The Winter of 2021 has come to an end. The Vernal Equinox was on Saturday, March 20th. A new reality has begun. There is always a lot of friction leading up to a major Sabbat, but the friction that leads to Ostara every year is the most intense. I always compare this friction to the tumultuous weather that starts Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in North America it is especially tumultuous. We don’t call it Tornado Alley for no reason. Life is springing (pun intended) up all around us, but not at a cost. All that new life starts in the death of something – Life feeds on Life.
The Divine Masculine plays a huge role in this new life. It was His sacrifice in the Autumn that lends nourishment to the fresh start of Spring. We don’t usually think about the Sacrificial God as life is blooming all around us, but it is an undercurrent that runs all through this time of year. The best example is from the Christian world. Easter is a celebration of Jesus’s resurrection from death, but He had to sacrifice His life before that resurrection could occur. Easter, as many of you know, takes its name from the much older celebration of Ostara, the Goddess Eostre, the Spring (Vernal) Equinox. However, the dating of the Christian celebration of Easter is based around the Jewish celebration of Passover. In the celebration of Passover the Jewish world commemorates the passage of the Angel of Death over their homes just prior to their exit from Egypt. The part most folks ignore is that all the first-born sons of the Egyptians were killed that night. First born SONS. The Sacrificial God giving His blood so life could continue. It happened in the Spring. Life feeds on Life.
Most people don’t think of death this time of year, too depressing in the midst of all that new life. I usually do think of death as Spring emerges. March has never been my favorite month. Over half the deaths that deeply hurt my heart occurred in March. This year added one more to that sad list, my little writer’s cat, Katchina. She passed on the Monday before Ostara. I have written much about my little gray cat. She was special. In June she would have been twenty years old. She shared nearly 1/3 of my life with me. I was with her at her birth, and on that sad Monday night, as we sat together watching TV, she passed, quietly and gently, by my side. I am still in mourning, so I do not wish to go into details. Just one last time, I honor Katchina with my words.
As Life emerges along with a new reality, remember that in order for life to continue, death must occur. Celebrate life, but celebrate the lives of those who have already moved on as well because the emerging new reality required a sacrifice. The Divine Masculine dances life into existence, because He also dances the dance of Death.
