The Mystical Cauldron
Ostara Edition - March 2004
Springtime is when everything is new. Fresh green sprouts have struggled to stick their little heads above the ground, baby animals are born and we eagerly anticipate the wonderful Sabbat of Ostara... ripe with its fertility symbols and its rich legends. This Sabbat is certainly one of joy and growth and cleansing. It is also a time when we are made aware of the cycles of Nature and the part we play in that cycle.
We pass on the legends of the season, we encourage our children's interest in the plants that abound now... We even reinact our ancestors survival actions by holding egg hunts for our children. As our ancestors hunted for eggs in the nests of wild birds as a seasonally renewed source of much needed protein, so our children now search for eggs we have hidden for them to find. Though the meaning is far different now than it used to be, still, in this way, the next generation connects on a deep cellular level to their own ancestors.
Below is a list of colors and their healing potentials.
Used For: Meditation rituals, uncrossing rituals and spells to banish evil and negativity, to break up a blocked or stagnant situation. The Crone, the unconscious.
Used for: Magick that involves honor, loyalty, peace, tranquility, truth, wisdom, protection during sleep, astral projection and spells to induce prophetic dreams.
Used For: Spells to locate lost objects and improve powers of concentration and telepathy, protection of the familiars and household pets, ground and center your conciseness with the earth, to attune with trees and communicate with their intelligence.
Used for: Spells to attract the power of cosmic influences, and rituals to honor solar Deities, to heal and rejuvenate your being, attracting happy, active people into your life, to expedite money you know is coming to you, to impart energy and intelligence to take proper action in a monetary situation.
Used for: To erase, cancel, neutralize, and return to the universe without repercussion, to eradicate or jumble destructive forces, to attract neither destructive nor constructive energies to your life (this includes people and situations).
Used for: Spells involving fertility, success, good luck, prosperity, money, rejuvenation and ambition, rituals to counteract greed and jealousy. Communication with the plant kingdom (darker greens) or fairies (pastels). The secrets of healing are yours when you tune in to this color. Use in conjunction with herbal healing techniques.
Used for: Prosperity, energy building, attracts others in a positive way, attracts success, good luck and fortune. Builds energy, vitality and stamina. Encourages fun and discourages laziness. Enhances mental agility, accompanied by the ability to take physical action toward a desired goal. Energizes the entire system. Promotes a happy-go-lucky appearance.
Used for: Love from the heart without sexual connotation, purest form of love, raises vibrations, love without selfishness, feminine, spiritual healing, banish lower vibrations and hate, love of friends and family, affections, unselfish emotions, to start a relationship.
Used for: Purple brings more of what you already have, in a bigger way. Wisdom, high idealism, knowledge of the higher realms of magick, spiritual protection and healing, the becoming of your highest potential. Enhancement of power, psychic ability, male energy, protective energy, recognition in your chosen field.
Used for: Lust, physical desire, base energy, war, attracts and magnetizes, courage, enemies, danger. Red stimulates and energizes. Cherry reds are for physical and mental lovemaking, but without the brutal force of the darker hues.
Used for: Consecration rituals, meditation, divination, exorcism, and spells that involve healing, clairvoyance, truth, peace, spiritual strength, to confound enemies, create illusions, contact spirit helpers, to build purity, balance the aura.
Used for: To obtain knowledge, learn swiftly, gain insight into problems. Yellow represents all institutions of learning, particularly upper level studies such as sciences. Alters dark mental mood swings, enhances knowledge of healing, ability to concentrate, retention of memory. Yellow attracts people, as it has a warm compelling energy.
When the Sacred Spiral Dance is truly mastered, you will notice a sparkling iridescence in the air and perceive each of the two spirals as triple overlays. This is the sign that you have totally immersed yourselves into the Spaces-In-Between.
Table of Contents
Color Charged Water
The Sacred Spiral
What is a Chakra?
An Ostara Ritual
Ostara Crafts
Recipes for the Ostara Feast
Springtime and Ostara
Around this time of year I am always bitten by a bug... the planting bug. I pour through garden catalogs looking at the Spring flowers and fidgeting for the time when the last frost will happen so I can PLANT SOMETHING. I used to just think I was a little nutsy (and I probably am) but the longer I walk the spiritual path I am on, the more I feel that I am just catching the same excitement that the rest of Nature has.
