“Spirituality is like a bird:
If you hold it too closely, it chokes,
And if you hold it too loosely, it escapes.”
– Israel Salanter Lipkin
Author: ladyoftheabyss
Thursday’s Witchery
Thursday’s Witchery
Today is the day for prosperity work of all kinds. It can also be used for healing work, whether that is a physical healing of an illness or an emotional healing. Also remember that you have to follow up your healing work and prosperity magick and physical action.
I can’t tell you the number of times I have met new witches who complain to me that their prosperity spell or “I need a better job” spell did not work as they expected. They’ll ramble on and on about how much time and money they spent working their magick….but, alas, they had no glorious manifestion of wealth or fabulous job that suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed in their laps.
Then, when I gently ask them, “Did you enchant your resume or application when you filled it out? Did you do a little confidence-boosting spellwork when you went to apply for the job or went to the interview?” typically they give me a blank, confused stare.
Nine times out of ten, their response is, “You mean I have to go out and actually look for the job too?” Um, yes, my dear, you certainly do. Magick follows the path of least resistance, which means it’s going to manifest along the simplest, quickest route. Get out there and hit the pavement. See what you can find. Times are tough and competition for good jobs is fierce, so you need whatever edge you can get. For folks like us, we’re going to get the edge by using our magick and our spellcraft.
Thursdays have such a rich source of magick for us to draw upon that, honestly, the sky is the limit. This is the day associated with the gods of the sky and heavens, after all. Get to know these deities and add their wisdom and magick into your days
Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan
Thursday: Jupiter’s (Thor’s) day
Thursday
Jupiter’s (Thor’s) day
The name is derived from Old English Þūnresdæg and Middle English Thuresday (with loss of -n-, first in northern dialects, from influence of Old Norse Þorsdagr) meaning “Thor’s Day”. Thunor, Donar (German, Donnerstag) and Thor are derived from the name of the Germanic god of thunder, Thunraz, equivalent to Jupiter in the interpretatio romana.
In most Romance languages, the day is named after the Roman god Jupiter, who was the god of sky and thunder. In Latin, the day was known as Iovis Dies, “Jupiter’s Day”. In Latin, the genitive or possessive case of Jupiter was Iovis/Jovis and thus in most Romance languages it became the word for Thursday: Italian giovedì, Spanish jueves, French jeudi, Sardinian jòvia, Catalan dijous, and Romanian joi. This is also reflected in the p-Celtic Welsh dydd Iau.
The astrological and astronomical sign of the planet Jupiter is sometimes used to represent Thursday.
Since the Roman god Jupiter was identified with Thunor (Norse Thor in northern Europe), most Germanic languages name the day after this god: Torsdag in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, Hósdagur/Tórsdagur in Faroese, Donnerstag in German or Donderdag in Dutch. Finnish and Northern Sami, both non-Germanic (Uralic) languages, uses the borrowing “Torstai” and “Duorastat”. In the extinct Polabian Slavic language, it was perundan, Perun being the Slavic equivalent of Thor.
There are a number of modern names imitating the naming of Thursday after an equivalent of “Jupiter” in local tradition. In most of the languages of India, the word for Thursday is Guruvar- var meaning day and guru being the style for Bṛhaspati, guru to the gods and regent of the planet Jupiter. In Thai, the word is Wan Pharuehatsabodi – referring to the Hindu deity Bṛhaspati, also associated with Jupiter. En was an old Illyrian deity and in his honor in the Albanian language Thursday is called “Enjte”. In the Nahuatl language, Thursday is Tezcatlipotōnal meaning “day of Tezcatlipoca”.
Praise The Goddess For Her Many Blessings & Gifts She has Granted Each & Everyone On This Thursday Morn’!
The Gift
Bewildered and amazed,
I stand before thee;
Receiving thy wisdom
As thou cast thy light upon me.
The overwhelming knowledge given
Seems way too much to bear.
With thy blessings of inner strength
I find it easy, with others, to share!
I know my path in the incarnation,
To serve thee well and true;
I thank thee for thy gift thou hast given,
For this gift has given me life anew!
