the Ostara `Illumina Circular`

Illumina Circular
Issue 5
Spring
2010
“Make your whole year’s
plans in the spring, and
your day’s plans early in
the morning .”
~ Chinese Proverb
Welcome
to this Illumina Circular where the Wheel of The Year now rolls
through the point of balance for the second time this year as we
celebrate the occurrence of the Spring Equinox.
This is a blessed time of the year when the promise of fertility from
Imbolc has burst forward into new life. Babies, saplings, sprouts,
buds, and blossoms abound as the youthful Masculine energy of the
God is complemented and balanced by the graceful, floral Feminine
energy of the Goddess.
Light and dark are in equilibrium for a moment before the tilt
towards the direction of the Sun. This festival is a solar festival but
is equally balanced with Moon lore as well. To our ancient Northern
Hemisphere ancestors, this occasion was honored as a ‘Holy Day’ to
the Germanic / Teutonic / Saxon Lunar Goddess Ostara (also spelled
Eostara) – the Goddess of Fertility and Spring from where the words
East, Easter and Estrogen take their origin.
This was a very special time of the year for our ancient ancestors as
the Earth warmed and fresh food became more abundant. Ostara
is a time of planting, planning, hatching, birthing and rejoicing the
end of the long cold winter. In many ancient traditions, this time was
regarded as the start of the New Year.
Our pagan ancestors honored the Goddess Eostara so deeply that
their worship of her was unshaken during the burning times. The
Christians incorporated her holy day as their own and renamed it
Easter! Her symbols were the rabbit or the hare (for fertility and
because in ancient times, her worshippers often saw the image of a
rabbit in the full moon) and the egg (representing creation). Another
association of the egg to this Sabbat / Esbat is the symbol of balance
with the golden yolk representing the Sun God enveloped in the
white representing the Goddess.
The Spring Equinox holidays are dedicated to many great Goddesses
around the globe: Ishtar / Astarte the Babylonian Goddess of morning
and evening stars, Isis (Egyptian Goddess
with the story of life, death and rebirth of her
partner Osiris), the Greek Goddess Aphrodite
welcomes the return of her lover Adonis in
the spring, The Roman Goddess Flora (fertility
Goddess) was venerated at this time with the
festival Floralia, the Nordic Goddess Freyja
(also a fertility Goddess) returns to the Earth
after the winter with her beautiful necklace
the Brisingamen (representing the fire of life)
to restore the beautiful abundance of nature,
the Virgin Mary is also honored at this time
with her own feast day (The Annunciation) as
well as her association at this time with the
Christian festival of Easter.
The ancient Greeks celebrated this time as the
reunion between the Goddess Demeter and
her daughter, Kore (Persephone) the essence
of spring, who was kept in the Underworld
for half the year and upon her return, life is
renewed and the earth once again flourishes
with life.
Other names (among many) for this ‘holy
day’ are; Eoastrae, Oestre, Alban Eiler,
Esther, Eostre, Ostarun, Nawruz (Persian)and
Ladies Day (from the Vernal equinox being
associated with the moon and therefore
being feminine).
Bunnies, Eggs, Fertility, Blossoming Spring,
Hot Cross Buns and Babies… It all abounds
this time of year! Happy Easter to you all as
we delve in to this Illumina to reveal some
ancient traditions behind some very familiar
customs. Pass the chocolate!
Dana Harris
Editor
Illumina Circula
[email protected]
Guided By Lunar
Iris Detenhoff
Creator of the
Moontime Diary
I grew up in the
Bavarian country side,
in a small farmer’s
village at a beautiful
river, close to Munich.
My mother’s family comes from a farming
background and as children we stayed on
farm holidays with aunties and uncles.
My parents were self employed and building
up their business. They worked a lot, which
meant we children had plenty of time for
unsupervised play outside. My fondest
childhood memories involve riding my bike
through the forests, playing at the river and
picking flowers in the paddocks and along
small country roads. Somehow I always knew
which wildflowers were in bloom and where
they grew. I had a pretty good knowledge of
the surrounding area, plant and animal life.
After I finished school, I studied general
nursing in Munich. I always was interested in
the workings of the human body and I also
liked the patient contact. At that time my
interest in environmental and political issues
grew and I got quite involved in the anti
nuclear movement.
