawn’ who was characterized as a “reluctant” bringer of light for which she is punished. In three of the Indo-European stocks, Baltic, Greek and Indo-Iranian, the existence of a Proto-Indo-European ‘goddess of the dawn’ is given additional linguistic support in that she is designated the ‘daughter of heaven’.”

De temporum ratione
In chapter 15 (De mensibus Anglorum, “The English months”) of his 8th-century work De temporum ratione (“The Reckoning of Time”), Bede describes the indigenous month names of the English people. After describing the worship of the goddess Rheda during the Anglo-Saxon month of Hrēþ-mōnaþ, Bede writes about Ēosturmōnaþ, the month of the goddess Ēostre:

Eostur-monath, qui nunc Paschalis mensis interpretatur, quondam a Dea illorum quæ Eostre vocabatur, et cui in illo festa celebrabant nomen habuit: a cujus nomine nunc Paschale tempus cognominant, consueto antiquæ observationis vocabulo gaudia novæ solemnitatis vocantes.

Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance.

Jacob Grimm, *Ostara, and Easter customs
In his 1835 Deutsche Mythologie, Jacob Grimm cites comparative evidence to reconstruct a potential continental Germanic goddess whose name would have been preserved in the Old High German name of Easter, *Ostara. Addressing skepticism towards goddesses mentioned by Bede, Grimm comments that “there is nothing improbable in them, nay the first of them is justified by clear traces in the vocabularies of Germanic tribes.” Specifically regarding Ēostre, Grimm continues that:

We Germans to this day call April ostermonat, and ôstarmânoth is found as early as Eginhart (temp. Car. Mag.). The great Christian festival, which usually falls in April or the end of March, bears in the oldest of OHG remains the name ôstarâ … it is mostly found in the plural, because two days … were kept at Easter. This Ostarâ, like the [Anglo-Saxon] Eástre, must in heathen religion have denoted a higher being, whose worship was so firmly rooted, that the Christian teachers tolerated the name, and applied it to one of their own grandest anniversaries.

Grimm notes that “all of the nations bordering on us have retained the Biblical pascha; even Ulphilas writes paska, not áustrô, though he must have known the word”. Grimm details that the Old High German adverb ôstar “expresses movement towards the rising sun”, as did the Old Norse term austr, and potentially also Anglo-Saxon ēastor and Gothic áustr. Grimm compares these terms to the identical Latin term auster. Grimm says that the cult of the goddess may have worshiped an Old Norse form, Austra, or that her cult may have already been extinct by the time of Christianization.

Grimm notes that the Old Norse Prose Edda book Gylfaginning attests to a male being called Austri, who Grimm describes as a “spirit of light.” Grimm comments that a female version would have been *Austra, yet that the High German and Saxon peoples seem to have only formed Ostarâ and Eástre, feminine, and not Ostaro and Eástra, masculine. Grimm additionally speculates on the nature of the goddess and surviving folk customs that may have been associated with her in Germany:

Ostara, Eástre seems therefore to have been the divinity of the radiant dawn, of upspringing light, a spectacle that brings joy and blessing, whose meaning could be easily adapted by the resurrection-day of the Christian’s God. Bonfires were lighted at Easter and according to popular belief of long standing, the moment the sun rises on Easter Sunday morning, he gives three joyful leaps, he dances for joy … Water drawn on the Easter morning is, like that at Christmas, holy and healing … here also heathen notions seems to have grafted themselves on great Christian festivals. Maidens clothed in white, who at Easter, at the season of returning spring, show themselves in clefts of the rock and on mountains, are suggestive of the ancient goddess.

In the second volume of Deutsche Mythologie, Grimm picks up the subject of Ostara again, connecting the goddess to various German Easter festivities, including Easter eggs:

But if we admit, goddesses, then, in addition to Nerthus, Ostara has the strongest claim to consideration. To what we said on p. 290 I can add some significant facts. The heathen Easter had much in common with May-feast and the reception of spring, particularly in matter of bonfires. Then, through long ages there seem to have lingered among the people Easter-games so-called, which the church itself had to tolerate : I allude especially to the custom of Easter eggs, and to the Easter tale which preachers told from the pulpit for the people’s amusement, connecting it with Christian reminiscences.

