Happy Eostre!
reprinted from 2006. Artwork by
Many people will celebrate Easter Sunday as the day that Christ rose from his grave and achieved godhood. In ancient mythology, the archetype of the dying and rising god actually began thousands of years before Jesus with the stories of Osiris and Tammuz, Adonis and Attis — all legends of gods that suffered an untimely end but were reborn into physical existence in order to spread their religion. Festivals celebrating the death of the god in winter when the crops were dying and the resurrection in spring were common.
Long before the birth of Jesus, Dionysus was resurrected and ascended to heaven after being torn apart by the Titans, an event celebrated in mystery cults in early Rome. Belief in Dionysus was thought to give one eternal life, and followers were initiated by bathing.
Several hundred years before Jesus, stories about the Anatolian god Attis claimed that he was born to a Virgin and was considered both the Father and the divine son. The Festival of Joy was celebrated every year in Rome: the first day commemorated his death, and on the third day the worshippers celebrated his rising from the dead.
Mithras was a Persian god who had faded into prehistory until being imported into Rome around 70 BC according to Plutarch. Mithras was born on December 25 of a virgin mother. He was born into a mortal body in order to redeem humanity and was known as Savior.
According to the 8th century Christian monk and historian Bede, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). Eostre was a Teutonic goddess of fertility, who was often portrayed in Anglo-Saxon myth with a white hare standing in attendance. The hare, or rabbit, […]
Full Moons are all about balancing polar opposites since during the Full Moon the Sun is in the sign opposing the sign the Moon is in. The polarities of the zodiac are oppositional in nature but some of the polarities are more oppositional than others. Taurus and Scorpio both are sensual and stubborn. Gemini and Sagittarius both hunger for knowledge.
If you’re on my mailing list you will soon be receiving the translation of the article into English that is easy to understand. If you’re NOT on my mailing list, please sign up in the sidebar! Skywatch is free every month. You can read the article in its entirety here, but here is the introduction to the overall planetary view for March: March is packed with planetary activity which means that the energy around us will be powerful and provide an impetus for transition and transformation. Uranus and Pluto are moving closer towards the second phase of their dance which will culminate in a square (90 degree) formation in May of this year, creating drama and resistance as the old forms (Pluto in Capricorn) are breaking away for greater individual liberty (Uranus in Aries). At the same time there is a big stellium in Pisces made up of six planets that will align with the Moon on March 11th, a powerful Pisces alignment that has the potential to create a flood of divine consciousness, but also to drown our intelligence in a sea of confusion. However, a harmonious sextile between Saturn and Chiron ensures that if we avoid laziness and apply discipline to our lives during this time (Saturn), healing can occur and we will become more wise in the ways of the world (Chiron). This is helpful because Jupiter (ideology and belief) is moving towards a strong square to Chiron that will tend to draw us away from the process of healing if we’re not careful. Jupiter doesn’t always see the necessity of effort, and sometimes a lack of attention will cause the exposure of wounds by Chiron to be more painful than it would 