Beltaine

Southern Hemisphere – October 31^st

Astrologically – November 7th @ 3.25pm

Beltaine is the second most important day in the Celtic Calendar.  It marks the start and end of the two seasons of the year, the light and dark half, Summer and Winter.  Beltaine celebrates when the Maiden Goddess becomes the Mother and the Young Sun God becomes her consort.  This is the celebration of The Great Rite, the Sacred Union between the Goddess and the God.

As with Samhain, which falls opposite Beltaine on the Wheel of the Year, the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest.

Beltaine, is also known as, Beltane or May Day in England and Wales and Bhealtainn in Scotland.

One of the most popular beliefs on the origin of this Celebration is that of the Sun God Bale.  Balefires, or Bonfires, would be lit on May Day Eve in his honour.  In Brittan the Royal Family still lights a Balefire each year on May Eve in order to continue the family line.

Another popular way to celebrate Beltaine is the May Pole.  The May Pole was, and still is, a prominent symbol of this Celebration.  Traditionally the may Pole would be made from the communal Pine Tree that would be decorated at Yule, but would have the top branches removed to attach Red and White Ribbons to the trunk for “Morris Dances” to hold on to as they danced around the May Pole.  The red and white ribbons were representations of the Goddess and God intertwining to symbolize the creation of life.

Beltaine is celebrated by many cultures around the world.

In Russia everyone waits until the moon rises on Beltaine before they light their Balefires and throw sprigs of Holly into the fire in honour of the Holly King.

An old Swedish tradition is that two people, a female and a male, must light the Balefire each using flints to symbolize the Sacred Union of the Goddess and God.

In Norway, Balefires are called Balder’s Fires in honour of their Sun God.  They would also throw their old brooms on the fires and dedicate the new ones that were made during the winter months.

Germanic and Dianic traditions celebrate the Night of the Dead, similar to Samhain.  Ancestors would be invited to join them by the fire.

In Slavic countries young men would go from house to house within the village to collect fuel for the fires.  Wreaths would also be made to throw into the fire for healings.

The Celts also believed that on this day the Faye (Fairies) would disguise themselves as humans to join in the festivities.  Daisy chains would be made and placed around children’s necks to protect them from the Faye’s.  Livestock would also be fed fresh dill weed for protection.

The best protection was believed to be bells.  Faye’s were not only believed to be nature spirits but tricksters and pranksters.  Bells were said to hurt the “Wee Folks” ears.  So it is not surprising that bells feature strongly in the folklore surrounding Beltaine.

Other bells have long been used for protection too.  However, most of their origins have been forgotten.  Wind chimes were hung outside windows and doors to prevent the Faye’s and other baneful spirits from entering the home.

The Primrose flower was also used at Beltaine to keep the Faye at bay.  In Ireland many people still boil Primrose flowers and pour it outside their doors to prevent the mischievous Faye from entering their homes.  Fires would also be extinguished on this night and then relit in the morning from logs taken from the main Balefire in the community.  It was considered bad luck to use logs from the previous season in the new fires.

The Norse believed you must sleep at home on this night and keep the hearth fire burning until dawn to ensure good fortune and harvests for the coming year.

In China, all fires need to be put out on May Eve and new ones lit at Sunrise to promote good luck for the next harvests.

In Wales, Balefires would be kept alight for the first three days of May.  Three is a sacred number for the Celts.  The Warriors and Warioressess would take turns in keeping the Balefires going.  In other countries this day was not celebrated as a Sabbath as such but a day to honour different deities.  In Rome for instance, it was called Floralia in honour of Flora the Goddess of Flowers.  The Romans also honoured Bacchanalia, the God of Wine and Frolic.  This day is still celebrated in parts of Italy as the first day of Spring with community festivals that feature dancing, singing, drinking wine made from the previous season.  It is tradition that all the old wine must be drunk before midnight.  So that new wine could be made from the new Spring harvests.  Young men would climb the Alps to pick Edelweiss flowers and then return to the festival and give the flowers to the young woman of his choice.  If she accepted then the couple would become engaged.

In the Germanic lands Beltaine was known as Walpurgisnacht in honour of the Earth Mother Waburga who would marry the Sun God and become impregnated with the son who was born at Yule.

Native American’s would also look to nature at this time and was a popular time of the year to embark on Vision Quests.

