{"id":4958,"date":"2011-03-01T01:10:45","date_gmt":"2011-03-01T06:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=5036"},"modified":"2011-02-25T15:34:36","modified_gmt":"2011-02-25T20:34:36","slug":"rites-and-rituals-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2011\/03\/01\/rites-and-rituals-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Rites and Rituals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ostara and the Quickening Moon, the Magick of Spring<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI remember that I kissed you,<\/em><\/p>\n

I kissed you as dawn kissed the day.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sweet dew wet your lips,<\/em><\/p>\n

You took my breath away.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Earth trembled beneath our touch,<\/em><\/p>\n

The forest moaned with our lust,<\/em><\/p>\n

as I kissed you so endlessly.<\/em><\/p>\n

And the Wheel turns, can you feel the fire burn inside?<\/em><\/p>\n

Do you hear the wind sing our names,<\/em><\/p>\n

of a destiny that cannot be changed.<\/em><\/p>\n

As it is willed, so is it done,<\/em><\/p>\n

our dance is now begun,<\/em><\/p>\n

when the Moon is kissed by the Sun.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ostara, the Vernal Equinox, is the place upon the Wheel where the magick of Water and that of Fire, truly begin to embrace. It is the moment where the great dance, first softly whispered at Imbolc, begins to surrender within the passion of Spring\u2019s song. These are Nature\u2019s days of seemingly reckless abandon as the forces of shadow and light spectacularly crash upon each other, casting a stunning display of color across the skies. Dark rain laden clouds break against the mountain\u2019s flanks just before an ever more determined Sun tears them asunder with shafts of brilliant light. Rainbows, conjured from this eternal battle for dominance, are born over forest and field alike. I stand in the midst of this inspiring chaos and I open myself to Nature\u2019s wonder. I do my best to mimic the great trees beside me, reaching above and below to bridge the worlds. The energy present, as old as the stars, yet reborn within this moment, now rains down over my outstretched spirit while I breathe with the trees. Beneath my feet, all that was returned by Fall\u2019s touch and diminished through Winter\u2019s hold, now vibrates with anticipation of the transformation summoned as the great cauldron of Spring is vigorously stirred. From the above and the below these energies embrace and entwine. Their spell of warm and wet joined, spreads like an unseen mist, drifting over forest and field, intoxicating all it touches with the passionate, magick of life. With my arms outspread, my hands pressed against the old skin of the two cedars towering over me on either side, I gently move my feet until I feel a connection with the damp earth. Slowly and deeply I breathe. Three breaths up from the Earth below, three breaths down from the far reaches above and finally, three breaths to connect\u00a0 the above and below with my core. The energies present begin to move through me as I do my best to stand as a doorway, open, yielding my ego to Nature\u2019s flow. The rush of Spring fills my spirit, carrying away the mundane world\u2019s possession of my conscience, unbinding my senses as I feel my awareness heighten. I can feel the patience of the old trees within me, focusing my vision, allowing me to peer deeper into the heart of the forest. As my ears listen to the myriad chorus of birds and insects vying for attention, further within I begin to hear the whispered words of the great dance\u2019s song. A gentIe, cool breeze envelopes me and I can taste the richness of the forest\u2019s flora floating above the dark soil, just as my eyes take note of all the buds about to blossom. \u00a0The song grows stronger and I can almost see the Maiden gliding through forest and field, radiating her magick and seducing all in her path to become infatuated with Spring\u2019s passion. I can almost see the youthful God stepping out from shadowed vale, reaching for her hand and asking for this dance. Tears well in my eyes as I feel my heart expand with the love I hold for my goddess. I think of the son we brought into this world as my tears are returned to the Earth. I feel so connected to all that exists around me, seemingly able to fathom all that shall soon come to pass, bridging in this fleeting moment, the past to the future. This is the wonder of Spring, the ability to make us all believe that something more lies ahead, if we just trust the dreams held in each of our hearts. Movement pulls my eyes out over the river to catch an eagle traveling upstream toward the mountain. It pulls me back and I realize the day is waning. \u00a0Soon the Quickening Moon will be full, shimmering down over a forest and river too busy to sleep and the stark stillness of the Snow Moon will have faded into distant memory.