Beliefs & observations

Ostara ( Vernal or Spring Equinox ) tomorrow, March 20 @ 5:45 PM EST. 

Ostara happens when the Sun enters the Cardinal sign of Aries in the Northern Hemisphere. Conversely, it is the Fall Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. 

As Aries is the first sign in the Zodiac, this day also marks the astrological New Year, so the astrological chart provides a glimpse into the coming season as well as the year. 

I'm going to do an entirely separate post on the chart tomorrow morning; however, for now I want to focus on Ostara. 

You are most likely familiar with traditional Ostara symbols that represent new life, which have also been incorporated into the Christian Easter holiday – eggs, rabbits, hares, and other symbols that have become a part of annual Easter celebrations. 

But Ostara is an ancient pagan festival and just one of eight sabbats that have been celebrated all over the Celtic world and predates Christianity. It welcomes warmer weather and is growing in popularity in our western culture.

It is also one of the four "cross-quarter days", and one of only 2 days in 12 months when day and night are of equal length. This only occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator.

"Returning to the Light" and the triumph over darkness are central themes celebrated during Ostara. It's a fresh time of beginnings rife with new growth. 

For those who observe more earth-based rather than religious holidays ( Easter, etc. ) it's a time to recognize the balance within us between our light and shadow aspects. 

“Ostara” ( it is believed ) originates from the name of the Western Germanic goddess of spring and the dawn, also Ostara. "In anglo saxon, this was Ēostre. And the first written records of Ēostre were made by the English monk Bede in the seventh century. He wrote that April was known as Eostremonath, so named because it was the month when the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre was celebrated."

More recently in the 19th century, Jacob Grimm claimed to have discovered further evidence of a Goddess of the same name in Germanic oral traditions.

Scholars still debate these origin stories. Yet the similarity between the words: Eostre, Ostara, and Easter, the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. It is a well-known fact that the Christian culture incorporated many ancient practices into their own rituals as a means of attracting and converting pagans to Christianity.

Regardless of how you celebrate or what you believe, here are a few tips to observe during this ancient ceremony. 

• Welcome the Sun on this day! 

• Create an Ostara Altar reflecting spring! Fresh flowers, candles ( spring colors ), seeds or seedlings if you have them started, essential oil ( Frankincense is perfect ), bells ( drives out negativity ), representations of animals ( photos/carvings ), and, lastly, symbols of balance ( scales and/or yin/yang symbol is perfect for this ). 

• Set an Intention! Very important.

Take some time to honor the Earth and her seasons. Meditate, pray, extend gratitude for the experience of another year. 

Journal the experience and answer questions regarding your intention: 

—What are three steps I can take toward my intention?

—Evaluate the last season of your life: what went well and what didn't? 

—What do you want to change moving forward? 

Journal all of this and refer back as a reminder to keep you on track. 

Also, SPRING CLEAN! It's the most important time of the year to perform this ritual. Clutter-clearing is a form of moving your body and the surest way to shift negative energy into positive! 

Don't forget to tend your garden! It's time to plant those seeds and bulbs, thus extending your intentions deep into the soil with each one you plant. 

Lastly, and most importantly, pause. This time of the year represents a liminal space of balance between light and darkness; therefore, it's the perfect time to absorb the peace and silence so associated with empty spaces—which, by the way, hold everything tangible together. 

However you celebrate, whatever you believe, Happy Ostara, Spring or Vernal Equinox! Be blessed and bless others with your light. 

 Happy Ramadan to all our Muslim friends! 

Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims, the followers of Islam. It is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims. 

Fasting is one of the five fundamental principles of Islam. Each day during Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from dawn to sunset. They are also supposed to avoid impure thoughts and bad behavior. 

Muslims break their daily fasts by sharing meals with family and friends, and the end of Ramadan is celebrated with a three-day festival known as Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s major holidays. Ramadan always falls on the ninth month of the 12-month Islamic calendar.

Ramadan 2023 starts on the evening of Wednesday, March 22 and lasts 30 days, ending at sundown on Thursday, April 20.

To learn more:  Ramadan | Fasting, Traditions, & Facts | Britannica 

  Interesting facts about Saint Patrick's Day!

1. Though we've come to associate kelly green with the Irish and the holiday, the 5th-century saint’s official color was “Saint Patrick’s blue,” a light shade of sky blue. The color green only became associated with the big day after it was linked to the Irish independence movement in the late 18th century.

