Weekly Obsession: Ostara

Now, I know this is more of a holiday than something to be "obsessing over". However, I am so excited for Ostara this year. For a few reasons.

1. I get to do the "Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Chocolate Rabbit" with a bunch of kids tonight. It's a ton of fun, but be careful the possibility of sugar shock is quite real.

2. I'm presiding over my first ritual for my coven. I'm a little nervous. But I'm confident that I've been trained well. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't end up doing something really silly like light my clothing on fire or drop the eggs. It will be just what it needs to be. (If keep telling myself that, maybe it will actually happen.)

3. Spring is officially here! (I hope.)

What are you all doing to celebrate?

Winner of my Ostara Candy Giveaway

Okay, so there were three commenters on my last post. So, I put in your three names and drew the winner.

Dun, dun, duuuuunnnnn.....

Lilac Silverfox of My Wiccan Ways!!!!

Congratulations sweetie!!!

BTW, Lilac is participating in the Welcoming the God blog party and her guest post is today!!!! She's got a great entry about Quetzalcoatl. So check her out. She's a new blogger, but she's doing amazing!!!

Ostara Celebration and Giveaway

Happy Ostara to all of you visiting from Confessions of a Country Witch's blog party.

I thought I'd share something fun with all of you.

Just keep in mind that you will want a very SMALL chocolate rabbit. We celebrated yesterday and it was a ton of fun. A bit of a sugary, sweet overload, but fun.

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Chocolate Rabbit

1. For this ritual, you'll need the following:

•A bag of jellybeans
•Marshmallow Peeps -- chicks, bunnies, etc.
•A chocolate rabbit for each particpant
•A glass of milk for each participant

Arrange your ritual supplies on your altar so they look pretty. Kids can do this -- typically the chocolate rabbits end up in the center, surrounded by an army of Peeps and several rings of jellybeans. A quick note -- you might want to perform this ritual well in advance of mealtime, or all the kids will be too full of candy to eat a real dinner.

2. First, give everyone present a handful of jellybeans. Point out the different colors in the jellybeans, and what they can represent. As you call out each one, eat the jellybeans in that color. Feel free to be a bit goofy. Say something like:

Behold, little jelly eggs, small symbols of the season,
How we adore you!
Green is for the grass that springs from the land! (eat all the green jellybeans)
Yellow is for the sun shining above our heads! (eat all your yellow jellybeans)
Red is for the tulips that grow in our garden! (eat your red jellybeans)
Pink is for Aunt Martha's new Easter hat! (eat your pink jellybeans)
Purple is for the crocuses that sprout along our driveway! (eat the purple ones)

3. Continue this until all the colors are gone -- if you really want to have some fun, make the kids take turns naming off the colors and what they mean to them. When they're all gone, call out:

Hail! Hail! to the mighty jelly bean of Spring!

4. Next, hand out the marshmallow Peeps. As you do, say:

Behold the Peep! The Peep is life, brought back in the spring!
Little Peep chickens, we honor you! (bite the Peep chicks)
Little Peep bunnies, we honor you! (bite the Peep bunnies)…

Continue this until the Peeps are all gone -- it's probably a good idea to limit each kid to just two or three Peeps at the most. When the Peeps have all vanished, call out:

Hail! Hail! to the mighty Peeps of Spring!

5. Finally, distribute the chocolate rabbits. Say:

Behold the great chocolate rabbit!
As he hops through the land, he spreads joy and happiness!
O, how we adore the chocolate rabbit and his great big chocolate ears! (eat the rabbit's ears)
Praise the chocolate rabbit, and his delicious chocolate tail! (eat the rabbit's tail)
Honor this chocolate rabbit, and his chocolate hoppity legs! (eat the rabbit's legs)
He is a wonderful rabbit, and he is special indeed! (eat the rest of the rabbit)

When the rabbits are all gone, say:

Hail! Hail! to the mighty chocolate rabbit of Spring!

6. Give everyone a glass of milk, and raise your drinks in a toast to these three symbols of the season.

To the jelly beans!
To the Peeps!
To the chocolate rabbit!
We drink in your honor!

Drink your milk, and sit back to enjoy the sensation of being stuffed with ritual candy.

What You Need:
•Jelly beans
•Peeps
•Chocolate rabbits
•Milk

And look, you can win everything you need for this ritual. So all you'd need is the milk.


To enter the giveaway you need to be a follower of this blog.