Color Charged Water
An ordinary glass of water can become medicinal when charged by sunlight. Fill a colored bottle with water -or- tape a piece of colored acetate around the bottle (You can even put a few drops of food coloring in the water if you can't find colored bottles or colored acetate) and let it sit in sunlight from six to eight hours. Even if the sun does not directly shine on the water it will still be charged. Drink a wineglass of the color-charged water whenever you need the healing effect of that color. (An example of this is drinking red water in the morning to wake one up or invigorate the person, and drinking indigo at night to relax).
Black - An intense concentration of all colors, it absorbs light. This can give the false impression that black is the absence of color. It is actually the absence of color reflection. Think of this color as a black hole in space. It absorbs all light with little or no reflection back, thus it becomes a receptacle or a transporter for all that you don't need or want. Properly used, it can be one of the most useful and powerful colors available.
Blue - transforms violence, anger, and hate. It soothes and cools. It gives peace, calm, harmony, satisfaction, bliss, oneness, and understanding of the spiritual realms.
Brown - centering, consciousness, friendships, success, thorough work, endurance, home, concentration.
Gold - Intelligent action or action motivated by deliberation and knowledge, usually with healing, money, or wealth in mind. Indicative of intelligent, quick action with a monetary emphasis.
Gray - This color is unique, due to its aspect of neutrality. Gray can be used to neutralize anything from a magickal act that not longer serves your best interest, to the neutralization of destructive energies in a passive non-karmic fashion. It is a perfect balance of black and white, and therefore absorbs and repels. With this quality, gray draws in the undesirable energies and then sends them out to the universe for dispersal as neither a destructive nor constructive properties.
Green - Green brings luck in cases of money. It stimulates growth, plant life or garden fairies. It gives emotional healing to matters of the heart and emphasizes healing knowledge.
Orange - Orange is a combination of yellow/Mercury (mental agility) and red/Mars (action - energy). Thus you have the best of both worlds, the energies of the actions of red, yet the intelligence to know how to use this action. It is used to improve mental agility, prosperity, success, mental & physical action, legal matters, attraction, stimulation, healing, vitality, good luck & fortune, property deals, selling.
Pink - Pink deals with spiritual, emotional love rather than the physical form. Pink represents love that comes from the heart that is freely given without condition, such as the emotions and feelings between parent and child, close friends, or family.
Purple - Purple is the color of expansion in all forms, psychic ability, hidden knowledge, the Third Eye, dignity, intuition, ambition, occult wisdom, recognition in your own field, law, self improvement, creative work, success in searches.
Red - Red is a fiery color that attracts and magnetizes, but must be used with discernment to avoid disastrous results. It represents physical desire, courage, physical & mental love, strength, blood, passion, physical power, enthusiasm, career goals, driving force, marriage.
White - A pastel combination of all colors, white reflects light with little to no absorption. It represents the highest consciousness, the Goddess, the Moon, purity, peace, healing, balance, protection, innocence, truth, centering, spirituality, sincerity, a clean slate.
Yellow - Yellow is the color of mental clarity, swiftness and accuracy. A sunny, positive disposition with spiritual attuning to the healing forces of the male energy Used for: To obtain knowledge, learn swiftly, gain insight into problems. Yellow represents all institutions of learning, particularly upper level studies such as sciences. Alters dark mental mood swings, enhances knowledge of healing, ability to concentrate, retention of memory. Yellow attracts people, as it has a warm compelling energy.
One of the ways that we can immerse ourselve in the eternal cycles of Nature it to participate in a Spiral Dance. The Sacred Spiral Dance is of profound significance since it is the map of our journey into the Greater Love and it is the eternal dance of the One Heart. During this Dance, we move in two spirals towards a central point. Together we form the patterning of the One Heart. Our partner in the spiral opposite us represents both our True Love and our Lover from Beyond the Stars. When we meet our partner in the center, the two become One. Then as our newly formed One Being moves out of the center into the Spaces-In-Between the two incoming spirals, we have entered the passageway to the Greater Love. At the end of the Dance, we have all joined together as One Vaster Being in the Greater Love.
