Chinese New Year of the Sheep and Goat 2015 and New Moon

Happy Chinese New Year of the Goat/Sheep/Ram to you all and Blessed New Moon to you. 

There is a bit of confusion this year over which animal the year represents as the Chinese symbol Yang covers three animals the sheep, goat and the ram! 

This period is also known as the Spring festival and many families take part in traditional family festivities in order to bring good fortune to the coming new year. The dragon dance is a traditional and well known part of the festivals that take place around the world over this period of time.

I hope that this new moon brings you lots of good luck and fruitfulness as the year of the sheep/goat begins. This is a perfect time for commencing any new activity you might like to look in to. Some things may have come to an end in order to allow new and exciting events in your life to enter.

My fortune cookie this year read:

"Sometimes when you think it is the end, it is really a new beginning."

I thought that was very appropriate for the new year and the new moon. Often we mourn over a loss but sometimes we have to look beyond that and see that sometimes we have to lose in order to gain and that is part of the shift in our lives.

I send to you many new year, new moon blessings, AstarteAlison ☽✪☾

Ostara, Oestre blessings, How will you be celebrating the Spring Equinox

How will you be spending this Ostara?

*´¯`•.¸¸.☽◯☾ *´¯`•.¸¸

Myself and my daughters took this photograph on a lovely spring walk last Ostara, I love walking out in the countryside and seeing all the daffodils that have pushed their way through the soil at this time of year. I love in particular the clusters of these beautiful yellow flowers that can be found on the verges of our roads, they really brighten up an otherwise very dull and grey vista. Nature's beauty can be found even in the heart of our cities and you do not need to be living in the countryside to appreciate the wonders of our Mother Earth.

Take some time to spend in nature if you can. Go for a walk, read a book or meditate with the trees. You do not need to live in the countryside in order to do that. Thank the Goddess Mother Earth, Gaia for all the wonders she provides for us.

I hope that you and all that you hold dear have a wonderful Ostara, Oestre planned, may the Spring Equinox bring warmth and balance to your lives. Equinox blessings to you, Alison xxx

20 Ways to celebrate Ostara Eostre, Oestara, the Spring Equinox.

20 Ways to celebrate Ostara, the Spring Equinox.

You may be celebrating Oestara on your own or with friends and family and below are a few ways in which you can welcome the Spring into your home and honour the turning of the wheel. If you have children the Spring Eqinox is a wonderful time of year as new life is all around us and the cycle of life can be explained to children; you can have great fun with craft projects to illustrate this. 

Ostara eggs by Oshuna

Decorate some eggs. You could get real eggs and hard boil them, then use vegetable dye to make them lovely spring colours. If you create a pattern with candle wax before dying them this makes a lovely effect when the wax is scratched away.  Or alternatively make eggs out of papier-mâché or cardboard and decorate them with felt tip pens and sequins. You can decorate them with Pagan symbols of new life and balance such as spirals or the Yin and Yang symbols.  Hang them around your house or place them on your altar to welcome the coming of Spring.

Carry out some ‘spring cleaning’. Pick an area of your house that could do with a sort out and have a good clear out of anything that you no longer need. Getting rid of old accumulated things makes way for something more positive to enter into your life.

Go for an Oestara/Ostara walk to your local park or out in the countryside. Notice which flowers are starting to bloom, which trees have got buds on them, and give thanks to our mother earth, Gaia for all the bounty that she provides us with. You may like to meditate with the trees for a little while, absorbing the wisdom that they have to give to us.

Make an Ostara display. You could use spring flowering bulbs such as crocus, hyacinth, tulips, daffodils. Oestara themed objects such as rabbits and eggs, and pretty pastel colours will finish off your decorations perfectly.

Ostara by Oshuna on DeviantArt

Meditate on the Moon-Hare, the animal our ancestors saw on the face of the moon. Let your mind wander to thoughts of how to make sure your life is blossoming this spring.

Clear out a section of your garden in readiness for some spring planting. You may have a section that needs weeding or cutting back in readiness to plant some flower seeds or some spring vegetables.

Think about any relationships in your life that might be a little out of balance at the moment. Ostara or Eostre is a time of balance in nature and a perfect time to sort out anything that is a little out of kilter. It may mean an apology or a little more effort on your part but it is worth it for the harmony it will bring to your life.