That's it. Just comment below. And make sure that you have an accessible email address.

The drawing will be held Monday, March 21st.

March Inspirations

I'm so looking forward to March. I can't even begin to tell you all how much I can't wait for this month to get fully underway! Well, maybe it is already, and I'm just late to the party. Who, knows.

Anywho,

• I'm inspired by the rain that has been coming. Granted, I'm not a sloppy mud person. But I do appreciate the fact that it's no longer cold enough to snow. Bring on the warmer temps. And warmer temps = skirts and dresses. Yay!!!
• Ostara.
  
• We're going to be doing our backyard this year. Patio, fire pit?, the works. I'm looking forward to lazy summer days sitting on my back patio drinking lemonade and reading a beloved book.
• I'm hoping that in addition to doing our back yard, I can get the front flowerbed going. I have some ideas, so we'll see if we have the time and more importantly the funds to do it. If nothing else, I'll always have my kitchen windowsill garden.
• St. Patrick's Day. I love the Corned beef and cabbage and carrots and potatoes of it all. Mmmm.
• And of course, Fat Tuesday today!!! Come on everyone, get your Mardi Gras, Paczki grove on!!!
  

Come and Celebrate the God with Us

Hey everyone,

No, I'm not dead. Thankfully. I fought that nasty cold and then to reward me, another cold decided to come party. Luckily, I've been cold free for the past two or three weeks. Phew. Let's hope it continues, (keeping my fingers crossed.)

Anywho, I decided to celebrate the upcoming spring by participating in the "15 Days of Welcoming the God" Blog Party hosted by Confessions of a Country Witch and Domesticated Gypsy.

I am learning about the God in my new Circle now and I'm really surprised by how connected I am to him. I haven't focused on a male deity for...yea, don't think I ever really have. So, it's been a breath of fresh air. Anyway, let's all visit the party for some much needed masculine energy.

I'm doing Ostara. Though my post isn't focused entirely on the God. AND, I will be doing a giveaway for it. So stay tuned.

Spring Cleaning

Okay, I'm happy to say, March has been such a great month for me! February finished a bit off, but I was able to rally back in March. I'm feeling so stable, confident and centered now. It's really remarkable. I don't think I've felt this way in years. I guess the getting up off my ass and doing things is really what I needed.

In March, I:

• Finished all my necessary fundraising. Now everything I get it just frosting!
• Got caught up at work for all of 1 day. ;)
• Saw Alice in Wonderland and went shopping with my Sister-in-Law. Such a great flick!!!!
• Hung out with Domestic Witch for Tea and Shopping!
  
• Hung out with Mom, the Wee One and the Ostara Bunny. ;)
• Helped out a former advisor by interviewing a few Greek Chapters.
  
• Read tarot for people other than friends and family.
  
• Did an Ostara ritual.
• Went to a few birthday parties.
• Went to a baby shower for my cousin-in-law.
  
• Had a blast with LUPEC sisterbroads at our monthly meeting.
• Had a Pure Romance party!
  
• Made brunch for my family.
  
• Held my first Blog giveaway!!!
• Really started training for the walk.
  

So as you can see, March was a rick-rollin good time!!!

**************************
Never gonna give you up.
Never gonna let you down.
**************************

Sorry, back to the topic at hand.

April should be more of the same! I can't wait. I've got quite a few things lined up. So stay posted!

Happy Ostara!!!

Hope you are all enjoying the first day of Spring!!!!

Here's a big blown kiss to you and yours from me and the Wee One...oh and the Ostara Bunny! ;)

Ostara/Easter Giveaway

Ok, I've decided to do my first giveaway! Yay!!!!

Here's the deal, one lucky person will win this pink and blue pearl/crystal necklace and earrings. Complete with ivory organza bag.

To enter:

• Follow my blog.

For extra entries:

• Blog about it on your blog. Include the blog address in your comment.
• Get someone else to follow or blog about the giveaway. They must put your name in their comment for you to get credit. (Each of you will get an extra entry.)

Eligiblity:

• You must have a valid blog or email address so that I can contact you.
• My international readers can participate.

I will choose a winner by random draw on March 13th (around 11am). I'll draw the winner the old fashioned way, since that's how I roll. I'll mail out the necklace and earrings during the following week, so that those who want to wear/gift them for their Ostara celebration can!

Winner will be chosen next Saturday, March 13th.

(I reserve the right to change the rules at any time.)