April
is the fourth month of the year. Its name is derived from the latin word aperit,
which means to open. It is considered that April is the month of the growing
season and when trees and flowers begin to 'open'. It is also believed that the
month’s name is named after the Greek Goddess, Aphrodite (Aphros). April’s
birth flower is the daisy and sweet pea. The birthstone is the diamond which
symbolizes innocence. The zodiac signs for the month of April are Aries (until
April 20) and Taurus (April 21 onwards).
The
month of Eostre or Ostara, the spring Goddess. In Iceland, they had strong
agricultural overtones, but elsewhere throughout the Nordic world, mid-April
was a time to sacrifice to Odin for victory, called the Sigrblot . The ships
were leaving port to seek trade, new lands, and plunder. It is a time to
consider new projects and life choices. Remember that your life is an adventure
- it is what you make of it.
The
Ear q
rune of the ea. Earth, healing energy,
body, home. The Earth element is
nurturing and stable, solid and firm, full of endurance and strength. Connected to the North, Earth is considered
the feminine element. Mannaz is the name
of the m-rune m
of the word for man, humanity. The
Mannaz rune is one of mortality, but also represents interdependence and
support, as well as duty and responsibility. Wunjo w (joy, hope) is a letter used to
represent the sound-w or v. Joy, in the
case of Wunjo, is finding a point of balance, a sense of fulfillment and
transformation.
The
Fourth Hall is about home and family. It describes your roots, your heritage
and your private life. This time also rules father, land, property, residences,
and domestic affairs. The Fourth is about home and family. Other keywords
include home life, family and relations, psychological foundations, biological
inheritance, place of abode, the ashram, karma.
1 Loki's
Day
Today
is widely recognized and celebrated in various countries as a day when people
play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other called April Fools. Loki is known for bringing about chaos and discord,
but by challenging the Gods, he also brings about change. Without Loki's
influence, the Gods may become complacent, so Loki does actually serve a
worthwhile purpose, much as Coyote does in the Native American tales or Anansi
the spider in African lore.
He
has several complex relations with the Gods and humans depending on the source
or the century. Loki sometimes assists
the Gods and sometimes causes problems for them. He
is a shape shifter and in separate incidents he appears in the form of a
salmon, mare and an elderly woman, most often playing tricks. He is crafty and malicious, but is also
heroic. Examine yourself for how you
manipulate others, even for their own good, or with truthful means. Be ruthlessly
honest with yourself.
Hail
humorist Loki, renew my laughter.
Frogs
transform from tadpoles into their adult form and this symbolizes the awakening
of one's creativity. If your planting a
magical garden, you want to get out there and put things into the Earth. Plan a ritual to physically plant your seeds
of desire in Mother Earth. This is truly a joyous time for celebration. Most
Wicca’s celebrate the Full Moon with a special ritual called the Esbat. The Warrior is the ripeness of manhood, the boiling pot of
love which is the richness of life.
God
of the Moon, I call upon thee,
for
your love and blessings.
Great
mister of all magic protect me
give
me your power in this my hour of need.
4
Lunar Eclipse
Eclipses can only occur when the Sun, Earth, and Moon
are all in a straight line. Solar
eclipses occur at new Moon, when the Moon is between the Sun and Earth. In contrast, lunar eclipses occur at full
Moon, when Earth is between the Sun and Moon. Blood Moon is sometimes used to describe a Total Lunar Eclipse.
Several cultures have myths related to lunar eclipses. The Egyptians saw the eclipse as a sow
swallowing the Moon for a short time; other cultures view the eclipse as the
Moon being swallowed by other animals, such as a jaguar in Mayan tradition, or
a three legged toad in China. Some
societies thought it was a demon swallowing the Moon and that they could chase
it away by throwing stones and curses at it.
Or for the Norse, the concern that Hati the wolf had caught up to the
God Mani, the end of the world.
It is my will on this night of the moon
to overcome my shadows
and bring about change.
11
Wane Moon T
This is the
time when the Moon’s energy is becoming weaker and the strength of the light of
the God is diminishing, into the Sage.
Forever pursued but never caught,
You turn through the night,
and ward us as we sleep,
Hail Manni God of the Moon!
13
Jefferson Birthday
Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826) was an American Founding Father who was the principal
author of the United States Declaration of Independence (1776) and the third President of the United States. He spoke five languages and was deeply
interested in science, religion and philosophy.
He cut and pasted pieces of the New Testament together
to compose the Jefferson
Bible, which excluded any miracles by Jesus. Though he often
expressed his opposition to clergy and to Christian doctrines, Jefferson
repeatedly expressed his belief in a deistic God and his admiration for Jesus
as a moral teacher. Opposed to Calvinism, Trinitarianism and what he identified
as Platonic elements in Christianity, in private letters Jefferson refers to
himself as "Christian" (1803), "a sect by myself" (1819),
an "Epicurean" (1819), a
"Materialist" (1820), and a "Unitarian by myself" (1825).