Make a dragon puppet out of old egg boxes held together with string and stuck on green canes. Your children might like to perform a puppet show for you with the dragons that they have made.  Our ancestors could strongly feel the dragon energy that ran through our land, the ancient ridgeways were said to be the backbone of the dragon. Honour this dragon energy with your very own creation! We would love to see a picture of your dragon.

Dance to celebrate the coming of spring and the returning of the light. You could dance a pre-rehearsed dance such as a dragon procession, or you could simply put on your favourite music and dance around the house. Dancing is always a perfect way to obtain a feel-good factor! You don’t have to be any good at it- dance on your own or with friends and family and just enjoy yourself.

Taking time to meditate with trees can be a very special feeling to share with mother nature, especially Alder, Ash or Birch if you know of any that grow nearby as these are symbolically important for Ostara.

Share some Ostara food with friends or family. You could bake some bread, eat hot cross buns or hard boiled eggs. As you eat and enjoy one another’s company give thanks to our mother Goddess for all that she has provided for you.

Have a traditional Ostara breakfast of buns and eggs.

Eggshells provide fertility to your garden, spread some crushed egg shells around your plants with a blessing for the plants and soil.

Wear clothing in spring like colours such as green and yellow.

On Ostara Eve, light a purple or violet candle and burn patchouli incense. Carry them both through the house, blessing each room as you do so. This will give your newly spring cleansed house a fresh spring like feel to it. Incense is available to buy at www.astarte-moon.co.uk

Have an easter egg hunt around your home or garden, children and adults alike enjoy this pastime! In our house every year we create clues that lead all around the place, eventually ending up at the place where the eggs are all hidden: usually the washing machine!

Make some spring equinox healing water. Leave water in a bowl from dawn until midday at the time of the equinox. This energizing water will be fabulous to use around the house as a blessing, or drink a little every day to encourage optimism and self confidence. Bless any new projects you are about to start with a little of your equinox water.

Make an Ostara basket with food and drink of the season and take it round to a friend or neighbour who is feeling under the weather at the moment. Spread a little Ostara magic!

However you celebrate Oestara this year, above all enjoy yourself. This is a time for celebration and new beginnings, it is a very joyous time of year when the earth is awakening and the flowers and trees are coming to life. The warmer days make us feel better and give a hope for the increased sunshine and happy days ahead of us.

Ostara Eostre Oestre blessings free e-card

 Ostara heralds the coming of the Spring. It is celebrated usually on March 21st. Ostara, Oestara, Eostre or Oestre is also known as the Spring Equinox, day and night are of equal length and our Mother Earth has a sense of balance in the air. All around us there are signs of the earth waking from the winter cold. Daffodils and crocuses rise from the ground, shoots push through the soil and lambs are seen playing in the fields, there is a sense of expectation in the air and a looking forward to the warmer more fruitful days ahead.

Eostre blessings for you for this joyful start of Spring.

Celebrate the wonder that is Ostara, Eostre by sending this free e-card to someone special. Just right click on the pic and then you can save to your phone, tablet or laptop and print out or send as you please. Enjoy!

Ostara, Eostre, Spring Equinox Blessings to you and all those you hold dear,

blessings, Alison xxx

Books, daffodils and tress. A quote on gratitude and the wonders of nature.

Books, daffodils and trees. How wonderful is life! We have much to be grateful for.

Try and take some time this month to spend a little time with nature. A walk around your local park, or sitting beneath an ancient tree are wonderful ways to ground yourself. Even spending five minutes each day just standing barefoot is a fabulous way to connect with the earth and ground yourself.  Let nature's strength and love course through your veins, re-vitalising you and filling you with serenity and hope. For my cousins on the Southern Hemisphere, happy arrival of spring to you. I am very grateful for all that nature provides for us and very much looking forward to the arrival of spring with its beautiful bulbs and blossom on the trees. In the meantime I am going to offer gratitude for the autumn and winter and all their magickal delights. As the wheel turns there are always so many wonderful things to be grateful for.  Our Mother Earth, Gaia is truly an amazing place, giving us her unconditional love. 

Blessings to you all, Alison