MARCH MAGIC: BABA’S RED & WHITE SPIRAL COOKIES — Gather Victoria

“Spring has arrived, we will survive!” Old Romanian Saying Banish winter, bless the coming of spring, and ensure your face remains beautiful all year with these Rosehip & Raspberry Jam Spirals! They are my edible cookie version of the red and white magical talismans woven by Babas (old women or grandmothers) each March in Eastern…
MARCH MAGIC: BABA’S RED & WHITE SPIRAL COOKIES — Gather Victoria

Welcoming Spring in the Year 1400

The Herb Society of America Blog

By Zainab Pashaei

Haft-Sin table I’m not talking about time travel. Nowruz—the equivalent of the New Year—was just celebrated on the spring equinox in Iran as well as in numerous other countries and among ethnic groups in the Middle East. In Iran, the first month of the year is called Farvardin, which began on March 20, 2021 (spring equinox). Although the year is specifically 1400 in Iran, Iranian traditions for Nowruz are thousands of years old and pre-date the emergence of Islam in the country. In contrast to Western nations, the importance of nature and spring plays a critical role in new year festivities of the nation. Many of these festivities are symbolic and involve herbs, nature, and light (fire).

Jumping During the festivities, which start on the Wednesday before the spring equinox, Iranians will gather and jump over fires and light fireworks in observance of Chaharshanbe Suri (loose translation =…

View original post 872 more words

A Spring Equinox Meditation: The Mysteries of the Dandelion and the Three Currents

The Druid's Garden

Fields of dandelion

One of the hallmarks of spring is the blooming of the vibrant and colorful dandelion. Emerging as soon as the coldest of the temperatures ease, the blooming of the dandelions affirm that the long, dark winter is indeed over and summer is just around the corner. In today’s post, and in honor of the Spring Equinox and the incredible dandelion, I offer a spring tonic and meditative journey to celebrate the Spring Equinox and learn more about the mysteries of the dandelion. This is one of my monthly AODA-themed posts, so I hope you enjoy it and have a blessed spring equinox!

About the Dandelion

The blooming of the dandelions is a special time of year. For us here in Western PA, dandelions bloom just as the final frosts are easing, and are a sign that we can start planting some of our more tending crops in…

View original post 2,002 more words

The Butzemann (Magical Scarecrow) Tradition at Imbolc and through the Light Half of the Year

The Druid's Garden

Last year’s butzemann, dressed in her finery (Technically, she was a Butzefrau!)

For the last three years, I’ve spent part of my Imbolc celebration making a Butzemann for our land. The Butzemann is a really interesting tradition from PA Dutch (German) culture called the Butzemann (literally, Boogieman). In a nutshell, the Butzemann is a magical scarecrow that protects the land for a season. He is created at Imbolc from natural materials and given clothes and a heart. At the Spring Equinox, the Butzemann is shown the property and the breath of life is breathed into the Butzemann, naming him/her for the season. Then the Butzemann is displayed prominently throughout the season to protect the and. Before or on Samhain, the Butzemann is burned and the protective spirit is released and then at Imbolc, a new tradition begins. Today I thought I’d share this tradition with my readers, in case they…

View original post 1,420 more words

To Long Life & Good Health: A Toast to Anna Perenna & The Coming of Spring — Gather Victoria

Happy Belated Spring Equinox! In this tardy post, we’re going to infuse healing herbs into honeyed wine, and offer a toast to Anna Perenna the Roman Goddess of long life and good health. Her festival and feast were held when her powers were most manifest – at the return of spring. And according to the…

via To Long Life & Good Health: A Toast to Anna Perenna & The Coming of Spring — Gather Victoria

Finding Balance at the Spring Equinox: A Sun Ritual Using the Three Druid Elements

The Druid's Garden

The Spring Equinox, Alban Eiler, is the time when the light and the dark in the world are in balance. The timing of the Equinox is fortuitous–this time of balance–after such turmoil in the world. Here in the last two weeks here in the US, we’ve been on a whirlwind of change where nearly every person’s life has been radically disrupted and changed due to the global pandemic. Given the circumstances of where we are, today, I’d like to offer a balancing ritual for Spring Equinox that you can do personally to help bring balance into your life. (I’m posting this a few days early from my usual weekly post so that you have it in time for the Equinox!)

Preliminaries

A representation of the 3 druid elements

This ritual uses the three druid elements: Gywar, Calas, and Nyfre, drawn from the druid revival for the ritual. These three terms…

View original post 1,864 more words

March Equinox Reading 2020

Ice Ritual for Ostara

Spring Equinox Rituals: Rituals of Looking Back and Looking Forward

The Druid's Garden

Sometimes, when we are hiking on a trail, we are in a hurry to get somewhere–that far off vantage point, that mile marker on the map, or just seeing what is over the next horizon. I remember hiking with some friends who regularly backpacked; they were so intent on speeding through the woods to their goal and putting the miles behind them that they left me behind at multiple points as I got off the trail to explore something. This “speeding towards a goal” is, perhaps, part of who we are as humans, and certainly, a product of Western Civilization, which is so growth and progress oriented. Even with our spiritual practice, we can be so intent on focusing on a goal (that next grade or degree, for example) that we forget about the journey itself. On this trail, the day I took this photo, my intuition told me to…

View original post 1,945 more words

The Energies of March

Good Witches Homestead

March promises to be an eventful month energetically, one that is full of potential if we can successfully ride the waves of change and embrace the new beginnings that it will bring forward.

The new moon on March 6th coincided with a big planetary shift of energy created by Uranus leaving Pisces to take up residence in Taurus, where it will remain for the next seven years. This movement of cosmic energy has probably already taken your focus of attention into a new area of your life, possibly revealing where an overhaul or energetic spring clean is going to be required. Uranus is a powerful planetary force that stimulates freedom, liberation, and enlightenment, so do your best to go with the flow of what it brings into focus for you. Following through with the process of change that it has instigated, will help you awaken latent potential needed for the…

View original post 929 more words