15
Njord's Day
Today give aid to a sailor.
The House should, together, send a package to one who sails the seas and has
need of aid. Njord is one of the Vanir and the God of seamanship and sailing. The King of the Vanic Gods, Njord was directly responsible
for bringing the primeval war between the Gods to an end and in establishing
peace between the two tribes. Down
through the ages, Heathens have remembered him for this monumental feat, and to
this day, still call upon him for peace.
Njord has sway over the fertility of the land, success of crops and
wealth of men, though his main attribute remains the dominion over the
prosperity and blessings gotten from the seas.
The tale in which Njord
features most prominently is The Marriage of Njord and Skadi. Skadi, a giantess, had come to the Aesir
seeking restitution for the slaying of her father. As part of the settlement, they agreed that
she could have any of the Gods she desired as her husband. She chose Njord feet by mistake, thinking him
to be Baldur. Their marriage was short
and unpleasant. Half of their time was
spent in Skadi’s home in the snowy mountains, which Njord couldn’t tolerate;
the other half was spent in Njord’s home, Noatun, which was located on the
beach. Skadi couldn’t tolerate Njord’s
home, either, so the two parted ways.
O
tranquil Lord of seven surging seas,
Send
wind to fill our sails, and grant us all.
To
pass to our ports with grace and ease,
Over
the depths of Ran´s and Aegir´s Hall.
16
Margot Adler Birthday
Margot Adler (1946-2014) was an American author,
journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess and radio journalist and correspondent
for National Public Radio. Adler was a
Wiccan priestess in the Gardnerian tradition, an elder in the Covenant of the
Goddess and she also participates in the Unitarian Universalist faith
community.
18
New Moon
The time of the New Moon is
a good time for celebrating new beginnings or doing magic, which involves
growth (starting a diet, beginning a new course of study, etc.).
Welcome back,
Moon!
We're glad to see
you again.
Another cycle has
passed
another month gone
by
and our lives have
moved forward.
22
Earth Day
Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22,
on which events are held Worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental
protection. It was first celebrated in
1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated
in more than 192 countries each year. For
some Pagans that don't celebrate Easter, Earth Day activities are often mixed
in. Other mix it in with the Spring
Equinox. Most honor the Earth throughout
the year.
Modern Pagans have a special sacral relationship with
the natural World. Our Gods and
Goddesses can be found in oceans, rivers, forests and mountains. In many cultures, Earth is the primal Mother
of most acknowledged Goddesses and powers.
Some pre-Christian cultures envision a World Tree that binds the universe
together. In Norse mythology, Jord was
the personification of the Earth. In
Greek mythology, Gaia was the primeval Goddess personifying the Earth.
Root
of the root,
Mother
matter, for whom nothing is ever lost,
only
transformed,
you
teach us how to change
and
how to sit in stillness.
When
life scatters us in all directions
you
whisper, "Just be".
You
urge us, "Honor the body".
You
tell us, "I will never let you go, I hold you safe forever".
All
praise to the humble holy ground.
We
are part of you no less
than
seed or grass or antelope.
We
belong.
May
we learn new ways to honor you.
May
our presence here be of benefit to you.
May
we heal the harm we have done to you.
In
the name of Earth,
Be
so.
22
Jord's Day
Today clean some small part of the Earth. Jord is not actually an official Goddess of the Norse
pantheon so much as a personification of the Earth itself, specifically the
life force of the planet. She is known
by many other guises outside of the Norse religion and has interacted with, and
generally had a major impact upon, all pantheons of deities connected to
this planet. For example, in Greek
mythology, she was known as Gaea, the progenitor of the Titans, predecessors of
the Greek deities in ruling the other dimensional realm of Olympus; and in
contemporary philosophical/metaphorical imagery outside of any actual religion
she is known by names such as Mother Earth or Mother Nature.
Jord is the Goddess of all the place there are not
under any human control, the Goddess of the mountains, fields, every tree,
every rock and moss on it, the verdant meadows and other lands with a pure wild
spirit. She reigns over all the
uncivilized places. She has that
physical appearance as a symbol of fertility, to all pregnant women and
mothers, or soon-to-be mother and nursing mother, as such, she can be called by
those in need of fertility in their own body, in the family, in their
livestock, in the garden or land. Jord
can also be called for healing the land and the Earth itself. She can be called by the environmentalists to
help in their hard work, for the safety of the wild nature and to restore order
in places that were badly damaged by us humans.
But she can be a fastidious giantess, so call carefully.
Mother
Jord, Great Goddess of Earth,
Goddess
of seasons, of life, and of birth.