2. Saint Patick wasn't Irish. 

Although he made his mark by introducing Christianity to Ireland in the year 432, Patrick wasn’t Irish himself. He was born to Roman parents in Scotland or Wales in the late 4th century.

3. Saint Patrick's Day was once a dry holiday! As you might expect, St. Patrick’s Day is a huge deal in his old stomping grounds. It’s a national holiday in both Ireland and Northern Ireland, but up until the 1970s, pubs were closed on that day. (The one exception went to beer vendors at the big national dog show, which was always held on St. Patrick’s Day.) Before that time, the saint’s feast day was considered a more solemn, strictly religious occasion. Now, the country welcomes hordes of green-clad tourists for parades, drinks, and perhaps the reciting of a few limericks.

Learn more here: 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/93246/13-lucky-facts-about-st-patricks-day

Image: Vintage St. Patrick's Day postcard. Missouri History Museum, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

 The image above is 1,250 Buddhist monks in beautiful candlelit ceremony at Thailand's Dhammakaya temple. 

Māgha Pūjā (also written as Makha Bucha Day) is the second most important Buddhist festival after Vesak, celebrated on the full moon day of the third lunar month in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka and on the full moon day of Tabaung in Myanmar.

The important festival honours Buddha and his teachings. It commemorates a day when 1,250 monks gathered to be ordained by the Buddha.

Image Link: 

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/makha-bucha-day-1250-buddhist-monks-beautiful-candlelit-ceremony-thailands-dhammakaya-temple-1490497

 Much like the various legends behind the festival, there are many ways that the occasion is celebrated across the country, each with its own peculiarity and flair. 

However, the play with colours and revelry seems to be a unifying factor, irrespective of whether we are talking about Hindoli, Holika, Madanotsava, Kamotsavara, Dhuleti, or Dhulandi. 

Anthropologists have often identified spring festivals as fertility rites and Holi is a prominent example. 

In Festivals, Fairs and Fasts in India, Shakti M. Gupta writes that Holi is believed to be the relic of a primitive fertility rite, and drinking bouts and sex orgies still take place among tribal communities. 

While the jury is out on the practice of orgies currently, there are ample examples of inhibitions being shed and a more free and flirtatious interaction between sexes.

https://www.thestatesman.com/lifestyle/variety/holi-special-swinging-idols-hurling-abuses-and-other-holi-rituals-across-india-1502864147.html

 It's that 'time' again. . .but hopefully for not for much longer! 

Remember to move your clocks back from 2:00 AM -> 3:00 AM Sunday Morning  ( or before you go to bed Saturday night - like I always do ). 

Everyone get behind the Sunshine Protection Act. The Senate unanimously approved this back in 2021, now it's before the House.

Hopefully this November 05 we can all "Fall Back" and stay there! 

Losar is not one word in the Tibetan language. Actually, it consists of two Tibetan words -  “Lo” means year, and “Sar” means new.

Losar is calculated based on the Tibetan calendar. It starts from the 1st of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar and lasts for fifteen days. In 2023, Losar falls [today], February 21.

Losar is the most important traditional festival of the year, and it is also the first Tibetan festival. 

At that time, each Tibetan family would reunite together to hold a variety of activities to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, which is very lively. 

As the local people believe in Tibetan Buddhism,  many customs of Tibetan Losar are related to Tibetan Buddhism and the festival is permeated with a strong religious atmosphere.

During the Losar festival, Tibetans dress up formally.

Losar is usually held during February and March when Tibet is closed to foreigners. Thus, international travelers have little chance to see such a big feast in person. However, you could learn it from this post and imagine the alive scene.

For the first time since the 2020 pandemic hit, Kunzang Palyul Choling - KPC Buddhist Temple, located in Poolesville, Maryland, will be open to the public for Losar this year! 

They also have a Stupa in Sedona, AZ, but I am uncertain if they will be open or not. I would imagine so. Learn more about that here: 

]https://www.facebook.com/KPCBuddhistTemple

Losar Ref & Image Link: https://www.greattibettour.com/festivals/losar-festival-tibetan-new-year-1581

The celebration of Imbolc dates back to the pre-Christian era in the British Isles. 

The earliest mentions of Imbolc in Irish literature were found in the 10th century. Poetry from that time relates the holiday to ewe’s milk, with the implication of purification.

It’s been speculated that this ritual stems from the breeding cycle of sheep and the beginning of lactation. The holiday was traditionally aligned with the first day of spring and the idea of rebirth.

