Ostara Flowers

Ostara Flowers

As promised, here is a list of some flowers that should be in bloom come Ostara depending on where you live and the climate in your area.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladydragonflyherworld/

Apple Blossoms-White to pink. Used for healing. They correspond to the element of Water. Sacred to the Goddess; used by the Bandraoi or woman-druids.

http://mycityflower.co/carnation-flowers-facts/carnations-flowers-carnation-flower/

Carnation-White to red. Carnations are also exceptional for dyeing. Cut white carnations on long stems, put them in water with some food coloring, and the tint will show up in the petal veins; so they can be any color. They convey strength, protection, and healing. These are masculine, Fire flowers.

www.seduced-by-moonlight.tumblr.com

Cherry Blossoms-White to pink. Use for love or divination. They correspond to the element of Water. They symbolize feminine energy and the beauty of ephemeral things.

http://theresagreen.me/tag/meadow-flowers/

Clover-White to dark pink, also yellow. Correspondences include good luck, love, protection, and success. Clover relates to the element of Air and masculine energy.

www.easytogrowbulbs.com

Crocus-White to purple, also yellow. Saffron from crocus is an ideal spice for Ostara.

www.7-themes.com

Daffodils-White to yellow. Daffodils apply to fertility and good luck. The narcissus type is associated with self-love. They have masculine energy and a Water correspondence.

www.naturehills.com

Dogwood-White to deep pink. A symbol of sacrifice, also associated with dogs. Good for wish magick.

www.mother-natures-son.com

Eastern Redbud-Pink. The small tree bears masses of tiny flowers and heart shaped leaves. The flowers represent the blood of betrayal, and the leaves a forgiving heart. Excellent for working through shame or guilt.

www.jfschmidt.com

Forsythia-Yellow. The shrub bears long thin branches festooned with yellow flowers, which may be cut to make wreaths. It symbolizes anticipation.

www.auntyflo.com

Hyacinth-Many colors. A symbol of homosexual love in Greek tradition, also associated with happiness.

www.1stinflowers.com

Iris-All colors. Good for purification and wisdom. Corresponds to Water and feminine energy. Sacred to Iris, the Greek goddess of rainbows.

www.healtheatingfood.com

Lilacs-White to purple, also pale yellow. Useful for protection. Corresponds to Water and feminine energy. (Great plant to have near any entryway of your home.)

www.list-of-birthstones.com

Lily of the Valley-White. Sacred to the Goddess, and a symbol of motherhood.

Pansies-All colors. They represent thoughtfulness and love. Feminine energy.

www.hammelmans.com

Peonies-White to deep pink. They stand for prosperity, honor, romance, good fortune, and beauty.

www.inspirationalbeading.blogspot.com

Pussy Willow-Silver to pale yellow. Small fuzzy buds open into fluffy flowers. The stems are usually cut at the bud stage and put in a vase for display. They represent feline magick as well as spring, and willows connect to Water.

www.hadecoflowers.com

Tulips-Many colors. They manifest prosperity. They relate to the element of Earth and feminine energy.

www.gardeningknowhow.com

Violas-Many colors; the famous Johnny jump-ups are purple-and-yellow. Ironically they correspond both to sex and love (flowers), and to modesty (leaves)! They relate to feminine energy and the Triple Goddess.

www.theflowersavenue.com

Violets-White to purple, also yellow. They bring good luck, healing, love, peace, protection, and wishes. They represent Water and feminine energy.

www.commons.wikimedia.org

Witch Hazel-Yellow or red. Threadlike flowers appear on bare branches in earliest spring. Associated with witches, with a strong magickal connotation.

*Flower information was found in the Llewellyn's 2016 Sabbats Almanac.

I do hope that this small list will help you in making your flower baskets, or whatever other Ostara or Spring craft you are planning this year.

Blessed Be! )O(

~Luminessa

Cleansing a Space

A very common question is "What are the basics for cleansing a space?" 

This is how I cleanse a space to get rid of negative energy as well as lingering energy, memory energy or static energy and making a space very neutral and ready for whatever sacred space you want to make it.  

First I start with a Sage Smudge. There are many different Sages out there, I prefer White Sage. You can also use a rope of Sweetgrass or a specially blended cleansing incense. 

Before you light your Sage go through your entire house or building and open all the doors. Interior and exterior. Open all cupboards and closets and windows also. Basically if it opens, open it.  

Stand at your front door. Now light your Sage and make sure you have quite a simmer before blowing it out.

Keep a bowl, shell, cauldron or any container underneath it to catch any ash and to assist at relighting if you need to. 

Now starting at your front door work your way deosil (Sunwise or clockwise) around the interior. Walk through each room letting the smoke fill every corner, linger for a moment in windows and doorways, cabinets and cupboards to ensure complete saturation. Make sure you smudge every room, then end at the front door where you started. 

While you are doing this you can say a chant. Something like...

