Spring Equinox Blessings

2017-03-20 Miss Poison March, Ostara, Spring, Writing Balance, Dark, Light, March, Ostara, Spring, Spring Equinox, Writing

spring-equinox2017

Ostara Blessings to all. Today is the Spring Equinox, when night and day are both at equal length. If you go out late in the afternoon you might just catch the rising Moon in the sky at exactly the same time the Sun is about to set. Early in the next morning you can also see the Moon in daylight, just as the Sun is rising. In between these two events is a period of complete balance between day and night, Sun and Moon, male and female, light and dark, God and Goddess.

This is a special point of balance. On this day, light and dark are equal, but the light is now surpassing the dark as days will grow longer and nights shorter, warmth is taking over cold, life is taking over death. Today we truly say goodbye to winter.

This is a time of major transformation for the earth. The great wheel has turned as we pass into a new season. We will notice new buds forming on branches, the birds will start returning, and animals will come out of hibernation. Flowers will start to shoot up and fields and grass will become lush and green.

The young horned God is growing stronger and the Goddess is in her maiden form. The young Sun God takes notice of the Maiden Goddess and the stirrings within them seem to be felt in all living creatures. All the world seems renewed, refreshed, and bursting with possibilities.

Ostara is an Anglo-Saxon and Celtic fertility festival worshiping the Goddess Ostara or Eostre, as she is also known. Eggs and rabbits are her fertility symbols. The egg resembles new life and birth, the rabbit signifies fertility.

The Horned Sun God, also known as The Oak King or the Lord of Light; the Gods Pan, Cernunnos, and Sun Gods such as Sol, Apollo, Attis, Ra, and Horus are also worshiped on this day.

Eostre’s feast day is traditionally held on the first Full Moon following the Spring equinox, the identical time as the Christian Easter when Jesus was said to be resurrected from death. The Sun God, Attis, who was born via a virgin birth, is resurrected each year during the Spring Equinox. The Goddesses Ishtar and Persephone were also resurrected from death on Ostara.

Ostara is a time of newness and rebirth. It is a time to clean up and clear out all our old junk, this is where we get the term “spring cleaning” from. But it isn’t just clearing out our homes, it is also clearing out the junk and negative energy that we carry around with us. Let the new energies of the Sun and the Spring rejuvenate us. Welcome in the new. Breathe new life in and look to the future with hope and optimism.

On your alter, add anything to represent and honor the season such as budding flowers like crocuses, daffodils, lilies, daisies, acorns, and seeds. Ostara is a time of balance between light and dark, so symbols of this polarity can also be used. Use a God and Goddess statue, a white candle and a black one, a sun and moon, etc. This is the time of year when animals are bringing forth new life too so put a basket of eggs on your altar, as it is customary and fun to paint them bright colors before adding them. Add figures or pictures of new lambs, chicks, rabbits, calves etc. Add a chalice of milk or honey; milk represents the lactating animals who have just given birth and honey is long known as a symbol of abundance and as bees will start to come out now, offer these as a libation to the God and Goddess.

The Spring Equinox is a time of balance of both light and dark, it is a time to look within ourselves and balance our thoughts and emotions and find balance in our lives. To embrace our dark and our light equally as one cannot exist without the other. This is a time to stop, relax, and enjoy our personal achievements, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. What we put into life we will get out, what we plant now can grow into something amazing.

May your Ostara be memorable and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing.

Written credit: Wicca Teachings

Photo Credit: Various

Edited by: Lisa Marino

Full Snow Moon In Leo

2017-02-102017-02-15 Miss Poison February, Full Snow Moon, Wicca February, Full Moon, Full Snow Moon In Leo, Goddess, Leo, Spring, Wicca, Winter, Writing

Tonight is The Full Snow Moon, so called because the last snows and frosts of winter will begin to appear around this time. The February Full Moon is also known as the Storm, Chaste, Quickening, or Hunger Moon. It is our wake-up call. During this time, all in nature is pure and full of potential. The hibernating creatures are beginning to slowly arouse themselves, quickening their heartbeats and creeping out of their dormant period. Mother Earth is gently awakening, full of new possibilities. The Snow Moon uses the same force upon us.

