In (dis)honour of the flat-earther amateur
astronaut who tried shooting himself into space recently… and in continuing
honour of the late, great Terry Pratchett (whom I feel is recommended – and fun
- reading for pagans):
Spring comes to the Discworld, and the
Great A’Tuin begins tilting the northern (headwards) half of the Disc a little
closer towards the sun. Two of the four
elephants on the great turtle’s back take up their ancient grudge-match
again. One, on the west side, raises its
trunk and begins blowing warmer air from the rim. The other, on the north, counters by raising
its trunk even farther, blowing down on the snowy Hub Mountains at the centre
of the great disc, spreading cold winds upon the land. It’s a losing battle though; the increasing
tilt of the Disc will make sure warmer weather will come. But is it any wonder
the people are so confused?
Here on the round world, it’s the northern
hemisphere that begins nodding towards the Sun, and the southern hemisphere
away from it. We’ve just passed the
equinox (“equal night”), as the daylight hours now exceed the night. It’s a pet peeve of mine that those new to
the path confuse it with “solstice”, meaning “Sun stands still”. About Mar 21 or so, we have 12 hours of
daylight, and the Sun rises and sets due east and west respectively. We are
fortunate this year in that Ostara (under its various spellings) occurs so
close to the moveable Christian feast, so I at least don’t feel the cultural
disconnect that Easters in mid-April can bring (“but we celebrated Ostara weeks ago!”).
The animal fertility of “bunnies and eggs”
that so often infuses our rituals is triggered by both the lengthening days and
the warmer weather. It can be confusing
(I admit it still is for me) that Beltane, with its emphasis on sex, is not
about the fertility of animals, but of plants… pagans are just “showing the
way” for the flora.
In my own personal Wheel of the Year, the
aging Holly lord is in his Sage aspect. Since Imbolc, he has been teaching his
young Oak Apprentice in the magickal arts. Oak, meanwhile, has been looking
lustily at the Maiden goddess, and slays the Holly Sage so he can have her for
his own.
If we map our lives on the Wheel of the
Year, Ostara can be associated with adolescence and our own apprenticeships:
our training in school, and ongoing learning during our lives. Perhaps in another
sense, it’s about establishing, celebrating, or reinforcing our own identity, particularly
in the wake of life-altering events; something to think about in terms of
crafting your own rituals this month.
April Events:
Note
these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement should be
necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the
source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this
listing, please contact me. All times MDT.
Apr 1:
All Fools’ Day, and Easter Sunday.
Apr 7, 11:00 am: Calgary Kinky Flea Market at Forest Heights
Community Centre, 4909 Forego Ave. SE.
Apr 14, 10:00 am: Calgary New Age Market at Hillhurst-Sunnyside
Community Hall. https://www.facebook.com/events/158642184896444/
Apr 14, 7:00 pm: Calgary Cuddle Party at Scarboro Community
Centre, 1727-14 Avenue SW. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/calgary-cuddle-party-tickets-25420398095
Apr 15, 3:21 am: Mercury retrograde ends.
Apr 15: Celtic Tree-Month of Saille/Willow begins,
according to Robert Graves.
Apr 15, 7:57 pm: New Moon. Lunar Month of Saille/Willow begins.
Apr 18, 6:00 pm: An
Inconvenient Sequel screening and discussion at Green Calgary, #100, 301 –
14 St. NW. http://www.greencalgary.org
Apr 21, 8:00 am: Alberta Wilderness Association “Climb for
Wilderness” at the Bow Building. http://www.climbforwilderness.ca/
Apr 21, 7:00 pm: Paranormal Investigation at East Coulee
School Museum, hosted by Ghost Hunt Alberta. Tickets through Eventbrite. https://www.facebook.com/events/246930162510554/
Apr 22:
Earth Day.
Apr 22, 9:00 am: An
Inconvenient Sequel screening and discussion at Green Calgary, #100, 301 –
14 St. NW. See Apr 18.
Apr 26-29:
Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo at Stampede Park. http://calgaryexpo.com
Apr 27-29:
Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo at Grey Eagle Casino. http://bodysoulspiritexpo.com/expo/expo.php3?city=104
Apr 27, 9:30 pm: Paranormal Investigation of Rockyview Hotel,
Cochrane, hosted by Ghost Hunt Alberta. Tickets through Eventbrite. https://www.facebook.com/events/911865068986290/
Apr 28-29:
The Crystal Cauldron Marketplace at The Market on Macleod, 7711 Macleod Trail
S. https://www.facebook.com/events/1754295301295671/
Apr 28, 7:00 pm: Calgary Heathens Meet and Greet at Denny’s
McKnight.
Apr 29, 6:00 pm: Witchcraft Discussion/Education Group at CommunityWise
Resource Centre (formerly Old Y), hosted by Calgary School of Informal
Education. https://www.facebook.com/events/1596741910406000/
Apr 29, 6:58 pm: Full (Pink or Wind) Moon.
May 1:
Beltane.
May 1, 10:30 am: Second Annual Pagan Cultural Festival at Galt
Gardens, Lethbridge. https://www.facebook.com/events/1264633076990020/