Smoke of Air

And Fire and Earth,

Cleanse and Bless

This Home and Hearth.

Drive away

All harm and fear;

Only Good 

May enter here.

When you are done Thank the Universe, Goddess, God, whoever you work with and Blessed Be!

Keep your windows open for a bit longer so you don't set off your smoke alarms and enjoy your clean sacred space!!

Namaste,

AnnaStacia

Preparing for Ostara, a bit of background

Preparing for Ostara

This year Ostara falls on March 19th. I wanted to make sure and give you the date, because if any of you are like me, you have a horrible memory and forget things. 

Now that that is out of the way...Lets start preparing. Between now and Ostara our hope is to get the most information, traditions, craft, ritual, recipe, and altar ideas that we can. But, before we get into all of that lets first give you some background on the Sabbat itself.

Ostara marks the beginning of Spring! After the long winter, plants are beginning to emerge and grow portraying a beautiful array of colors, fragrances, and the prospect of new beginnings and rebirth. Fertility is all around us. All the new little critters are peeking their heads out to explore their new world. One of the most prominent creatures that stands as a symbol of this beautiful turning point is the Rabbit.

The rabbit has been perceived as a symbol of spring and fertility so much to the point that it has been embodied into the mainstream holidays of this day and age...hence the Easter Bunny. Yes, it is true that this Christian holiday actually did get its roots from a pagan belief system. *Stone me for saying so if you want to.

Rabbits are closely tied to the Germanic goddess Eostre. Her festival just so happens to coincide with the Spring Equinox and so the tale goes, a hare was among her followers. The hare wanted to give the goddess a gift to show his appreciation and devotion. He settled upon giving Eostre an egg which he had come into possession of. As the egg held great value, in that it was not the normal diet for hares; which usually consisted of whatever vegetation they could come across. But, in needing to make his gift of the egg a special one, he painted and decorated the egg until it was a beautiful masterpiece. According to the tale, the gift was so well received that both the eggs and legendary rabbits that deliver them at her festival time each year now bear her namesake as Eostre eggs and Eostre bunnies or rabbits. And what became a pattern for many of our Sabbats, Christianity began to integrate Pagan practices and celebrations into its own religious traditions. Nowadays both rabbits and eggs are a huge part of this now commercial holiday that is known to most as Easter.

I thought that this tale would be most beneficial to those who were always going around wondering "why?" "Why is there a tradition of the Easter Bunny? Rabbits don't lay eggs!" 

Now lets dip a little bit into the rest of the traditions, particularly the so called "Easter Basket". I'm going to break it down for you...

As Spring begins to blossom and all the beautiful flowers and foliage begin to come to life it is a time to celebrate. What better way than to celebrate fertility and feminine energy in general, which flowers tend to be associated with. Spring flowers often are correlated with Water, the element of intuition and cycles. ( Cycles, menstruation, fertility...makes sense right?)

Okay, back on track. With all of the flowers blooming (typically fruit trees) most of us tend to have ceremonies and practices that will coincide with what we have on hand. And each flower represents different elements, and portrays different properties, and so are chosen that way depending on what exactly you want to incorporate into your ceremony, altar, and magick. (I will post a list of some flowers and their meanings later on)

That being said, Flower Baskets appear not only in Ostara, but Beltane celebrations as well, as flowers continue to bloom throughout the season. The Ostara Baskets are customarily lined with tissue, grass, or moss, then filled with eggs or candies. Baskets, like other hollow objects, represent feminine power; which is especially true when filled with eggs or flowers that are symbols of fertility. Often, Goddess icons are seen holding baskets of flowers for this reason. 

Today, as a result of these old traditions, we are able to find Ostara baskets or "Easter Baskets" everywhere. But for those of us who know the stories and traditions, and why we celebrate and give thanks, we like to make our own. Be it just flower baskets, with beautifully painted eggs, rabbits, or anything that represents the Spring Equinox. They make a wonderful addition to any home, altar, or sacred space. 

I do hope this helps everyone with a bit of a backstory of this wonderful Sabbat.

There will be more to come in the form of crafts, recipes, moon phases, spring cleaning, and how to incorporate these things into family life with your children. After all, what good is the knowledge if we are unable to pass it on to future generations. 

May your light shine so brightly upon others that they too want to be a beacon unto the world!

~Luminessa

New Moon in Aquarius - February 8, 2016

This is a fresh invigorating New Moon, with the sun and moon in exciting Aquarius in a bracing square to Mars.You're ready to get things moving,even if it means stepping on a few toes along the way! At the Capricorn New Moon, you made your resolutions for the new year; at the Aquarius New Moon, expand your vision to include your long-term goals and the legacy you hope to leave to the future. Sometimes we need to unite with other like-minded people to achieve the greatest possible good, and this is the New Moon to call those people to you. And since Aquarius is the sign of friendship,it would be nice to include wishes for your friends in your New Moon observances.