Other Festivals at this time of year included the Festival of Sheila-na-gig in Ireland, Tithe Day in Germany, and the Festival of Pan in Greece (also known as Cernunnos by the Celts) who is the master of the hunt.  During Spring he represents the Young God of Fertility and later coming into his full power in Summer and Autumn. This day is also known as the day Buddha was born and is know as Wesak.

The Great Rite is performed at Beltaine.  Most people usually misunderstand this.  The Great Rite Symbolises the sexual union or Sacred Marriage of the Goddess and the God from whose union comes all creation.  One female and one male, representing the Goddess and God, perform the right.  They unite sexually in a symbolic way by placing an Athame (Ritual Knife) into a Chalice.  Each being representations of the Goddess and God.

The month of May was named in Honour of Maia, originally a Greek mountain Nymph identified as the most beautiful of the Seven Sisters, which are known today to modern astronomers as the Pleiades.  Maia was the mother of Hermes, the God of Magic.

May is also the month that celebrated everything to do with Women.  Maidens, Mothers, Crones and Goddesses.

For most of Europe, Beltaine marked the last of the Spring planting season.  Many cultures would use sympathetic magic to ensure the success of the harvest.  Women would ride Besom’s (Brooms) over the fields to bless and protect the crops at this time.  Menstruating women were especially sought after for these rituals as the blood was regarded as sacred and life giving.

  Most importantly Beltaine is a time of Celebration, Festivities, Feasting and Love.  Celebrate all the beauty that Mother Earth has to offer. Our Ancestors would take time out from the fields to celebrate the Wheel as it turned. 
 So join with friends and loved ones and take time out from our hectic and often stressful lives and Celebrate!

©Ange Foster

Images courtesy of Google Images

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A Magical Month Ahead!

Today marks the 1st day of the Lunar Calendar such as the one the Chinese follow, this is known as the Spring Festival and goes for 15 days.  It is a time when people return to their families and celebrate the past year and welcome in the New.  On the first day the Chinese believe you should not shower, clean or do laundry so you do not wash away all the Good Luck.  This year we will be entering the Chinese year of the Fire Monkey on February 8th. 

Tomorrow we also celebrate Lammas here in the Southern Hemisphere and Imbolc in the Northern.  Lammas is the "cross-quarter" day marking the first harvest of early grain, where the first loaf of the bread from the harvest is broken and shared in the name of the Goddess. All crops associated with grain and of the season are sacred to this time. It is a time to reflect on the successes of the year and to reward yourself for jobs well done. Lammas magic can be magic of facing up to change. The God gives his energy to the crops to ensure life while the Goddess, as Mother, prepares to transform into her aspect as the Crone. The God loses his strength as the days grow shorter. Traditionally this day falls on February 2nd, however astrologically it falls on February 4th this year.

For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere the Wheel of the Year is turning to Imbolc. Also known as Candlemass. For those of you going through Winter take a peek outside and get some inspiration from nature, you will see signs of New Life popping up everywhere. This weekend you celebrate Imbolc which is the mid-way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Astrologically the mid-way point this year is February 4th. As this date changes each year it is often observed on February 2nd.

 At Imbolc we begin to see the first signs of Spring, flowers are starting to bloom and the days are getting longer. Imbolc is the Celebration of the Mother Goddess with the young Sun God that was born at Yule. This is Sacred day for the Divine Feminine. On this day our Ancestors would initiate any of the young girls who had begun their Moontime into the Sisterhood and the Feminine Mysteries.

Mercury is also in Shadow Phase at the moment, which is the phase just after the actual retrograde period, until February 14th. This is the time to consolidate anything that arose during the retrograde period. Jupiter has also recently entered its retrograde phase, on January 8th, allowing us to look at issues concerning self-love and self-esteem. This phase continues until May 9th. 

We also have a rare event occurring in our skies throughout February, with five of our major planets in alignment. These planets include Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. This line up highlights areas of Self-Worth, Abundance, Action, Communication and Personal Responsibility. 

Use this time wisely as the universe gives you a cosmic push in these areas. 

I wish you all a Magical Month!

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New Moon in Virgo - 00:12 am AEST

 

 

Things have been quite on the Blog front for a while.  Lots of changes have been going on.  Big changes have left my life bearing little resemblance to what it was.  From the large family home I have downsized to a gorgeous little cottage I now call home.  Many other changes have also been going on in the background also, which has led me to where I am now.