By The Light Of The Crystal Moon: A Book of Pagan Poetry and Short Stories
Elizabeth Gardiepy
Mabon Coven and Solitary Witch Gathering
MABON COVEN AND SOLITARYWITCH GATHERING and FEAST
TONIGHT, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015
6:00 PM CT
COVEN LIFE CHAT ROOM
SEE BANNER ON SIDE FOR HOW TO JOIN US IN THE CHAT ROOM
ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US BE YOU A COVEN MEMBER OR A SLITARTY WITCH
This is not going to be a traditional ritual circle meeting. Instead I am planning it as I have done mine for years and joint celebration of the last harvest. My celebration and ritual are done at the dinner table with as much of my family gathered round it as choose to come. There are many ways a witch or other pagan paths may celebrate Sabbats. I will not be calling a formal sacred circle this evening.
What you will need is:
I would like each person attending to write a blessing for the abundance of blessings from whatever you may have harvested from your gardens, famer markets or even the grocery store thought out the harvest seasons. Our first harvest comes at the Spring Equinox/Ostara, the second art Summer Solstice/Litha with the third and final being on the Autumn/Mabon
A glass of a season friut juice or wine if you prefer.
A couple of pieces season fruit or vegetable (from your own garden or tree if possible).
We will each share the blessing we have written, if you haven’t had time to write one yet the one I will post a little latter may give you some ideas.
When the last person has shared theirs I will thank the Gods, Goddesses, and Elements for all they have given us. Then we shall partake in what we have brought to our Mabon feast saying a last sip of drink and bite of the fruit and/or vegetable outsied to be given to those important detites and elements that made the harvest possible
Wishing Each & Everyone of You A Very, Happy & Blessed….
MABON!
For all us above the equator!
And For Those Below The Equator,
Ostara!
I have several witches from down under say I forget they celebrate their Sabbats just as we do. They always remind me I keep forgetting this, hmm! Can’t say that this time! You lucky witches, you’re going into Spring & Summer and we’re going into Fall and Winter. Anyone want a house guest for a few months, lol!
No matter which Sabbat you are celebrating,
Have a very blessed day, my sweets,
Love ya,
Lady A
Ostara Creation Spell
Ostara Creation Spell
This joyous holiday honors the spring goddess, Ostara, whose name means “movement toward the rising Sun.” Just as Imbolc signals the return of light, Ostara signals the awakening of the Earth. Trees are blooming, bulbs are pushing up out of the ground, birds are nesting, and animals are mating. The creative energy is at its strongest during this season. If you haven’t decided what you wish to manifest this year, do so now.
To empower your goal, write it on a hard-boiled egg with a wax crayon. The egg is a powerful symbol representing the universe in embryo. Your goal lives within you in the same way that creation lives within its egg, and like the egg, your goal has everything it needs to manifest. Now, draw two interlocking triangles to form a six-pointed star on your egg. This star symbolizes one of the most important keys in magic: as above, so below. What you can create in your imagination, you can manifest on the physical plane. Dye your egg a deep red to symbolize the goddess and life itself. Using your egg as a focus, work in the days ahead with the interplay of imagination and physical striving to achieve your desire.
By: Lily Gardner
Ostara Ritual
Ostara Ritual
Flowers should be laid on the altar, placed around the circle and spread on the ground. The cauldron can be filled with spring water and flowers, buds and blossoms may be worn as well. Arrange the altar, light the candle and incense, and cast the Circle. Say:
“Great goddess, you have freed yourself
From the icy prison of winter.
Now is the greening, when the fragrance of
Flowers drifts on the breeze.
This is the beginning. Life renews itself
By Your magic, Earth Goddess.
The God stretches and rises,
Tiger in His youth, and bursting with
The promise of summer.”
“I walk the earth in friendship, not in dominance.
Mother Goddess and Father god, instil within me
Thorough this plant a warmth for all living things.
Teach me to revere the Earth and all its treasures.
May I never forget.”