In April 1986 Tschernobyl happened and just
after that I met my future husband. Both of
those events were reasons I came to Australia.
In September 1987 we arrived in Australia
and first travelled for 9 months through
Australia. In 1988 we got married and later
settled in Melbourne for the next 2 years. I
worked many different factory jobs and really
appreciated nursing after I finished the pre
registration process….
In December 1989 we moved to Lismore in
NSW and for me this was the perfect place.
Beautiful, intense nature and alternative
people with similar dreams. We ran a small
business in Lismore and I studied Herbal
Medicine and Iridology in an evening course.
Our son was born in 1991. He was a home
birth and grew up with homeopathics
and Bach Flowers; so far he never had any
antibiotics!
When Leon was a baby, I met my astrology
teacher and a dormant passion and interest
was sparked. Astrology allowed me to
discover myself and others. He actually said
19 years ago, that I am meant to write a book.
the recovery was indeed swift.
That’s when the diary started…..
Welcome To Paradise
Ozora Festival
Roni Miteff
Yogini and Tibetan
Buddhist Practitioner
For many years I was wondering what kind of
book that might be;
After my divorce, Leon and I moved to
Mullumbimby. When Leon started in primary
school I began a teacher training at the same
Steiner School in Byron Bay. This meant we
could go to school together, it turned out
very practical and I also worked as relief
teacher in same primary school. I really
loved the children and Steiner’s ideas about
education and spiritual science kept my
journey interesting and satisfying.
Ozora, a Psychedelic
Trance Festival where
the tribes from all
corners of the world
unite. People of
like-minds come to share and celebrate the
beauty of this world and life itself. A truly
magical experience which totally blew my
mind and has left me with an inner peace,
joy and appreciation for those with which I
shared this charming wonderland. This really
is “Welcome to Paradise!”
It is now one of the most popular open air
gatherings of the Psy Trance scene, attracting
around 15,000 visitors. Starting out as the
Solipse festival in ‘99 for the solar eclipse, it
I am interested in art and also sustainable
Architecture. I have studied a bit of
architectural technology and did some
building and design drafting. I like different
challenges.
The diary is an entity by itself. Previously I
have never done any publishing or anything
like that.
I used Steve Jolley’s Astrological Diaries for
many years and some 15 years ago my mum
sent me a book about the moon, by Johanna
Pauggner. Since then I experimented and
researched the moon phases for many
different activities like cutting and washing
my hair, cleaning the windows and floors and
things like that. It seemed to work well and
I often thought, how cool it would it be if he
had some of the moon tips in his Astrological
Diary.
When I needed to have a wisdom tooth
pulled, I wanted to
make sure it was
not on the worst
time! So I looked
up in my book and
went to the dentist
at the next best
occasion. It worked
out without any
complications and
Upside down trees at Ozora
has grown rapidly ever since. Nestled within
the lush green Hungarian valley, it serves as
a perfect location in which to connect and
explore the magic of life.
There is an enormous amount of love and
care which has gone into this special event to
make it an unforgettable experience. Elegant
touches and attention to detail can be
discovered in every corner of the festival to
bring out the richness of our experience. The
organisers have ultimately given us a paradise
in which to feast. Upside down trees and
Ozora 2010 Festivities
giant crystals perch on the
breathtaking visual effects
hilltop in all their strangeness.
gave immense freedom. The
A huge corn maze is also stumbled upon with music is like a journey allowing me to express
an entry sign, “Surrender your ego....” The
myself and celebrate my being.
whole organisation and thought which has
gone into the decor and facilities remind each Peering down from the top of the hill the
of us of the preciousness of each moment and Main Stage throbs like a hive of energy
the gift of life. Opening ourselves to honour
sending good vibrations across the cosmos.
our true nature and treat one another with
The dancefloor is like an enormous healing
kindness and compassion.
ground in which our spirits entwine and the
expanse of consciousness flows.
The real heart of the festival is the people
themselves and each bring their own unique
The Chill Out Stage was just as wonderful to
essence and creative spirit. Beautiful people
enjoy giving an atmosphere of tranquility
full of smiles and laughter meander through
the many colourful arts, crafts and clothing
markets on display. Fire jugglers, yogis, hoop
twirlers and amazing costumes catch the
eye as I wander through this vibrant setting.