Part One: Moving into Position (without music)
- Choose a partner who represents your Lover from Beyond the Stars. Now form one long double line of all the partners facing the same direction along the edge of your room.
- You now have two long, single lines. The leading couple begin a slow walk in a clockwise direction, lifting each knee to hip height, placing each foot softly on the floor in a diagonal position pointing outwards. This walk is done in unison with a gently flowing motion from side to side. Each dancer tries to place their feet in the exact spaces previously occupied by the dancer in front of them, further strengthening the One Being. Everyone's hands are still in prayer position in front of their hearts.
- Halfway across the room / space, the first dancer of the outer line of dancers will stop and face inwards with the rest of his line doing the same. The inside line continues on with the slow, flowing step until their first dancer reaches the point exactly opposite their partner. The inside line then stops and faces inwards. The two single lines will form two elongated spirals beginning on the right of the first couple.
- As the partners in the opposite spirals align with each other, they slowly open into the One Heart where they remain for the rest of the Dance. From this point onwards until we reach the outer circle of the Greater Love, we will only look at our partner.
1. As the music starts to play, the first couple begins the dance by moving in a clockwise direction, always remaining totally focused on their partner. The actual step is one of raising the left leg and moving it to the left with a smooth dipping motion. Then bringing the right foot in towards the left. This is followed by a pause of random length, which is determined by the lead couple of this dance. Since one of the purposes of this Dance is to take us into the Spaces-In-Between, our steps will not necessarily follow the beats of the music. This necessitates that each spiral aligns as One Being. We need to feel as though there was an invisible connecting us to the dancers on both sides of us. If we do this, we will automatically take a step to the left each time the person on our left moves.
2. The two lines of dancers slowly spiral into the center, being careful to leave sufficient space between the incoming spirals to create the Spaces-In-Between.
3. When the first couple reaches the center of the spiral, they lightly touch fingertips. Then, remaining together at the fingertips, the two become One Being and reverse direction, spiraling outwards in a counterclockwise manner within the Spaces-In-Between the ingoing spirals of dancers.
4. As each couple enters the center point, they touch fingertips, becoming One Being and follow the first couple spiraling outwards counterclockwise in the Spaces-In-Between. This outwards spiraling continues until you have reached the outside of the two ingoing spirals.
5. As the first couple arrives at the outside of the Dance, they form the beginning of a new outer circle by linking little fingers of one hand and facing inwards while continuing the sideways dance step in a counterclockwise fashion, keeping their arms upraised at the sides with palms forward. They are thus forming the circle of the Greater Love.
6. Each couple who arrives at the outside of the Dance, joins with the outer circle by linking themselves together with their little fingers. Once you are in the circle of the Greater Love, you can now look at everyone in the outer circle, experiencing the fullness of the Greater Love.
7. This continues until everyone is in the outer circle. The last couple closes and completes the circle by linking little fingers with the first person in the outer circle.
8. Now the Sacred Spiral Dance moves to a new level of sublime ecstasy as you continue dancing counterclockwise as one synchronized, organic whole.
9. From this point until the end of the tape of music, you can create your own variations to the Dance. One movement is to gently dance into the core of the One Heart and slowly dance out again still joined by our little fingers. You can also stop dancing and stand quietly with arms upraised & fingers joined. It's important that you maintain the subtle focus of this dance by keeping it slow and quiet. There's often so much energy that it's easy to get rowdy at this point and disperse all the energy. But if you can keep it deep and subtle, you will be triggered into sublime ecstasy.
10. If it feels appropriate, you can drop hands and move into free form, ecstatic dancing, feeling your entire being now fully anchored in the Spaces-In-Between.
Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning wheel, or vortex, and it refers to each of the seven energy centers of which our consciousness, our energy system, is composed. These chakras, or energy centers, function as pumps or valves, regulating the flow of energy through our energy system.
The functioning of the chakras reflects decisions we make concerning how we choose to respond to conditions in our life. We open and close these valves when we decide what to think, and what to feel, and through which perceptual filter we choose to experience the world around us.
The chakras are not physical. They are aspects of consciousness in the same way that the auras are aspects of consciousness. The chakras are more dense than the auras, but not as dense as the physical body. They interact with the physical body through two major vehicles, the endocrine system and the nervous system.
