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Posted Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:06 pm...
Easter: The Victory of Light over Darkness
Written by Misty-Eve
Sunday, 12 April 2009
No matter by which name you call it, there are many religions and traditions that celebrate the victory of light over darkness. The Christian return of Jesus after conquering death fits this theme perfectly, but did it begin there?
Ironically, the name 'Easter' was taken from the name of a Teutonic lunar Goddess, Eostre (from whence we also get the name of the female hormone, estrogen). Her chief symbols were the bunny (both for fertility and because her worshipers saw a hare in the full moon) and the egg (symbolic of the cosmic egg of creation), images which Christians have been hard pressed to explain.
Why isnt Easter on the same day each year?
Her holiday, the Eostara, was held on the Vernal Equinox Full Moon. Of course, the Church doesn't celebrate full moons, even if they do calculate by them. The followers of the prevalent nature religion blessed their seeds, their planted fields and their new born animals on this day, so the Church planted their Easter celebration on the following Sunday.
Thus, Easter is always the first Sunday, after the first Full Moon, after the Vernal Equinox.
If you've ever wondered why Easter moved all around the calendar, now you know. (By the way, the Catholic Church was so adamant about not incorporating lunar Goddess symbolism that they added a further calculation: if Easter Sunday were to fall on the Full Moon itself, then Easter was postponed to the following Sunday instead.)
Incidentally, this raises another point: recently, some Pagan traditions began referring to the Vernal Equinox as Eostara. Historically, this is incorrect. Eostara is a lunar holiday, honoring a lunar Goddess, at the Vernal Full Moon.
Hence, the name 'Eostara' is best reserved to the nearest Esbat, rather than the Sabbat itself. How this happened is difficult to say. However, it is notable that some of the same groups misappropriated the term 'Lady Day' for Beltane, which left no good folk name for the Equinox. Thus, Eostara was misappropriated for it, completing a chain-reaction of displacement. Needless to say, the old and accepted folk name for the Vernal Equinox is 'Lady Day'. Christians sometimes insist that the title is in honor of Mary and her Annunciation, but Pagans will smile knowingly.
Good Friday
Another mythological motif which must surely arrest our attention at this time of year is that of the descent of the God or Goddess into the Underworld. Perhaps we see this most clearly in the Christian tradition. Beginning with his death on the cross on Good Friday, it is said that Jesus 'descended into hell' for the three days that his body lay entombed.
But on the third day (that is, Easter Sunday), his body and soul rejoined, he arose from the dead and ascended into heaven. By a strange 'coincidence', most ancient Pagan religions speak of the Goddess descending into the Underworld, also for a period of three days.
Why three days?
If we remember that we are here dealing with the lunar aspect of the Goddess, the reason should be obvious. As the text of one Book of Shadows gives it, '...as the moon waxes and wanes, and walks three nights in darkness, so the Goddess once spent three nights in the Kingdom of Death.' In our modern world, alienated as it is from nature, we tend to mark the time of the New Moon (when no moon is visible) as a single date on a calendar. We tend to forget that the moon is also hidden from our view on the day before and the day after our calendar date. But this did not go unnoticed by our ancestors, who always speak of the Goddess's sojourn into the land of Death as lasting for three days. Is it any wonder then, that we celebrate the next Full Moon (the Eostara) as the return of the Goddess from chthonic regions?
Naturally, this is the season to celebrate the victory of life over death, as any nature-lover will affirm. And the Christian religion was not misguided by celebrating Christ's victory over death at this same season. Nor is Christ the only solar hero to journey into the underworld. King Arthur, for example, does the same thing when he sets sail in his magical ship, Prydwen, to bring back precious gifts (i.e. the gifts of life) from the Land of the Dead, as we are told in the 'Mabinogi'. Welsh triads allude to Gwydion and Amaethon doing much the same thing. In fact, this theme is so universal that mythologists refer to it by a common phrase, 'the harrowing of hell'.
However, one might conjecture that the descent into hell, or the land of the dead, was originally accomplished, not by a solar male deity, but by a lunar female deity. It is Nature Herself who, in Spring, returns from the Underworld with her gift of abundant life. Solar heroes may have laid claim to this theme much later. The very fact that we are dealing with a three-day period of absence should tell us we are dealing with a lunar, not solar, theme. (Although one must make exception for those occasional male lunar deities, such as the Assyrian god, Sin.)
