Blessed Ostara and Rites of Spring 2016

 

• Saturday, March 19, 2016

  1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

• Circle of the Sublime Elm

  1911 E. Livingston St., Orlando, FL (map)

   

• 7th Annual Blessed Ostara and Rites of the Spring Equinox!

   

  Gathering at 1 pm

  Ritual begins at 2 pm

  Presented by Rowan Rain 

  Join us for a very special Ostara celebration this year! In the joy of the season,  to celebrate the beauty of the spring. We will be celebrating Ostara at 'Our magickal and sacred' Circle of the Sublime Elm!!! 

  As part of the ritual, we will be sitting, and then dancing. If you need a special seat, please make arrangements prior. The circle already has plenty of seating, but we understand some have special requirements. Also there will be both calm and spirited dancing. It should prove to be very fun and get you right in the mood for the turning of the wheel.

  For those who wish to be extra prepared, think of something that you feel you can do without in this next year. This should be a thought, emotion or action, not an object.  Remember what you have thought of when you come to circle.

  As part of our festivities there will be:

  A Magickal Ritual of renewal, rejuvenation, growth and fertility!

  Ostara Egg Hunt

  Ostara Games for all to play!

  Feasting!!!  Potluck, so please bring something to share.

  Drumming & Dancing!!!

  Raffle 

  Feel free to dress in your best Spring Pagan finery!

  HURRAH it's SPRINGTIME, so wear Happy colours !

  Bring your Ostara Basket for the "Egg Hunt". :)

   

  Ostara (Eostre) circa March 21, also known as the Spring or Vernal Equinox, is one of two dates where day and night are equal; a point of balance, after which the forces of light gain power and preeminence over the powers of darkness until it reaches its ultimate at Midsummer. 

  Eostre >

   

  Deities honored during this festival are those of the maiden goddess and the youthful, warrior god. The sabbat takes its name from Eostra (Ostara), the Goddess of the Dawn, the Saxon Goddess who heralds the triumphant rebirth of the Sun and the return of the greening season. Hellenic traditions celebrate the return of Persephone, Demeter's daughter, from Hades. Some sects see this as the time of courtship between the God and the Goddess, whose relationship will then be consummated at the following sabbat of Beltaine.

  Symbols of this holiday include eggs, rabbits, and flowers of all kinds. Modern secular activities such as the dying of Easter Eggs are remnants of ancient Pagan traditions. The Anglo-Saxons painted eggs with their hopes and dreams and presented them as a gift to Eostre. These eggs were then buried in the Earth, so that the Earth-Mother would know dreams of her children, in hopes that She would see fit to help them realize their desires.

   

  This practice predates Christianity by approximately 1000 years.

  Rabbits (hares) were the companions of Eostre, and she is still often pictured with a hare by Her side. Because of their well-acknowledged reproductive ability, they are the perfect compliments to the start of a fertility-based season.

  In many cultures, the Goddess was known not only as the Goddess of Fertility, but also as the Goddess of Grain. Therefore, special cakes and breads were baked and given to Her in offering. This tradition remained, long after the original reasons were lost, and we still see people baking special Easter breads and cakes today.

  Other foods traditional to this season include those made of seeds, as well as pine nuts. Also, green leafy vegetables and sprouts are equally appropriate. Some groups create special dishes made of flowers, such as stuffed nasturtiums or carnation cupcakes.

  OSTARA Correspondences: 

  Colors: yellows, light greens, pale pink, Robin's egg blue 

  Symbols: eggs, hare, the God and Goddess in their youth, balance, fertility, rabbits, lambs

  Drinks: fruity red wine, beers, mead, lemonade, egg nog

  Foods: lamb, veal, spring vegetables, dandelions, nettles, hard-boiled eggs, honey cakes, fresh fruits, milk punch, leafy green vegetables, dairy foods, apples, nuts, flower dishes, sprouts

  Gods and Goddesses: Anna Perenna, Aphrodite, Astarte, Athena, Cybele, Blodeuwedd, Eostre, Flidais, Gaia, Hera, Ishtar, Isis, Libera, Minerva, The Muses, Persephone, Renpet, Venus, Adonis, Attis, Cernunnos, The Great Horned God, Liber, Mars, Mithras, Odin, Isiris, Thoth, Pan, the Green Man

  Herbs and plants : acorn, celandine, cinquefoil, crocus, daffodil, dogwood, Easter lily, gorse, honeysuckle, iris, jasmine, jonquils, narcissus, olive, peony, rose, tansy, violets, woodruff

  Incense and Oils: African violet, jasmine, rose, strawberry, lotus, magnolia, ginger

  Crystals: amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone, red jasper, rose quartz

  Animals/Mythical Beasts: rabbits, snakes, unicorns, merpeople, dragons, chicks, robins

  Our Feast is Potluck!!!

   

  So, if you partake in the feast….. Please bring something to share or a $$$ donation. Your food item should be able to feed at least eight people.

  You are encouraged to bring some energizing hand instruments, drums, flutes, tambourines, didgeridoo's, claves, maracas, bells, noise makers, and such.

  Please remember to always enter our Circle with an open mind and an open heart.

   

  Parking is directly across the street from the house. There is a small u shaped street [Fern Circle}, parking is alongside the street.

  Please be conscious that others will need to use the street as well, and park accordingly! And, be aware that there needs to be room left for emergency vehicles to pass through.