Good Morning!
As the snowflakes gently fall here in New York City, today the wheel turns to the first day of Spring!
As my father always says:
"Spring has sprung, the grass has riz'
I wonder where my ball glove is!"
Spring represents renewal and rebirth. Seasonal living shows us how to live in harmony with the natural cycles of our environment. As the earth is tilted so that the sun is directly over the equator, this signifies the start of the vernal equinox. This time of Spring has been celebrated over the centuries as the beginning of the rebirth period.
The Spring Season is probably one of the most embraced and most significant of the season changes, for it denotes the start of new life, regeneration of nature and the renewal of the spirit. As an expression in nature, this is the time when crops are planted. Spring flowers bloom in fields, yards and parks. Gardens are filled with the luxurious growth of delicate petals of geraniums and hydrangeas to the fragrance of lilacs and tuberose. Brilliant bursts of sun showers water the earth. The brisk breeze of a new season scatters her seeds and the warmth of the healing sun plays a part in the renewal of the season.
Eostre or Ostara of Spring is a goddess in Germanic and Celtic tradition who is the namesake of the festival of Easter. In her various forms, she is a spring-like fertility goddess associated with dawn. Also associated with Eostre or the Norse Goddess, Freyja. Her focus is on balance and the equilibrium between night and day at the Spring Equinox. It is a time for new beginnings, for planting seeds that will bear much fruit and for celebration of the rebirth of the soil, the land, and oneself. Celebrated all over the world and in different cultures including Easter, Feast of the Annunciation (Christian), Lady Day, Celebration of the Goddesses, Venus (Roman) and Aphrodite (Greek), Eostre or Ostara (Old English), Hewsos or Austro (Proto-Indo-European goddess of the Dawn), Easter, Eastre (Old High German).
(Art by Amanda Jane Clark ~ please visit her shop, Earth Angel's Art)
When: March 20 or 21
Season: Spring or the Vernal Equinox
Represents: Spring Equinox, Easter, balance of day and night
Virtues: Growth, Union, Renewal
Symbols: Egg, Egg Coloring, Rabbit,
Gemstone: Amethyst, Agate, Blue Lace, Aventurine, Bloodstone, Chiastolite, Citrine, Rose Quartz
Color: Green, Pink, Violet, Yellow
Essential Oils: Eucalyptus, Lavender, Rose, Sandalwood
Remedies: Bee Pollen, Bilberry, Blessed Thistle, Burdock Root, Calendula Flower, Catnip, Chamomile, Chaste Tree Berry, Cramp Bark, Dandelion, Eye Bright, Hydrangea Root, Milk Thistle Seed, Mullien Leaf, Nettle Leaf, Passion Flower, Wild Cherry Bark
Flowers: Daffodil, Gorse, Iris, Narcissus, Peony, Violet, Woodruff
Element: Air
Direction: East
Life Event: Renewal, Rebirth
Lunar: Growing Moon or Full Pink Moon
Body Healing: Fertility
Mind Healing: Spring Depression
Spirit Healing: Sacred Spirit
Ostara Meditation: Walking
Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac
http://www.peacefulmind.com/celtic_healing.htmTherapies for healing
mind, body, spirit