Imbolc celebrations took the form of a festival in honor of the pagan goddess Brigid, who was evoked in fertility blessings and oversaw poetry, crafts and prophecy. Brigid was worshipped by the Filid, a class of poets and historians among the Celts of ancient Ireland and Britain.

Brigid was considered one of the most powerful Celtic gods, the daughter of the Dagda, the oldest god in the Celtic pantheon Tuatha du Danann. She had two sisters also named Brigid (though it’s speculated that these sisters are meant to symbolize different aspects of the same goddess.)

Brigid appears in the saga Cath Maige Tuired and the Lebor Gabála Érenn, a purported history of Ireland collected from various poems and texts in the 10th century.

Myths about Brigid’s birth say she was born with a flame in her head and drank the milk of a mystical cow from the spirit world. Brigid is credited with the very first keening, a traditional wailing for the dead practiced at funerals by Irish and Scottish women.

Over the centuries, Brigid was adopted into Christianity as St. Brigid.

One of Ireland’s three patron saints, the Catholic Church claims St. Brigid was a historical person, with accounts of her life written by monks dating back to the 8th century. Brigid (or Bridget) is the patron saint of Irish nuns, newborns, midwives, dairy maids and cattle.

Whether or not she existed, these stories contain aspects in common with the details of the pagan goddess and illustrate the transition from pagan to Christian worship.

Like the goddess Brigid, St. Brigid is associated with milk and fire. Born in Ireland around 453 A.D., St. Brigid was the daughter of a slave and a chieftain who was celebrated at an early age for her agricultural knowledge.

With no interest in marrying, Brigid’s goal was to create a monastery in Kildare, supposedly the former site of a shrine to the Celtic goddess of the same name. Brigid lived her entire life there.

She was renowned for her charity to the poor and stories abound about her healing powers. St. Brigid was a friend of St. Patrick, whose preaching set her on a course at an early age, and she became Ireland’s first nun.

St. Brigid is said to have died in 524 A.D. The remains of her skull and hand are claimed to be in the possession of churches in Portugal.

In the 12th century, legend holds that the nuns in Kildare attended to a fire built in St. Brigid’s honor. The fire had burned for 500 years and produced no ash, and only women were allowed in proximity of the fire.

The celebration of St. Brigid’s Day on February 1 was put in place by the church to replace Imbolc. On her feast day, an effigy of St. Brigid of Kildare is traditionally washed in the ocean and surrounded by candles to dry, and stalks of wheat are transformed into cross talismans known as Brigid crosses.

Sources

Imbolc: Rituals, Recipes and Lore for Brigid’s Day. Carl F. Neal.

Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Charles Russel Coulter and Patricia Turner.

Brigit: Goddess, Saint, ‘Holy Woman’, and Bone of Contention. Carole M Cusack.

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/imbolc

Happy Chinese New Year to all those celebrating the Year of the Water Rabbit! 

The celebrations last up to 16 days, but only the first 7 days are considered a public holiday (January 22nd–January 29th, 2023) and culminate with the Lantern Festival on February 5th, 2023. 

The Water Rabbit

Legend has it the Rabbit was proud—arrogant even—of its speed. He was neighbors with Ox and always made fun of how slow Ox was. 

One day, the Jade Emperor said the zodiac order would be decided by the order in which the animals arrived at his party. Rabbit set off at daybreak. But when he got there, no other animals were in sight. Thinking that he would obviously be first, he went off to the side and napped. However, when he woke up, three other animals had already arrived. One of them was the Ox he had always looked down upon. 

If you were born on or after the Chinese New Year of1963, then you are a Water Rabbit, along with children born today and until the next Chinese New Year, Saturday, February 10 ( Wood Dragon ). 

These Rabbits may have had financial hardships during youth but are able to turn unfortunate events around. During the elderly years, money must be spent to preserve longevity.

The Rabbit is also associated with the Earthly Branch (地支 / dì zhī) mǎo (卯) and the hours 5—7 in the morning. In the terms of yin and yang (阴阳—yīn yáng), the Rabbit is yin.

In Chinese culture, rabbits represent the moon. Some say it is because the shadows of the moon resemble a rabbit. Others say it is because of the rabbit’s pure characteristics.

Paired with the Celestial Stems (天干 / Tiān gān), there is a 60-year calendrical cycle. Although mǎo is associated with metal, the years also cycle through the five elements of nature (五行 / wǔ xíng).