Each of the seven chakras is associated with one of the seven endocrine glands, and also with a group of nerves called a plexus. Thus, each chakra can be associated with particular parts of the body and particular functions within the body controlled by that plexus or that endocrine gland associated with that chakra.
All of your senses, all of your perceptions, all of your possible states of awareness, everything it is possible for you to experience, can be divided into seven categories. Each category can be associated with a particular chakra. Thus, the chakras represent not only particular parts of your physical body, but also particular parts of your consciousness.
When you feel tension in your consciousness, you feel it in the chakra associated with that part of your consciousness experiencing the stress, and in the parts of the physical body associated with that chakra. Where you feel the stress depends upon why you feel the stress. The tension in the chakra is detected by the nerves of the plexus associated with that chakra, and transmitted to the parts of the body controlled by that plexus. When the tension continues over a period of time, or to a particular level of intensity, the person creates a symptom on the physical level.
The symptom speaks a language that reflects the idea that we each create our reality, and the metaphoric significance of the symptom becomes apparent when the symptom is described from that point of view. Thus, rather than saying, "I can't see," the person would describe it as keeping themselves from seeing something. "I can't walk," means the person has been keeping themselves from walking away from a situation in which they are unhappy. And so on.
The symptom served to communicate to the person through their body what they had been doing to themselves in their consciousness. When the person changes something about their way of being, getting the message communicated by the symptom, the symptom has no further reason for being, and it can be released, according to whatever the person allows themselves to believe is possible.
Understanding the chakras allows you to understand the relationship between your consciousness and your body, and to thus see your body as a map of your consciousness. It gives you a better understanding of yourself and those around you.
The Root Chakra
Also known as: Security Center, Muladhara
Body/Mind Associations:
Location: The perineum, the point between the anus and the sex organs
Color : Red
Parts of the body: Lymph system, skeleton system (teeth and bones), the prostate gland in men, the sacral plexus, the bladder and elimination system, and the lower extremities (legs - feet, ankles , etc.). Also the nose, since it is the organ of the sense of smell, and associated with survival.
Endocrine gland: Adrenal glands
Sense: Smell
Consciousness: Security, survival, trust, the relationship with money, home, job. Ability to be grounded, to be present in the here and now. Ability to allow one's self to be nourished, in the sense of allowing one's Inner Being to be satisfied. This chakra also reflects a person's connection with their mother, and with Mother Earth. How the person feels about being on the earth. Connection with the physical body.
Symptoms or tensions in the parts of the body controlled by this chakra indicate tensions in the parts of the person's consciousness related to this chakra. Tension here is experienced as insecurity as a general perceptual filter. More tension is experienced as fear.
Element: Earth
The Sacral Chakra
Also known as: Sensation Center, Spleen Chakra, Hara, Svadhisthana
Body Mind Associations:
Location: The center of the abdomen
Color: Orange
Parts of the body: Reproductive system, sexual organs, lumbar plexus
Endocrine gland: Gonads
Sense: Sense of taste, appetite
Consciousness: This chakra is associated with the parts of the consciousness concerned with food and sex. It is about the body's communication to the Being inside, about what the body wants and needs, and what it finds pleasurable. The person's ability to have children is also associated with this chakra. If there is not a clear relationship with the element of water, associated with this chakra, the person's relationship with water is a reflection of their relationship with the parts of their consciousness associated with this chakra, i.e. food, sex, or having children.
This chakra is also associated with the emotional body, and the person's willingness to feel their emotions.
Element: Water
The Solar Plexus Chakra
Also known as: Power Center, Manipura
Body Mind Associations:
Location: Solar plexus
Color: Yellow
Parts of the Body: The parts of the body associated with this chakra include the muscular system, the skin as a system, the solar plexus, the large intestine, stomach, liver, and other organs and glands in the region of the solar plexus. Also the eyes, as the organs of sight, and the face, representing figuratively the face one shows the world.
Endocrine Gland: The pancreas
Sense: Eyesight
Consciousness: Parts of the consciousness associated with this chakra include perceptions concerned with power, control, freedom, the ease with which one is able to be themselves - ease of being. Mental activity and the mental body is also associated with this chakra. The solar plexus chakra is also associated with the level of being we call the personality, or ego.