There is a gentle pulling upon our consciousness at this time. We become aroused to the latent forces within ourselves. Now is the time to turn the mirror in upon ourselves and see what is reflected. A time to grasp the buds of new paths and ideas and, much like nature, be prepared to welcome life anew.

February’s Full Moon is in Leo, the sign of ambition and creativity. You should feel a rush of energy and want to get things done. The Leo Full Moon’s message is to awaken your heart’s desires and act on your truth, figure out what it really is you want from life, then work out a bold plan in order to achieve it.

This Full Moon can be emotionally charged. Leo is larger than life. Leo rules big emotions. You may feel overly sensitive to the remarks and actions of other people, which may feel pretty intense. If you like things intense, you may well enjoy its spark and energy, but if you’re already feeling somewhat jaded and in need of a rest, it might be a good time to lie low and let the world pass you by for a little while rather than engaging too deeply with it.

The moon will be very bright tonight as it highlights our lives and shows us underneath the masks we all wear on a daily basis. This is a time to harness your inner power and strengths and look to the future, make plans, and be brave in your decisions. The cosmic message is to balance your heart with your head. Find the middle ground in your relationships. Live from your heart, yet, be practical in your approach to your dreams and goals. Plant the seeds of fate within ourselves and watch them develop over the coming months.

The best part of Leo is the inner child. You are to nourish and protect your childlike innocence. You are to be open to new ideas and fresh perspectives. Be curious about life. Be engaged in the magic of the moment. Be in your heart. Let go of the need to criticize and judge yourself and others, as this will kill your creativity. Instead allow yourself and others to make mistakes, it is the only way we learn what works and what does not work for us. There’s a sense of free spirited enjoyment, a faith in happy outcomes, and the ability to speak from love and the heart.

The Moon is plump with positive energy. There are no negative aspects to this Moon. This is a celebration Moon. Rewards for the hard work and intense striving will come to you.

Leo is a fire sign. Let the fire cleanse and heal you, and burn away any negativity. Mother Earth is transforming as we move from Winter into Spring, and will soon start to blossom and bloom. Let the earth transform you into a beautiful, new direction full of potential.

This is a time for personal growth and deep cleansing and gathering our strength for what’s to come.

Have a blessed Full Moon. May the Goddess watch over you.

fullsnowmoon-2017

Written & photo credit: Wicca Teachings

Editing: Lisa Marino

Imbolc

2017-02-012017-02-14 Miss Poison February, Imbolc, Wicca, Writing February, Imbolc, Spring, Wicca, Winter, Writing

imbolc-blessings-2017

Today is Imbolc, pronounced ‘im’olk. This is the first of eight Pagan holidays throughout the year called Sabbats. Imbolc is a time to acknowledge the First Spark of Spring, the embedded energies that have been sleeping over the winter.

The seeds that are underground acknowledge the returning energy and will begin to convert it to life deep within. Underground and unseen by man, they will start to make their way to the surface and break through the soil and begin to bud. Even though it is still the dead of winter and feels like winter in most places, the Sun’s energy has been returning ever since the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, Yule.

On Imbolc we celebrate the first days of Spring. Snowdrops and crocuses begin to appear, things become very spring-like with daffodils, daisies, and hyacinths coming early. Animals begin to wake from their winter hibernation. Nights get shorter and days will get longer. It will start to get warmer as winter snow and frost begin to thaw.

We celebrate the rebirth of the Goddess on Imbolc after she sacrificed herself on Yule to give birth to the Sun God. Both the God and Goddess are young. The Triple Goddess is in her maiden form and gains strength from the earth, while the Sun God will grow in strength over the coming months.

Brigid was so much loved by the Celts that when the Christians were converting Pagans, they could not change the holiday of Imbolc, so the holiday was reformed and renamed to ‘Candlemas’ when candles are lit to remember the purification of the Virgin Mary, and they changed the Goddess Brigid into Saint Brigid.