 

Since Imbolc and noticing the first signs of Spring and with it many new beginnings, as the Wheel begins to turn towards the Spring Equinox later next month.  All of these energies perfect for the New Moon in Virgo in just over 5 hours from the time of this post.  So, my new life at Adytum Cottage begins.

 

The Sabian Oracle for today is “A Woman filled with her own Spirit, is the Father of her own Child” – This shows the ability, or need to be self-sufficient and responsible for one’s own life.  Often there is the issue of single parenthood, or the sense of having to raise yourself with little input from others….  It can show someone that they do not need the assistant of others for even the most complicated tasks…. We are all blessed with individual qualities…. The Immaculate Conception.  Doing everything…. Facing the world whole.  Single living.  Spiritual Experiences… - Linda Hill.

 

How has everyone been traveling with the Astro climate over the last couple of months?  It has been a hectic time for most and challenging.  The climate has given us the opportunity to really look below the surface of our life and address the things that were no longer serving us.  If we haven’t wanted to look deep inside many of us have been forced too, whether we wanted to or not.

The roller coaster of 2014 is not coming to a stop any time soon, we still have a number of planets retrograde until November, Pluto, Neptune and Chiron. Pluto is bringing up a lot of shadow aspects that we normally shy away from.  This is a good time for us to face our shadow aspects and embrace them, after all they are part of us.  Once we have faced our shadows we can clear them and move on.  Neptune is also assisting us in this area as it is the planet of illusion and when retrograde, the veils of illusion are lifted helping us to dig down deep and face what we have been hiding from.  Chiron, the wounded healer, brings up old hurts and anger from our past, allowing us to heal our wounds and allowing us to move on with our lives.

 

The first half of 2014 focused on our outer world where as now we are being shown our inner world.  Use these powerful energies to heal the past and move into the future knowing that you are loved and supported at this time.  Just as Spring symbolises new beginnings we are being urged to do the same in our lives now.  Use the energy of this New Moon to set your intentions for the next Lunar Cycle.

 

 

New Moon Blessings to all!

)O(

 

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©Ange Foster

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Winter Solstice - Yule

Southern Hemisphere – June 21^st

Northern Hemisphere – December 22^nd

The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year and at Sunrise is the birth of the Waxing Year, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter until Summer Solstice/Litha, the shortest night of the year.

The Winter Solstice can be a bit harder to celebrate in the Southern Hemisphere as Yule is associated with Christmas and here we are in the middle of June.  Although this does not mean that we can’t celebrate it.  It is Mid-Winter and it is the Shortest Day of year still. The Winter Solstice still represents the birth of the Sun God and days begin to lengthen from this point onwards. 

We can also take the blessings from Yule, honouring the return of the Sun and all the promises that this time brings.  The birth of Sun God is the birth of our potential.  As the days grow so does our potential.  What we birth/create for ourselves at this time can benefit from the Energies that come with this significant day. 

The Anglo-Saxon word for Solstice is Yule, that is derived from the Nordic word “iul”, meaning “Wheel” or “Sacred Circle” or “Wheel of Nature.

This is the witch's Christmas; so to speak.  It is a time of feasting and celebration.  In the Myth of the Wheel, it is the time the Goddess  as the Great Mother who gives birth and the Sun God is re-born. 

As with Samhain, this is a time that the Church were unable to convert the masses so came up with their own myth of the Birth of Christ from the Virgin Mother Mary.  The church originally celebrated Christmas in August but as the people the resisted their celebrations, they were forced to move their celebrations to December to coincide with the pagan festival.  Virgin is yet another word that’s meaning has been altered in modern times.   Originally the term Virgin meant that a woman was not promised to a man or married.  Therefore, a Virgin Mother was an unwed mother, yet again another contradiction in the teachings of the church.  A Virgin was therefore free to give herself to any man she chose.  In the Ancient Temples, Virgins of the Goddess or ‘Vestal Virgins’ were very active sexually.  Men who visited these temples gave themselves to these Virgins as an act of worship.  Any children born from these acts of worship were considered as a gift from the Goddess and given the utmost respect by the temple members. The Virgin, who is more commonly referred to as the Maiden were not the shy young girls as the church wished to turn them into but wild and free vibrant full of energy seeking the wisdom of life and her place in the world.

