Latest / OCCULTINARIUM / Occultinarium - EP 4 - Ostara, Spring Equinox
Transcript
- Lynn: Hello and welcome! are voices the Occultinarium and tonight's hosts Luigi: Luigi Amelie: Amelie . Lynn: and Lynn. topic, ⁓ wanted to talk about what is commonly known as Ostara or the Spring Equinox. And we our sessions quite a while in advance, but since we just went into this new phase of year, we we should record it ⁓ and upload it post-haste. So that's what trying to do. Yeah, how about you guys? Are you celebrating it or not? what does it mean to you? Luigi: wants to go first. Lynn: Luigi wants to go first. Amelie: I have to be very honest, I haven't really done anything specific this year. Luigi, you go. I think that'd be more interesting. Luigi: I've actually been celebrating the entire weekend, funnily enough. ⁓ There was an open ritual in Camden Town which happens for every Sabbath of the Wheel of the Year, which was really fun. I really enjoyed it. then ⁓ I did my own ⁓ rituals these couple of days and still some work ongoing in terms of... Lynn: Go ahead. Mm-hmm. Luigi: self-reflection, manifestation, in with myself and my deities and so forth. ⁓ I think I personally particularly love this side of the year because now we're getting close to ⁓ bright side of the year, the warmer side of the year. And I'm usually a very sloth-y if that's even a word, person. So I need a lot of energy to motivate myself at the best of times. And the sun does that. And in a way, Ostara... Lynn: Mm-hmm. Luigi: or the Spring Equinox as it can be neutrally known as. In a way, that's a good... What's the word that I'm looking for? Herald, you know, to the fact that the light is not only just coming back, but it's thriving, it's growing in power, in warmth, in energy, in inspiration. So, yeah, I it's been a couple of days quite busy, but celebratory at the very least. Lynn: Yeah, that's great. Yeah. For the few people who don't know what equinoxes are at all, maybe they exist. basically we're coming like the equinoxes tend to be two ⁓ the largest celebrations in some traditions. And it's one of it's ⁓ solar celebrations and with the equinox and the autumn equinox. It's when the day and night are in equilibrium. after, so now after the ⁓ equinox, every day will be longer until we reach the highest point ⁓ summer solstice, when we have the longest day and the shortest night, ⁓ then it reverts back. And in the autumnal equinox, again, we are in an equilibrium ⁓ it goes into the darker period. ⁓ now for spring equinox, we ⁓ now reached the ⁓ where days gonna be longer. gonna get stronger. Nature starting to burst out and come to life and go this phase of, you know, collecting or having collected already slightly energies since Imbolc And yeah, it's to ⁓ bud and... Yeah. What about you, Amelie? What have you or do you have any ways of celebrating or things that you used to do? Luigi: Absolutely. Amelie: done absolutely nothing this year. I know, I think it's Lynn: Yeah. That's fair. Luigi: Not too late. Amelie: I have to say, like, since I think it's amazing, Luigi, that you're still like, you're finding all these groups. Like, I did not know anything about the group in Camden Town, for example. I mean, I've been living there for so many years and I had no idea that such things were, you know, possible. think I ⁓ more into celebrating things when I was ⁓ in Sweden, because it was like closer to nature in a way. And I kind of like... ⁓ lost the proper celebration but I have been thinking about things that I to do when I was younger, kind of as a kid as well but also when I was older that I really enjoyed. I mean one of the things was like I really enjoyed painting eggs and that's also like a very like polish ⁓ Lynn: Yeah. Amelie: tradition and they took it very serious, very seriously that it was a whole thing with that. It was not just like boiling eggs and painting them. also like there were different ways of painting them, different ways of like dyeing the eggs with different like you can boil them what's it called? An onion. Lynn: Yeah. Amelie: for example, to get them a different color and there were just so many different ways of dyeing them. But also what I remember I used to do a lot was getting the inside of the egg and keeping the shell, where you have to do two holes on each side. ⁓ And something I used to really When I was a kid I used to get my dad to do it because I couldn't like, because they have to really be like... Lynn: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Amelie: blow it out and then just like the, cause it's so delicate. So you need to kind of like be very delicate with it. Yeah. I really loved doing that. It was one of my, my, my favorite things to do and I'm a bit annoyed. I think I should just like continue doing that. That's one of the things. Lynn: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hmm Yeah, I completely forgot about that I mean I used to do that too like painting eggs and stuff But ⁓ I I never I don't remember ever blowing the eggs out I think that was like an adult's job. I never I've never done that I was just like painting them. think it was my grandfather doing I I'm not entirely sure but it was always perfect Like I don't remember a single cracked egg. Maybe that happened behind the scenes ⁓ Luigi: Hahaha. ⁓ Amelie: You Lynn: yeah, ⁓ I remember that it's eggs are like a big thing and I mean in middle Europe have the Easter bunny and that whole tradition with Easter ⁓ ⁓ you don't really have that here the Scandics ⁓ or you didn't anyway Like it just a bit popular like maybe 10 20 years ago So with the Easter bunny and all that there was not such a tradition and I mean also like this is like ⁓ Christian tradition rooted in pagan beliefs as ⁓ ⁓ Luigi: Yes. Amelie: Yeah, I was, I don't know, I was reminiscing some things that I've, that we used to do as I used to do as a kid. And I was like, where did it come from? And it's all like pagan stuff, basically. Hence why I grabbed this deck, right? Cause it like just made me think of that. the thing, when I a kid, ⁓ every single cause you know, when you have like egg hunts, Lynn: Mm. Mm. Yes. Mm-hmm. Amelie: I know that UK has like egg hunts. It was something similar, but it wasn't