Imbolc is the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring. To celebrate Imbolc light a fire. It may only be a very small one, and make wishes for the coming year into the flames. Burn any leftover evergreens that were decorating your home at Yule. Clean your home of clutter that gathered over Yuletide and get rid of the old and bring in the new.

Plant seeds for them to bloom in the Spring and Summer. Use a sage smudge stick to cleanse your home of stale or unwanted negative energies.

It was customary to make a Corn Dolly on Imbolc, this represents the Goddess, who will watch over you and your home throughout Spring and Summer. It is also traditional to make a Brigid Cross or Sun Cross on Imbolc, this is a cross woven traditionally from reeds, but can be made with anything such as wheat, straw, or paper and put around your home to bring luck and protection for the coming year. Fill your altar with lit candles and leave them to carefully burn through the day. Add any blooming flowers, such as daffodils or daisies, and anything yellow, orange, gold, or silver to honor the Sun God.

Imbolc is a time of contemplation, to think about the year that has past and the mistakes or successes we have had, and what we have learned from them to help us achieve our goals, dreams, and ambitions for the coming year. As well as planting seeds to grow in the earth, one should also plant seeds and ideas in your mind to grow and blossom over the coming months.

Have a blessed Imbolc.

May the God and Goddess watch over you.

Written credit: Wicca Teachings

Image copyright by Tal Gauthier

Edited by: Lisa Marino

Beltane Blessings

2016-05-01 Miss Poison Beltane, May, Wicca, Writing Beltane, God/Goddess, May 1st, Spring, Wicca, Writing

Beltane blessings to all.

Beltane is a major Pagan festival called a Sabbat. It is the union of the God and Goddess.

The word Beltane means “Bright Fire”. It is named after the God Bel, an ancient Celtic God. It is a fire festival and it is traditional to build a fire on Beltane night to honor the Sun Gods.

Beltane is a fertility festival. This is the time when the God and Goddess come together, it is the height of Spring and the beginning of Summer. Earth’s energy is very strong and potent at the minute with new life everywhere. Beltane is the start of the farming calendar.

Fire is believed to have purifying qualities, it cleansed and rejuvenated both the land and the people. The ritual welcoming of the sun and the lighting of the fires was also believed to ensure fertility of the land and the people. Animals were transferred from winter pens to summer pastures, and were driven between the Beltane fires to cleanse them of evil spirits and to bring fertility and a good milk yield.

In Celtic times it would be traditional to build a big bonfire in the center of the village and have a big feast. Young men and women would dance around the maypole, while many people would marry in a hand-fasting (Pagan wedding). People wishing to find love or conceive would jump over a Belfire for luck in love and fertility

On Beltane we celebrate the abundance of the earth. It is a happy time when we give thanks for all we have in our lives and look forward to the bright, sunny days ahead. We celebrate the coming together of the God and the Goddess and the gifts they will bestow upon the earth.

May you have a happy and joyous Beltane.

Written & photo credit goes to Wicca Teachings.

Edited by Lisa Marino.

Welcome To April

Image 2016-04-01 Miss Poison Images/Photos/Quotes April, Images/Photos/Quotes, Spring

Full Crow Moon In Libra

2016-03-23 Miss Poison Full Crow Moon, Full Moon, Libra, March, Spring, Wicca, Writing Balance, Dark, Full Crow Moon, Full Crow Moon In Libra, Full Moon, Libra, Light, March, Spring, Wicca, Writing

Tonight is the Full Crow Moon, also known as the Worm Moon and the Sap Moon. Called the Crow Moon for the cawing crows that signal the end of winter. As the earth thaws, worms start to appear and it marks the time when maple sap begins to flow and the annual tapping of maple trees begins.

As we move from Ostara, the Spring Equinox on March 20th when both day and night are at equal length, we are reminded to find our own inner balance, focusing on inner wisdom and self-analysis.