To outsiders, the Rabbit’s kindness may make them seem soft and weak. In truth, the Rabbit’s quiet personality hides their confidence and strength. They are steadily moving towards their goal, no matter what negativity the others give them.

With their good reasoning skills and attention to detail, they make great scholars. They are socializers with an attractive aura. However, they find it hard to open up to others and often turn to escapism.

A plain and routine life is not their style. Though conservative and careful in their actions, they need surprises every so often to spice things up.

Men born in the Rabbit year are extraordinarily polite and do whatever they can to avoid conflicts. They have control over themselves and are sometimes conservative. They may seem to be a yes-man, but they have a bottom line that they won’t cross.

These men like organizing and decorating, and often help their wives with chores. But that doesn’t mean they actually like being responsible for the home. Though a great friend, they don’t like becoming too close to someone.

Women born in the Rabbit year love being social. They are thoughtful and treat everyone politely. They are very conscious of their public image and hate violence and arguments.

In love, they are very extreme. There’s a clear difference between who they love and who they don’t. And they rarely pass that line. But if they love someone, they’ll put everything into the relationship. But the deeper they go, the more hurt they can get. These Rabbits are more insecure than other zodiacs and need to be reassured often.

Most compatible with Rabbit: 

Dog, Pig, Goat

Least compatible with Rabbit: 

Rooster, Dragon, Rat

Lucky things for Rabbits

• Colors: red, pink, purple, blue
• Numbers: 3, 4, 9
• Directions of auspiciousness: southeast
• Directions of wealth: northeast, southwest
• Directions of love: east
• Unlucky things
• Colors: brown, gray, white
• Numbers: 5, 11

Read more about Love, Career, and Wealth at the reference link here! 

https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/rabbit/

  Today is History's Dakini Day, or Day of the Goddess. 

Before patriarchy began sinking deep into the roots of civilization, this revered day was known as ‘The Day of the Goddess,’ to pay respect and heed to the Feminine deities, like Venus.

As a symbol of rebirth that females are blessed with, Friday the 13th was a day all for women.

In more than one way, the day gives all its glory to the Feminine power.

The number 13 represents the female ovulation period (considered a grand phenomenon as menstruating women are at the peak of their energy and power) because just like 13 lunar cycles a year, women also have 13 menstrual cycles a year.

All the feminine foundations to this day started to shake loose when menstruating women started experiencing shame in society for bleeding every cycle.

The day was to celebrate women and their sexual energy.

When patriarchy found its way into civilization, the very day that celebrated women became a symbol of misfortune because of its association with the feminine.

Even though these newly minted beliefs made no sense as we all possess our feminine sides, not only women, but the target was indeed singular sex.

Contrary to popular belief, the number 13 will bring magic into your life. Many buildings do not have a 13th floor.

Some even consider their 13th birthday unlucky. In rare cases, the perceived negative notion of the number can cause triskaidekaphobia, an intense fear of the number 13.

But 13 is actually a celestial number, especially in Judaism.

It is the age when young boys and girls celebrate their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, meaning they are on their journey to enter adulthood and ready to participate in public worship.

The number 13 is considered very fortunate in Tibetan culture.

It’s said to be a divine number and often used in children’s stories.

The day is a reminder for hopeless individuals to carry on.

It is a day for sinners to repent their bad deeds that will be forgiven in heaven after they complete 13 rounds of prayers.

In numerology, the number 13 symbolizes change.

This change is not necessarily negative but most essential to a person’s growth.

People are scared of the uncertainty that change brings along. But, it’s a positive time in their life.

Transformation and development take us out of our comfort and help us get better and become an evolved version of ourselves.

Today is also a day to honor the Moon.

The Moon is responsible for our emotions and the majestic feminine aura in our life.

It plays a huge part in astrology.

Friday the 13th is an occasion for humans to harness the positive energy of the moon.

You can look at the moon and talk about anything on your mind.

The practice will open your mind and heart to bring happiness to your life.

As per astrology, the Moon represents the maternal vibe.

It gives warmth to us and looks after us like a mother. It is a great time to connect with the maternal figure in your life. This could be your actual mother, sister, or best friend. Make it an evening to bond over shared secrets, aspirations, and goals for the future.

You can also Manifest Good Luck!

Even after Friday, the 13th is over, you can still channel good luck in your life.

Make it a ritual to buy any charm the next Friday the 13th.

Take the blessing of the moon and the goddesses. This can be a great way to bring everlasting luck to your life.

You can also surround yourself with crystals, lucky charms, and talismans like horseshoes to bring positive fortune, and ward off the evil eye and bad luck.