Straight from
8 Ideas for Celebrating Ostara
8 Ideas for Celebrating Ostara
Ostara, the Spring Equinox, is always especially beautiful here in Sonoma County, California. This year seems especially nice. Winter’s rains have been lighter than we would like, but they have been gentle and well timed. My farmer friends with whom I’ve spoken are feeling good. Warming temperatures and longer days have brought forth the first abundant flowers, especially the wild mustard that makes it seem as if our craggy valley oaks and vineyards have their feet awash in bright yellow paint. The threats from frost are virtually over.
Our season and Ostara’s symbolism are in perfect harmony.
Wiccan Sabbats celebrate our Wheel of the Year, and the Wheel of the Year, like the phases of the moon, symbolize to us the stages of life, from birth to death to rebirth. Four Sabbats are “Greater Sabbats” originally linked with Celtic agricultural cycles: Brigit, Beltane, Lammas, and Samhain. The other four “cross quarter” Sabbats are correlated with the cycles of the solar year, the solstices and equinoxes. On the 21st of this month, Witches and many other Pagans will celebrate Ostara, the Spring Equinox.
Equinoxes are times of balance between day and night, light and darkness. But the balance is dynamic, lasting a day, before shifting into playing a role in that greater balance that is the Wheel of the Year. For me this sense of balance should be the dominant theme of either Ostara, or Mabon, the Fall Equinox. But they are very different Sabbats otherwise, for after Ostara the light will continue to grow, whereas after Mabon, it is darkness that increases.
There is another aspect of balance that comes to mind as a am mulling this post over, that between the universal and the concrete. Solar Sabbats are universal, the Greater Sabbats are specific to time and place. Together, they balance the universal with the variety that is local. So while I think it is important to make sure Greater Sabbats are strongly connected with where we live, it is not as important for the Cross Quarter ones.
With these thoughts in mind, I have a few ideas for celebrating Ostara I want to share. All are suitable for Solitaries.
- On my altar I will have 4 candles. I will light two, and with sundown, light another. I have tried to figure out a simple but visually beautiful way of symbolizing Sabbats and their meaning, and here is my scheme into which this simple observance fits.
Yule – 1 candle lit during ritual.
Imbolc – 1 candle lit, a second during the ritual.
Ostara – 2 candles lit, a third lit at end of ritual or at sunset.
Beltane – 3 candles, one lit during ritual, making
Midsummer – 4 candles, one extinguished at end of ritual.
Lammas – 3 candles, one extinguished during ritual.
Mabon – 2 candles, one extinguished at sunset or end of ritual.
Samhain – 1 candle lit, but extinguished during ritual.
- I will fill my place with local flowers. I just spoke with a friend in Maine. The garden I helped plant still looks like a snow drift. Maybe the willows are changing their color as the sap tentatively rises, making for a good altar decoration. If not, it’s good that this is a solar Sabbat!
3. I will watch the dawn, and do some invocations and prayers while I do it. Ostara is said to have been a Goddess of the Dawn as well as spring, so this is fitting, although very little is known of Her. If I was in Fairbanks, I might let this slide.
- In Pagan times eggs and hares were associated with the creation of life and fertility, for obvious reasons. While it seems all folklore of ancient provenance has disputed origins, regardless of how these customs arose and survived, they are perfectly fitted for symbolizing this time, when almost everywhere spring has arrived or is coming soon. Dyeing the eggs in Spring-time colors, and having a good old fashioned Ostara Egg hunt is a wonderful thing for kids.
- A good smudging, followed by a good airing if the weather permits. Burning sage is the easiest way to smudge a place, though any cleansing incense is worthwhile. Be sure to get corners and dark places. Energy collects and stagnates in those places, and most of us have had all winter for that to happen.
- Plant a seed associated with a magickal ritual for something you want to grow. Simple and personal is best. Focus your intent strongly on the seed, then on the pot of soil after you have planted it. Take care of it. I’d recommend a perennial, that you can plant and let continue to flourish with your care, but maybe an annual will do the trick. Depends on your project.