Grimm comments on further Easter time customs, including unique sword dances and particular baked goods (“pastry of heathenish form”). In addition, Grimm weights a potential connection to the Slavic spring goddess Vesna and the Lithuanian Vasara.

Locations, personal names, and the matronae Austriahenae
A cluster of place names in England contain and a variety of English and continental Germanic names include the element *ēoster, an early Old English word reconstructed by linguists and potentially an earlier form of the goddess name Ēostre. The Council of Austerfield called by King Aldfrith of Northumbria shortly before 704 convened at a place described in contemporary records both as in campo qui Eostrefeld dicitur and in campo qui dicitur Oustraefelda, which have led to the site being identified with Austerfield near Bawtry in the West Riding of Yorkshire.[10] Such locations also include Eastry (Eastrgena, 788 CE) in Kent, Eastrea (Estrey, 966 CE) in Cambridgeshire, and Eastrington (Eastringatun, 959 CE) in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

The element *ēoster also appears in the Old English name Easterwine, a name borne by Bede’s monastery abbot in Wearmouth-Jarrow and which appears an additional three times in the Durham Liber Vitae. The name Aestorhild also appears in the Liber Vitae, and is likely the ancestor of the Middle English name Estrild. Various continental Germanic names include the element, including Austrechild, Austrighysel, Austrovald, and Ostrulf.

In 1958, over 150 Romano-Germanic votive inscriptions to the matronae Austriahenae were discovered near Morken-Harff, Germany. Most of these inscriptions are in an incomplete state, yet many are at least reasonably legible. Some of these inscriptions refer to the Austriates, evidently the name of a social group.

Theories and interpretations
Some debate has occurred over whether or not the goddess was an invention of Bede’s, particularly in the 19th century before more widespread reconstructions of the Proto-Indo-European dawn goddess. Writing in the late 19th century, Charles J. Billson notes that scholars before his writing were divided about the existence of Bede’s account of Ēostre, stating that “among authorities who have no doubt as to her existence are W. Grimm, Wackernagel, Sinrock [sic], and Wolf. On the other hand, Weinhold rejects the idea on philological grounds, and so do Heinrich Leo and Hermann Oesre. Kuhn says, ‘The Anglo-Saxon Eostre looks like an invention of Bede;’ and Mannhardt also dismisses her as an etymological dea ex machina.” Billson says that “the whole question turns […], upon Bede’s credibility”, and that “one is inclined to agree with Grimm, that it would be uncritical to saddle this eminent Father of the Church, who keeps Heathendom at arms’ length and tells us less of than he knows, with the invention of this goddess.” Billson points out that the Christianization of England started at the end of the 6th century, and, by the 7th, was completed. Billson argues that, as Bede was born in 672, Bede must have had opportunities to learn the names of the native goddesses of the Anglo-Saxons, “who were hardly extinct in his lifetime.”

Writing in the late 20th century, Rudolf Simek says that, despite expressions of doubts, Bede’s account of Eostre should not be disregarded. Simek opines that a “Spring-like fertility goddess” must be assumed rather than a “goddess of sunrise” regardless of the name, reasoning that “otherwise the Germanic goddesses (and matrons) are mostly connected with prosperity and growth”. Simek points to a comparison with the goddess Rheda, also attested by Bede.

