2021 - Hello, Goodbye, the Light is on the Way

Due to the continued restrictions in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic we were unable to hold a face to face meeting. The host called the time and theme:

The Vernal Equinox is on Saturday 20th March, 09.37 hrs. Saturday is ruled by Saturn, god of agriculture and creativity, among other things... and the moon is waxing so the energy is increasing.... full moon is on Sunday 28th... (Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the full moon after the Vernal Equinox... ).

Susan's Story as Host

See the bottom of this page for her plan for the day.

I felt really positive this morning, and was conscious that this time last year we didn’t realise what the following year would involve... we didn’t really know how it would unfold, so I wanted to let go of the previous year, all the uncertainty, the negativity, and ask for a new, positive and harmonious future.

I sat quietly and pictured us all doing our own ceremony in our back gardens, or our imagination if we don’t have a garden, and felt everyone’s presence. Very comforting, we were all accompanied by a big shield...

I had set out the spiral with the string from Solstice and Imbolg, and had flowers, a crystal, the three boats from last equinox in Donabate, incense, a mandarin and the three eggs in the centre.

I put the other three boats at the entrance, East, all yellow, coincidentally (!) with more incense....

Called in the directions, walked around slowly, stayed in the middle for a while looking at the centre, and the eggs with the words written on them, thought of all the positive thoughts going to where they needed to go... walked back out, thanking all the energies (... now when I started, I did go in east, then south, then west, then north.... )

I stayed at east for a while, put the eggs there alongside the three boats, the incense, and then sat for a while.... and all the while I was conscious of unraveling, letting go, releasing, all the negativity from the past year... and I was wondering how to go about dismantling and gathering the string.. when I realised that, in fact, I had inadvertently ‘ set the spiral in an anti clockwise direction, even though I had started and entered the other way.. I didn’t even notice!!

(Must have really been ‘in the zone’!!) I laughed to myself, and the universe, as I just thought that, yes, walking around anticlockwise as I gathered up the string was the perfect way to let go, release, and really say goodbye to the last year.

I brought inside the centre and it’s where I can see it until the candle burns out.. and I left the incense with the eggs and the three boats outside. I noticed that one of the boats was smouldering, the other two boats have been turned upside down with the breeze, so the universe is doing its thing and really helping to release the negative and bring the positive to all.

I have two crows that visit, am just wondering will they take an egg??? I will leave it all out there til later on.

Later.... I put my egg for the community up by the coast, in a nice flower pot, near the church, the sea and the ducks... this time last year three ducks used to visit, they’d come into the garden and I had water and some food, but when I got back from ‘planting’ the egg, weren’t the ducks back again...

Jackie...

Pat

Felt the presence of all and the Spirits of the Universe. The big, BIG, message was 'Brighter days ahead'.

Nora M in Meath... Planted a coton easter Francetii hedge -

Martin in Galway - Reflections on Spring Equinox

I joined in the Spring Equinox on the 21st. Equinox is a time of balance when the planet is in physical balance for a moment in time. As I laid the spiral on the floor I asked that the balance in the physical would manifest in the mental, emotional and spiritual.

I wrote the words Love, Completion and Solus (Irish for Light). And then it struck me that as it was Equinox and a time of balance that I write the opposite on the other side of the egg. So I wrote; Fear, Deficient, and Dorchadas (Irish for darkness).

As I was going to walk the spiral and for practical reasons of sight I hunted for symbols that I could see (as I couldn't read the words on the eggs standing up and my memory is...... what's the word... deficient!)

For Love I put down a Valentine's day card I love from Tony, For Fear I put down a skull.

For Completion I put down a statue of 5 interlocking figures- similar to Susan's picture.

For Deficient I put down a statuette of the Maltese goddess without her head.

For Solus I put down a candle.

For Dorchadas I put down the book “Malleus Maleficarum” .

I put the eggs on a paper labyrinth surrounded by 8 rose-quartz representing the 8 fold year.

I also put Brigit on her purple box overlooking the scene as I felt I needed a witness.