- If you have a yard, this is a good time to begin getting in touch with the spirits of your place. But as with any relationship, it will normally take some time to grow. The last time I lived for any length of time in a house with a yard, I would make weekly offerings in a out of the way part of my yard, that I otherwise left alone (all the rests was garden). I would leave a small glass of rum, some tobacco, and a votive candle (be very careful about fire if you do this). After some months the ‘feel’ of my back yard began to change in ways I and others liked a lot. But remember, attitude makes or breaks this kind of thing – as with all relationships.
- If there is a public Sabbat celebration, and you are not part of a coven, try and go. Some are well done, some can seem like ‘ritual abuse,’ but either way, this is a good way to begin meeting other local Pagans. In my view the real magic of what we do is most powerful when we work and celebrate together
Source
Information from Beliefnet
Author: Gus diZerega
Blog: A Pagan’s Blog
Garden Blessing for Ostara
Garden Blessing for Ostara
Say a blessing over your garden as you prepare it for spring.
The earth is cool and dark,
and far below, new life begins.
May the soil be blessed with fertility and abundance,
with rains of life-giving water,
with the heat of the sun,
with the energy of the raw earth.
May the soil be blessed
as the womb of the land becomes full and fruitful
to bring forth the garden anew.
Author: By Patti Wigington, Pagan/Wicca Expert
Article found on & owned by About.com
Ostara Activities
Ostara Activities
Planting seeds or starting a Magical Herb Garden. Taking a long walk in nature with no intent other than reflecting on the Magic of nature and our Great Mother and her bounty
This is a wonderful time to bring a small potted herb into your home. Plants like lavender, sage or lemon balm send their fragrance through your house reminding you that this is the time when life renews itself. A living plant helps you stay connected with nature too. Herbs are especially nice to start growing now and they will share their miraculous energies with you in the months ahead when you add them to your cooking.
Ostara traditions involving eggs include collecting eggs, decorating them, creating crafts from eggshells , gifting eggs, and burying eggs in the earth to increase the fertility of the land.
Another favorite tradition on the first day of spring is to gather wildflowers. Some people use them for magic or divination, while others collect edible flowers for feasting, or bouquets to decorate their home. Gifts of flowers are also a popular tradition.
This time of year I love to feel the new grass beneath my feet and welcome all the new life that’s sprouting up around me. Vow to walk the earth in friendship, not in dominance, and enjoy every gift your Mother Earth sends your way. No matter what traditions or customs you follow, celebrate this time with joy and a thankful heart.
Wiccan & Pagan Holidays: An Easy Beginner’s Guide to Celebrating Sabbats and Esbats
Kardia Zoe
Ostara Symbols
Ostara Symbols
Lilies – These beautiful flowers were a symbol of life in Greece and Rome. During the Ostara season, young men would give a lily to the young woman they were courting. If the young woman accepted the lily, the couple were considered engaged (much like accepting a diamond ring from a young man in today’s society).
Lambs – This fluffy little mammal is an eternal symbol of Ostara, and was sacred to virtually all the virgin goddesses of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The symbol was so ingrained in the mindset of the people of that region that it was carried over into the spring religious rituals of the Jewish Passover and Christian Easter.
Robins – One of the very first birds to be seen in the Spring, robins are a sure sign of the fact that warm weather has indeed returned.
Bees – These busy little laborers re dormant during the winter. Because of this, the sighting of bees is another sure sign of Spring. They were also considered by the Ancient peoples to be messengers of the Gods and were sacred to many Spring and Sun Goddesses around the world.
Honey – The color of the sun, this amber liquid is, of course, made through the laborious efforts of the honeybee. With their established role as messengers to the Gods, the honey they produced was considered ambrosia to the Gods.
Faeries – Because of their ability to bring blessings to your gardens, protect your home, and look after your animals, it is beneficial to draw faeries to your life. Springtime is the quintessential season to begin drawing the fae again. You want to be sure to leave succulent libations or pretty little gifts for them. Some ideas for libations or gifts are… honey, fresh milk, bread, lilacs, primrose blossoms, cowslip, fresh berries, dandelion wine, honeysuckle, pussy willows, ale, or shiny coins.
Equal-armed Crosses – These crosses represent the turning points of the year, the solstices and equinoxes and are often referred to as ‘Sun Wheels’. They come in many forms such as God’s eyes, Celtic crosses, Shamrocks, Brigid’s crosses, 4-leaved clovers, crossroads, etc.