The relationship a person has with fire, or the sun, can be seen to have its parallels in the person's relationship with the parts of their consciousness that this chakra represents. Someone sensitive about the sun, then, can be seen to have particular sensitivities about power, or control, or freedom.
Element: Fire, the sun.
The Heart Chakra
Also known as: Living Love Center, Anahata
Body Mind Associations:
Location: Center of the chest
Color: Emerald Green
Parts of the body: This Chakra is associated with the heart and the blood circulatory system, and the cardiac plexus, as well as the lungs and the entire chest area.
Endocrine Gland: Thymus Gland, controlling the immune system.
Sense: Sense of touch, in its aspect of relating to the person inside the body, and distinct from the sensation of the Orange Chakra, which is more about the sensation one feels from their own body. Hugging, therefore, is a Heart Chakra activity. When one hugs, one is aware of what the person inside the other body feels, and they are aware of what you feel inside your body, and there is a sense of relating to the person inside the body. Sensitivity about being touched indicates heart chakra sensitivity.
Consciousness: Perceptions of love, relationships (relating) with people close to your heart, e.g. partner, siblings, parents, children. Difficulty with breathing, or with the lungs, the organs of air, indicates tension in the Heart Chakra. A person's relationship with air reflects their relationship with love.
AIDS is a problem with the person's perceptions of love, since it is the immune system which is affected. The person's lifestyle separates them from those they love.
Element: Air
The Throat Chakra
Also known as: Cornucopia Center, Visuddha
Body Mind Associations:
Location: Base of the throat
Color: Sky blue
Parts of the body: This chakra controls the throat and the neck, and the arms and the hands. It is associated with the brachial or cervical plexus.
Sense: Sense of Hearing
Endocrine Gland: Thyroid Gland
Consciousness: The aspects of expressing and receiving. Expressing can be in the form of communicating what one wants and what one feels, or it can be an artistic expression, as an artist painting, a dancer dancing, a musician playing music, using a form for expressing and bringing to the outside what was within. Expressing is related to receiving, as in "Ask, and ye shall receive."
This chakra is associated with listening to one's intuition, which guides one in an optimal flow, in which one sees one's goals manifest, and it seems that the Universe provides all their needs with no effort on their part at all. It's a state of Grace. Abundance, therefore, is associated with this chakra, as is the aspect of unconditional receiving necessary to accept the abundance of the Universe.
This is the first level of consciousness in which one perceives directly another level of Intelligence, and experiences one's interaction with this other Intelligence.
Metaphysically, this chakra is related to creativity, creating, manifesting in the physical world the fulfillment of one's goals.
Element: Ether, as the crossover between the physical world and the world of Spirit. On the physical level, it corresponds to deep space as the most subtle physical element. From the point of view of the Spiritual, it represents the matrix on which physical reality manifests.
Metaphorically, it represents a person's relationship with their space, the movie that is playing around them.
The Third Eye (Brow Chakra)
Also known as: Consciousness Awareness Center, Third Eye, Ajna
Body Mind Associations:
Location: Center of the forehead
Color: Indigo, Midnight Blue
Parts of the body: This Chakra is associated with the forehead and temples, with the carotid plexus
Endocrine Gland: Pituitary Gland
Sense: Extra Sensory Perception, all of the inner senses corresponding to the outer senses, which together are considered spirit-to-spirit communication. These include, for example, clairvoyance (inner sense of vision), clairaudience (inner sense of hearing), clairsentience (inner sense of touch), etc.
Consciousness: This Chakra is associated with the deep inner level of Being we call the Spirit, and with what we consider spirituality and the spiritual perspective, the point of view from that deeper part of our being that western traditions consider the subconscious or unconscious. It is the place where our true motivations are found, and is the level of consciousness that directs our actions and, in fact, our lives.
It is also from this point of view that one sees events in the physical world as the manifestation of co-creation among the Beings involved in those events.
Element: Inner Sound, the sound one hears inside that does not depend upon events outside. Often considered a pathological condition by traditional medicine, it is also seen by eastern traditions as a necessary prerequisite to further spiritual growth.