And I “asked” if anything else wanted to join in . That's when a post card I had blue tacked to a shelf since the fall of Atlantis suggested itself. It's a treasured object and had it so long I had forgotten there was a message written on the back . ..... and since its equinox and the energy is about balance, front and back ..... it referenced Autumn Equinox !

So I walked the spiral and every time I came to a symbol on the path I talked to it. With the positive symbols it was easy and I was radiating love and light and completion. I felt really connected to the group and that the time delay was inconsequential.

The shadow side was more challenging but did make for interesting conversation.

The skull/darkness said that darkness simply hid things such as love and truth but not to fear it as it was as integral to our experience as the in breath is to the out breath. Even the bright flame of the candle sits on its dark throne. Darkness fosters sleep and rest and calm. It is the dark flesh covered skeleton in which the light light of the soul incarnates.

The “Malleus Maleficarum” put shivers through me. Fear.

Fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. It serves as a protection. Best used as a measuring stick, never a crutch. To increase love you need to release fear. What do I fear most? What is that fear trying to protect me from?

I prayed that my fear would be enlightened and dropped so that I could sit closer to love.

The incomplete/deficient Maltese goddess reminded me that things that are missing in us make us travel, make us explore, experiment and seek..... but that journey through the unknown makes us amazing. It provides us with opportunity to grow and be brilliant. That is Taracelebrations at its core! And that is why the postcard found its way into the centre of the centre.

I thanked the directions on the way out and thanked Susan for being the lens and pivot point for the Spring equinox celebration, for providing the template which I thought was ....... profound. Onwards and upwards!

Bernadette in Navan

The cloth was St Bridget's cloth which I have on bedside locker. Clear crystals and desert rose. Two daffodils that grew for the first time in my garden.

My prayer was for healing for ourselves and our family, friends and the planet. And embrace the change the birthing of the new world.... And ourselves.
Love and light, Bernadette

I wrote the words love, joy, abundance, healing, and on one egg... Breakthrough.

NoraJ in Derbyshire

Asking what I should do to connect with this celebration my eye was drawn to a reel of thin jewellery wire. Ah, that's for the spiral. Except as I wound it round my finger I felt to make another and then realised it was to be 3 spirals. Ok. I wound clockwise and anti-clockwise.

Going into the kitchen I noticed the 3 owls block by the phone. Yes, they were to join in. (Afterwards I discovered that between 19 and 23 March there was an ancient Roman festival - Quinquatria - to the Goddess Minerva, whose totem was an owl.)

I picked the 3 eggs. What words? Smile. Just that. 3 Smiles.

And for my celebration food there was a heel of bread to finish and a new pot of Gooseberry jam to open. Great. Oh look! the jar has 3 gooseberries on it, no, looks like 3 but is actually 4. Hmmm...

I didn't get a chance to bury the eggs so put them in the fridge and later in the day it was great to open the door and see the 'smile' messages.

Sitting in the lounge in the evening the petals from some of the Mother's Day roses fell onto the carpet. It was like a reminder that within the Spring lies the balance of Autumn, of falling leaves and flowers passing. I felt to gather them and keep them for Autumn Equinox.

Anne N drew this card from the Wildwood Tarot

In Iceland...

long dormant volcano erupts 32km from Reykjavik

Gerry Dalton at Loughcrew

Many thanks to Gerry for sharing his inspiration and experience.

Today marks Spring Equinox, the time of equal day and night. Our ancestors marked the equinoxes through the alignment of the temple at the top of Slieve na Calliagh (loughcrew). What did this date mean to our ancestors? It was time to sow seeds for the growing season, it also marked the emergence from the long dark winter. If we use these events as a metaphor for our modern lives then it is about setting intentions based on our inward reflections over the winter, as it were sowing the seeds for what we wish to manifest this year.

We have all had a period of reflection forced upon us, for many this has been a very difficult experience, removing the mechanisms of distraction from the modern world like travel, eating out, shopping and socialising. We see and sense the effect of the lockdown on our friends and families and many are feeling disconnected and isolated.