egg hunts. But actually I don't think, although I'm remembering it now. I actually don't think it was a thing. I think it was something that my parents did for me. It came all back to me. I don't, it wasn't like a thing that everybody did. I think a lot of parents probably did it for their kids because you know, when you're a kid, you're a little bit dumb. So you don't know how things really work. You think like it's Luigi: Yeah. Lynn: ⁓ yeah. Amelie: real. And I remember we used to go into the into the forest, because I used to be in the forest quite a lot. And basically, ⁓ bunnies were spreading candy all over the forest, obviously. So you had to go to the forest to find them. ⁓ now thinking of it, I'm very sure that my dad was dropping the candy here and there as we were walking. ⁓ I definitely ⁓ definitely But that was something I love. Lynn: you Mm-hmm. Amelie: And I really liked the way it was within nature. Everything I think ⁓ it just something that was ⁓ done, ⁓ it's ⁓ Easter, let's this without, it was always like in nature and it was something ⁓ kind of behind it. But yeah, that was just like a... Lynn: Mm-hmm. Luigi: Such a story. Amelie: Like, ⁓ it was, just, yes, yes, but definitely, ⁓ I was conned. Lynn: yeah yeah yeah Luigi: wheel were. Lynn: Yeah, I remember some egg hunts as well. Some like most of them are private, like just in the garden or something where it's like my parent, my family would hide that usually was like chocolate And they would hide around garden. But I remember one instance, I must have been really small. And it was some sort of forest somewhere. And it was like a public event where like people, parents with their children would go then you would just search for tiny little like this small you know like maybe a fingernail size of chocolate eggs that you would try and find in the forest. a lot of fun. Yeah, but speaking of your tarot deck, we always have our tradition of pulling a card before the session and revealing it the end and ⁓ we are using different deck this time to honor the Slavic traditions. So that'll be, yeah. Yeah. Amelie: It's because I was thinking about things, right? But also I'm hoping that one of the cards would be like a spring card and not like a winter card. But we'll see. We'll see at the end. Lynn: We will see. We will see. Yeah, Luigi, you mentioned like with your celebrations, you did mention diety, deities or gods, but you did not mention which that you particularly hold in honor in this time of the year. Would you like to talk about that? Luigi: I think... Yeah, yeah. I think I always tend to be never... I'm very ⁓ but never consistent. And what I mean by that is throughout the years they may interchange because I'm always getting in touch with new ⁓ forces, new entities, new spirits. ⁓ I try my best to always honor... Because I guess ⁓ debated whether or not... Lynn: Hmm. Mm. Mm. Luigi: What I'm trying to say is, I'm trying my best to always observe Ostara herself. And I know that, historically speaking, the term Ostara, the word Ostara is fairly modern. You know, it's not necessarily very ancient. But to me, personally, with all the respect to the craft and to tradition and to the myths, it doesn't really matter whether or not it's old enough, young enough, who knows. But the idea is that even the term Ostara comes from Lynn: Mm. Hmm. Luigi: a Germanic deity. think her original name though, I forgot how it's pronounced. ⁓ gonna butcher this pronunciation. Eostre? If I were to pronounce it with my Italian... What's the term? You know like when you do the sounds... Yeah, beyond the accent. So would it as Eostre. Or Eostre. ⁓ Lynn: Mm. Mm. Yeah. Yeah, it was similar. Luigi: So she is a goddess of dawn. Yeah, so she's a goddess of dawn. And I think it was Jakob Grimm or maybe other brother. But one of the brothers Grimm, they do a mention of Ostara and they borrow from Eostre and they create what they create. They bring forward the term Ostara as goddess of renewal, as a goddess of dawn. ⁓ And of being associated to the dawn, which is again related to the sun now getting stronger, like we mentioned before. Lynn: Mm-hmm. Luigi: I would then observe maybe other ⁓ solar deities, but not solar, just sun related, but related to the dawn itself. So I guess in the Roman tradition you will have Aurora as an example. But yeah, think my spiritual, my personal sacred guardian will always be at the front center of all of my rituals and my observations. ⁓ in terms of the Sabbath itself, I've been trying to observe Lynn: Mm. Mm. Mm. Hmm. Mm. Mm. Luigi: the deity, the goddess Ostara And since we mentioned eggs, I have here ⁓ a little egg. So what's happen with this one? ⁓ Yeah, so what's gonna happen? Similar to what I've done for Imbolc so if we remember, Imbolc I left a glass of milk out with a burning candle, so a lot of my craft has to do with burning candles and so forth. ⁓ And this time... Lynn: Amazing. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Luigi: I'm gonna do... gonna draw an intention. It's gonna be either an intention or it could be a rune or a message ⁓ the egg. Leave it next to the Ostara burning candle throughout the night and then make an omelette in the morning that I will obviously eat for breakfast. But then ⁓ shells, the egg shell. Yeah, yeah, I always feel like I need to... What's world? need... ⁓ Whatever. Lynn: ⁓ wow, yeah, I like that. Consume. Luigi: Consume that thank you. That's the one I always need to consume whatever work I do with my deities and my patrons But the eggshells those I will bury in in the garden Lynn: Mm. That's a nice little tradition. I like that. What about you, Amelie? You usually didn't do anything this year, I don't like for me, I don't have a big, you know, ⁓ don't have a big spring Equinox thing either. And I felt a little, you know, just it coming up, know, I was still like in this whole Imbolc spirit and ⁓ it's coming up. like Luigi: Yeah, I- Amelie: No, I didn't do anything. Lynn: ⁓ yeah, it's spring equinox. Like it didn't strike me. Like my big celebrations are really like Beltane and Samhain my two big ones. ⁓ then the summer solstice. Yeah. And then the summer and the winter solstice are my two, like these four are like my, biggest ones. And I'm like, yeah, but spring, the equinoxes, are quite important or they feel like they should have more weight than they do in my personal life. Like with the equality and equilibrium. Luigi: best ones. Lynn: But maybe it's because I'm so chaotic. like the chaos more than the equilibrium. I don't know. things are in balance, it feels weird. I don't know. That's not true. But you know, I was just thinking off the top of my head. Maybe. Yeah, they do. Luigi: You have a point though, they do come around fairly quickly. It's so fast, the way that the ear spins. Lynn: Oh yeah, mean, once you get over, you know, like 25 or something, it's just like, years just go by. Yeah, but it's all. Go ahead. Luigi: I guess as well. Amelie: I think. Luigi: no, I was just gonna add, before I forgot, I guess as well, a valid... not a valid, that's not the right word, ⁓ a deity that may be associated with Ostara can also be Persephone, because again is the ⁓ coming of rising from the underworld ⁓ and so So any kind returning deity from whatever journey they had in the underworld can be appropriate, I suppose. Lynn: Mmm. Mm. Mm. Amelie: I've seen also Artemis. Lynn: Mm. Luigi: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, because in a way she would represent in some ⁓ aspects of the craft and the tradition, she might represent the maiden and this is still the season of the maiden. Lynn: Mm-hmm. Yeah, for the hunt. Yeah. Mm. Yeah, so the fun thing is that like traditionally in historically in the Scandics the the vernal equinox wasn't like a big celebration either like it might have been marked but there's like nothing delivered down it was a big celebration it wasn't there's a lot of celebrations in like this month and the biggest it being like the Disthing which ⁓ might be basically like the thing that is Ostara or the thing that we want to celebrate. But for but it's not the actual equinox. It's the third moon of the year. And it's the full moon that is closest to the equinox, which is the Disthing. And I can talk a bit about that later. I just found it interesting that it wasn't really so important. And I personally also have this drag or this pull to celebrate it. But I remember like in some of the circles that I used to be in, would... It also, I think it changed like who we would call on, which deities who would, you know, have or invite to a rituals. It's quite classic to get Idunn on board and the modern pagans or the modern heathens often do that. Everybody always loves Freyja and Odin. I think they're like always present But as the who takes care of the apples of eternal youth for the gods. she's like very much like a maiden imagery and seen as a, you know, imagined as a young woman. So, ⁓ yeah, it's Idunn often that people call on. Amelie: Yeah. Lynn: but there's no big tradition and I don't have like particular deities that I would call on to this. ⁓ just whatever fits. Or you said, like the personal guardians, have a way to sneak in there and take over. ⁓ So a thing, definitely. Amelie: I that's the thing. Uh, yeah. Luigi: Yeah. Lynn: Yeah. Luigi: think anything that resembles or invokes or inspires the essence of awakening, you know, I feel like a little bit I'm thinking of Sleeping Beauty, which funnily enough in the Disney version is called Aurora, isn't it? So I wonder if there's a connection, secret connection over there. But yeah, like I think ⁓ Earth in a way, she's... we feel her heartbeat right now. Lynn: Mm. Yes. Luigi: Arguably we can always feel her heartbeat, I'm trying to say, the thought that I'm trying to get across is this idea signs are even clearer than they were in Imbolc. So, for instance, the tradition, every single Sabbath has a symbol and maybe I can find an that we can then show for visual purposes, but ⁓ the symbol of Ostara is a with two little... lines curving on top of the circle and you can look at that in so many ways you can see that as the earth with a sprout and so in that regard you can see Imbolc as the seed planting, Ostara as the sprouting and Beltane by the time we reach Beltane will be the blossoming but another way to see it it would be also like the the sun itself Lynn: Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm-hmm. Luigi: as an equinox, you know, being sun-centered and lines on top, they kind of resemble the astrological sign of Aries which is the season that Ostara introduces and that is sun-related as well, isn't it? So, yeah, we them. Lynn: Correspondences, yeah. That's so, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's fun. We love that. Yeah. When you said like that in the Disney version, she's called Aurora. I think she's also in some of the original folk tales. There's this thing of that there were, I think there were three children. I don't remember how it went, but there were three children. One was Sun, one was Moon, and one was Aurora. Yeah, but I don't remember exactly how it went. ⁓ would have to read that up again. there ⁓ kids and I they got taken away or something, the other ones, but I do not quite remember. But there were more or I was just one of them. ⁓ Yeah. Luigi: There's so much sacred folklore within Fairy Tales, it's beautiful. Lynn: mmm yeah there's a lot to it yeah ⁓ Amelie: there's a thing that they used to do. ⁓ don't know if it's just Polish or if it's just like a Slavic thing. So the winter goddess, is Marzanna basically they to kill her. No, but like rid of her obviously ⁓ winter was hard. So... you do like little dolls from straw that you burn and then you put them in the river and say goodbye. So they are a little bit more morbid like that. Lynn: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Luigi: Yes, there's a very... No, but there's a very similar tradition over on this side of the world with the Celtic tradition there's a very similar tradition as well. I think the doll making comes at Lughnasadh during the ⁓ Wheel the Year and then it gets burned ⁓ during the Winter Solstice either during the Winter Solstice ⁓ or Imbolc I'll have to double check. But it's funny we all cross ⁓ Lynn: Hmm. Mm. Mmm. Luigi: through different traditions and different places in the world. It's beautiful. Lynn: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that was just thinking of like the hoodoo and dolls and burning was like, oh, and then the Wicker Man and stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Burning is a big thing. yeah. Amelie: Yeah. Luigi: Yeah, yeah. Amelie: I don't thing that we, two things that I can think One thing is, ⁓ They call it like Schmingles Dingles or something like that, which is like you pour water on each other, but you sprinkle water. And I remember as a kid, ⁓ used to sell these like plastic eggs, which you could fill with water. So you could press them and they get filled with water and you just like spray people with water. ⁓ that was, ⁓ mean, for kids it was fun and stuff, but it's like a... Lynn: Yeah. Mm-hmm. ⁓ Uh-huh. Hmm. Amelie: kind of a purification kind of thing. also personally think maybe it has something to do with like the snow actually thawing and the ground getting water to stop sprouting. ⁓ But that's something that I remember as a child and that was lots of fun. ⁓ think we should bring that back as ⁓ as well. That would be so funny. ⁓ Lynn: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that would make sense. ⁓ Yeah. Just randomly spraying each other with like a small water eggs. ⁓ Was that from Poland or Swedish tradition? Or did you do that? Where did you do that? That was in Poland, yeah. Amelie: Yeah. Luigi: day morning in the office. Amelie: ⁓ that's a definitely Polish thing, that's definitely like some kind of Slavic-Pagan hybrid thing. Lynn: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it probably has nothing to do with fertility or anything probably Yeah Amelie: Yeah, yeah. Lynn: I mean even the Easter Bunny and all that because you know the bunnies being like one of these creatures that propagates the fastest and the most and you know so a really fertile animal so it's ⁓ not that ⁓ that picked as the the animal guardian basically for this era of spring yeah yeah Luigi: Yeah, it makes me think of the Queen of Pentacles. Lynn: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. It's not traditional, like in the Scandics, ⁓ there's nothing about bunnies whatsoever. Like traditionally in this Thorra or the March period, it used be very dedicated to Thor. And ⁓ some of celebrations, like the first, for example, the first three... Amelie: Mm. Yes. Lynn: ⁓ Thursdays in or March were sacred and they were connected to cranes for some reason and there was like there's this old ⁓ poem that I think it's Danish but it's how ⁓ on the Thursday the cranes come back to the country so like in Denmark or in ⁓ Scandinavia it's like the are basically the harbingers of spring so they come back the first Thursday and step foot on land. And then the second Thursday, a week later, they come on to the meadows of the farmer. And then the third Thursday, which is like the pinnacle of these three Thursdays, on the third Thursday, it said that the crane steps into the bed of the farmer. So we have this, yes. So we have this slight sexual connotation here. Luigi: Mmm. Lynn: nothing mentioned about, you know, like shape-shifting, but I'm thinking about like, you know, shape-shifting traditions like the Kitsune ⁓ things like that. But this connotation of that the crane go to the farmer they will, well, propagate in some way or other. there's traditions in Norway. where people would put on crane masks and go into each other's houses and also do ⁓ things. ⁓ fit to spring. ⁓ Yeah. So and one very interesting thing is also that the I it was the third that would the time. And it's also quite close to actual ⁓ equinox. If you look at the dates. Amelie: Hahaha Lynn: that would mark the time when people would not carry candles to bed anymore, would not bring candles into the bedroom because now there's so much light outside that you don't use candles anymore and there was this belief that if you did use candles at night might invoke a house fire during the year. ⁓ people were very, very observant that ⁓ the third Thursday of they would not take candles into bed anymore or you know into the bedroom. So I found that really kind of funny. yeah, I like that. Yeah. And you also actually have like something called Crane Day, ⁓ which into the day of the spring lady, or I think it's in the Christian tradition. It's the 25th of March. And in Christian tradition on Christian mythology, that would be Amelie: wonder how many people stumbled. Luigi: intriguing. Lynn: basically when Mary would have, you know, been impregnated by the Holy Spirit. because it's nine months before the official birth of Jesus. And that has to happen somewhere, right? So that is in March. that is like the day of our lady, it's called. And that was also used to be called Crane Day. But yeah, that's where this whole crane masquerade is or used to happen. But I don't know very much about it. And I've not observed like the Christian Amelie: How are you? Hahaha. Lynn: things very much so I didn't I don't know people do ⁓ how much weight they put on it. Amelie: I also know that there's some people, guess it depends how much a girl for tradition, they bake like little cookies ⁓ look like birds. I wonder if that's also cranes. Like, I don't know, it's just, ⁓ haven't really like deeply looked into it, but they bake like cookies cakes that look like birds. Lynn: Mm. Mm-hmm. yeah, maybe. Mm. Amelie: So I wonder, like, why would it, like, why birds? Maybe that was also cranes. That would be so funny if it was actually. Lynn: Mm. Yeah Luigi: It can also be exactly for the fact that, I guess this is the season that birds start to migrate back to the places that they migrated in autumn time. know, not saying that this is an incredibly warm country, but I would say that if they left, whatever they left in autumn, now they're coming back. And I guess also when you think about it, Lynn: Mm. Mm. Luigi: at least in modern witchcraft, suppose. The seasonal spring is associated to the element of air, so birds as an elemental embodiment of the season is very fitting in a way. And it's actually funny, because there's a less spicy legend or myth than the one that Lynn just shared, one of the legends associated to Ostara... Lynn: Yeah. Yeah. Luigi: It's probably a fairly modern legend though, but it doesn't matter really. because it was so cold, there was a bird, ⁓ usually a white bird, it so cold and it was so close to death. And Ostara, the goddess, pity on bird and tried to save him, ⁓ him, her, them. ⁓ And by doing she turned the bird into a hare or a bunny, I suppose. In that way... it was able to dig a burrow so that to be warm under the earth. But because it was a bird before, once spring came, retained, like the hair, bunny retained the ability to lay eggs like a bird does. Lynn: Hmm. Hmm. Luigi: And so it started to... Lynn: That's how the Easter Bunny came to be. Amelie: Maybe that... Yes! Because that was that that's one of the the things that you think about like how come we have eggs and then we have bunnies like it just doesn't go but this explained everything. Luigi: Exactly. Lynn: Mmm. Yeah, now it makes sense. Thank you, Luigi. Luigi: There is an alternative version which is just as cute, like again, not spicy but really cute. because of the goddess of spring coming to life again, ⁓ of the animals of the forest were really excited to see her and ⁓ they prepare But most of the animals of the forest, the gifts that they prepare, they are mostly like sapphires and diamonds and rubies, ⁓ gems, things. ⁓ Lynn: Mm. Mm. Luigi: And then the hare goes back home and realizes that they got nothing to offer. They look in the larder and they realize that there's only one egg left for the entirety of the provisions of winter. they have any clue that all of the animals are gathering gemstones. So they're like, okay, this will do. ⁓ They up at the ceremony, you know, where the goddess is accepting all these beautiful gifts and all the ⁓ animals are line, all of the creatures of the forest are in line. And then the hare gets very confused and they're like... Everybody's very shiny beautiful things ⁓ and I have an egg. So because of the embarrassment, they decide to go last in line. And so the time that the hare gets at the front of the line, you know, the goddess have got all sorts of beautiful things, ⁓ all the things that somebody can dream of. ⁓ And the hare comes and says, I only have an egg but I offer it to you with all of my heart. And the goddess then again blessed the hare and crowned the hare as the, what's the word for it? Not ruler, but you know, as the symbol for the season of spring because they gave up the last thing they had left. Because the goddess knew that apart from the egg, there was nothing else left in the larder of the hare Lynn: Mm-hmm. Mm. Hmm. Luigi: So they were giving to her everything they had. Lynn: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's cute. Luigi: No, yeah, moved me every time I listen to it or read on it. always like, ⁓ brave hare Lynn: Hmm. I thinking them. Yeah, hair I mean, yeah. Yeah. This is a different one. But I was thinking I was thinking like maybe because like I was waiting for, you know, the hare being in line and having so much time that maybe it's. Amelie: My brain is going like shiny eggs, shiny eggs, shiny eggs, and they make me think of the goose with the golden egg for some reason. And I'm like, Amelie, don't, don't, this doesn't belong here. Luigi: Hahaha Lynn: was trying to paint the eggs to make it more shiny or more colorful. So I was waiting for that little piece. And maybe, I mean, it's probably the way that I really tell it. Yeah, right. It's like, oh, my gosh, they're all so colorful. At least I've got to paint it. So he's sitting there and painting the egg. he's like, here's my egg. Yeah, it's very cute. Yeah. Yeah, one thing I just remembered again is like with the Luigi: mean, that could be a version. That could be a version. Yeah. Lynn: With the equinoxes, I don't think we've mentioned this, especially like also the spring equinox, because you have this equilibrium the day and night that it's often also seen or what we what is celebrated often is like this kind of this marriage of Earth goddess and sky god, which is very often ⁓ like a or a central point of the pagan celebrations. Yeah. Luigi: Yeah. Lynn: Mm. Luigi: think another thing that comes to mind since we were talking about bunnies and hares, again it goes back to the fertility aspect, it? Like, in a way, ⁓ witchcraft which is very attached to the divine feminine and therefore to the goddess, not necessarily for everyone, know, by extension I suppose, femininity the divine feminine itself, it is to be fertile and I guess, like you said before, Lynn, ⁓ hares and bunnies are incredibly f- Lynn: Mm. Luigi: sexually active individuals, blessed them. And also, guess as well, they've always been part of the folklore to an extent. Like, I've never seen it, and I guess because I need a telescope or something, but there is this idea that if you look at the full moon, there is the shape of an air on the moon itself. ⁓ And the as well in the night observing the moon. Lynn: Mm-hmm. Yes. Yes. Yeah, I've seen it. Luigi: Even if they might be observing something completely different, but the idea is that there is such a strong connection between those creatures and our mother moon, our Luna. Lynn: Mm. Is it a Monty Python film? Because now we're like on moons and on hares. I remember there is a scene in some movie, I feel it's a Monty Python, where somebody is like, ⁓ look up at the moon. Maybe it's Robin Hood. I don't remember. Look up at the And then you have like two rabbits, you know, in front of the moon or some cliff or something mating like crazy. I know if that rings a bell, but it's something that I've seen very often. Luigi: Yeah. Lynn: when I was younger so it might have been the the Men in Tights or something but I'm not entirely sure I feel it's in there like when he when he and Marian you know there's this whole scene with the shadow behind cloth thing and I think it's in the same scene with the sheet yeah I think it's in that scene yeah yeah it's look how beautiful the moon is and then you have these two rabbits making noises while they're going at it ⁓ Luigi: Could be. behind the sheet there's like a shadow a shadow show Ha ha. Yeah, speaking of the moon for the 90s afficionados amongst us, ⁓ if anybody was into Sailor Moon once upon a time, know, like her teenage name or her human name being Usagi, again, that translates into bunny or either hare, I suppose. So, yeah, so you got that reference, like Sailor Moon, Usagi, the bunny. Lynn: I spring Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, Usagi, yeah, yes. That's true, I forgot about that, yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think Tuxedo Mask keeps calling her like Bunny as well in the English version as a a pet name or something. I think there was something so long ago. So like buried deep in my memories. ⁓ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Mm. but ⁓ Luigi: It never ends, it never stops. in our psyche. Amelie: you Lynn: Yeah, let me tell you because now we've like at this point, let me tell you about the Disthing . So because that might be interesting or I don't know. But because the Disthing is the biggest spring celebration traditionally in Scandinavia. And it's best known in ⁓ Sweden ⁓ because it's so like I said earlier, it was celebrated traditionally or in the at the third full moon of the year, which is the first full moon or the closest full moon to actual spring equinox. And this festival is festival, but this celebration was much, bigger than the equinox itself. ⁓ know from historians that in Uppsala, that's the big celebrations were and that this ⁓ ⁓ thing the at the temple. where nine males of nine species would be sacrificed. So it gets a bit gritty here, right? But I think this also starts in... Does it star in the Viking show as well? I'm not entirely sure, but you have this idea that they sacrificed nine beings and historically somebody reported to... Who was it again? There were several Adam of... Was it Adam of Bremen? But some person, think from the 11th, I think it was the 11th century, if not maybe the 16th, very close together, or at the same time really. But he had some eyewitnesses and they said there was dogs and horses and men. And then a lot of the other stuff is conjecture, but we would think if it's nine different animals and what was common back then, then it's probably all the farm animals like bulls and pigs and goats and hens (roosters) and... animals like that, also from findings we have, archaeological findings and sacrificial places. Boars, also wild boars, because they were also important to Frey, which is a god who is also connected to spring and fertility. So the sacrifice of boars would make sense, as well as in some places also bears. is not a farm animal but bears apparently used to be sacrificed ⁓ certain places as well. ⁓ maybe in Uppsala there were bears. ⁓ yeah, it's reported that it was quite grisly. There was this whole temple and then there's the grove and then ⁓ hung ⁓ sacrifices there and the ⁓ decomposition of them was very sacred. So ⁓ was probably a really ⁓ ⁓ and for ⁓ faint-hearteds and the the fainthearted Christians traveling by would probably not have been able to take that very well. And yeah, and it said that it's called Disting in honor of Vanadis, which is a name for Freya. But it's also a bit speculated. So we think that original is because of Vanadis or the Dísir, which are female goddesses. And that is the connection. Also, like again, like we have all the female for spring. So ⁓ might be the connection. ⁓ there's a later connection where they make it out to be connected to Disa, ⁓ mythological Scandinavian or Swedish queen ⁓ heroine who said, well, it's a story. we don't know or we don't. think she actually existed, we don't know. But she was in the time when the ⁓ of was the god King Frey and he wanted to sacrifice the old for Upsala, for the disting, or for the, you know, for the, wasn't called disting then, but he wanted to sacrifice people and she didn't like this. She was like, no, this is cruel. we should not sacrifice old people. then was said to be very smart. So he challenged her and said, well, I invite you to come to me and then can talk about it basically. ⁓ But you to come. And now I'm not sure I remember it correctly, but basically he made like all these restrictions like you have to you cannot travel foot. You cannot travel by horse. Neither can you travel by boat. You cannot be dressed and you cannot be undressed. and you cannot come on the waxing of the waning moon and it cannot be something with it cannot be ⁓ year or it cannot be a month or something ⁓ was, know, it was like really tricky and weird. And then what she did is like not traveling by foot and not traveling by horse. She took two men into a harness on a and And I think a goat there was mention of a goat as well and put like one foot on one side of the other on the other and then she put on a net so she was not dressed and she was also not undressed completely and then she traveled on the full moon and right at the 30th day of December like on the last month so she was in between two years on the last day on a full moon not dressed not undressed not on a horse not by foot traveled to him and And then he was impressed. And was like, OK, let's talk about it. then and then they got married and she and she ⁓ the sacrificial history at that And old people were not sacrificed anymore. And ⁓ and from on, was called in her honor, Disthing And then it was in. December or in December where people would come to her. is like a very wise woman. So they would come to her and hold council. So was called Disthing after that. So this is another ⁓ story that. there's actually another version of the story. there's, ⁓ yeah, Clever And there's another, not necessarily another version of the story, but this entire part with how she outsmarted him and his Luigi: Clever Fox. Lynn: You you cannot do this and this and this. Almost the exact same version is in another tale, is, I think, ⁓ And it is a girl, also like a very smart farmer girl, ⁓ called or Kráka, which means crow. And this story is connected to the myth of Ragnar Lothbrok, which probably lot of people know from The Vikings show, because he's the main character in there. he's also like a mythical figure. he her premises like, okay, you have to do this and this and this and this, or you cannot do so and so. And if you still meet me, then ⁓ something happens. then did the same thing and ⁓ came to him. And then also got married. So it's the same story, just different names. bit more famous with Ragnar Luigi: They just overlap, don't they? Amelie: Funny how you- what kind of things you have to do, right, to get a man? Lynn: sometimes. Sometimes it's the other way around, right? But ⁓ we like... I mean, it's really interesting. I find like the folktales where you actually have this focus on women being just strong smart and resourceful because that's, you know, this whole myth that women are weak or have to be protected is very modern. This is not very traditional thing. Like traditionally, like there were lot of stories where women outsmart Amelie: Yeah. Lynn: men or are they're equals you know and not yeah yeah yeah there's a lot of that Luigi: Penelope in the Homer. Amelie: It makes me think. Yeah, it makes me think of what Isis did as well. Yeah, Penelope in Homer, and what Isis did as well when she found out the name of the god as well, so... Yeah. Luigi: ⁓ of Ra, isn't it? Didn't she find out Ra's real name so that she could have control over him? Lynn: Mm. Amelie: Yeah, so this is why... Yeah, a little bit. at least she's got the respect. ⁓ Lynn: That sounds like Rumpelstiltskin as well. It's like lots of folk tales. Luigi: Ha ha ha ha! Isis came first I think. Lynn: Yes, well, but you know, some folk tales really go back thousands of years, like the roots of them. it's yeah, might be the same root. Who knows? I'm a bit of a I like folk tales. Yeah, they do. They do. Right. Yeah. Luigi: Yeah, they might borrow from each other for sure. Amelie: Yeah, I think it's interesting because I grew up very close to Uppsala and I used to go there very very often when I was younger. I actually used to work there for a little while as well, but I have not heard that story. This means that my teachers in my school should be really ashamed of themselves. Lynn: Mm. Mm. it's good story I mean yeah it's an it's an older one yeah do you want to add anything to our spring equinox or ⁓ episode or should we go into the card yeah yeah Amelie: Yeah Yeah, I think we maybe forgot something because we were thinking about runes as well. Lynn: Oh yeah, runes, right. Do you guys have any particular runes that you associate with this time or not? Amelie: it would be interesting. Luigi: I know that, technically, ⁓ me if wrong, ⁓ technically all of the runes, they already belong to certain times of the year, isn't it? There's a whole calendar. But ⁓ from association ⁓ personal, not preference, but personal inspiration, I do love, I feel like I bring it up all the time, though, but I do love Kenaz for this time of the year, still. Lynn: Hmm. Yeah, yeah Amelie: Yeah, it's definitely valid. Lynn: Yeah, in my tradition we put Kenaz with Imbolk and or in one of my traditions, tradition tradition, but there's there's this tradition where you ⁓ if put all the runes around with the of the year, then ⁓ we in way, they have like ⁓ Kenaz at Imbolk and then you actually would have Hagal with the spring equinox. which is a very powerful rune. It's not like the soft coming of spring, but Hagal is more like what we would associate with the Tower. There's really like crash and new start and all that. So it's not necessarily jiving with this of the spring equinox of being like a gentle time. So this can be debated whether it actually fits or not, but you have this whole explosive strength of, you know, that's just under the surface and ready to burst. know, ⁓ just ⁓ of many. Luigi: I just wanted to add, because I found what you brought up very interesting. I feel like it can be very appropriate, because when we reflect on the ⁓ March, you know, the month, ⁓ is an etymology that corresponds to Mars themselves, know, so as March being the month of Mars, or dedicated to Mars. ⁓ when we think of the decan calendar and the decan order, Lynn: Right, yeah. Luigi: the 10 of Cups and the 2 of Wands, which rule the season of the Equinox, they're both ruled by Mars as well. Lynn: Mm. Mm. Mm. Right. Yeah. And then you mentioned also like with the Aries and everything earlier. Luigi: So I think they're Exactly, exactly. So I think there might be more to it than I initially perceived. Lynn: Mm. Hmm. Yeah. Yeah, might have to delve into that. Just just put it out there. It's an interesting idea. ⁓ Amelie: made me think as well of like, don't I don't know if it's, ⁓ maybe was a thing. What we to do as well, what are they called? The like, pussy willow trees? Like the branches with the little, the bunny, again, like the So ⁓ yeah, we used to, just remember that ⁓ Lynn: Yes. Yes. Amelie: Overnight, they used to be like one by the window. And that used to be something that they also used like for Palm Sunday's. So they used to gather them because apparently it's supposed to like protect like animals or your house from thunder and lightning. which is kind of like random as well, but when you said that, I'm like... But I guess... Lynn: That might, yeah, that might be a direct correlation to it used to being Thor month, you know, which is like the god of thunder and lightning. So maybe, you know, when the Christian ⁓ beliefs took over and tried to, you know, ⁓ then were kind of like, okay, you know, maybe, maybe, I don't know, I'm just, ⁓ but yeah, branches. Amelie: Yeah! Let's grab the branches and just them out of here. ⁓ Lynn: branches, Willa branches against Thor to see who wins. don't know. I don't know. Yeah, I think it's one of those first things that used to at least used to bud in spring. Now it's all kind of with global warming and whatnot. Things just sprout here and there everywhere. But it's one of the first things to sprout. ⁓ used to collect them around time of year. Amelie: Yeah, they're very cute. Lynn: Hmm. All right, shall we get into the card of the day? Amelie: ⁓ yeah, the card of the day, I almost forgot about it. guesses? Any guesses? ⁓ Lynn: What is it? No idea. If it were the tower, because it just talked about it, I don't think so. No, it's probably it's a pip card. I'm guessing it's a pip card. Luigi: The queen of pentacles. The tower. The two of wands. Amelie: No. Lynn: I'm not sure. Amelie: Any anyone else? Anyone? No, it's not a pip card. Luigi: ⁓ the- is he a major? Lynn: If not... Amelie: It's a major. Lynn: It's a major... Is it the Emperor, the Empress? Because that would be also quite fitting to our conversation. No, it's not. Show us. Yeah, show us. ⁓ the Hierophant. Luigi: Is it a sun? Amelie: ⁓ No, okay, let's go, let's go. It's the hierophant. It's the hierophant. Lynn: But this is a very interesting... Yeah... Amelie: with, with, I just feel this feel fits so much better than, than the, I mean, the Hierophant in a normal deck would be more of a Christian kind of, but this is obviously like a, a, it's basically like a priest that has, yeah, it's more like a shaman. So I thought I had my, Lynn: And yeah. Mmm. Mmm. And yeah, more like a shaman priest. Yeah, yeah, something. Yeah. Amelie: notes, I see if I can have that. this man is the connection between the the ⁓ worlds, our world and the gods world. ⁓ also, I think it was interesting because we were talking about about sacrifices is also where they would do sacrifices as well, like animals or something as well. So it's quite interesting ⁓ that came up. Lynn: Hmm. Hmm. Mm-hmm. Amelie: what else that I was thinking of something else but yeah Lynn: Do you remember in the deck who he's representing, if it's like a Slavic god or which Slavic god do you remember that? Amelie: Yes, me because I'm like, I don't want to like pronounce my is not like the the best. He is called Žerca ⁓ Žerca ⁓ or Jarnik, means sacrifice. ⁓ And yeah, so it says it basically translates one Lynn: Mm-hmm. Mmm. Amelie: who offers sacrifices. This is from the Tarot, the people that did the Tarot card. actually did like a, on the majors, they actually made like a really nice book. Yeah, so I don't know if I should continue reading because I don't have my glasses. ⁓ But the... ⁓ Lynn: right, yeah. ⁓ Hmm. Yeah. Amelie: They served an intermediate between humans and the gods, ⁓ like we said, or the spiritual world, in their role involved establishing contact with the gods, offering sacrifices and conducting ceremonies. The ⁓ Žerca extensive of Slavic rituals, rites and beliefs. They were responsible for maintaining harmony between humans and the gods as well as ensuring the property and wellbeing of community. So basically a shaman. Basically a shaman. Yeah, that too. And I mean... Lynn: Yeah, basically, that's ⁓ yeah. Go. Luigi: Yeah, it makes me think of a druid as well. Amelie: looking at this dude, you know. I'd definitely rather go to him than a priest. Lynn: Yeah. Yeah. Would you like to describe the image just for the people who are listening and not actually watching the show? you describe ⁓ alt text? Amelie: me describing something or that can go really it's an if imagine if you yourself ⁓ an old a shaman with a really long beard with a really long gray beard and a long basically if you know how Gandalf looks like this is what you see old gray Lynn: Ha Luigi: believe in you. Lynn: That's amazing, I'm gonna keep going. Mm. Amelie: Gandalf in the middle of the woods. Behind him is the sun. The sun is obviously behind the hill, but you can see that the sun is about to ⁓ come So it makes right? Because the sun is basically getting bigger and bigger now. Yeah. ⁓ Lynn: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Amelie: And I really like he's got all these little tools as well. He's got this tool belt with loads of like shamanic tools that a normal person would not know what it is, but only he knows how to use it. yeah, almost like it's his house because he lives in that tree. But it probably isn't, but it looks like it. Lynn: you Luigi: Interesting! funny because... ⁓ thank you for describing it. ⁓ funny because ⁓ the Guardian for the Lunar Cycle that we just left behind, for was also... Well, in this deck it's called the Elder, but it's basically the Hierophant. So it's interesting that he came up in ⁓ our today. Lynn: I like that. That was great. Yeah. ⁓ Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Amelie: That's amazing, it looks very, I mean it's quite similar, isn't it? Luigi: Yeah, cause they're also standing in front of a tree, like yours. Amelie: Yeah. Lynn: Yeah, in my, in one of my, maybe I can find it, one of my favorite decks by Stephanie Law. But first one she made in the Shadowscapes. I find it because it's the second card from the top. So it's right here. It wants to come out and play. ⁓ And the is this old tree spirit. So he is you know, he's actually a tree. ⁓ Luigi: Mmmmm, Lynn: her mythology with card, he's the Hierophant and he's the guardian of all the wisdom of nature and there are little creatures, salamanders, that are coming to him to his roots asking for ⁓ wisdom and to he basically like a tree spirit, dryad, druid, shaman, something. Also trees, yeah. Amelie: I just had to look behind me because this week I also have a tree but I don't remember if it's the extra card that is the yew tree or if it's the Hierophant card which is called Tradition in that deck. I think it's just a yew tree, I'm 100 because they're very similar so it's difficult to see it from here. Lynn: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Luigi: Maybe this is an invite to spend more time with the trees these coming days. Amelie: Yes, yes. Lynn: Yeah, mean, just like last week, I came back from from holidays, which not really holidays vacation Denmark where we did an Utiseta. So we were sitting, especially like a vision quest, sitting outside. And then the goal was ...in the woods, right. So we're sitting outside as long as we can, but from sundown to sun up at the longest. And ⁓ that was a very interesting experience because we all had our trees and we were all spread out, everybody was sitting for themselves. I this tree, think it's an English that I was sitting against and I was just watching, know, just watching the trees around me and how the night comes down and the darkness grows and then the sounds. It was really really really interesting. But also here, know trees and you know, I just did a thing with trees Yeah take the box All Well, that's that was a session about our session for Ostara and Thanks ⁓ if you like this episode remember to comment like and subscribe and Luigi: box. Thank you. Lynn: See you in the next rabbit hole. night. Luigi: See in next rabbit hole. Rabbit, rabbit. Amelie: Rabbit hole. Rabbits again. Bye! Bye! Lynn: Habit hole! Bye! Blessed be! Luigi: Blessed Ostara. Blessed be.