Ostara 2018

By: GreenWitchAdmin
Posted: 15th March 2018

Ostara Newsletter 20 March 2018

Another Spring Equinox, another year of trading…how time flies when you are enjoying yourself. I like to do major things and launch them at this time, but this year, we are having a whole new shop front with new windows, signage etc and was expected to have our re-opening on Saturday 17th March using the luck of the Irish to take us forward on St Patrick’s Day…!! All we needed was a little of that Leprechaun luck… but then we didn’t account for the Siberian ‘Beast from the East’ knocking the little leprechaun into touch and that was that, as they say!! Because of all this disruption, ‘It is what it is’ has now become my favourite saying! Instead of writing this Ostara newsletter announcing the new look shop and its opening party, I am now beginning it from scratch and it looks like we will now be closed for the renovations all over the Easter holidays!! To top it all, instead of closing after the full moon and opening again on a new moon, which was perfect timing in my world, we are now looking like closing up just after Mercury goes retrograde, meaning anything could happen! It is what it is, as they say!

The good news is that the Equinox heralds the light gaining and being greater than the dark from this point, though the argument between light and dark, with dark losing, tends to be a stormy ride for a couple weeks either side, but should hopefully be dying off by the time the shop gets pulled apart! The arguments that arise over this time might also get heated so curb your tongue where possible so as to ride this time out smoothly.

Nature is now in full production. Daffodils and bluebells should be out and maybe even the blossom, depending on how much the cold spell has held them back. The tree buds will also be swelling into action. It is amazing to watch the Birch in my garden turn from dark to golden brown to green and so quickly…that is nature in action for all to view. Life is returning and Spring has sprung into action at last…it’s been a long winter! Time to clean that winter dust from the home, recycle what no longer fits or is suitable, put away those big boots and jumpers and bring out the lighter ones for the better days. Begin moisturising every day to boost the skin ready for shedding the layers, and up the intake of fresh fruit, salad and water and lesson the stodge to give the body a little spring clean too.

The magick of Spring…

Eostre is the Goddess of Spring and the white hare sacred to her. This Sabbat is all about the land and new beginnings – clearing away the old to make way for the new, just like you do the garden. This is the time to start new projects, just as I did my business! If you feel life has been difficult, make this a new start for you – closing the door on this part of your life and opening up to the next. Plant those new seeds and wait for them to begin to grow. The hare is associated with March due to their strange mating behaviour, Mad as a March hare accounts for their hopping and jumping about, boxing and trying to impress the females of the species, so as to mate. They produce several litters a year, a perfect representation for this season. As we are seeing, the weather is quite unpredictable in March. A wet March predicts a wet June but snow is good…last time we had lambing snow, we had a fab June so here’s hoping!

Luck for Ostara incense…ruled by Jupiter for luck

Refresh life and luck with the new springtime by creating this incense yourself for your home and family.

Grind together in a pestle and mortar, a mix of copal and pine, and add your own mix of any of the following:

Rose petals, orange peel, heather flowers, star anise, poppy seeds, nutmeg, grains paradise, or a selection.

Grind together to make a fine blend, then burn daily to encourage vibrations in the home to help boost luck and success to all who live within until the storminess of the season is over and calm reigns supreme.

Spell for the Spring…

Here’s a lovely Spring spell for the forthcoming full moon from Ellen Dugan…her poetry is better than anything I can write!! You will need to:

Gather some spring flowers in a pretty vase put on your luck incense. Place a white candle in a pretty holder (or a white votive / tealight in a glass holder). Set a cream moonstone in front of the candle and sprinkle a circle of fresh floral petals around the spell.

Light the candle, and, holding the stone, repeat:

On this bewitching night of the full storm moon,

I call on the old ones to grant me a boon

May I find prosperity and balance today

Leaving room for good luck and joy to come my way

This small moonstone will act as a talisman true

May I be blessed and steadfast in all that I do

This March full moon spell closes up with a rhyme

I walk in balance and wisdom at all times.