History of Ostara – The Spring Equinox (no, I haven’t lost my mind, our friends down below are celebrating Ostara)
History of Ostara – The Spring Equinox
Many Holidays, Many Names:
The word Ostara is just one of the names applied to the celebration of the spring equinox on March 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and September 21/22 in the Southern Hemisphere. The Venerable Bede said the origin of the word is actually from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring. Of course, it’s also the same time as the Christian Easter celebration, and in the Jewish faith, Passover takes place as well. For early Pagans in the Germanic countries, this was a time to celebrate planting and the new crop season.
Typically, the Celtic peoples did not celebrate Ostara as a holiday, although they were in tune with the changing of the seasons.
A New Day Begins:
A dynasty of Persian kings known as the Achaemenians celebrated the spring equinox with the festival of No Ruz — which means “new day.” It is a celebration of hope and renewal still observed today in many Persian countries, and has its roots in Zoroastrianism. In Iran, a festival called Chahar-Shanbeh Suri takes place right before No Ruz begins, and people purify their homes and leap over fires to welcome the 13-day celebration of No Ruz.
Mad as a Hare:
Spring equinox is a time for fertility and sowing seeds, and so nature’s fertility goes a little crazy. In medieval societies in Europe, the March hare was viewed as a major fertility symbol — this is a species of rabbit that is nocturnal most of the year, but in March when mating season begins, there are bunnies everywhere all day long. The female of the species is superfecund and can conceive a second litter while still pregnant with a first.
As if that wasn’t enough, the males tend to get frustrated when rebuffed by their mates, and bounce around erratically when discouraged.
The Legends of Mithras:
The story of the Roman god, Mithras, is similar to the tale of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. Born at the winter solstice and resurrected in the spring, Mithras helped his followers ascend to the realm of light after death. In one legend, Mithras, who was popular amongst members of the Roman military, was ordered by the Sun to sacrifice a white bull. He reluctantly obeyed, but at the moment when his knife entered the creature’s body, a miracle took place. The bull turned into the moon, and Mithras’ cloak became the night sky. Where the bull’s blood fell flowers grew, and stalks of grain sprouted from its tail.
Spring Celebrations Around the World:
In ancient Rome, the followers of Cybele believed that their goddess had a consort who was born via a virgin birth. His name was Attis, and he died and was resurrected each year during the time of the vernal equinox on the Julian Calendar. Around the same time, the Germanic tribes honored a lunar goddess known as Ostara, who mated with a fertility god around this time of year, and then gave birth nine months later – at Yule.
The indigenous Mayan people in Central American have celebrated a spring equinox festival for ten centuries. As the sun sets on the day of the equinox on the great ceremonial pyramid, El Castillo, Mexico, its “western face…is bathed in the late afternoon sunlight. The lengthening shadows appear to run from the top of the pyramid’s northern staircase to the bottom, giving the illusion of a diamond-backed snake in descent.” This has been called “The Return of the Sun Serpent” since ancient times.
According to the Venerable Bede, Eostre was the Saxon version of the Germanic goddess Ostara. Her feast day was held on the full moon following the vernal equinox — almost the identical calculation as for the Christian Easter in the west. There is very little documented evidence to prove this, but one popular legend is that Eostre found a bird, wounded, on the ground late in winter. To save its life, she transformed it into a hare. But “the transformation was not a complete one. The bird took the appearance of a hare but retained the ability to lay eggs…the hare would decorate these eggs and leave them as gifts to Eostre.”
Modern Celebrations
This is a good time of year to start your seedlings. If you grow an herb garden, start getting the soil ready for late spring plantings. Celebrate the balance of light and dark as the sun begins to tip the scales, and the return of new growth is near.
Many modern Pagans celebrate Ostara as a time of renewal and rebirth. Take some time to celebrate the new life that surrounds you in nature — walk in park, lay in the grass, hike through a forest. As you do so, observe all the new things beginning around you — plants, flowers, insects, birds. Meditate upon the ever-moving Wheel of the Year, and celebrate the change of seasons.