Goddess
of planting, of growing, and reaping,
Always
evolving, and changing, never sleeping.
So
we can be gentle, and caring, in our love for you!
The Lyrids are will peak on April 22, 2015. A waxing
crescent Moon will create good viewing conditions. Those in Europe are
best located to view the meteor shower. The best time to watch it is after
midnight on April 22.
Considered to be the oldest known meteor shower, the Lyrids are named after constellation
Lyra. The radiant point of the shower - the point in the sky where the meteors
seem to emerge from - lies near the star Vega, one of the brightest stars in
the sky during this time of the year.
24
Arbor Day
Arbor Day is a state holiday to promote tree planting
and is held on the last Friday of April. On Arbor Day, people are encouraged to
care for their natural environment. It's a time for people to get their hands
in the dirt and plant and/or care for trees, bushes and plants. Events include:
communal tree planting, exhibitions, fairs, music performances and open days in
garden centers. Arbor Day awards are also presented in communities, schools,
and organizations throughout the United States.
I
pledge allegiance to the Earth and
to
the flora, fauna and human life that
it
supports, one planet indivisible,
with
safe air, water and soil,
economic
justice, equal rights and peace for all.
25
Wax Moon
The warrior is the
springtime, the dawn, eternal youth and vigor, enchantment and seduction, the
new and waxing Moon.
Take
all that has to end, all that
must
disappear and die with you,
into
the darkness. I welcome your
peace,
I welcome the stillness.
As
you disappear into the dawn, so
I
choose to go within.
Blessed
be.
29 Nerthus's Day
Doing something today to clean
the Earth or air. Nerthus is a Goddess
associated with fertility. Nerthus is
viewed as one of the Vanir (by some the Queen or Mother of the Vanir). She is the Mother of Freyr and Freya. Like Njord, she is strongly associated with
frith (peace) and fertility rites. Together,
Nerthus and Njord govern the prosperity and wealth of men, fertility of the
land and good harvests.
She was the 'Mother Earth' worshipped by the North Sea
Germans, according to the Roman historian Tacitus (writing in the first century
of the Christian era). While Jord took care of the more wild natural places on
Earth, Nerthus was more nurturing and gift giving Goddess of the Earth. But, like Jord, there was two sides. Nerthus was also the terrible Goddess of
earthquakes, famine, flood, storm and destruction. There was bounty, but also tremendous danger
and outright terror all contained at once in the holy presence of this
Goddess.
Nerthus,
as in days of old, you are needed once more.
Let
the tribes of men gather to honor you.
Let
war cease and let weapons be cast aside.
Let
peace and happiness pour forth through the lands
Let
the Children of Earth know and
honor
their Mother once more.
29 Yggdrasil Day
Yggdrasil (World Tree) is an immense tree that is
central in Norse cosmology, in connection to which the nine worlds exist. It is an immense ash tree that is central and
considered very holy. It is a myth and
portrays the perceived meaning of something rather than merely describing the
thing’s physical characteristics. For
some, Yggdrasil wasn’t thought of as existing in a single physical location,
but rather dwell within the invisible heart of anything and everything.
On this day we realize the great significance that
Yggdrasil plays in our culture, heritage and native spirituality. It is from the World Tree that we came. It shelters and nurtures all of us and will
offer refuge come Ragnarok. Trees are
the lungs as well as the soul of Midgard (Earth).
Joyful
joyful we adore our Earth in all its wonderment
Simple
gifts of nature that all join into a paradise
Now
we must resolve to protect her
Show
her our love throughout all time
With
our gentle hand and touch
We
make our home a newborn world
Now
we must resolve to protect her
Show
her our love throughout all time
With
our gentle hand and touch
We
make our home a newborn world
Exactly six months before
Halloween, the Germans and Scandinavians celebrate Walpurgis Night, May-Eve,
Beltane, or Hexennacht, aka Witches’ Night. Walpurgis Night is the English translation of
Walpurgisnacht, the German name for the night of 30 April, so called because it
is the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in
Germany. In German folklore
Walpurgisnacht is believed to be the night of a witches' meeting on the
Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, a range of wooded hills in
central Germany between the rivers Weser and Elbe.
Many people tidy up their gardens this time of year. The leaves and branches are good material for
the bonfires, and so are the Christmas trees after Christmas. In many places,
people gather material for their bonfires for months ahead. This tradition originates from Germany, where
they lit bonfires to scare off witches. The
Vikings picked up the habit of lighting bonfires to keep away evil spirits and
wild animals so that the livestock would not get harmed. They also used the bonfires to celebrate and
hurry up spring and to purify nature.
Now to the Brocken the witches ride;
the stubble is gold and the corn is green;
There is the carnival crew to be seen,
And Squire Urianus will come to preside.
So over the valleys our company floats,
with witches a-farting on stinking old goats.
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust
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