Beautiful Beltane

Beltane is a magical time, when nature comes to life and the marraige between the earth and the sun is evidenced from the beauty which is all around us. The first verse of 'The Wedding' captures the essnece of this joyful festival.

'Sweet hangs her scent on the first breath of morning
Soft drapes her gown in the first light of day
Come now my Lady the Green Lord is waiting
Waiting to wed his Queen of the May'

Read more'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

April Night Sky Delights

This Saturday (21st) marks the time of the April New Moon which was known to the ancient Celts as the Hare Moon as its lusty nature was synonymous with this fertile time of year. Itwas thought that as the earth began to warm up so did human passions! Interestingly the new moon rises in the sign of Taurus, the earthy sign of physical love and sexuality.

The 21st and 22nd also bring us The Lyrid meteor shower. These meteors disintigrate as they hit the earth's atmosphere, but often produce luminous trains of dust that last for several seconds. Around 20 meteors per hour are visible and will be best seen after midnight in the north east. As long as it is clear the new moon will give good visibility.

Enjoy the show.

Read more ' Mrs Darley's Moon Mysteries'

The April Full Moon, Eostre & Christ

Tomorrow (Fri) marks 3 specific events. In the lunar calendar it is the day of the April full Moon. In the Pagan calendar it is the festival of Eostre or Ostara, Saxon Goddess of the dawn & new beginnings and in the Christian calendar it is Good Friday, the time when Christians remember the crucifixion of Christ. Despite however the unliklihood of the former two having anything to do with the latter, they are all inextricably linked.

The festival of Eostre was always a moveable lunar festival and was calculated as falling on the day of the first full moon following the Spring Equinox. When Christianity came to these islands & the powers that held sway were trying to convert the peasants to the new religion, they decided to replace the festival of Eostre with that of Easter and made a slight alteration to the date so that it was celebrated on the Christian holy day - that of Sunday.

Thus Easter is always calculated as being the Sunday following the first full moon following the Spring Equinox.

Whether you choose to honour the full Moon, Eostre or Christ tomorrow may the day bring you peace & solace.

For more information read 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers' or 'Mrs Darley's Moon Mysteries'