This Full Moon is in the sign of Libra, the scales of balance. It is about cultivating and growing, just as the Sun’s energy and nature is doing at this time. Plant the seeds of new ventures, plan for the future, think about what it is you want and need, and set about putting a plan into action. Use this energy for your own personal transformation, rebirth, and regrowth. New life is blooming during this phase of the Moon, as is prosperity and fertility.

This Full Moon illuminates our inner feelings and desires, so emotions can be quite raw and enhanced. The Libra Full Moon means we may be overly critical of ourselves and of others. Try not to see the bad in everything, instead look for the good. The Libra sign is a very hard-working, practical sign, so use its energy for getting jobs done that you have been putting off for a while. Libra is not scared to face deep issues, so tackle any problems and bring them to an end.

This Full Moon brings light to whatever was hidden in the darkness or buried within the subconscious, such as emotional pain or our deepest desires, but once awareness happens you are able to make realistic changes. Our emotional levels move like strong turbulent waves in the ocean during high tide for some during this Full Moon. Emotional reactions may be strong, energies may feel irritable or uptight, but don’t worry, this will pass. We are amidst great times of transformation which are heralding major new beginnings. Change isn’t always easy or comfortable and it’s constant, so we must strive to keep our balance during these changing tides.

The world as it stands is challenged by many opposing forces now. We feel them both personally and collectively, pushing against our own will, raising difficult questions, triggering issues we would rather avoid. How we keep our balance of light and dark and manage our own inner conflicts largely dictates how we manage external conflict. If we struggle with our own anger or hatred, telling ourselves we shouldn’t feel this way, then we will struggle to respond effectively to the anger of others. Allow yourself to feel angry or upset, but don’t let it take over, maintain balance. If we fear our own power, preferring to see ourselves as victim rather than creator, we may succumb to the power wielded by others, adopting their thoughts and priorities, behaviors and lifestyles, without discerning the right path for us. If we refuse to acknowledge our own inner selfishness that demands its own way no matter what, then we may project it on the world around us, pointing the finger of judgment and even becoming a bully. Don’t suppress your feelings, embrace your light and your dark sides as one cannot exist without the other. We need both. Let go of guilt and allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling without self judgment.

Let the energy of this Full Moon wash over you and cleanse your spirit. Use it to heal you emotionally and physically. Let the moonlight bathe and soothe you; mind, body and soul. Seek a balance of light and dark and see the truth in your life, however much it may hurt. Only then can you do something about it.

Have a blessed Full Moon & may the Goddess watch over you.

Full written & photo credit goes to Wicca Teachings

Edited for content by Lisa Marino

Ostara & Spring Equinox

2016-03-20 Miss Poison March, Wicca, Writing Balance, Dark, Light, March, Moon, Ostara, Purim, Spring, Spring Equinox, Sun, Wicca, Writing

Ostara Blessings to all. Today is the Spring Equinox, when night and day are both at equal length. If you go out in late afternoon, you might just catch the rising Moon in the sky at exactly the same time as the Sun is about to set. Early the next morning you can also see the Moon in daylight, just as the Sun is rising. In between these two events is a period of complete balance between day and night, Sun and Moon, male and female, light and dark, God and Goddess.

This is a special point of balance. On this day, light and dark are equal, but the light is now surpassing the dark as days will grow longer and nights shorter. Warmth is taking over cold, life is taking over death, and today we truly say goodbye to winter.

This is a time of major transformation for the earth. The great wheel has turned as we pass into a new season. We notice buds forming on branches, the birds will start returning, animals will come out of hibernation, flowers will start to shoot up, and fields and grass will become lush and green.

Ostara is an Anglo-Saxon and Celtic fertility festival, worshiping the the Goddess Ostara or Eostre, as she is also known. Eggs and rabbits are her fertility symbols. The egg resembles new life and birth, and the rabbit signifies fertility.

The Horned Sun God also known as The Oak King or the Lord of Light, the Gods Pan, Cernunnos, and the Sun Gods such as Sol, Apollo, Attis, Ra, and Horus are also worshiped on this day.

