The Seed Moon is tonight. Here’s what The Idiot’s Guide to Paganism has to say about it.
April, the Seed Moon The name says it all; this is a moon for planting, sowing, or simply setting new projects in motion. Dance for joy at the coming warmth and celebrate beginnings.
Spring cleaning can be done. A big project that needs to get started. It’s a moon for thoughts of the future, “What do I need to do to get to where I want?”
The Innocent Moon is tonight. Here’s what The Idiot’s Guide to Paganism has to say about it.
March, the Innocent Moon: The first stirrings of spring are now upon us. Pay special honor to the spirits of nature during this moon, perhaps celebrating it in your garden or yard.
It’s the moon to yell from the roof tops, “Spring has Sprung” It is a time to honor nature and how Spring’s growth always comes out of Winter’s pain. It is a time to enjoy the beginnings of spring. It is a time for magic of beginning and spring as well.
Ostara (circa March 21), the Spring Equinox, also known as Spring, Rites of Spring and Eostra’s Day, marks the first say of true spring. The energies of nature subtly shift from the sluggishness of winter to the exuberant expansion of spring. The Goddess blankets the Earth with fertility, bursting forth from Her sleep, as the God stretches and grows to maturity. He walks the greening fields and delights in the abundance of nature. On Ostara the hours of night and day are equal. Light is overtaking darkness; the Goddess and God impel the wild creatures of the earth to reproduce.This is a time of beginnings, of action, of planting spells for future gains, and of tending ritual gardens.
-From:Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham
Ostara (pronounced OH-star-uh) took its name from the Germanic Goddess of spring, the dawn, and new beginnings. Traditionally, her sacred objects included the egg and the rabbit. Her name can also be spelled Eostre. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how Ostara has survived in Christianity. The Christian festival that celebrates Jesus’s resurrection from the dead is known as Easter, a holiday that takes it’s name from a pagan Goddess. Easter customs include coloring eggs and telling children the story of a bunny that will bring them sweets. It’s interesting to note how ancient pagan traditions survived into modern culture, even after Christianity became the mainstream religion. Of course, today’s pagans often reclaim these ancient customs, only within the context of the nature spirituality.
For pagans, the vernal (spring) equinox continues Imbolc’s themes of new beginnings and new birth. Obviously, it is related to the agricultural cycle of sowing and planting seeds. It is also a time of balance because day and night are equal in length on this date. This equinox symbolizes not only the beginning of the new growing season but also the culmination of the dark half of the year. In ritual terms, this is a god time for celebrating balance and equilibrium while resolving to nurture all the “seeds” that have been planted in the preceding dark half of the year. Even modern urban pagans who don’t plant crops still have projects and plans in their lives; this Sabbat is a time for celebrating such endeavors and asking for spiritual blessings upon them.
- From: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism by Carl McColman
And there it is from two of my favorite books to consult on this kind of stuff. One last note I’d like to add about Easter. Easter is a floating holiday. Everyone knows this, but very few knows how it is scheduled. Easter is on the first Sunday after the first full moon (also a pagan holiday) after Ostara.
I think these two readings are a great look at the holiday. Please leave comments if you’d like. This same post will cycle around every year on the day of Ostara.
Tomorrow night is February’s Full Moon: The Storm Moon.
The Storm Moon, as defined by The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism: Like Imbolc (Feb 2nd), this is a time for lighting candles, not bonfires. Honor winter’s last few weeks of fury and begin planning new projects (like spring cleaning).
The Storm Moon for me is a warning, of winter ending. I honestly fear this moon, if I’m not ready for spring I’ll have trouble. There are a couple years I’ve been unprepared for spring. It hasn’t been pretty emotionally or spiritually. So here’s my warning, but that’s not why it’s special.
News from NASA: Total Lunar Eclipse: February 20, 2008
When exactly? Here it is for Central Time (my time zone):
Who can see it? Here’s that map:
