Spring solstice, the eclipse and the supermoon
Friday is the Spring Equinox; traditionally the first day of spring, there will also be an eclipse and a supermoon! There are two equinoxes every year, one in March which will fall on the 19th, 20th or 21st, and one in September, when the sun shines directly onto the equator and the length of the night and day is nearly equal. Equinox and solstices are opposite on either side of the equator, in the northern hemisphere the March equinox is known as the spring equinox while in the south it is known as the autumn equinox.The word equinox derives from the Latin meaning "equal night", but the equinoxes don't have exactly 12 hours of daylight.
This is always a time of new beginnings and rebirth, and many celebrations are held around this time like Easter and Passover. Witches and Pagans celebrate the spring equinox as it signifies the coming of spring. This is a lesser Sabbat, a solar festival, which fall on the solstices and equinoxes. The spring equinox is known as Ostara.
The other lesser ones are the winter solstice, summer and autumn. The greater sabbats are of course Imbolc , Beltane, Lammas and Samhain.The changes that happen at this time of year are attributed to the increasing power of the Gods and Goddesses which are personified as The Green Man and Mother Earth. The Green Man was born from Mother Earth in the winter and lives until Samhain.
The solar eclipse refers to a phenomenon where the sun and moon line up, so that the latter obscures the former. On Friday 20th the longest duration of this eclipse will be 2 minutes and 46 seconds if viewed off the coast of the Faroe Islands. The next total solar eclipse will be on August 12th 2026.
There are many superstitions and folklore surrounding an eclipse , it is believed that it brings death, destruction and disasters.
A popular misconception is that solar eclipses can be a danger to pregnant women and their unborn child. In many cultures, young children and pregnant women are asked to stay indoors during a solar eclipse.
In many parts of India, people observe fasts during one due to the belief that any food cooked while an eclipse happens will be poisonous and impure.
Not all superstitions surrounding solar eclipses are about doom. In Italy, for example, it is believed that flowers planted during a solar eclipse are brighter and more colourful than flowers planted any other time of the year.
A Supermoon, or perigee moon, happens when the full or new moon does its closest fly-by of the Earth, making it look bigger than it normally does.
There are many myths surrounding the moon, it has always been regarded as a source of power especially for women with whom it is most associated. It is regarded as a source of fertility and has been since earliest times, it was even thought that women could be made pregnant by moonbeams and women who desired to have a child would sleep under the light of a moon.In previous centuries it was believed that a child born at the full moon would never be healthy and would be liable to moonstruck madness otherwise known as insanity.
In modern witchcraft the moon is the source of the witches power, drawing this down from the sky and the lunar phases governs all manner of magical tools, the summoning of spirits, the preparations of charms and remedies and of course the casting of spells.The Goddess worshiped by modern day witches is associated with the moon, her mate is the Horned God of the woodlands, he represent the beasts of nature and the horned moon, he is also the lord of life, death and the underworld. Born at the winter solstice, marries the Goddess at Beltane and then dies at the summer solstice as a sacrifice to life.
This is always a time of new beginnings and rebirth, and many celebrations are held around this time like Easter and Passover. Witches and Pagans celebrate the spring equinox as it signifies the coming of spring. This is a lesser Sabbat, a solar festival, which fall on the solstices and equinoxes. The spring equinox is known as Ostara.
The other lesser ones are the winter solstice, summer and autumn. The greater sabbats are of course Imbolc , Beltane, Lammas and Samhain.The changes that happen at this time of year are attributed to the increasing power of the Gods and Goddesses which are personified as The Green Man and Mother Earth. The Green Man was born from Mother Earth in the winter and lives until Samhain.
The solar eclipse refers to a phenomenon where the sun and moon line up, so that the latter obscures the former. On Friday 20th the longest duration of this eclipse will be 2 minutes and 46 seconds if viewed off the coast of the Faroe Islands. The next total solar eclipse will be on August 12th 2026.
There are many superstitions and folklore surrounding an eclipse , it is believed that it brings death, destruction and disasters.
A popular misconception is that solar eclipses can be a danger to pregnant women and their unborn child. In many cultures, young children and pregnant women are asked to stay indoors during a solar eclipse.
In many parts of India, people observe fasts during one due to the belief that any food cooked while an eclipse happens will be poisonous and impure.
Not all superstitions surrounding solar eclipses are about doom. In Italy, for example, it is believed that flowers planted during a solar eclipse are brighter and more colourful than flowers planted any other time of the year.
A Supermoon, or perigee moon, happens when the full or new moon does its closest fly-by of the Earth, making it look bigger than it normally does.
There are many myths surrounding the moon, it has always been regarded as a source of power especially for women with whom it is most associated. It is regarded as a source of fertility and has been since earliest times, it was even thought that women could be made pregnant by moonbeams and women who desired to have a child would sleep under the light of a moon.In previous centuries it was believed that a child born at the full moon would never be healthy and would be liable to moonstruck madness otherwise known as insanity.
In modern witchcraft the moon is the source of the witches power, drawing this down from the sky and the lunar phases governs all manner of magical tools, the summoning of spirits, the preparations of charms and remedies and of course the casting of spells.The Goddess worshiped by modern day witches is associated with the moon, her mate is the Horned God of the woodlands, he represent the beasts of nature and the horned moon, he is also the lord of life, death and the underworld. Born at the winter solstice, marries the Goddess at Beltane and then dies at the summer solstice as a sacrifice to life.
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