Eostre, the Saxon version of the Goddess Ostara. Her feast day was held on the first Full Moon following the Spring equinox, the identical time as the Christian Easter when Jesus was said to be resurrected from death. The Sun God Attis who was born via a virgin birth, is resurrected each year during the time on the Spring Equinox. The Goddesses Ishtar and Persephone were also both resurrected from death on Ostara.

Ostara is a time of newness and rebirth. It is a time to clean up and clear out all our old junk, this is where we get the term “spring cleaning” from. But it isn’t just clearing out our homes, it is also clearing out the junk and negative energy that we carry around with us. Let the new energies of the Sun and the Spring rejuvenate us. Welcome in the new, breathe new life into yourself, and look to the future with hope and optimism.

On your altar add anything to represent and to honor the season, such as budding flowers like crocuses, daffodils, lilies, daisies, acorns, and seeds. Ostara is a time of balance between light and dark, so symbols of this polarity can also be used. Use a God and Goddess statue, a white and a black candle, a sun and moon etc.

This is the time of year when animals are bringing forth new life too, so put a basket of eggs on your altar. It is customary and fun to paint them bright colors before adding them. You may want to include figures or pictures of lambs, chicks, rabbits, calves, etc. Add a chalice of milk or honey, as milk represents the lactating animals who have just given birth, and honey is long known as a symbol of abundance. Offer these as a libation to the God and Goddess.

The Spring Equinox is a time of balance. It is a time to look within ourselves and balance our thoughts and emotions and to find balance in our lives. To embrace our dark and our light equally, as one cannot exist without the other. This is a time to stop, relax, and enjoy our personal achievements, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. What we put into life is what we will get out of it, what we plant now can grow into something amazing.

May your Ostara be memorable and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing.

Written & photo credit goes to Wicca Teachings.

Edited by Lisa Marino

Blessed Imbolc

2016-02-02 Miss Poison February, Imbolc, Wicca, Writing February 2nd, God/Goddess, Imbolc, Spring, Wicca, Winter, Writing

Today is Imbolc, pronounced ‘im’olk. This is the first of 8 Pagan holidays throughout the year called Sabbats. Imbolc is a time to acknowledge the “First Spark” of embedded energies that have been sleeping over the winter. The seeds that are underground acknowledge the returning energy and will begin to convert it to life deep within. Underground and unseen by man they will start to make their way to the surface and break through the soil and begin to bud. Even though it is still the dead of winter and feels like winter in most places, the Sun’s energy has been returning ever since the Winter Solstice (the longest night of the year, Yule).

On Imbolc we celebrate the first days of Spring. Snowdrops and crocuses begin to appear, things become very spring-like with daffodils and hyacinths coming early. Animals begin to wake from their winter hibernation. Nights get shorter and days will get longer, and it will start to get warmer as winter snow and frost begin to thaw.

We celebrate the rebirth of the Goddess on Imbolc after she sacrificed herself on Yule to give birth to the Sun God. Both the God and Goddess are young, the triple Goddess is in her maiden form and gains strength from the earth, while the Sun God will grow in strength over the coming months.

Imbolc is a Celtic fire festival, where in ancient times most towns and villages would build a ceremonial bonfire. The Goddess Brigid, the Goddess of fire, healing, and fertility is worshiped on this day. The lighting of fires celebrated the increasing power of the Sun. The Goddess Brigid was so loved by the Celts that when the Christians were converting Pagans, they could not change the holiday of Imbolc, so the holiday was reformed and renamed ‘Candlemas’, when candles are lit to remember the purification of the Virgin Mary, and they changed the Goddess Brigid to Saint Brigid.

Imbolc indicates the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring. To celebrate Imbolc, light a fire, it may only be a small one, and make wishes for the coming year into the flames. Burn any leftover evergreens that were decorating your home at Yule. Clean your homes of clutter that gathered over Yule, and get rid of the old and bring in the new. Plant seeds for them to bloom in the Spring and Summer. Use a sage smudge stick to cleanse your home of stale and/or unwanted negative energies.

