Spring (Ostara) \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bee Hiving Moon<\/p>\n
Friend Bill Schmidt found a helpful exposition on Ostara, an early fertility goddess, and her regular appearance in Christian households (among others) at this time of year. Here’s a link<\/a> to this short, but well-researched piece. \u00a0After reading it, an odd thought occurred to me, perhaps because I also read this NYT piece this morning: \u00a0Saving Minds, Along With Souls<\/a>.<\/p>\n The odd thought is this. \u00a0The church captured the renewal and invigorating power of spring as a metaphor for the resurrection, then demonized (quite literally) and punished pagan observances of the season, like those related in the linked piece Bill found. \u00a0The effect was to put a theological fence around the power of spring in Western culture, confining it within the garden of Christian orthodoxy.<\/p>\n By making church membership and belief a prerequisite for experience its power-through the Easter holiday-the natural celebration of a Great Wheel holiday, a real and joyous one, became dangerous, sanctioned as blasphemy. \u00a0The church accomplished this in fact through the burning of witches and the intentional extinguishing of earth focused traditions wherever it spread its missionary power. It accomplished it in theory through making spring only<\/em> a metaphor for the resurrection.<\/p>\n Enough of that. \u00a0A temperate latitude Spring is a wonder, a life renewing, hopeful time when the earth shows that life comes again, and triumphs over the fallow time. \u00a0And more. \u00a0In doing so it assures life for the human race and all the animal kingdom that absolutely depends on its gentle, but unyielding power. It is an animal’s birthright to gambol when the grass greens and the trees leave out. \u00a0The joy is innate.<\/p>\n Business cycles come and go. \u00a0History rises and falls. Nations become great and then wither. \u00a0Religions prosper and die away.\u00a0Note this, though. If even one spring failed to happen, it would cause a worldwide catastrophe more damaging than the failure of any of these. If two springs failed to happen in a row, there would be no need for business cycles or nations and history would record a near apocalypse. \u00a0Three springs? Well, just imagine.<\/p>\n (A Vision of Spring – Thomas Millie Dow)<\/p>\n So give me a bunny rabbit and some colored eggs. Let’s take\u00a0off our shoes \u00a0and walk barefoot on the soil as it warms the seeds. I’ll dance with you as the shoots come up and starvation is banished once again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Spring (Ostara) \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bee Hiving Moon Friend Bill Schmidt found a helpful exposition on Ostara, an early fertility goddess, and her regular appearance in Christian households (among others) at … Continue reading Fencing Off Spring<\/span>