OSTARA MUSINGS

I sit between my altars this morning; to the left of me stands Persephone, rising out of the cold, dark Hades, rising amid the soft yellow flowers, crystals, and eggs containing the new life of spring.  To my right, is a fairy altar, complete with the Green Man and Lady Gaia. 

But the most important symbol standing by Persephone is the set of scales.  This is the time of Balance, of Equality.  Day and Night are of equal length.  Tomorrow, that will all begin to shift.    

But just for today, there is Balance.

It is a time for me to stand at the fulcrum, not tipping too much one way or another.  And so I imagine myself, balanced in the centre.  To the left of me is darkness of night – a place of rest and intersection, a pace of cold winter where seeds lie dormant but already stirring with latent life.  It is a place of silvery shadows cast by the Moon.  To my right is the light of day – a place of vibrant golden warmth as the Sun grows into His power and season. 

And I, in the middle am suffused in the light of both my Goddess and God, holding the beauty and potency of both.

This day I examine the seeds of my emotions – all emotions!  For I am a creature within which lies anger and frustration, jealousy and hatred as well as love, joy, delight and encouragement.  Do I need to let out the destructive forces to burn away the stubble of last year’s unwanted weeds?  Or do I with gentleness replace these weeds with new seeds?  Both are equally valid in their own way, and it is not for me to deny what dwells within me, only to learn how to use it.

Today I examine the shadows my life has encountered and has cast on others.  Shadows are very much needed our lives, for seeing things in pure black or pure white are equally as blinding.  We need the blending of Light and Dark to give us perspective and define the shapes, the peaks and valleys in our daily lives.  Are my shadows soft?  Do they illuminate as much as they conceal?  Or do they slice with the sharpness of a dagger?  Sometimes that’s needed too.  Do I have the discernment in knowing how to use both?

Today I examine the physical state of my life too.  In order to allow for new growth, it is necessary to balance it out with the burning away, of purging.  The blades of the plough dig deep into the soil, heedless of whether it slices bug or root, in order to ready the furrows for new plantings.  What do I need to purge and get rid of?

Be it planting a new garden, awakening to new inspiration, or perhaps realizing that the seeds of last year didn’t quite get acted upon, that those ideas need to now be nurtured into existence – all this needs to be considered at this time of Vernal Equinox.  Balance, I see, will extend into the rest of the year, as the scales will tip further and further the balance will come in another way.  Around the world, we will see a shift – longer days here, shorter days elsewhere.  Planting here, reaping there. The seeds I see here are not only the seeds we throw into the ground, but also the seeds we plant within our souls and spirits. 

Oestara, that beautiful Germanic Maiden Goddess, brings to us proof that life continues, with the joyous multiplying of life.  Persephone is no longer bound underground, but bursts forth in hope.  Demeter in Her gladness gives us abundance. 

Shining Lugh warms the skies with golden radiance.  Sol Invictus pours His rays of life upon us.  Jesus has risen from the grave – Hallelujia!!

And soon, when the Scales of Balance will tip just a bit further, The God will come for his beloved Goddess with a jubilant shout of love, as together they will join in that eternal dance of fertility.

But for now, I stand on the fulcrum, and keep the balance of letting go the old and anticipation of the new; of watching the shadows coalesce upon me from both the Moon and the Sun, the passing darkness and the emerging light, between the Goddess and God, and I rejoice and give thanks for all!!