Scholar Philip A. Shaw (2011) writes that the subject has seen “a lengthy history of arguments for and against Bede’s goddess Eostre, with some scholars taking fairly extreme positions on either side” and that some theories against the goddess have gained popular cultural prominence. Shaw, however, notes that “much of this debate, however, was conducted in ignorance of a key piece of evidence, as it was not discovered until 1958. This evidence is furnished by over 150 Romano-Germanic votive inscriptions to deities named the matronae Austriahenae, found near Morken-Harff and datable to around 150–250 AD”. Most of these inscriptions are in an incomplete state, yet most are in a complete enough for reasonable clarity of the inscriptions. As early as 1966 scholars have linked these names etymologically with Eostre and an element found in Germanic personal names. Shaw argues against a functional interpretation of the available evidence and concludes that “the etymological connections of her name suggests that her worshippers saw her geographical and social relationship with them as more central than any functions she may have had”.

Hares and Freyja
In Northern Europe, Easter imagery often involves hares and rabbits. Citing folk Easter customs in Leicestershire, England where “the profits of the land called Harecrop Leys were applied to providing a meal which was thrown on the ground at the ‘Hare-pie Bank'”, late 19th-century scholar Charles Isaac Elton theorizes a connection between these customs and the worship of Ēostre. In his late 19th-century study of the hare in folk custom and mythology, Charles J. Billson cites numerous incidents of folk custom involving the hare around the period of Easter in Northern Europe. Billson says that “whether there was a goddess named Eostre, or not, and whatever connection the hare may have had with the ritual of Saxon or British worship, there are good grounds for believing that the sacredness of this animal reaches back into an age still more remote, where it is probably a very important part of the great Spring Festival of the prehistoric inhabitants of this island.”

Some scholars have linked customs and imagery involving hares to Ēostre and the Norse goddess Freyja. Writing in 1972, John Andrew Boyle cites commentary contained within an etymology dictionary by A. Ernout and A. Meillet, where the authors write that “Little else […] is known about [Ēostre], but it has been suggested that her lights, as goddess of the dawn, were carried by hares. And she certainly represented spring fecundity, and love and carnal pleasure that leads to fecundity.” Boyle responds that nothing is known about Ēostre outside of Bede’s single passage, that the authors had seemingly accepted the identification of Ēostre with the Norse goddess Freyja, yet that the hare is not associated with Freyja either. Boyle writes that “her carriage, we are told by Snorri, was drawn by a pair of cats — animals, it is true, which like hares were the familiars of witches, with whom Freyja seems to have much in common.” However, Boyle adds that “on the other hand, when the authors speak of the hare as the ‘companion of Aphrodite and of satyrs and cupids’ and point out that ‘in the Middle Ages it appears beside the figure of Luxuria’, they are on much surer ground and can adduce the evidence of their illustrations.”

In popular culture and modern veneration
Jacob Grimm’s reconstructed *Ostara has had some influence in popular culture since. The name has been adapted as an asteroid (343 Ostara, 1892 by Max Wolf), and a date on the Wiccan Wheel of the Year (Ostara, 21 March). In music, the name Ostara has been adopted as a name by the musical group Ostara, and as the names of albums by :zoviet*france: (Eostre, 1984) and The Wishing Tree (Ostara, 2009).

In some forms of Germanic neopaganism, Ēostre (or Ostara) is venerated. Regarding this veneration, Carole M. Cusack comments that, among adherents, Ēostre is “associated with the coming of spring and the dawn, and her festival is celebrated at the spring equinox. Because she brings renewal, rebirth from the death of winter, some Heathens associate Eostre with Idunn, keeper of the apples of youth in Scandinavian mythology”.

Politically, the name of Ostara was in the early 20th century invoked as the name of a German nationalist magazine, book series and publishing house established in 1905 at Mödling, Austria.

Ostara is portrayed by Kristin Chenoweth in the TV series American Gods based on the novel of the same name. In the series, Ostara has survived into the modern age by forming an alliance with the Goddess of Media (Gillian Anderson) and capitalising on the Christian holiday. Odin (Ian McShane) forces her to accept that those who celebrate Easter are worshipping Jesus and not her, causing her to join his rebellion against the New Gods.

 

Reference
The Goddess-Guide.com

Wikipedia