\u00a0 I do not know how long I stood between the two trees and drifted but I think that is the goal. For Spring is the time upon the Wheel to immerse one\u2019s self in wonder. These are the days to allow yourselves to suspend belief in the trappings of the mundane world and walk, with a spirit open to Nature\u2019s magick. Merry Ostara to one and all\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ostara and the Quickening Moon, the Magick of Spring \u201cI remember that I kissed you, I kissed you as dawn kissed the day. Sweet dew wet your lips, You took my breath away. The Earth trembled beneath our touch, The forest moaned with our lust, as I kissed you so endlessly. And the Wheel turns, can you feel the fire burn inside? Do you hear the wind sing our names, of a destiny that cannot be changed. As it is willed, so is it done, our dance is now begun, when the Moon is kissed by the Sun.\u201d Ostara, the Vernal Equinox, is the place upon the Wheel where the magick of Water and that of Fire, truly begin to embrace. It is the moment where the great dance, first softly whispered at Imbolc, begins to surrender within the passion of Spring\u2019s song. These are Nature\u2019s days of seemingly reckless abandon as the forces of shadow and light spectacularly crash upon each other, casting a stunning display of color across the skies. Dark rain laden clouds break against the mountain\u2019s flanks just before an ever more determined Sun tears them asunder with shafts of brilliant light. Rainbows, conjured from this eternal battle for dominance, are born over forest and field alike. I stand in the midst of this inspiring chaos and I open myself to Nature\u2019s wonder. I do my best to mimic the great trees beside me, reaching above and below to bridge the worlds. The energy present, as old as the stars, yet reborn within this moment, now rains down over my outstretched spirit while I breathe with the trees. Beneath my feet, all that was returned by Fall\u2019s touch and diminished through Winter\u2019s hold, now vibrates with anticipation of the transformation summoned as the great cauldron of Spring is vigorously stirred. From the above and the below these energies embrace and entwine. Their spell of warm and wet joined, spreads like an unseen mist, drifting over forest and field, intoxicating all it touches with the passionate, magick of life. With my arms outspread, my hands pressed against the old skin of the two cedars towering over me on either side, I gently move my feet until I feel a connection with the damp earth. Slowly and deeply I breathe. Three breaths up from the Earth below, three breaths down from the far reaches above and finally, three breaths to connect\u00a0 the above and below with my core. The energies present begin to move through me as I do my best to stand as a doorway, open, yielding my ego to Nature\u2019s flow. The rush of Spring fills my spirit, carrying away the mundane world\u2019s possession of my conscience, unbinding my senses as I feel my awareness heighten. I can feel the patience of the old trees within me, focusing my vision, allowing me to peer deeper into the heart of the forest. As my ears listen to the myriad chorus of birds and insects vying for attention, further within I begin to hear the whispered words of the great dance\u2019s song. A gentIe, cool breeze envelopes me and I can taste the richness of the forest\u2019s flora floating above the dark soil, just as my eyes take note of all the buds about to blossom. \u00a0The song grows stronger and I can almost see the Maiden gliding through forest and field, radiating her magick and seducing all in her path to become infatuated with Spring\u2019s passion. I can almost see the youthful God stepping out from shadowed vale, reaching for her hand and asking for this dance. Tears well in my eyes as I feel my heart expand with the love I hold for my goddess. I think of the son we brought into this world as my tears are returned to the Earth. I feel so connected to all that exists around me, seemingly able to fathom all that shall soon come to pass, bridging in this fleeting moment, the past to the future. This is the wonder of Spring, the ability to make us all believe that something more lies ahead, if we just trust the dreams held in each of our hearts. Movement pulls my eyes out over the river to catch an eagle traveling upstream toward the mountain. It pulls me back and I realize the day is waning. \u00a0Soon the Quickening Moon will be full, shimmering down over a forest and river too busy to sleep and the stark stillness of the Snow Moon will have faded into distant memory.\u00a0 I do not know how long I stood between the two trees and drifted but I think that is the goal. For Spring is the time upon the Wheel to immerse one\u2019s self in wonder. These are the days to allow yourselves to suspend belief in the trappings of the mundane world and walk, with a spirit open to Nature\u2019s magick. Merry Ostara to one and all\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4958\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}