This same theme occurs in many cultures. Heres an example from Greek Mythology:
Persephone
Daughter of the Earth abducted by the God of the Underworld
The beautiful daughter of Demeter and Zeus, Persephone is the focus of the story resulting in the division of the seasons, giving us the sweetness of Spring and the bitterness of Winter. Hades did not woo the beautiful Persephone, he abducted her and took her to his underground kingdom. After much protest, Persephone came to love the cold blooded king of the underworld but her mother, Demeter, was consumed with rage and sorrow. She demonstrated her anger by punishing the earths inhabitants, gentle and fierce with bitter cold and blustering winds. Unless Persephone was returned of to her mothers side, the earth would perish.
Herakles came to the rescue. He entered the kingdom of Hades and negotiated a compromise between the (usually cold and selfish) Hades and the (usually loving and caring) Demeter. All agreed that Persephone would to spend part of the year with her husband, Hades, and part of the year with her mother, Demeter.
When Persephone is with Hades the earth is wracked by the sorrow of her mother. But, when Persephone returns from the underworld to walk the earth again, Demeter pours forth the blessings of Spring to welcome her beloved daughter home.
In modern times, Lady Day is one of the Lesser Sabbats or Low Holidays of the year, one of the four quarter-days. And what date will Witches choose to celebrate? They may choose the traditional folk 'fixed' date of March 25th, starting on its Eve. Or they may choose the actual equinox point, when the Sun crosses the Equator and enters the astrological sign of Aries.
Ostara, Oestara, Eostre, Easter
Ostara (pronounced O-star-ah) is usually celebrated on the Vernal or Spring Equinox right around March 21 (although because of its origins, may instead be celebrated on the fixed date of March 25). Other names by which this Sabbat may be known are Oestara, Eostre's Day, Rite of Eostre, Alban Eilir, Festival of the Trees, and Lady Day. The Christian holiday of Easter is very near this same time, (notice the similarity in name?)
Easter Bunny
The name for this Sabbat actually comes from that of the Teutonic lunar Goddess, Eostre. Her chief symbols were the bunny (for fertility and because the Ancient Ones who worshipped her often saw the image of a rabbit in the full moon), and the egg (representing the cosmic egg of creation). This is where the customs of "Easter Eggs" and the "Easter Bunny" originated.
Ostara is a time to celebrate the arrival of Spring, the renewal and rebirth of Nature herself, and the coming lushness of Summer. It is at this time when light and darkness are in balance, yet the light is growing stronger by the day. The forces of masculine and feminine energy, yin and yang, are also in balance at this time.
At this time we think of renewing ourselves. We renew our thoughts, our dreams, and our aspirations. We think of renewing our relationships. This is an excellent time of year to begin anything new or to completely revitalize something. This is also an excellent month for prosperity rituals or rituals that have anything to do with growth.
Easter Eggs
Pagan customs such as the lighting of new fires at dawn for cure, renewed life, and protection of the crops still survive in the Southern Americas as well as in Europe. Witches celebrate Ostara in many ways on this sacred day, including lighting fires at sunrise, ringing bells, and decorating hard-boiled eggs which is an ancient Pagan custom associated with the Goddess of Fertility. In those ancient days, eggs were gathered and used for the creation of talismans and also ritually eaten. The gathering of different colored eggs from the nests of a variety of birds has given rise to two traditions still observed today - the Easter egg hunt, and coloring eggs in imitation of the various pastel colors of wild birds.
There is a kind of chicken that will lay different colored eggs, the Araucanas, or the Easter Egg Chicken. For more on that see: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Arau/BRKEaster.html
It is also believed that humankind first got the idea of weaving baskets from watching birds weave nests. This is perhaps the origin of the association between colored Easter eggs and Easter baskets.
There is much symbolism in eggs themselves. The golden orb of its yolk represents the Sun God, its white shell is seen as the White Goddess, and the whole is a symbol of rebirth. The Goddess Eostre's patron animal was the hare. And although the references are not recalled, the symbolism of the hare and rabbit's associations with fertility are not forgotten.
No matter how you celebrate it, the Spring Equinox is a time of new beginnings, of action, of planting seeds for future grains, and of tending gardens. Spring is a time of the Earth's renewal, a rousing of nature after the cold sleep of winter.