The Sun God who is born at Yule will become the Goddess’s Lover at the Spring Sabbath of Beltaine and the father and son again at Yule.  As our ancestors relied on the sun’s powers to grow the crops and provide light it was important that when the nights grew longer and the days shorter that the Sun God was called back to he’s fullest.  In ancient times many cultures only had two seasons Summer and Winter, unlike our four seasons, which now include Spring and Autumn.

In Norse traditions, Yule went for twelve nights, which perhaps is where the modern twelve days of Christmas originated.  This was also a time for them to contact their departed ancestors, just as the Celts do for Samhain. 

In ancient Egypt, they celebrated the return of their Sun God Ra and also the creation of the Universe.  In Egypt, December was the beginning of their short raining season and it was said that if it rained on the eve of Yule it was a special blessing from Ra whose tears brought new life on the night of his birth.

Native Americans celebrate Soualanwal, which means to Bring New Life.  They would aid the return of the sun with a Birthing Ceremony.

In many cultures Yule represents the beginning of the new year and as the year was represented by the Wheel it became a tradition the symbol for Yule became a wreath of holly that was hung on the front door, which is still a tradition practiced today by pagans and non-pagans alike.

The tradition of giving a Yuletide gift originated from leaving out gifts for the departed ancestors from the previous year.  This tradition continued to grow into the giving and receiving gifts we now enjoy at this time.  Although, like other festivals this is a time that has become over commercialised and has lost much of the original meaning that was intended.

Another tradition of this time was the burning of the Yule Fire.  Great fires were lit to welcome back the Sun.  The ashes of the fire would be kept for use in ointments and other healing products and a log would be kept until next Yule to be burnt again.

©Ange Foster

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Full Moon in Sagittarius

Friday 13^th June 2014

2.11pm AEST

 

Today’s Full Moon is quite auspicious, for many reasons.  Firstly, it is Friday 13^th, this is a rare event, and the next time the Full Moon will fall on Friday 13^th won’t be until 2049.  Friday is named after the Goddess Freya, the Norse Goddess of Love.  The number 13 also has special meaning.  For instance, we have 13 Full Moons each year.

Sagittarius is the sign of Truth Seeking and Truth Speaking.  Calling us to look deep within our souls and discover our own Truth.  Assisting us on this Spiritual Quest for our Truth, Mercury (the planet of communication) is Retrograde, this is the time to re-view, re-new, re-do.  Neptune (the planet of illusion) is also Retrograde, which is revealing to us anything in our lives that has been clouded with illusion. 

A few minutes before this Full Moon, Venus in Taurus, the planet of connection, opposes Saturn in Scorpio. Saturn in Scorpio forcing us to look at our emotional wounds and how we are relating to them.  Venus is urging us to forgive ourselves and heal.  It's time to own our self-worth.  Once we do, we can forgive others and dare to have free and strong relationships that are free of past wounds.

We are once again entering 'the Grand Cross Zone'. Now that Mars is direct again in Libra, it's coming into contact again with the Pluto/Uranus T-Square to Jupiter in Cancer. We get to re-visit how we're handling our new life!  Chiron (the Wounded Healer) is also in a close transit to the Grand Cross asking us to open our hearts to our truth.  This is the 3rd cross these four planets have formed this year, the Goddess always works in threes! It's the number of process.

The Sun in Gemini highlights our mental process, shedding light on how we perceive and interpret information coming through.  The Sun has been very active the last few days with several Solar Flares being released.  Energetically these flares can give us bursts of insights into our Soul.  In conjunction with the Full Moon in Sagittarius we are asked to look at whether these thoughts are helping us or holding us back.

 

Neurologically, we are in a 7 Universal Year.  In Numerology 7 is year of the Soul.  This is a year where we are all searching for our Souls Purpose.  It is also the time to nurture our Soul and do what makes our hearts sing. 

This Full Moon is a powerful one making us look at where we are in our Lives and making the changes we need to open us up to the Life we are meant to be living.  Review what is holding you back and with the energy of Sagittarius element of Fire release them making room for what your Soul is craving.  If we choose to try and ignore these issues the Universe will find a way to force us to confront them.  It is far more empowering and easier to work with these energies and controlling the cosmic ride we are on rather than against them causing more chaos and drama than necessary. 