Source:
Author: Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Website: About.com
Ostara – Spring Equinox
Ostara (for our friends down under)
Ostara Invocation
Ouroborus tells us the beginning has no end
Alpha and Omega–all reside within.
Pisces swims beyond the veil
Aries on the rise.
Mars becomes the focal point
capturing the prize.
The moon slips through her mansions
dancing in the signs
stars are fixed yet activate
the treasures of the mind.
The air is filled with harmony
of plant and bloom and bud
each egg foretells the birthing
of peace, and joy and love.
Persephone emerges as winter falls away
Mother Earth rejoices–
her daughter’s come to stay.
As days grow long and nights are warm
the Goddess reigns supreme
Her power rises in my blood
I command all things unseen!
Magick symbols, knots and cords
wand and staff and blade
earth and water, fire and air
become the Witch’s trade.
I am the ground, the sea, the sky
the breezes springtime sweet
gods and spirits dance the round
within this circle meet,
I conjure thee, O leaves of spring
hyacinth and myrtle
roses, lilacs, lavender
black earth, warm and fertile.
Gifts of Gaia, Green Man rule
my wishes come to form
good fortune roots within my world
prosperity is born!
Mabon
Mabon
The cool wind blows in the trees
The God has fallen to his knees
Love for the land
Of kin and clan
A sacrifice so strong and noble
He has just secured our survival
Fruit of the vine
His gift in kind
Is ripe and sweet
Ready to eat
The year doth wane
As summer fades
Orange, brown and yellow too
These colors of the autumn skew.
As the life from the earth begins to fade
We are reminded of goals set on Yule day
We have watched them grow
Truth to know
Now we harvest the fruit
Of the seeds we’ve sown
Are you happy with the things you’ve done?
Or do you wish you could hide your head, and run
The wheel teaches lessons vast
But in the end, you plant your path
Sown with joy, harmony, graces
Or pain and strife, unhappy faces
But now we celebrate
And give thanks for the Lord and the Lady
—Rev. Raven Spirit
A Little Thought From Me to You….
A Little Humor for Your Day – “13 Commandments”
13 Commandments
- Thou shall not turn thy ex into a frog
- Thou shall not meddle in the affairs of dragons, thou are crunchy and taste good with ketchup
- Thou shall not laugh at nekked snow sprites
- Thou shall not get drunk with thy Goddess’s wine
- Thou shall not sacrifice thy little sister
- Thou shall not go running around proclaiming thy witchhood if thy are in times of burning.
- Thou shall not question the word of thy High Priestess – She is God
- Thou shall not laugh at being nekked at coven – thou shall be killed
- Thou shall not commit to signing anything that declares any single person as thy lord and savior
- Thou shall not invoke thy Watchtowers only to say “never mind”
- Thou shall not burn enough candles to burn thy house down
- Thou shall not have the magickal name “Sir Stinky Fartsalot”
- Thou shall not call coven only for laughs
Author: Willow Blackthorn
Article located on Pagan Library
Astronomy Picture of the Day – Milky Way over Bosque Alegre Station in Argentina
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2015 September 22
Milky Way over Bosque Alegre Station in Argentina
Image Credit & Copyright: Sebastián D’ Alessandro; Rollover Annotation: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: What are those streaks of light in the sky? First and foremost, the arching structure is the central band of our Milky Way galaxy. Visible in this galactic band are millions of distant stars mixed with numerous lanes of dark dust. Harder to discern is a nearly vertical beam of light rising from the horizon, just to the right of the image center. This beam is zodiacal light, sunlight scattered by dust in our Solar System that may be surprisingly prominent just after sunset or just before sunrise. In the foreground are several telescopes of the Bosque Alegre Astrophysical Station of the National University of Cordoba in Argentina. The station schedules weekend tours and conducts research into the nature of many astronomical objects including comets, active galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. The featured image was taken early this month.
Your Cosmic Guide to the Planets: Sun in Libra, September 23
Sun in Libra
Your cosmic guide to life with the Sun in Libra
@Tarot.com is a Daily Insight Group Site
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