Individual Celebration
It is an ideal time to clean your home to welcome the new season. "Spring cleaning" is much more than simply physical work. It may be seen as a concentrated effort to rid your home of the problems and negativity of the past months, and to prepare for the coming spring and summer. To do this, many Pagans approach the task of cleaning their homes with positive thoughts. This frees the home of any negative feelings brought about by a harsh winter. A common rule of thumb for Spring cleaning is that all motions involving scrubbing of stains or hand rubbing the floors should be done "clockwise". Pagans believe this custom aids in filling the home with good energy for growth.
How will YOU celebrate this time of new beginnings?
Its worth thinking about
~ Misty-Eve*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE FIERY MESSAGE OF ARIES: Wake Up and Live! Enjoy life! Be Happy!
People are that they might have Joy. The real meaning of Aries is the message of reincarnation - Wake up and live!
Most folks are not aware. They are not aware that they dwell in a waking dream state, passing in a stupor past the multitude of images and shadows that they perceive as life. "BE AWARE" - says Aries - be an active force in the creative processes that recreate the world each moment of each day. Emerson says that if you would have the power, DO THE THING. Aries says to us that if we want to do something - just do it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARIES: I AM
1st Decan Influence: "INITIATIVE"
March 20 March 29
Without initiative, nothing begins. Initiative is the ability to start, to begin - and then to push it through. In Magic, an initiation is necessary for success in achieving the goals we set. INITIATIVE demands ACTION. Let us say to ourselves, as Aries begins, "Let us start". We then need to keep the initiative going. See every action through to its conclusion on anything you begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For more on the lessons of ARIES see: http://druidcraft.us/astrology
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?
To learn more about the teachings of the Druidic Craft of the Wise, visit us the "Courses" page on the web: http://druidcraft.us
You are a blessed being!
Misty-Eve*
Druidic Craft of the Wise
The American Rite
http://druidcraft.us
Dont ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it! Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
~ Howard Thurman. American theologian, clergy, mystic, civil rights activist (1900-1981).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A WORD TO THE WISE
A Daily Newsletter of Astrological Reflections from The Druid Perspective
Subscribe to the newsletter > A Word To The Wise subscription
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Share A WORD TO THE WISE with those you care about.
Permission is granted with the use of the following tag line:
(C) Reproductions Permitted: http://awordtothewise.info
Written by Misty-Eve
Sunday, 12 April 2009
No matter by which name you call it, there are many religions and traditions that celebrate the victory of light over darkness. The Christian return of Jesus after conquering death fits this theme perfectly, but did it begin there?
Ironically, the name 'Easter' was taken from the name of a Teutonic lunar Goddess, Eostre (from whence we also get the name of the female hormone, estrogen). Her chief symbols were the bunny (both for fertility and because her worshipers saw a hare in the full moon) and the egg (symbolic of the cosmic egg of creation), images which Christians have been hard pressed to explain.
Why isnt Easter on the same day each year?
Her holiday, the Eostara, was held on the Vernal Equinox Full Moon. Of course, the Church doesn't celebrate full moons, even if they do calculate by them. The followers of the prevalent nature religion blessed their seeds, their planted fields and their new born animals on this day, so the Church planted their Easter celebration on the following Sunday.
Thus, Easter is always the first Sunday, after the first Full Moon, after the Vernal Equinox.
If you've ever wondered why Easter moved all around the calendar, now you know. (By the way, the Catholic Church was so adamant about not incorporating lunar Goddess symbolism that they added a further calculation: if Easter Sunday were to fall on the Full Moon itself, then Easter was postponed to the following Sunday instead.)
Incidentally, this raises another point: recently, some Pagan traditions began referring to the Vernal Equinox as Eostara. Historically, this is incorrect. Eostara is a lunar holiday, honoring a lunar Goddess, at the Vernal Full Moon.
Hence, the name 'Eostara' is best reserved to the nearest Esbat, rather than the Sabbat itself. How this happened is difficult to say. However, it is notable that some of the same groups misappropriated the term 'Lady Day' for Beltane, which left no good folk name for the Equinox. Thus, Eostara was misappropriated for it, completing a chain-reaction of displacement. Needless to say, the old and accepted folk name for the Vernal Equinox is 'Lady Day'. Christians sometimes insist that the title is in honor of Mary and her Annunciation, but Pagans will smile knowingly.
Good Friday
Another mythological motif which must surely arrest our attention at this time of year is that of the descent of the God or Goddess into the Underworld. Perhaps we see this most clearly in the Christian tradition. Beginning with his death on the cross on Good Friday, it is said that Jesus 'descended into hell' for the three days that his body lay entombed.