Full Moon Blessings  )O(.
 

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©Ange Foster

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Happy Hump Day!

It has been a slow start to Winter here in the Southern Hemisphere, but it has arrived in full swing now.  Winter can be a wonderful time.   We can rest, stay warm and nurture our soul.  We naturally start staying home more as days shorten.  We feel the need to withdraw slightly from the daily treadmill. 

 

To kick start winter there is now a pot soup on the stove that my daughter and I cooked up yesterday.  My favourite part of winter is having the pot of soup on the stove.  I remember coming home from school and Mum would have the soup hot and ready to go, this is a tradition I kept for my daughters and I hope they will also have the wonderful memories that I have of warming up with a bowl of Mum’s soup.  Soup really does nurture the soul.

 

Now that the wheel of the year is turning towards the Winter Solstice it’s time to look at your diet again.  Are you eating yummy winter vegetables full of the nutrients our bodies need for winter?  Mother Nature has a wonderful medicine cabinet for whatever season we are in.  Eating seasonally is so important for our overall health and wellbeing.  If you’re not sure what’s in season take a trip to your local growers market instead of the supermarket where produce can be 6 months old or more held in cold storage so that they can sell it year round.

Winter is a time when we go within and do what our soul needs us to do.  Heal the parts that have been hurt by the chaotic world we live in.  It’s time to slow down and do what we need to do to nourish our soul.  Connect with Source and recharge yourself.  Meditating, Yoga or just curling up with a blanket and a good book or movie.  Whatever your body and soul is asking you to do make a date with yourself regularly and do it.

©Ange Foster

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New Moon in Gemini

New Moon in Gemini.

 

 

Change is the key factor for this New Moon. Right now life is about to change in ways that you cannot begin to imagine. This can be welcome, or it can be a little unsettling depending on other factors in your astrology chart.  We are likely to undergo a series of highs and lows as you adjust to the changes.  Sometimes we will experience joy and sometimes sadness. This is an exciting time in life but with all changes there can be an element of fear involved.

 

Mercury, the planet of communication, is in Gemini at the moment.  All forms of communication will be highlighted at this time.  Keep in mind that Mercury turns retrograde June 6/7 for three weeks.  In the lead up to Mercury going retrograde take notice of what issues pop up as these can give us clues on what we will be dealing with during the retrograde period.

 

The New Moon in Gemini is also making a challenging aspect with Neptune.  Neptune is the planet of illusion so take care in how you perceive situations.  Neptune is also preparing to go retrograde on June 9/10 through to November 16/17.  When Neptune is retrograde it increases our sensitivity and receptivity to be much more acute.  This heightened sensitivity allows us to see far more than is possible when Neptune is direct. Our intuitive or inner vision that enables us to see situations from a different and more insightful perspective.  Use this time to see through the illusions that are in place in your life and make the changes that are needed for you to move on.  This is perfect time to give your intuition a workout.

 

Saturn is playing nice with Jupiter during June.  They are forming a grand water trine with Chiron.  This trine will be in play for whole month of June creating a deep healing time.  We are being asked to step up in our vibration and stand strong in our truth. 

 

In fact, 2014 is demanding us to follow our soul’s purpose, if we remain stuck in our current situation the Universe will kick us out and force us to make changes.  However, if we take the steps ourselves we will have more control over the direction we wish to go rather than trying fight the changes and not having control over our direction.

 

Venus has entered Taurus this morning.  Using this energy with the energies of the New Moon in Gemini gives us a chance to get clear on what our core values.  Now is the time to put into action any plans that were put on hold while Mar’s was Retrograde.  So far the energies of 2014 have been slow moving and have provided us time to work out the direction we want to take.  This New Moon starts of the next Lunar phase with a spark of energy.  June brings with it a Quickening of energies.  We will see our thoughts manifesting at far quicker pace than what we have experienced so far this year. 

 

During this month we will also be feeling the effects of the Asteroid Lilith.  Lilith’s energy can bring to the surface any anger that we have not dealt with.  However, if we stand in our own power and truth we can heal and learn from this energy.  There is a lot of Karmic clearing going on at the moment so be gentle and nurturing to yourself.  Many of us have had a rough ride so far this year but this is all changing now so get clear on your soul’s purpose and start putting into action your intentions for 2014. 

 

New Moon Blessings to All!

 

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©Ange Foster

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