The Herald of Spring!

Our Grove is like a wild garden and I am the gardener.

I try to keep it looking natural but there are trees and hedges that need pruning or pollarding and the grass needs cutting.

At the moment I am preparing the wheat bed, this is where we will sow the wheat seed for our Spring Equinox Ceremony.

The wheat bed is behind the Lughnasadh stone which is in the South-West of the circle and each of the eight stones in the circle represents one of the eight Ceremonies.

The wheat grows throughout the Spring and Summer and by August we will cut the wheat as part of the Lughnasadh Ceremony.

The Spring Equinox falls around the 21st of March and this is the start of Spring. Traditionally farmers planted their cereal crops when the full moon appeared after the Spring Equinox.

This association with the moon comes from the Saxon and Viking Goddess of Spring ‘Eostre’ (Ostara) and she is also associated with the Hare and Eggs.

Duck and Goose eggs were given as gifts in the past to symbolise the arrival of Spring, new life and the blessing of the Goddess and her Hare companion (familiar.)

Eostre’s Day has now become Easter and children collect chocolate eggs that have been left by the Easter Bunny, most people don’t know the difference between a Hare and a Rabbit and the true meaning of Easter has (as with most Pagan feasts) merged with Christian events.

So that is why Easter changes dates each year as it is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.

Until next time – Glentaowen