Ostara at Cedarlight Grove, 2013

Ignore those bare trees - it's time for Spring!

As Michael is getting close to wrapping up his Dedicant's Program work, I am just beginning mine, so I'll be posting about our High Days for the next year or so.

Last night, Michael and I attended this year's Ostara celebration at Cedarlight Grove.  While we may have been hailing the start of Spring, the weather was grey, cold - low 40s - and damp from passing rain showers.

This actually seemed fitting, as one of the deities of the occasion was Graine ("GRAHN-yeh"), a Celtic goddess who is the Winter Sun..the 'little' sun that gives us light but not much warmth, and who presides over the dormant and quiet part of the year that leads to spring's blooms.

I knew nothing of her, nor all that much of the other deities - the Celtic pantheon is something of a mystery to me (and I was a little disappointed that Ostara didn't involve, well, Ostara and the Germanic hearth culture from whence most of our current spring customs come - but it was interesting enough that I got over it).  Our deities of the occasion were:

Bardic Inspiration: Brigid
Gatekeeper: Dagda
Dieties of  the Occasion:
Graine - the Winter Sun
Sadv - the Dancing Deer
Aengus - son of Boann and Dagda, associated with poetry and romantic love

Many attendees shared poems and artwork as sacrifices, while Aurora took on the part of Sadv and did a dance for us.  Michael made an offering of homemade vanilla extract, and also made his oath to the Grove.  I made a silent offering of thanks to Brigid with incense, for healing and an accompanying upsurge of creative energy I've been experiencing since Imbolc.

Ashley took the omens by scrying. She used an iron cauldron of water that had been heating over  the Fire and cracked an egg into it, to read the shapes.  Some of the egg splashed over onto her scribe, leaving egg in her hair and a hummingbird shaped splash on her shirt.

The omen (paraphrased - it was hard to hear and I recorded what I could):  "If you look too closely at tragedy, tragedy is all you will see.  Calamities are like volcanoes, bringing pressure.  Listen to your guides, and you will see these volcanoes are fire bubbling up from below to heat your cauldrons and effect change.  Meow."

Yes...meow.  The first shape she saw was a cat.  No idea what that's about, but I'd be on the look out for cats adopting the Grove. hah!

(Here is the actual Omen Q&A:

Omen Question: We seek the wisdom of the Ancient Ones. What say the Ancient Ones?

Omen as Read: If you look too closely at tragedy, tragedy is all you can see; it clouds your vision. Calamity, like a volcano, can result from too much pressure. Change your perspective - your guides are with you, magic is with you, and the volcano is only fire coming up through the Earth, through your cauldrons, to affect change. Meow.)

All in all, it was a chilly, fun night that seemed to be full of energy - for me it was less about the Deities than the Folk.  I never know from High Day to High Day which aspect will grab me - this time it was the community of people I've come to care about very much.