The Crown Chakra
Also known as: Cosmic Consciousness Center, "I AM" Center, Sahasrara
Body Mind Associations:
Location: Top of the head
Color: Violet
Parts of the body: This Chakra is associated with the top of the head, the brain, and the entire nervous system Endocrine Gland: Pineal Gland
Sense: Sense of empathy, unity, experiencing another person's experience as if you were inside them, being them.
Consciousness: The Crown Chakra represents that part of our consciousness concerned with perceptions of unity or separation. Just as the Root Chakra showed our connection with Mother Earth, this chakra shows our relationship with Our Father in Heaven. It represents our connection with our biological father, which becomes the model for our relationship with authority, and ultimately, with God. It's the level of the soul.
When one experiences a sense of separation from their father, they close the crown chakra, and experience a sense of isolation and aloneness, as if they are in a shell, and having difficulty with feeling contact with those around them. Thought processes tend to justify and maintain the sense of aloneness.
The view from this chakra includes seeing one's Self as the single consciousness creating all, and paradoxically, thus connected to all, like a dreamer dreaming a dream and realizing that all that is perceived is just an extension of their own consciousness.
Element: Inner Light, which is what one experiences when they are in the deepest part of their being, as a point of consciousness glowing with intelligence.
Also called White Light. Metaphysically, this is considered the most subtle element of which the entire physical universe is created.
Altar decorations - The altar cloth should be a pastel color. You can place fresh flowers in a vase on the altar. God and Goddess statues should represent the Maiden Goddess and the Young Warrior God. Also on the altar should be one undecorated, hard-boiled egg with a white crayon for decoration and a small bowl of red dye.
Circle Cast
Quarter Calls...
"From the East come the winds that carry the seed. Spirits of the East be here now"
"From the South comes the warmth, kindling the life of the seed. Spirits of the South be here now"
"From the West comes the water that swells the sprout. Spirits of the West be here now"
"From the North comes Earth that nourishes the plant. Spirits of the South be here now"
"From Above comes the nourishing rays of the Sun that brings us spiritual strength. Spirits of Above be here now"
"From Below comes the soft light of the Moon that brings inner spiritual guidance. Spirits of Below be here now"
"From the Ancestors comes the wisdom of the cycles of the Earth and knowledge of re-birth. Spirits of the Ancestors you are welcome here"
Invoke God (possibly Pan) & Goddess (possibly Eostre)
A previously chosen person will tell the story of Eostre and the hare...
"The Goddess Eostre decided one fine Spring day to take a stroll in the forest. As she walked through the trees, she came upon a beautiful little bird with a badly broken wing. Feeling great compassion for the little bird, Eostre wanted to heal it's wing, but after a closer look at the wounded wing, She realized that it was damaged so badly that even if healed, the little bird would never fly again. Eostre knew that the bird would never be truly happy if it could not fly so She decided to find a way to heal the little creature and still allow it to retain use of the previously injured appendage. She transformed the little bird into a rabbit and during the modification, the little creature retained the ability to lay eggs. The former bird was so grateful to Eostre for saving its life that it wanted to find a special way to thank her. So the little rabbit laid an egg just to honor Eostre and spent a great deal of time decorating it so that is was the most beautiful egg anyone had ever seen. When the little bunny presented its present to the Goddess, she was so touched by the sentiment and so enchanted by the beauty of the egg gift that She wished all humankind to share in her joy. To honor her wish, the rabbit went all over the world distributing these beautifully decorated little gifts of life and continues to do so even today."
The Priest or Priestess will say... "And so today, will we decorate and egg and give it to our Mother as a present to thank Her for all we get from Her."
Each participant will walk to the altar, beginning with the East quarter-caller, to decorate the egg with signs of what they wish for all humankind. (symbols that you might use would be a heart for love, a dove for peace, a dollar sign for prosperity, etc.) The last person to decorate the egg will hand the egg to the person who called the Ancestors, who will dip the egg in the red dye for a minute or two. Once the egg is removed from the dye and dried, it will be passed around the circle, clockwise, to give everyone a chance to bless it and add energy to it. (An appropriate chant or song may be sung during this activity to help raise energy). When the egg returns to where it started in the circle, it will be buried in the center of the circle, to return these blessings to Mother Earth and Her inhabitants.
Cakes and Ale should be blessed and shared
Thank God & Goddess
Thank and Dismiss Quarters
"Ancestors, we thank you for your wisdom of the cycles of the Earth and your knowledge of re-birth. As you return from whence you came, we bid you Hail and Farewell.
"Spirits of Below, we thank you for your inner spiritual guidance. As you return from whence you came, we bid you Hail and Farewell. "
"Spirits of Above, we thank you for your spiritual strength. As you return from whence you came, we bid you Hail and Farewell."
"Spirits of North, we thank you for nourishing us. As you return from whence you came, we bid you Hail and Farewell."
"Spirits of West, we thank you for helping us grow. As you return from whence you came, we bid you Hail and Farewell."
"Spirits of South, we thank you for kindling our warmth. As you return from whence you came, we bid you Hail and Farewell."
"Spirits of East, we thank you for your seeds of inspiration. As you return from whence you came, we bid you Hail and Farewell."
Open Circle.
You will need:
Shoestring licorice (strawberry or black)
Marshmallow PeepsŪ in your choice of colors and shapes
Cereal with holes (Fruit Loops, Honeycomb, Apple Jacks, etc.), Cocktail Pretzels, or any other stringable food
1. Using a skewer or other sharp instrument (an adult should help here), poke holes throughout the sides of the ears of the PeepsŪ.
2. From here, you can string together many different designs with the stringable food.
3. The necklaces can be tied behind the neck, for a truly sweet fashion statement (if they last long enough).
Note: These were lots of fun to make, but messy. Here are some ideas to make these necklaces a little easier to handle:
To make piercing and stringing the marshmallows easier, grease both the skewer and the licorice strings.
Getting the licorice through the hole is difficult for small fingers. We found that the easiest way to deal with this was to "stretch" the hole as we pierced it with the skewer and also stretch it again as we threaded the licorice through.
The easiest place to pierce the Peeps was through the bottom of the ears on the bunnies, and through the neck on the chicks.
The licorice strings are very fragile, especially when loaded down with Peeps and Fruit Loops (but don't despair... you can eat anything that breaks)!
These lilies are made from a child's handprint (on paper) stapled to a straw. You can make an entire bouquet of flowers for a great gift or Spring decoration.
You will need:
Construction paper (any color you like)
Pencil
Scissors
Green pipe cleaners (or straws)
Tape or glue
Stapler
Trace a child's hand on construction paper.
Cut the tracing out.
Curl each of the fingers around a pencil. 
Using the palm of the handprint, form a cone (with the fingers curling outwards). Glue or tape the cone together.
Staple the flower to a pipe cleaner or a drinking straw.
Draw some leaves on green construction paper, then cut them out.
Staple or tape the leaves to the straw.
Make a few of these flowers for a beautiful bouquet.
Make a pretty flowery crown from a paper plate and paper flowers or eggs. These are fun for Children to wear on Ostara during the egg hunts.
Supplies:
A paper plate
Colored construction paper or tissue paper
Paint, markers, or crayons
Scissors
Glue
Optional - glitter, crepe paper or other ribbons
Cut a slit through the center of the paper plate, leaving about an inch at the edges of the plate. Cut three more slits.
Paint the crown light green (or use markers or crayons to color it). Let it dry and then bend the triangles formed by the cuts upwards, forming leaf-like shapes.
Cut out some construction paper or tissue paper flowers for your hat. Any shapes will do - let your imagination run wild and invent your own flowers. (Or make paper eggs, decorate them, and put them on your hat).
Glue flowers (or eggs) to the crown. 
Optional: Decorate it with glitter and/or staple two long ribbons of crepe paper to your beautiful hat.
You Will Need:
A one gallon milk jug
A stapler
Wiggle eyes
Pipe cleaners
A small pink pom-pom for the nose
A large white pom-pom for the tail
Scissors
Tacky glue
Step One - Clean and have an adult cut the milk jug as illustrated (along the purple lines). You may want to sketch your cut marks with a washable marker.
Step Two - Staple the straight strips of the milk jug together to form a handle.
Step Three - Glue on the eyes, nose, and tail. Let the glue dry.
