Moon of Cybele
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Spring is a time of great celebration in many cultures. It's the time of year when the planting begins, people begin to once more enjoy the fresh air, and we can reconnect with the earth again after the long, cold winter. A number of different gods and goddesses from different pantheons are connected with the themes of Spring and Ostara . Asasa Ya (Ashanti): This earth mother goddess prepares to bring forth new life in the spring, and the Ashanti people honor her at the festival of Durbar, alongside Nyame, the sky god who brings rain to the fields. Cybele (Roman): This mother goddess of Rome was at the center of a rather bloody Phrygian cult, in which eunuch priests performed mysterious rites in her honor.
Deities of the Spring Equinox
Palatine Hill
Schematic map of Rome showing the seven hills and Servian wall Massive retaining walls extended the area on the Palatine available for the Imperial building complex. Part of the Imperial Palace complex on the Palatine Hill overlooking the Circus Maximus . View of the Stadium of Domitian on the Palatine Hill, January 2013 The Palatine Hill ( Latin : Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus ) is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city . It stands 40 metres [ 1 ] above the Forum Romanum , looking down upon it on one side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other.
Ostara Customs, Traditions and Folklore
Ostara, the spring equinox, has plenty of folkore and customs connected to it. From the festivals of ancient Rome to the colorful egg hunt, learn about some of the traditions surrounding the spring season. Long before the medieval peasantry of the British Isles erected their Maypoles, the ancient Romans were partying hard in honor of Flora, their spring fertility goddess. She had her very own festival, called Floralia, and there was all kinds of merrymaking going on! March 15th is known as the Ides of March, and seems to come with dire warnings attached. Learn a bit about why this day is seen as a dangerous time for some people!Cybele - Who Was Cybele? - Profile of Cybele - Cybele, Mother Goddess of Rome
Cybele, a mother goddess of Rome was at the center of a rather bloody Phrygian cult, and was sometimes known as Magna Mater , or "great goddess." As part of their worship, priests performed mysterious rites in her honor. Of particular note was the sacrifice of a bull performed as part of an initiation into Cybele's cult. This ritual was known as the taurobolium , and during the rite a candidate for initiation stood in a pit under a floor with a wooden grate. The bull was sacrificed above the grate, and the blood ran through holes in the wood, showering the initiate. This was a form of ritual purification and rebirth.
Hilaria
The Hilaria ( Greek : ἱλάρια ; Latin : hilaris , "hilarious") were ancient Roman religious festivals celebrated on the vernal equinox to honor Cybele . The Romans took this feast originally from the Greeks, who called it ΑΝΑΒΑΣΙΣ , q.d. Ascensus : the eve of that day they spent in tears and lamentations, and denominated it ΚΑΤΑΒΑΣΙΣ , Descensus . Afterwards, the Greeks took the name ΙΛΑΡΙΑ , from the Romans, as appears from Photius 's Bibliotheca , in his codex of the life of the philosopher Isidore of Alexandria .
In modern Paganism, one of the facets common to many traditions is the use of a circle as a sacred space . While other religions rely on the use of a building such as a church or temple to hold worship, Wiccans and Pagans can cast a circle pretty much any place they choose. This is particularly handy on those pleasant summer evenings when you decide to hold ritual out in the back yard under a tree instead of in your living room! Bear in mind that not every Pagan tradition casts a circle - many Reconstructionist paths skip it altogether, as do most folk magic traditions. Start by determining how big your space needs to be.
Cast a Circle
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It's Ostara , and it's a time of year in which many Wiccans and Pagans choose celebrate the balance of light and dark that heralds the beginning of spring. It's a time to celebrate new life and rebirth -- not only the physical embodiment of renewal, but the spiritual as well. Try some -- or all -- of these ideas to ready your altar for Ostara. Colors
Setting Up Your Ostara Altar
Perfect Love and Perfect Trust
Definition: Many people toss around the phrase "perfect love and perfect trust" in the Wiccan community. They sometimes use it as a defense when they are corrected by someone else, or bring it up as an arguement when they don't like what people are saying, as in, "I am TOO right, you're all being mean, what about perfect love and perfect trust?" "Perfect love and perfect trust" appears in Lady Gwen Thomson's Rede of the Wiccae , which was first published in 1975, although the phrase itself is older than that. In Thomson's poem, she states, "Bide the Wiccan Laws ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust."
Celebrations and Holidays: Ostara or Spring Equinox
We think that the customs surrounding the celebration of the spring equinox were imported from Mediterranean lands, although there can be no doubt that the first inhabitants of the British Isles observed it, as evidence from megalithic sites shows. But it was certainly more popular to the south, where people celebrated the holiday as New Year’s Day, and claimed it as the first day of the first sign of the zodiac, Aries. However you look at it, it is certainly a time of new beginnings, as a simple glance at nature will prove. In the Roman Catholic Church, there are two holidays that get mixed up with the vernal equinox. The first, occurring on the fixed calendar day of March 25 in the old liturgical calendar, is called the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (or B.V.M., as she was typically abbreviated in Catholic missals).Spring Equinox Celebrations Around the World
Spring Traditions around the World: While Pagans and Wiccans are celebrating Ostara , and Christians are observing Easter, it's important to remember that the dawning of spring has been observed for a long time in many other cultures as well. Traditions vary widely from one country to the next. Here are some ways that residents of different parts of the world observe the season.Gemstone Meanings: Meaning of Kyanite for Spiritual Healing, Chakra Balancing, Metaphysical Properties
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Gemstone Meanings: Meaning of Obsidian for Spiritual Healing, Chakra Balancing, Metaphysical Properties
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Gemstone Meanings: Meaning of Amethyst for Spiritual Healing, Chakra Balancing, Metaphysical Properties
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