Allow the candle to burn out. Carry the moonstone with you until the next full moon. Keep the fresh flowers going for the next month until the next full moon and return your moonstone to the altar every night,

Yarrow…a true Celtic plant

It may be a funny little plant growing in the wild, and most will not even give it the time of day, but one of my favourite magickal plants is yarrow. Its Latin name is Achillea Millefolium, so named after the Greek Warrior Achilles, who supposedly discovered its power to stop bleeding on the battlefield and made a salve with the plant to heal his warrior’s wounds, but he must have been unable to find it when an arrow struck him in the heel and killed him…hence Achilles tendon!! This plant is native to Scotland and can be found on any wild walk. Highlanders still make a Yarrow healing balm, and in Orkney, Yarrow was used as a tea to ‘dispel melancholy”. It was always found in Saxon apothecaries and in Monastic herbal medicine gardens as is actually a very useful 1st aid plant. It is said that if out and about on a walk and someone gets a nosebleed, putting a yarrow leaf up the nose with stem the flow of blood (remove once stopped), whilst chewing a fresh leaf can help calm toothache and a leaf pressed into the skin will also help a shaving cut or any cut even!!The stems can also be used as I Ching sticks.

But what about a bit of Yarrow magick for Spring?

When out walking on the lovely days as they begin to arrive, look for this feathery plant with its head of tiny white flowers. The first flowering plant you see of the new season will grant you one wish! On seeing the flower, hold the flower head in your hand straight away and make your wish. Now cut the stem and take the single flower home and sleep with it under the pillow going to sleep visualising your wish. The next day, place the flower head in a green satin bag and hang on your altar to help your wish come true.

Some Tarot Magick for wishes too…

As a Tarot reader, I have always had a special deck (or two) for readings, but I have always said that cards can be used for all sorts of magick, not just divination. Here is such an example:

A lovely card to get in any reading is the 9 of cups, known as the ‘wish card’ within the pack. Remove the card and stand it on your mantelpiece or altar between a gold and a silver candle, with luck incense (above) burning.

Once you have determined exactly what you want to wish for, light the candles and, whilst looking directly at the card, in as precise fashion as you can, tell the card your true wish as exact and precise as you can. Let the candles burn down completely in one go (so make sure you have enough time), then place the wish card under your pillow. You might also receive further guidance or insight through your dreams that night. Place the card on the altar and leave for a while. Repeat every month or so if it is a ‘big ask’.

Weathering the Storm with the shades of green…my favourite stones for luck and success

When the Beast from the East arrived and all went to pot, the first thing I did was look out my peridot jewellery and put my chrysoprase and jade in my pocket…it’s a knee jerk reaction when things go wrong and the crystals I always turn too. We cannot alter things when fate steps in and we have to deal with whatever fallout comes our way, but we can always choose how we handle it and whether we look on the bright side and find that silver lining. For the self-employed, no-one pays us for ‘snow days’ so it can be a disaster if things are very tight, but it is nobody’s fault either. Like I said, ‘It is what it is’ and sometimes you have no choice but to let go and left life ‘happen’. Changes in life are inevitable but when I pick up my faithful 3 crystals, I know everything will all be alright and things will work out so don’t worry, be happy! Have you found your ‘go-to lucky crystals yet?

Even better… try a Chiastolite cross

This crystal is included in our wish box kit but when things get really bad and fate is being a bitch, I turn to my Chiastolite. Sometimes called the Cross stone or Andalusite, this is not a pretty stone but is comforting to have. You feel protected from the very depths of the Earth holding this pulsing cross, which has been carried or given for protection and luck since time began! It negates negative thinking and helps you deal with unforeseen problems, calming fears and stabilising the emotions to deal with what is! Think you have been cursed or someone is wishing you ill, so sensitive that you seldom feel safe, even at home or feel isolated, anxious or lonely? Then this is the perfect stone for you. Carry in your pocket and place in your home/business to help overcome all kinds of fear, rational or irrational, for that feeling of contentment and security whenever things are in turmoil. About £3-£5

Moon Times:

New Moon:       Sat 17 Mar @ 13.12 hrs           Full Moon:        Sat 31 Mar @ 13.37 hrs

New Moon:       Mon 16 Apr @ 02.58 hrs          Full Moon:        Mon 30 Apr @ 01.59 hrs

***Mercury Retrograde 22 Mar until 15th April***

Shop closure…again!!

Latest shop closure date is around 24th Mar but won’t find out our definite date until nearer the time. Please keep an eye on our window, website and FB pages for updates but when we do close, we will be closed at least 2 weeks …but as Mercury is retrograde, who knows how this will definitely play out!! It is what it is…just keep on smiling

Bright blessings from Chris (alias the Green Witch)

 

Leave a Reply

© 2024 Green Witch. All rights reserved.
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram