Today, exactly at 11:23 PM Pacific time we will experience the spring equinox when the day and night are the same length. It is the beginning of Spring as the days get longer and longer until the Summer solstice on June 21 each calender year when it is the longest day of the year. Then ~~ the days start to get shorter and shorter until the Winter Solstice in December 21 of each year.
The following is an excerpt from a Druid prayer for the spring equinox taken from the Druid Network web site
"As the light and dark halves of the year become equal, we give thanks for the lessons and blessings of the dark and welcome the changing tide brought by the light. Feel the pulse of the land – is your heart beating in time? Smell the newness upon the air – do your spirits soar? Now is the time to find your balance as the energies about you shift.
Find a word that symbolizes your experience of the closing dark half of the year and a word that encapsulates your hopes for the growing light half of the year."
After the ritual bread and Mead are then consecrated, the first bread given back to earth with a libation of mead, thanking the spirits of place and the ancestors. The bread and bread are shared once around the circle.
Then it is poetry and song, sharing of drink and food.
In ancient Greek mythology there is a beautiful story of Persephone of the underworld who was abducted by Hades, the God of the underworld. She was abducted while playing among nature. Zeus was her father while her mother was Demeter, the Goddess of agriculture. She controlled the seasons. She was capable of destroying all live on earth. Persephone pleaded with her mother to save her from Hades. Demeter in her depression stopped all life on earth Zeus could not tolerate all life dying and he sent Hermes to Hades to restive Persephone and when that failed, Demeter saved her. When Persephone returned all life started growing again. ~~ Thus Persephone is known as the Goddess of Spring! (this is one of many versions of the story but the most popular).
We humans can celebrate our own new beginnings in pursuing a new life, full of treasures of Love and Peace for all mankind and the animal kingdom. Mother Earth Earth has blessed us with her beauty of new life, the least we can do is count our blessings and be grateful for another opportunity to be a better person and help others.
Stephen, I love your site and come here often. I feel a great sence of peace after being here. Your Friend Cynthia Davis
ReplyDeleteI've been fascinated by the myth of Persephone for a long time. The more I study her myth, the more interesting I find it. The original Persephone was a significant figure in Greco-Roman myth and the early Greeks called her "Kore."
ReplyDeleteDemeter, whose name means literally either "The Mother" or "Barley Mother," was the Goddess of grain and harvest, and hence of agriculture. Her Roman name was Ceres, from which we get the word "cereal." She was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Goddess and was, as you can imagine, widely worshipped.
Stephen your Sanctuary is full of inspiration and I am so glad that my new filos has "met" in a very spiritual way my country and civilization.
Cynthia and Athanassia. Your reflection of these posts fuel the positive energy one can find here and without you the ticks from your heart the energy is not the same. ~~ So, when I come here my energy level elevates with your witness. I am blessed by the sharing experience!!!
ReplyDelete