Oestara History, Lore, Correspondences

co-host: Blue Rew

THE THEME OF THIS CONTEST:


My spiritual sister and I decided to host a quickie contest for our celebration of the spring equinox. By some traditions Oestara is 3/21/08, by others it started on the 20th and ends on the 23rd. Therefore March 26th is the deadline for this contest. Read the information below to inspire beautiful, poetic verses of spring and this blessed season of rebirth, regrowth and renewal. I personally enjoy rhyming poetry, but co-judge can go either way, as can I, for rhyming is not a requirement, just my personal preference.

Oestara History, & Lore

The winter, harsh and long, is now fading. The Earth is waking from Her frozen slumber and it’s time to rejoice in life, warmth and a renewal of the spirit. Come celebrate and worship with us as we give birth to all things fresh and new. Enjoy the hypnotic rhythms of the drum circle, the hugs of old friends, the laughter of children and the joy of togetherness. Let us reconnect with family, loved ones and friends, old and new as we turn the Wheel to Ostara.

OESTARA (pronounced O-e-STAR-ah) is one of the Lesser Wiccan Sabbats, and is usually celebrated on the Vernal or Spring Equinox right around March 21 (although because of its origins, may instead be celebrated on the fixed date of March 25). Other names by which this Sabbat may be known are Ostara, Eostre's Day, Rite of Eostre, Alban Eilir, Festival of the Trees, and Lady Day. The Christian holiday of Easter is very near this same time, (notice the similarity in name?), and is determined as the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox.

The name for this Sabbat actually comes from that of the Teutonic lunar Goddess, Eostre. Her chief symbols were the bunny (for fertility and because the Ancient Ones who worshipped her often saw the image of a rabbit in the full moon), and the egg (representing the cosmic egg of creation). This is where the customs of "Easter Eggs" and the "Easter Bunny" originated.

The Role Of The Rabbit Has Two Possible Origins.

One tale is that the rabbit so loved his Goddess Eostre that he laid sacred eggs in her honor, then brightly colored them and gave them to her as gifts. Eostre was so delighted, she wanted this joy to be shared by all, so the tradition continued.

The second tale tells how Eostre found a wounded bird in the snow. To help the little bird survive the winter, she transformed it into a rabbit, but the transformation was incomplete and the rabbit retained the ability to lay eggs. In thanks for its life being saved, the rabbit took the eggs and decorated them and left them as gifts for Eostre. Again, she was delighted and wanted all to share her joy, so the tradition continued.

Oestara is a time to celebrate the arrival of Spring, the renewal and rebirth of Nature herself, and the coming lushness of Summer. It is at this time when light and darkness are in balance, yet the light is growing stronger by the day. The forces of masculine and feminine energy, yin and yang, are also in balance at this time.

At this time we think of renewing ourselves. We renew our thoughts, our dreams, and our aspirations. We think of renewing our relationships. This is an excellent time of year to begin anything new or to completely revitalize something. This is also an excellent month for prosperity rituals or rituals that have anything to do with growth.

Other Names
Ostre, Oestre, Eostre, Rites of Spring, Eostra’s Day, Lady Day, First Day of Spring, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Alban Eiler, Bacchanalia

CONTEST OPTIONS:

Use one, several or all of the following options below as your inspiration. You do not have to use the title of the option as the title to your write or even in your pen, just be inspired to write us something creative, profound and filled with awe to be witness of all the creative life force. Describe to us the awe of finding it spring again after a long, hard winter.

1. History and Lore listed above

2. Tools, Symbols & Decorations
Colored eggs, baskets, green clothes, shamrock, equilateral cross, butterfly, cocoons, sprouting plants; violets, lily, spring wildflowers, new clothes, lamb, hare/rabbit

3. Colors
Gold, light green, grass green, robin’s egg blue, lemon yellow, pale pink, anything pastel

4. Customs
Wearing green, new clothes, celtic bird festival, egg baskets coloring eggs, collecting birds eggs, bird watching, egg hunts, starting new projects, spring planting

5. Gemstones
Rose quartz, moonstone, amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone, red jasper

6. Animals/Mythical beings
Unicorn, merpeople, pegasus, rabbit/easter bunny, chicks, swallows, serpents.

7. Herbs
Blessed thistle, evergreen, moss, oak, sage, bay, bayberry, cedar, pine, frankincense, ginger, holly, ivy, juniper, mistletoe, myrrh, pinecones, rosemary, chamomile, cinnamon, valarion, yarrow

8. Incense/Oil
African violet, lotus, jasmine, rose, magnolia, sage lavender, narcissus, ginger, broom, strawberry

9. Rituals/Magicks
Personal renewal, world peace, honoring family & friends, Festival of light, meditation

10. Foods
Light foods, fish, maple sugar candies, hot crossed buns, sweet breads, hard boiled eggs, honey cakes, seasonal fruits, milk punch, egg drinks

11. Gods
Hare, Green Man, Youthful Gods, Warrior Gods, Taliesin, Lord of the Greenwood (English), The God comes of age, sexual union of the Lord & Lady, sprouting, greening, balance of light and dark, Dagda(Irish), Cernunnos(Greco-Celtic), Pan(Greek), Adonis(Greek)

12. Goddesses
Eostre (Saxon Goddess of Fertility), Ostara (the German Goddess of Fertility) (Teutonic)
Kore, Maiden, Isis, Astarte(Persia, GrecoRoman), Ishtar(Babylonian), Minerva(Roman),
Youthful Goddesses. Faerie Queen, Lady of the Lake(Welsh-Cornish), the Green Goddess

13. Essence
Strength, birthing, completion, power, love, sexuality, embodiment of spirit, fertility, opening, beginning

CONTEST RULES:

Place the option number(s) you are choosing to write about in your author's note.

You may write about option 1, all 13 options or any combination thereof and enter as many times as you wish on any of the options.

No limit on entries each author may submit.

Pre-writes or new in this contest as long as it stays with the theme of the contest.

No restrictions on form, it can be a letter, poem, essay, prose, editorial.

No restrictions on word or line count.

Your work MUST be titled.

Obvious spelling and grammar errors will be noted. Please edit for typo’s and use spell check as it really is your friend.

I will not hesitate to remove entries that contain denigrating insults to other belief systems or proselytizing. If you do not understand these words, please look them up.

Honorable Mentions may be determined for more at time of judging and will be at my discretion for award amounts.

Not a rule but a competitive and good sportsman ethic to practice, visit the other poets in this contest to see their paradigm.

Judging on the scale below:

1. Passionate write-------------------6
2. Visualization ---------------------6
3. Grammar & Spelling ----------------5
4. Interesting & Convincing ----------4
5. Follows the Rules -----------------4
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TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE --------------25

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We will both give a review of all entries and try to be both helpful and encouraging. If we mention errors in our review, we expect those errors to be corrected by close of contest, and your score will increase likewise.

Excellent Writing to You!
)O(
DragonBlue
& Blue Rew