The Blessings of the Maiden

The Maiden returns, Imbolc is upon us and life begins to spring forth.

Failte leat a Bhrid (Welcome Bridget)

Welcome Bride, Lady of Wisdom.
Welcome Bride, Lady of Healing.
Welcome Bride, Lady of Prophecy.
Welcome Bride, Lady of Light.
Welcome Bride, Lady of plenty.
Welcome Bride, Lady of Poets.
Failte leat a Bhrid!

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

Ostara's Gift

Yesterday marked the festival of the ancient Saxon Fertility Goddess, Ostara or Eostre, after whom it is thought the word Easter & oestrogen derive.
Ostara was walking through the woods one day when she saw a bird who was injured, so understanding that it was unable to fly away from predators She turned it into a hare. Her magic however, was not wholly successful & the hare retained the ability to lay eggs, but so grateful was the hare to Ostara for saving her life, that every year on Ostara's festival, the hare would lay eggs & decorate them in the Goddess' honour as a way of thanking Her for saving the hare's life.
The festival of Ostara became the Christian festival of Easter, the hare became the cute Easter Bunny & the decorated eggs became chocolate ones - hence we have Ostara to thank for some of well loved Easter traditions.
May this spring bring blessings & new beginnings.
Read more 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers' or visit www.arcanus.co.uk

March Skies

This month heralds the coming of spring and although it is still cold, the days are lengthening, the birds are singing & the daffodils and crocus are lifting their heads to face the strengthening sun.
In the heavens we are able to see the stunning Saturn early in the morning in the South West and lovely Jupiter which is the brightest object in the sky after the moon and visible in the evening.
The new moon is on the 11th at 19.51 and the full moon is on the 27th at 9.27. Meanwhile we have the Spring Equinox & therefore the first day of spring to celebrate on the 20th at 11.01, the festival of the Saxon Goddess Eostre or Ostara on the 27th and the Christian festival of Easter on 31st.
What better excuses for chocolate do we need? May the March winds blow many blessings your way.
Read more 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

The Season of Imbolc

Imbolc is a joyous season, for it signifies the return of the Maiden as Her hand once again touches the earth. The word Imbolc, actually means 'in the belly' which refers to the fact that life is once more beginning to stir in the belly of the earth. Snowdrops appear, new born lambs grace the fields and this is a time of powerful transformation.
It was also the time when the festival of Bride, the beloved Irish Celtic Goddess was celebrated. Bride was often depicted as a triple Goddess, but not in the usual form of maiden, mother & crone, but as the Goddess of smiths and craftsmen, therapists and healers and writers and poets. It is little wonder that such a benevolent and popular Pagan Goddess survived the Christian conversion and became St Bridget, who was equally loved and revered.
In Her honour this Imbolc, why not make something, write something, or give a little of your time to someone who may be in need. The rewards will be plenty - far beyond those of a material nature.
May Bride bless you this Imbolc and put you in touch with the youthful side of your nature.
Read more: Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers

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'

Holy wells and springs

Watery places have always held a certain amount of fascination, especially natural springs and wells and, over thousands of years, have become sacred places of pilgrimage and sacrifice where the Gods who dwell beneath the depths ultimately decide the fate of man.

Both Bronze and Iron Age man saw water as having supernatural powers, whilst its mysterious depths were gateways to the underworld. As such, many offerings were made to appease the Gods as evidenced by archaeological finds of jewellery, plaques, coins and both human and animal remains. No doubt these places were the origin of today's wishing wells!

Discover more about these strange watery places in 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

The Sacred Fire of Bride

In Celtic times the main shrine to the Goddess Bride was at Kildare in Irelandand and was tended by a group of women known as 'the daughters of fire' whose job it was to ensure that the flames never died.

In Christian times the Goddess Bride became St Bridget and she took on the role of abbess of the convent at Kildare. The sacred fire also crossed the divide between Pagan and Christian beliefs and constantly burned within the abbey for more than 1000 years.

The fire however appeared to have magical properties, for it never died and never increased in ashes, a fact that is written about in the Chronicles of Gerald of Wales when he visited the abbey during the C12.

Gerald described how, over a period of 19 nights, one nun would watch the fire through the night, whilst on the 20th night, the nun on duty would fetch the logs, place them beside the fire and say 'Bridget guard your fire, this is your night,' and then leave. In the morning the logs would be burned and the fire would be alight.

In the C13 the papal envoy of London ordered that the fire be extinguished due to its Pagan connections, but the local people were so angry that they petitioned the bishop to have it re-lit and it then burned until the reformation, when under the orders of Henry V111 it was

extinguished for good.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

The Return of the Goddess

The festival of imbolc begins at sunset on the 1st of February and is a festival of joy, hope and new beginnings. It marks the birth of the first lambs, the return of the Goddess and is sacred to the Goddess Bride (Bridget).

Imbolc for me is when the new year really begins. Gone are the dark days of January for now the Goddess awakes and, as her hand touches the earth, life once again begins to stir bringing us a promise of renewal and the slightest whisper of spring.

The colour of this festival is white and silver and it is a wonderful time to share a meal between friends and loved ones with white wine, white meat (if you're not vegetarian) and white chocolate or ice cream. If you would like to toast the Goddess, then raise your glass with the words 'Failte leat a Bhrid' which simply means 'Welcome Bridget' and is pronounced 'Falche lai a Breed'.

Happy Imbolc and may the waxing year bring you health, love and happiness

Discover more in 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

Winter Solstice

Tomorrow (22nd) at 5.30am marks the point of the Winter Solstice. The word solstice actually means 'the standing still of the sun' and for a few days following this event the sun appears not to move. On or around the 25th December however it gradually begins to stay for a moment or two longer in the sky and once again begins its journey back to full strength in the Northern hemisphere.

This is the time according to legend that the Holly and the Oak king do battle for the second time in the year, but this time it is the Oak king who wins and leads us joyfully towards the summer.

May the solstice bring you many blessings.

Taken from 'MrsDarley's Pagan Whispers

Saturnalia

The Roman festival of Saturnalia fell on the 17th December and was a time when shops and schools closed, gambling was allowed in the public domain and gifts of candles were exchanged as symbols of light.

Groups of male friends would draw lots to see who would be crowned 'king' and this person was then in charge of wild party games - this was definitely a time of misrule and lasted between 2-7 days after the religious ceremony on the 17th. No doubt we can reinstate this ancient festival as an excuse to begin the seasonal festivities early!

Read more in 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'