Ostara Newsletter

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March 20th marked the Spring or Vernal Equinox and the start of the season of Ostara. On this day, the Sun stands directly over Earth’s equator marking the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not known whether there was a name for this festival within Celtic culture but it is believed to be related to the northern goddess Ēostre or Ostara. For this update we have included a new Goddess Epona, Crystal Rainforest and Celtic Shaman Meditations.

Known as Alban Eilir, meaning Light of the Earth, to modern Druid traditions, this holiday is the second of three spring celebrations (the midpoint between Imbolc and Beltane), during which light and darkness are again in balance, with light on the rise.

Known as Rhiannon in Wales, Macha in Ireland, and Epona to the Gauls, this ancient horse goddess is one of the most well-known of the Celtic gods and goddesses. The name Epona derives from the Gaulish for the Great Mare. She is, first and foremost, a Horse Goddess associated with the Gauls, though she was eventually accepted by the Romans who worshipped her as a protector of their cavalry.

~ The Equinox is the date (or moment) some astronomical alignments in Ireland mark as being auspicious. Some, like the cairn on Loughcrew or the two passages of Knowth, represent a sort of super-alignment with quadruple significance.

~ The equinox is far less obvious an astronomical event than the two solstices, occuring between the winter solstice and the summer solstice, and vice versa, twice a year. However, it is just one event, and even though the spring and autumn equinoxs fall on different dates, for all intents and purposes they are in fact identical events.

~ In agricultural societies, the equinox would mark the seasons and also frame certain activities and expectations. Take hens, for instance. They (very broadly speaking) need twelve hours of daylight to lay eggs in earnest. The main time to get eggs is, you guessed it, between the spring and autumn equinox. And this might also explain why we have an Easter egg, as some people think that the Christian feast of Easter is, after all, a version of the feast of the equinox.

Reflection Seeds

✤March 21st to 23rd (variable by a day)
✤Quarter Day
✤The countryside begins to stir
✤Our life force begins to flow
✤Plant those seeds
✤Begin to cultivate your hopes and dreams
✤Deepen into your life
✤Build your relationships

A Message from Ostara:
Swop to LED's from standard bulbs. They're energy-efficient and eco-friendly and will cut your emmissions by 80 percent and slash your energy bills too. LED bulbs also last far longer thean standard bulbs. The glass and metal used in LED bulbs is recyclable. According to GreenTech Solutions, 95% of an LED bulb can be recycled.

Ostara Meditation:

The natural world is coming alive, and the days are becoming longer and warmer. The next three months are the most energetic of the year. Join us as we immerse ourselves in the energies of the Spring Equinox and journey through a woodland bursting with spring colour. Today we embrace light and hope as new dreams blossom.

Ostara Inspiration:

Are you feeling the tattered worn edges of the end of a long hard winter and looking toward the bright hopeful clarity of Spring? This simple charm will help you to clear your home space, resetting the energies in your home and will bring rejuvenation to your living space. It’s just like a reset button!

Recommended App:
Are your plants dying? Learn how to keep them alive with Planta. Get all the help you need to support healthy, impressive, thriving plants by using Planta.

Recommended Book:

Green, Greener, Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-Smart Choices a Part of Your Life, by Lori Bongiorno.
This is a simple guide that gives you tips on how you can help the environment by making wise decisions in terms of how you spend your time and money. Bongiorno emphasizes, because there isn’t just one way of doing things right, there are several adjustments you can make in your daily life in order to fit your budget, schedule and personal interests.

Recommended Movie:

A Plastic Ocean begins when journalist Craig Leeson, searching for the elusive blue whale, discovers plastic waste in what should be pristine ocean. In this adventure documentary, Craig teams up with free diver Tanya Streeter and an international team of scientists and researchers, and they travel to twenty locations around the world over the next four years to explore the fragile state of our oceans, uncover alarming truths about plastic pollution, and reveal working solutions that can be put into immediate effect.

Team Profile:

Celtic Mindfulness is the concept of Francis O Connor, meditation coach, counselor and musician of many years. He runs regular workshops in Petaluma and northern California. The whole concept of Celtic Mindfulness is to incorporate the rich and empowering aspects of ancient Celtic practices of spirituality, including mysticism and mindfulness, along with ancient rituals of chanting and music.

VIEW MORE

Celtic Living for the 21st Century:

Please Click on the link to enjoy the Gateway of the Equinox brought to you by the wonderful Philip Carr-Gomm from the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.

Celtic Whispers Shop:

If you like the artwork and style of Celtic Whispers we also offer our designs on physical products as well. We invite you to visit our shop and see if any of our Celtic Designs would look good on a t-shirt, mug or sticker.

Beannacht :

Ostara and the Spring Equinox come with an energy that signals renewal and lighter days. We all deserve to fully step into the light after this year of unprecedented uncertainty and despair.

"As we enter into the Spring Equinox may the growing light and increasing life force support you as you bring your gifts into the world making it a more beautiful place". ~ Dolores Whelan

Slán agus Beannacht!

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