It was customary to make a Brigid Cross or Sun Cross on Imbolc, this is a cross woven traditionally from reeds, but can be made with anything such as wheat, straw, or paper and put them around your home to bring luck and protection for the coming year. Fill your alter with lit candles and leave them to carefully burn through the day. Add any blooming flowers such as daffodils or daisies and anything yellow, orange, gold, or silver to honor the Sun God.

Imbolc is a time of contemplation, to think about the year that has past and the mistakes or successes we have had and what we have learned from them to help us achieve our goals, dreams and ambitions for the coming year. As well as planting seeds to grow in the earth also plant seeds and ideas in your mind to grow and blossom over the coming months.

Have a blessed Imbolc. May the God and Goddess watch over you.

Written credit: Wicca Teachings

Photo Credit: Various

Edited by Lisa Marino

Utterly Useless

2015-05-13 Miss Poison Being Sick, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Writing Allergies, Being Sick, Cats, Fibromyalgia Pain, Kittens, Pets, Pieces Of Me, Spring, Writing

Hello everyone! I’m sorry that I’ve been completely and utterly useless for the last few days, which explains my lack of posts. I got slammed by allergies and haven’t really been able to function a whole lot. The shift into Spring is difficult for those of us with allergies, especially if you live on the East Coast and you’re experiencing the incredibly odd shift each day. The nights are either cold or mild, the days are mild, warm, sometimes way too hot, and if the pollen count is high, forget it. There is nothing consistent about this, it’s all incredibly random. This time around, my allergies are seemingly pet related. I’m not giving cat and kitten to someone else, so I just have to suck it up. Clawing at my face and eyes all day isn’t exactly a clear picture of who I am, so I think it’s best to handle it and get on with my life. I’m fine, until the Benadryl wears off. Basically that means I’m fine, so long as I am knocked out on Benadryl and resting, to some extent. My eye drops haven’t been very helpful either, which makes me grouchy. In my attempt to “make it better”, I obsessively laundered every single thing either of them has touched or slept on that could affect me, because naturally they both insist on fussing over my things and only sleeping on their own when convenient. I discovered one additional item this morning. If I contemplate it for too long, I will end up in an allergists’ office demanding allergy shots. Alas, it can take years for those to work, if they work at all.

If it hasn’t been killer allergies, it’s been other things keeping my “under the weather”, for lack of a better expression. I simply do not feel right these days. My Fibromyalgia has been so bad that I feel bruised, achy, and sore from the top of my spine down to my calves. The sparring I did Sunday night resulted in a bruised right hand from a knuckle on knuckle hit. Properly job is apparently equals out to “more pain”. Unfortunately, it’s one of the few things I can do for several hours that doesn’t make me want to rip my limbs off. I have to chalk that up to a cruel joke.

Beyond that, there’s really not much to report or say. I am working on some ideas, letting them stew. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day for what I want and need to do, especially when I feel like crap. This, I suspect, is the chronic fatigue aspect of Fibromyalgia that often rears its ugly head when you’ve done too much in a short period of time. It certainly explains my intense desire to take naps when I normally power through the afternoons with writing or editing projects.

Here’s hoping all of this passes soon and that I can return to status quo. Pain is still pain, but sleeping like a coma patient and acting like a zombie the rest of the time is disturbing.

I hope your week is turning out to be far more productive. Just don’t brag if it is. No one appreciates a smart ass. 😛

Imbolc Blessings

2015-02-02 Miss Poison February, Images/Photos/Quotes, Musings, Wicca, Writing February 2nd, Images/Photos/Quotes, Musings, Spring, Wicca, Winter, Writing

ib-2015 — Credited to me-tal DEVIANT ART

Happy Imbolc fellow Wiccans and/or Pagans. Happy Groundhog Day for everyone else in the Western Hemisphere. One Groundhog saw its shadow and the other did not. With wintery weather currently affecting so many, myself included, it’s not an immense stretch to believe that we’ll have six more weeks of winter. The weird thing? The bunnies in my yard and the birds that have already begun nesting in my trees, which does lead me to believe that maybe that six weeks will be shortened. I suppose only time will tell.