But on the third day (that is, Easter Sunday), his body and soul rejoined, he arose from the dead and ascended into heaven. By a strange 'coincidence', most ancient Pagan religions speak of the Goddess descending into the Underworld, also for a period of three days.
Why three days?
If we remember that we are here dealing with the lunar aspect of the Goddess, the reason should be obvious. As the text of one Book of Shadows gives it, '...as the moon waxes and wanes, and walks three nights in darkness, so the Goddess once spent three nights in the Kingdom of Death.' In our modern world, alienated as it is from nature, we tend to mark the time of the New Moon (when no moon is visible) as a single date on a calendar. We tend to forget that the moon is also hidden from our view on the day before and the day after our calendar date. But this did not go unnoticed by our ancestors, who always speak of the Goddess's sojourn into the land of Death as lasting for three days. Is it any wonder then, that we celebrate the next Full Moon (the Eostara) as the return of the Goddess from chthonic regions?
Naturally, this is the season to celebrate the victory of life over death, as any nature-lover will affirm. And the Christian religion was not misguided by celebrating Christ's victory over death at this same season. Nor is Christ the only solar hero to journey into the underworld. King Arthur, for example, does the same thing when he sets sail in his magical ship, Prydwen, to bring back precious gifts (i.e. the gifts of life) from the Land of the Dead, as we are told in the 'Mabinogi'. Welsh triads allude to Gwydion and Amaethon doing much the same thing. In fact, this theme is so universal that mythologists refer to it by a common phrase, 'the harrowing of hell'.
However, one might conjecture that the descent into hell, or the land of the dead, was originally accomplished, not by a solar male deity, but by a lunar female deity. It is Nature Herself who, in Spring, returns from the Underworld with her gift of abundant life. Solar heroes may have laid claim to this theme much later. The very fact that we are dealing with a three-day period of absence should tell us we are dealing with a lunar, not solar, theme. (Although one must make exception for those occasional male lunar deities, such as the Assyrian god, Sin.)
This same theme occurs in many cultures. Heres an example from Greek Mythology:
Persephone
Daughter of the Earth abducted by the God of the Underworld
The beautiful daughter of Demeter and Zeus, Persephone is the focus of the story resulting in the division of the seasons, giving us the sweetness of Spring and the bitterness of Winter. Hades did not woo the beautiful Persephone, he abducted her and took her to his underground kingdom. After much protest, Persephone came to love the cold blooded king of the underworld but her mother, Demeter, was consumed with rage and sorrow. She demonstrated her anger by punishing the earths inhabitants, gentle and fierce with bitter cold and blustering winds. Unless Persephone was returned of to her mothers side, the earth would perish.
Herakles came to the rescue. He entered the kingdom of Hades and negotiated a compromise between the (usually cold and selfish) Hades and the (usually loving and caring) Demeter. All agreed that Persephone would to spend part of the year with her husband, Hades, and part of the year with her mother, Demeter.
When Persephone is with Hades the earth is wracked by the sorrow of her mother. But, when Persephone returns from the underworld to walk the earth again, Demeter pours forth the blessings of Spring to welcome her beloved daughter home.
In modern times, Lady Day is one of the Lesser Sabbats or Low Holidays of the year, one of the four quarter-days. And what date will Witches choose to celebrate? They may choose the traditional folk 'fixed' date of March 25th, starting on its Eve. Or they may choose the actual equinox point, when the Sun crosses the Equator and enters the astrological sign of Aries.
Ostara, Oestara, Eostre, Easter
Ostara (pronounced O-star-ah) is usually celebrated on the Vernal or Spring Equinox right around March 21 (although because of its origins, may instead be celebrated on the fixed date of March 25). Other names by which this Sabbat may be known are Oestara, Eostre's Day, Rite of Eostre, Alban Eilir, Festival of the Trees, and Lady Day. The Christian holiday of Easter is very near this same time, (notice the similarity in name?)
Easter Bunny
The name for this Sabbat actually comes from that of the Teutonic lunar Goddess, Eostre. Her chief symbols were the bunny (for fertility and because the Ancient Ones who worshipped her often saw the image of a rabbit in the full moon), and the egg (representing the cosmic egg of creation). This is where the customs of "Easter Eggs" and the "Easter Bunny" originated.