You don’t even have to wear a crystal but any charm necklace or bracelet that makes you feel more feminine and powerful.

Wear them all the time or decorate your room with them – just take benefit of their good energies, especially during the magical date.

Lastly, PROTECT YOUR ENERGY

It is best to keep your energy protected to experience all of the sacred emotions.

Protecting your space is an important way to keep your life drama-free.

Getting rid of anyone or anything that disrupts your peace can be the smart thing to do.

While the moon protects us, it is important we shield ourselves from negative people, especially those who drain our energy.

Validate and respect how you feel around certain people – they may be your coworker, friend, or even a family member.

Thus, protection work is very important, along with other sources of magic or divine work.

Crystals are powerful in cleansing your aura and making you feel more connected to yourself. Obsidian can act as a protection stone— especially against negativity spreads and haters.

You can sweep it all over your body, keep it in your home, and place it outside the boundaries of your house.

Some people keep it at their entrance, but it can be placed by a door or a window inside your home. It will keep away potential negative vibes that impact your aura.

Reference link: https://www.awakeningstate.com/.../friday-the-13th.../

   If you think God created the Universe as something insignificant outside of the boundaries of our awestruck admiration, remember, it was the Universe that declared the birth of Jesus and led three men who were wise enough to follow it. 

Did they follow it because they were wise? Or wise because they followed it? Did you know that the Magi were astrologers, which was a well-regarded science at that time ( Matthew 2 )? 

There's always been controversy surrounding Jesus' birth. Most believe it was spring rather than winter. I've never cared much for when it was celebrated, only that it was celebrated. To me, it's the season of love and giving, which should be a prelude to such actions throughout the upcoming year. 

There is no greater way to honor the memory of someone who died for love and giving. 

After an absence of roughly 2000 years the Star of Bethlehem made a return in 2015 — to be more specific Venus and Jupiter made their tightest highly visible conjunction after nearly two millennia and will return again March 1, 2023.

Below is an account of why December 25th was selected to honor the birth of Jesus. Whether or not he was born on that day is irrelevant to me. What is relevant is that he was born, and that the Universe declared his arrival. 

That was nor is not the only purpose of the Universe. It declares daily, if you understand its language. 

Regulus, Jupiter, and Venus

Attorney Frederick Larson examined the biblical account in the Gospel of Matthew: 2 and found the following nine qualities of Bethlehem's Star:

It signified birth, it signified kingship, it was related to the Jewish nation, and it rose "in the East"; King Herod had not been aware of it; it appeared at an exact time; it endured over time; and, according to Matthew, it was in front of the Magi when they traveled south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and then stopped over Bethlehem.

Using the Starry Night astronomy software, and an article written by astronomer Craig Chester based on the work of archeologist and historian Ernest L. Martin, Larson thinks all nine characteristics of the Star of Bethlehem are found in events that took place in the skies of 3–2 BC. 

Highlights include a triple conjunction of Jupiter, called the king planet, with the fixed star Regulus, called the king star, starting in September 3 BC. Larson believes that may be the time of Jesus' conception.

By June of 2 BC, nine months later, the human gestation period, Jupiter had continued moving in its orbit around the sun and appeared in close conjunction with Venus in June of 2 BC. In Hebrew Jupiter is called Sedeq, meaning "righteousness", a term also used for the Messiah, and suggested that because the planet Venus represents love and fertility, so Chester had suggested astrologers would have viewed the close conjunction of Jupiter and Venus as indicating a coming new king of Israel, and Herod would have taken them seriously.

Astronomer Dave Reneke independently found the June 2 BC planetary conjunction and noted it would have appeared as a "bright beacon of light". According to Chester, the disks of Jupiter and Venus would have appeared to touch and there has not been as close a Venus-Jupiter conjunction since then. 

[ Until 2015 and upcoming March 1st 2023 ]

Jupiter continued to move and then stopped in its apparent retrograde motion on December 25 of 2 BC over the town of Bethlehem. Since planets in their orbits have a "stationary point", a planet moves eastward through the stars but, "As it approaches the opposite point in the sky from the sun, it appears to slow, come to a full stop, and move backward (westward) through the sky for some weeks. 

Again it slows, stops, and resumes its eastward course," said Chester. The date of December 25 that Jupiter appeared to stop while in retrograde took place in the season of Hanukkah, and is the date later chosen to celebrate Christmas.

Reference link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_Bethlehem