- Llewellyn's 2016 Sabbat Almanac

Polychrome Jasper

Happy Monday!! The White Raven Girls have decided to do crystal of the week!

Polychrome Jasper is also known as Desert Jasper and Royal Savannah Jasper. It is a type of chalcedony that is found in the deserts of Madagascar. The miners accidentally found it when they were trying to find Ocean Jasper, which I have read is all mined out so if you have some hold on to it tightly.

The Zodiac sign associated with Polychrome Jasper is Leo and its associated chakra is the solar plexus. It is used for stability, balance and grounding. Jasper in general can be used to promote protection and Magick.

If you are in the Carson Valley stop by Crimson Moon in the Carson Mall for a beautiful selection of Polychrome Jasper. I hope you have found this informative and that you have a fabulous week!!

Namaste

AnnaStacia

The Wiccan Rede

Though many of you reading may not necessarily follow a set path or even know exactly what it means to be a Pagan or a Witch, you need fear not. It is our hope that we might be able to provide you with a better understanding. Don't get me wrong; we are in no way claiming to have all the answers, nor do we always go by what or how things have been written by others in the past,but we are the type of people that if you do have questions we are here to hopefully help. The most helpful thing that I can tell you is to go with what feels right to you. What works for one person may not work for the next. And this might also be the case from one instance to the next. So...This is just the beginning of the plethora of knowledge (tee hee) that AnnaStacia and I have between the both of us.

The Wiccan Rede

Bide the Wiccan laws ye must in perfect love and perfect trust.

Live and let live-fairly take and fairly give.

Cast the circle thrice about to keep all evil spirits out.

To bind the spell every time, let the spell be spake in rhyme.

Soft of eye and light of touch-speak little, listen much.

Deosil go by the waxing moon-sing and dance the Wiccan rune.

Widdershins go when the moon doth wane, and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane.

When the Lady's Moon is new, kiss the hand to her times two.

When the moon rides at her peak, then your hearts desire seek.

Head the Northwinds mighty gale-lock the door and drop the sail.

When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss thee on the mouth.

When the wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.

When the the West wind blows o'er thee, departed spirits restless be.

Nine woods in the cauldron go-burn them quick and burn them slow.

Elder be ye lady's tree-burn it not or cursed ye'll be.

When the wheel begins to turn-let the Beltane fires burn.

When the Wheel has turned to Yule, light the log and let Pan rule.

Heed ye flower, bush and tree-by the Lady blessed be.

Where the rippling waters go, cast a stone and truth ye'll know.

When ye have need, hearken not to others' greed.

With the fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.

Merry meet an merry part-bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the Threefold Law ye should-three times bad anbd three times good.

When misfortune is enow, wear the blue star on the brown.

True in love ever be unless thy lovers fals to thee.

Eight words in the Wiccan Rede fulfill-An it harm none, do what ye will.

What this basically comes down to is pretty simple. Don't hurt other people! Physcially, spiritually, or emotionally, because if you do then the law of 3 will come back around to you. That, and Karma is a Bi$#@!

If this was helpful, please let us know! This is a new venture for us and we would love your feedback!

May your light shine so brightly upon others that they too want to be a beacon unto the world!

~Luminessa

The Light of Imbolc

Imbolc is known by many names, Brigid's Day, Ladies Day, Oimelc, Candlemas and Groundhog Day. It traditionally begins on the evening of February 1st and continues through February 2nd, falling half way between Winter solstice and Summer solstice in the wheel of the year.

The word i mbolc is Old Irish and translates to "In the belly" and refers to the pregnancy of ewe's. Even here in the Carson Valley you can see signs of spring nearing, if you were to drive down Highway 395 in Minden right now you will see hundreds of cows and their newly born calves. Birthing day was just a few days ago where you can see a row of photographers capturing the beauty of nature, life, and the coming of spring. 

Another possible translation is imb-fholc which is Old Irish for "to wash/cleanse oneself" . The days are slowly becoming longer and on a rare Northern Nevada day a bit brighter and warmer. Spring cleaning is not too far away. Wash away the ashes from the hearth and the dust from our houses after staying in and keeping warm all winter.

Today is truly a hearth and home celebration. Many Pagans feast today and light candles and bonfires. Fire and purification are very important ceremonies, they signify the returning of the sun's warmth and light through out Spring.

In our modern times it's not as dire to recognize the seasons for our crops and animals but I think it's still important to have a connection with our earth. More then just noticing what the date is, but participating in her cycle of life and death. If you have a minute today, step outside. Breath in the frigid air and really feel it fill your lungs. What does it smell like? Can you sense the tiniest hint of Spring? Take a walk, do you see any other signs of Winter's thaw? Greener grass, active wildlife, icicles melting. The Earth is waking up.

We wish you all a Blessed Imbolc and a sweet prosperous Spring.



Namaste
AnnaStacia