Tag Archive for Ostara

What is Wicca?

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Wicca is an earth-based Spiritual path, based on reviving the ancient pagan religions of pre-Christian Europe. Wiccan’s have a strong belief in the forms and forces of nature and that the divine source exists on all planes and is both male and female. Wiccan’s see aspects of life and nature as being sacred. Wiccan’s will attempt to attune themselves to natural rhythms of nature and cycle of life so they can communicate with the divine form. Wiccan’s will use rituals and rites, which are a mix between ancient text and modern ceremonies as well as shamanic practices to achieve this commune with the divine force. For Wiccan’s the divine form / force is divided in to two parts the two parts are considered to be equal and opposite (up-down / left-right / good bad / summer-winter etc.). These two halves created the balance in the universe and manifest as a Goddess(s) and God(s). By manifesting the power in two deities (Goddess and God), the natural balance of opposites, cause and effect are retained, e.g. Summer/winter, light/ dark, life and death etc    Although Wiccan’s may name their deities Wiccan’s believe that all goddess’s are but one goddess and all gods are but one god. The reason a Wiccan will call on a deity by name is to focus the aspect or nature of the persona that that aspect of the divine portrays. Wiccan’s believe that with the will of the divine and through magickal workings such as spells and rituals you can bend the unlimited

Eostre or Ostara Not Easter

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As the wheel keeps turn we move towards the vernal equinox the point where day and night are equal (give or take) and our thought turn to planting new crops for the on coming harvests. ?ostre or Ostara is as the Venerable Bede said the origin of the word is actually from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring. Eostre is a very obscure Goddess, and uniquely Anglo-Saxon Heathen. She is not mentioned at all in the Norse corpus, and there are only fleetingly in the Old English by Bede in De Temporum Rationale. Some scholars have even conjectured that she may not have even been a goddess but rather just the Germanic name for the celebration that took place around the time of Vernal equinox. It is must also be noted that Typically, the Celtic peoples did not celebrate Ostara as a holiday, although they were in tune with the changing of the seasons. It can be assured well as much as it can be, Eostre is Teutonic in its origin as Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility was known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos.” Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: “eastre.” Since we know that the wheel of the year is made up and cobbled together by Gardener I am sure sometime with a bit of humour. I feel that Gardener Choose to call vernal equinox ?ostre or Ostara, as it is very similar to Easter and in some way claiming a Christian