The ancient cycles of the year offer us a sense of stability in this very unstable world, this is the only stability our ancestors knew and celebrated. If we use this equinox to set intentions, and work with the cycles of the natural world then we can harness the strength and healing of our divine mother earth to find balance within ourselves and guide us through the darkness.

It was very cloudy today and yesterday up on Slieve na Calliagh but here are some photos of a previous equinox sunrise which I have been blessed to experience and a detailed photo of the equinox stone at the back of the chamber which is illuminated by the rising sun at the equinoxes.

Susan's Plan for the Day

We will start this celebration at 10.00am and take a minute to tune in to everyone knowing we are connected.

This is a time for planting, sowing thoughts, goals, seeds, to be brought to fruition later in the year. It’s a continuation of Aligning with our goals from the Solstice, Exercising the goddess heart muscle from Imbolg, and so the Vernal Equinox now is a time for planting.

The word Easter is taken from the festival of Ostara, goddess of the spring and the dawn, fertility, birth and renewal, and her symbols are the hare and eggs.

Most of us will still be at home, in gardens or balconies, so this will be a simple celebration. I will use the string used on Tara for the Solstice, and in the west of Ireland for Imbolg, which was passed on to me by Martin.

I will make a spiral and in the middle I will place three eggs, (hard boiled!) and on each egg I will write words of encouragement such as, love, self confidence, hope, calmness. You can do this the night before and really think about what words have meaning for you at this time.

Write as many words as you feel like on each egg, and put them in the middle of the circle. If you can, put the relevant colour at each direction, so you have the eggs, and your own symbols or anything else meaningful, flowers, crystals, etc, in the middle.

This is an example of how your circle might be. I have at the entrance three little paper boats that I made for last year’s Vernal Equinox up at Donabate, and in the centre are three other boats, John and I had written words on each boat. We launched them into the sea to release the positive words, and by you using eggs, we will do something similar.

Call in, out aloud or silently, the directions:

East - element of air, spirits and guardians of the east, awaken in us the spring breeze and join us in celebration of the endless renewal of light and life.
South - element of fire, spirits and guardians of the south, warm us with the rising sun, quicken our hearts and join us in celebration of the unfolding of the Earth.
West- element of water, spirits and guardians of the west, revive our longing, and join us in celebration of boundless possibility.
North - element of earth, spirits and guardians of the north, clothe us in the finery of new growth and join us in celebration of a world made green again.
Spirits of the centre, and of Mother Earth and Father Sky, support us and keep us protected today as we celebrate the turning of the year and the spring equinox.

Or use what ever words you feel comfortable with.

Starting from the East, walk slowly towards the south, then towards the west, then towards the north, in ever decreasing circles until you reach the centre, where you have placed your three eggs. All the while, thinking and reflecting on the positive words... if you like, you can be thinking of all the negative things you want to get rid of, and mentally discard them when you get in to the centre.

Have a look at the eggs (and whatever other symbols you may have placed there) and visualise all those vibes radiating out.

Take the eggs, and walk out in decreasing circles in the opposite direction, ie north, west, south, east. As you pass each direction for the last time, thank each element for being there with you, for protecting you, a simple ‘Thank you for being with me today’ is fine. When you are outside the circle, stamp your feet and may the love of the elements, gods and goddesses be ever in your heart.

Ah, but you have the eggs!! What to do??

Well, one egg you will plant/bury in the ground, a symbol of planting what you want to ‘grow’...

the next egg is for someone, it could be a pal you haven’t seen, or a neighbour you may not see eye to eye with, but someone you think could do with a few of those positive words. It doesn’t matter if you can’t physically give them the egg, you can bury it on their behalf.

Now the third egg is for your physical surroundings. You might feel there is a tree in your area that looks lonely, or a stream that you thinks needs a few uplifting words, or even a bench in the local park, somewhere will be appropriate, you will know it when you see or feel it.

Then go and have a nice cup of tea and a biccie or your Easter egg, to really bring yourself back to earth.

Ok, so ‘see’ you all at ten o’clock on Saturday morning, 20th March. Yeeeeeehaw.