Crafty Kitchen Witch

Spring blessings to my readers out there, Here the first day of spring wasn't the nicest of days, it was chilly and we have had a little crazy weather here, in the 80's for a day then down to freezing and hearsay of rain although we haven't had near the rain that we need here in Oklahoma. I have however went forward with Spring plans and been on a cleaning and cooking kick. It started with a good cleaning of my vacuum and then a deep vacuuming of the rooms with carpets, then a good shampoo, I make my own shampoo cleaner and a room febreeze that is easy to do. I will post those recipes here. Then I did a good house cleansing with sage and lavender. Once I felt the house was cleansed throughout with a good smudge, I moved to the kitchen , giving a good wipe down to counters and dusting around. Once that was done I felt so amazing and inspired I knew I had opened the house to welcome spring in and I am ready for new things and happy days ahead. My recipe for Homemade...

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. Her lover was Attis (he was also her grandson, but that's another story), and her jealousy caused him to castrate and kill himself. His blood was the source of the first violets, and divine intervention allowed Attis to be resurrected by Cybele, with some help from Zeu...

It's inarguable that modern life affords us with many wonderful Conveniences the ancients never had, like electricity, telephones, and heating. With the planet Uranus, the computer genius, now in Aquarius, there's a lot More to come. Unfortunately, although these advances in communication and Technology have pulled us closer together intellectually, they've drawn us farther Away from our spiritual selves, and we've lost a great deal of the connection The ancients had with our mother, the Earth. One of the most important traditions we've lost is the concept of the Eight seasons. Yes, eight. Ancient peoples realized that the earth was Alive, and therefore in a constant state of change. They knew that those Changes occurred far more often then four times a year, and that, in fact, The Earth made a transition that was quite noticeable about eight times a year, Or every forty-five days. It makes sense, too, if you think about it. Take summer, for example. The Sun ...

Egg Basket Blessing Source: Ostara by Edain McCoy The cycle of life again comes to pass, I place in an egg all nestled in grass; In a basket of straw, the Goddess’ womb A place to meet God, who’s returned from the tomb Life again is reborn this day, In the womb of Eostre, in the basket of May; Female and male in the Great Rite balance, New life is born from their spring dalliance. ************ The “How Does My Garden Grow” Egg Blessing Source: Ostara by Edain McCoy After you have prepared your garden for planting, take a hard-boiled egg and mark upon it symbols of the earth, growth, and fertility. Browns and greens work especially well here. With your bare hands, dig a small hole in the middle of the planting area while murmuring a prayer to the Goddess of the Earth. Speak from the heart to honor her ask for her blessings on the garden. Place the egg in the hole and cover it while still repeating your prayer. Walk clock...

Ostara Symbols Sources: Unknown & Ostara by Edain McCoy Lilies - These beautiful flowers were a symbol of life in Greece and Rome. During the Ostara season, young men would give a lily to the young woman they were courting. If the young woman accepted the lily, the couple were considered engaged (much like accepting a diamond ring from a young man in today's society). Lambs - This fluffly little mammal is an eternal symbol of Ostara, and was sacred to virtually all the virgin goddesses of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The symbol was so ingrained in the mindset of the people of that region that it was carried over into the spring religious rituals of the Jewish Passover and Christian Easter. Robins - One of the very first birds to be seen in the Spring, robins are a sure sign of the fact that warm weather has indeed returned. Bees - These busy little laborers re dormant during the winter. Because of this, the sighting of bees is another sure sign of Spring....

Spring Sabbat The Wheel of the Year holds several purposes, both theological and practical.  Theologically, the story of the Wheel often varies depending on the Tradition.  The Wheel gives the accounts of the mythological events that repeat throughout the year as well as a vague "history" of the Gods and Goddesses involved within the pantheon.  For the newbies, by "Tradition" we mean "denomination"; for example Wiccan, Celtic, Druid, Native American, etc.  On the more practical side, the Wheel trains us to be able to deal with death and the inevitability of re-birth that follows.  Paganism teaches that death, a natural function of the universe, is a part of life; a dramatic change that is the beginning of a new experience, and something to be celebrated at the proper time not feared (not condoning Suicide!) Through the ideas of Heaven and Hell, Christianity teaches a deep fear of death, and this spurs our society's horror of death.  We are always...

Symbols of this holiday (Ostara/Eostre/Spring Equinox) include the Goddess, the egg, rabbits, lambs, green grass, the Sun, and spring blooming flowers.  Our ancestors looked for these early signs of spring and offered them to the Goddess or thanked her for their blessings of continued life. During the long, cold winter much indoor crafting was done and most of the items made were of a utilitarian nature.  Things like baskets were woven from collected and dried materials (if you have the notion this would be a nice time to weave a basket for your altar) and clothing for the coming year was made.  In more recent times, folk would create wonderful new garments for springtime...embellished with magic symbols and beautiful spring embroidery! Perhaps you would like to create a special spring ritual garment and work some magical embroidery on it..perhaps a ring of flowers embroidered around the neck of a garment...or maybe elemental symbols stitched to the sleeves, front and ...