Ostara is a time to celebrate the arrival of Spring, the renewal and rebirth of Nature herself, and the coming lushness of Summer. It is at this time when light and darkness are in balance, yet the light is growing stronger by the day. The forces of masculine and feminine energy, yin and yang, are also in balance at this time.
At this time we think of renewing ourselves. We renew our thoughts, our dreams, and our aspirations. We think of renewing our relationships. This is an excellent time of year to begin anything new or to completely revitalize something. This is also an excellent month for prosperity rituals or rituals that have anything to do with growth.
Easter Eggs
Pagan customs such as the lighting of new fires at dawn for cure, renewed life, and protection of the crops still survive in the Southern Americas as well as in Europe. Witches celebrate Ostara in many ways on this sacred day, including lighting fires at sunrise, ringing bells, and decorating hard-boiled eggs which is an ancient Pagan custom associated with the Goddess of Fertility. In those ancient days, eggs were gathered and used for the creation of talismans and also ritually eaten. The gathering of different colored eggs from the nests of a variety of birds has given rise to two traditions still observed today - the Easter egg hunt, and coloring eggs in imitation of the various pastel colors of wild birds.
There is a kind of chicken that will lay different colored eggs, the Araucanas, or the Easter Egg Chicken. For more on that see: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Arau/BRKEaster.html
It is also believed that humankind first got the idea of weaving baskets from watching birds weave nests. This is perhaps the origin of the association between colored Easter eggs and Easter baskets.
There is much symbolism in eggs themselves. The golden orb of its yolk represents the Sun God, its white shell is seen as the White Goddess, and the whole is a symbol of rebirth. The Goddess Eostre's patron animal was the hare. And although the references are not recalled, the symbolism of the hare and rabbit's associations with fertility are not forgotten.
No matter how you celebrate it, the Spring Equinox is a time of new beginnings, of action, of planting seeds for future grains, and of tending gardens. Spring is a time of the Earth's renewal, a rousing of nature after the cold sleep of winter.
Individual Celebration
It is an ideal time to clean your home to welcome the new season. "Spring cleaning" is much more than simply physical work. It may be seen as a concentrated effort to rid your home of the problems and negativity of the past months, and to prepare for the coming spring and summer. To do this, many Pagans approach the task of cleaning their homes with positive thoughts. This frees the home of any negative feelings brought about by a harsh winter. A common rule of thumb for Spring cleaning is that all motions involving scrubbing of stains or hand rubbing the floors should be done "clockwise". Pagans believe this custom aids in filling the home with good energy for growth.
How will YOU celebrate this time of new beginnings?
Its worth thinking about
~ Misty-Eve*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE FIERY MESSAGE OF ARIES: Wake Up and Live! Enjoy life! Be Happy!
People are that they might have Joy. The real meaning of Aries is the message of reincarnation - Wake up and live!
Most folks are not aware. They are not aware that they dwell in a waking dream state, passing in a stupor past the multitude of images and shadows that they perceive as life. "BE AWARE" - says Aries - be an active force in the creative processes that recreate the world each moment of each day. Emerson says that if you would have the power, DO THE THING. Aries says to us that if we want to do something - just do it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARIES: I AM
1st Decan Influence: "INITIATIVE"
March 20 March 29
Without initiative, nothing begins. Initiative is the ability to start, to begin - and then to push it through. In Magic, an initiation is necessary for success in achieving the goals we set. INITIATIVE demands ACTION. Let us say to ourselves, as Aries begins, "Let us start". We then need to keep the initiative going. See every action through to its conclusion on anything you begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For more on the lessons of ARIES see: http://druidcraft.us/astrology
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?
To learn more about the teachings of the Druidic Craft of the Wise, visit us the "Courses" page on the web: http://druidcraft.us
You are a blessed being!
Misty-Eve*
Druidic Craft of the Wise
The American Rite
http://druidcraft.us
Dont ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it! Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
~ Howard Thurman. American theologian, clergy, mystic, civil rights activist (1900-1981).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A WORD TO THE WISE
A Daily Newsletter of Astrological Reflections from The Druid Perspective
Subscribe to the newsletter > A Word To The Wise subscription
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Share A WORD TO THE WISE with those you care about.
Permission is granted with the use of the following tag line:
(C) Reproductions Permitted: http://awordtothewise.info
If you cant explain it simply, you dont understand it well enough.-- Albert Einstein
Blessings Bright and Dark,