The weird and the wonderful is released and
the freaky crowd is a great symbol of unity
in diversity. As with the nature of the culture
of these events I never once saw anyone
looking miserable or angry. Instead a sense
of openess and love is radiated. The feel good
mood, respect and patience of these beings is
a real virtue.
A Killer line-up from top quallity International
DJs such as U-Recken, Andromeda, Tristan,
Solar Fields, Ace Ventura and Raja Ram, just
to name a few, topped it off nicely. There
was hardly any time to sleep as the Main
Stage pumped out one awesome tune after
another. Dancing from sunset to sunrise
with happy revelers under a canopy of
Roni & Taki at the Corn Maze
and calm. Superb visuals and amazing sound
emerged from the small tent where people
lay on their backs letting the soothing tunes
carry them away.
Also, in it’s first year, The Magic Garden for
spiritual healing and education opened
providing a special space for workshops and
artistic endeavours. It’s an area with beautiful
energy to relax and find your balance. A
place where children and family can indulge
in handcrafting activities during the day or
dabble in a little yoga and lucid dreaming.
As well as the festivities the weather also had
some surprises of it’s own. Being awoken early
one morning to the extremely loud roaring
and clapping of thunder was enlightening
to say the least! It really stirred my soul as
nature has a habit of reminding us that forces
much greater than ourselves are also at work.
Ofcourse heavy rain graced our presence
leaving vehicles entrenched for days and no
festival is a true festival without a jig in the
mud now.
and laughing.
Much more intimate gathering than the
summer solstice (the wet weather must have
put people off ~ there were only about 400
of us instead of 20,000 at the summer solstice
Nothing can compare to this feeling of
love and warmth and the manifestation of
ultimate bliss Ozora creates. It has impacted
greatly on my soul and left a place where I can
feel whole and connected to the universe. It is
a blessing to have times like these in our lives
and to remember our ancestors. So until we
unite again in true Ozora spirit......BOOM!!
In love and light
Experiences of The Equinox
Michael Keenan
from Far Far Away
Such a puuuuuuuuuurfect atmosphere for an
incredible experience at Stonehenge ~
Such a special vibe in a really special place,
full of PEACE and LOVE and WONDER!!! lots of
open hearts, dancing, drumming and singing
a few months back!) So there was a really
chilled and calm atmosphere and celebration.
We pretty much all fitted inside the circles of
stones.
So a Happy Equinox to you
as the full moon glides on
and as we move through the seasons
together :)
All Seasons Timelapse
A wonderful and stunning high definition
timelapse video that takes you through all
of the seasons and shows beautiful scenery,
growing wildlife, clouds, ice bergs, the
midnight sun, flowers, mushroooms, and all
the wonderfull things nature has to offer.
To view on YouTube, Click Here
Magickal Things To Do This
Time of Year
Spring clean your home. Spring clean your
life – get rid of those unwanted habits you
may have formed recently before they really
set in and make a conscious effort to change,
so take stock of your good and not so good
habits and make a change for the better.
Bring the outdoors in by bringing in some
green foliage plants to rejuvenate the energy
in your home. Adorn
your altar and home
with lots of fresh
flowers.
Get the kids involved
decorating eggs
by blowing out the
inside, draw random
lines and squiggles all
over the eggs in coloured crayons then apply
a coloured water based wash over the top for
an ornamental effect, then organize an egg
hunt through the garden.
Create something new, start a new project or
begin a task that you may have been putting
off for some
time.
Make some
home baked
hot cross buns.
Hot Cross
Buns were
baked and eaten during the Spring Equinox
festivities long before Christians claimed
them as their own. Some say the decorative
cross represents balance and equality. There
are also schools of thought that believe
the Hot Cross Bun was eaten in reverence
of the Lunar Goddess Ostara and the cross
represents the four quarters of the lunar
cycle.
Illumina Circular
A tree friendly e-zine gratefully published by EcoLite Candles.
Without prejudice. The publishers take great care to provide accurate, relevant and interesting
content for the benefit of our readers. The publishers do not accept any responsibility for the
accuracy of information or views presented by advertisers and contributors. With great respect to
all spirits traveling along the journey of life, the content presented does not necessarily reflect the
views of the publishers.
Look out for our next edition due out at the beginning of November - Beltane, Unions &
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