Step Four - Cut two pieces of pipe cleaner about 3 inches long. An adult should poke two holes in the milk jug on either side of the nose. Push the pipe cleaners in one hole and out the other. Twist the ends of the pipe cleaners to secure and form the whiskers.
Step Five - Fill your Bunny Basket with Easter grass and other goodies. Enjoy!
You can experiment with other sizes of containers to make different size baskets. A half gallon milk container, for example, is a good size for a party favor Bunny Basket.
You will need:
Construction paper (White, Brown, Grey or Black & Pink)
Glue
Scissors
Stapler with Staples
Directions
1. Cut the headband from construction paper. (If you use 12" x 18" paper, 1 headband strip 2" wide cut from the long edge of the paper + one 2" strip cut from the short edge should be enough...If you are using 9" x 12" paper, cut three 2" x 9" strips) 
2. Place the strips end to end and staple (or glue) together to fit snuggly around the child's head.
3. Using the shapes shown in the picture (on Step 1.), cut 2 outer ears from "bunny colored" construction paper.
4. Cut 2 pink inner ears and glue them to the front of the outer ears. Allow the glue to dry before going on to next step.
5. Fold the glued ear pieces in half lengthwise and then unfold them (The crease will help the ears stand up straight.)
6. Staple the ears to the headband with the ears standing straight up.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs, about 3 slices bread
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed beef broth
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
Directions
1. Combine bread crumbs, onion, salt, pepper, nutmeg and 3/4 cup milk in a large mixing bowl. Let milk soak into crumbs for a few minutes.
2. Gently stir in ground beef until well blended; form into ovals about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter (they will look like little footballs).
3. Brown meatballs in butter and oil in a large skillet; remove with a slotted spoon to a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
4. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of drippings; stir flour into drippings. Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly.
5. Stir in beef broth and cream. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and boils for a minute.
1. Pour over Quenelles in baking dish. Bake at 325° for 35 to 45 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2/3 cup onion, chopped
2/3 cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup unpeeled zucchini, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 eggs
1/3 cup light cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
1 1/2 cups soft bread cubes
8 ounces cream cheese, cut in 1/2" cubes
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
1. Chop vegetables into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch pieces.
2. Saute mushrooms, onion, green pepper and garlic in oil until crisp tender.
3. Beat eggs with cream, salt and pepper. Add to mushroom mixture, bread cubes, cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Stir thoroughly but lightly so cream cheese cubes are intact.
4. Pour into a well greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350° F for 45 minutes or until set in center and browned.
5. Cool 5-10 minutes before cutting into wedges.
Ingredients for Cake:
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2-10oz packages of marshmallows
2 cups creamy peanut butter
10 cups crisp rice cereal
no-stick cooking spray
jelly beans, licorice gum drops, or decorative candy
Ingredients for Glaze:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted powder sugar
Directions
1. In large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows. Stir until completely melted and remove from heat.
2. Stir in peanut butter and mix well to incorporate.
3. Add rice crisp cereal and stir until well coated.
4. Press into two 9-inch pans, well coated with cooking spray and allow to cool.
5. Cut ears and bow tie from one cake. This is done by cutting two football shaped ears from the top and bottom of one cake layer, leaving a bow tie-shaped piece in the middle.
6. Position two ears at top of whole round cake and place bow tie under face.
7. Apply glaze and then decorate with jelly beans, marshmallows, licorice, and gum drops or any of your favorite cake decorations.
Ingredients:
Vegetable for frying (enough for 2-3" of oil in your pan)
4 eggs
2 pounds pork sausage
4 cups dried bread crumbs, seasoned
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, beaten
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place eggs in saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs sit in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool and peel.
Pat eggs dry and then roll in flour to coat.
Flatten the sausage and make a patty to surround each egg. 
Very lightly flour the sausage and coat with beaten egg. Roll in bread crumbs to cover evenly.
Deep fry until golden brown, or pan fry while making sure each side is well cooked. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Cut in half and serve over a bed of lettuce and sliced tomatoes for garnish. If mustard is desired it looks beautiful over this.
Ingredients:
2 quarts chilled pineapple juice
32 ounces of chilled lemon-lime soda (any brand you like)
1 can of pine-orange banana juice concentrate, thawed
citrus slices and sliced strawberries for garnish
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl and serve.
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