Goddess Speak Sanctuary of Solace Newsletter - April 2024

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. (Sonnet XCVIII)” ― William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Sonnets

April Dates of Interest:

• April 1 - April Fools' Day, International Fun at Work Day
• April 1 - Mercury went retrograde
• April 7 - National Beer Day, World Health Day, International Beaver Day, National No Housework Day
• April 8 - New Moon in Aries @ 11:20 am
• April 8 - Full Solar Eclipse
• April 11 – National Pet Day
• April 13 - National Scrabble Day
• April18 - National Velociraptor Awareness Day
• April 19 - PPDLV/SoS present: The Wicker Man!
• April 22 - Earth Day
• April 23 @ 4:48 pm - Full Pink Moon
• April 24 - Mercury goes direct
• April 26 @ 7:00 pm - Sanctury of Solace Beltane Zoom Ritual (follow link to RSVP for free!)
• April 27 - Beltane Celeration! Maypole @ 5:30 pm * Ritual @ 7:00 pm (follow link to RSVP for free!)
• April 29 - National Arbor Day
• April 30 - International Jazz Day!

"A gush of bird-song, a patter of dew, A cloud, and a rainbow's warning, Suddenly sunshine and perfect blue—An April day in the morning." - Harriet Prescott Spofford

Påskkärringar!

The Easter Witches of Sweden and Finland.

By Emma Cieslik (published in Nat Geo)

Each year in Sweden and Finland, young children continue a centuries-old tradition marking the night that witches celebrated Sabbath with the devil before Jesus’s resurrection.

As children in Värmland, Sweden, Fredrik Skott and his sister used to dress up as witches and travel from door-to-door to give letters filled with candy to their neighbors and friends. But the occasion wasn’t Halloween: It was Easter Eve.

Unlike the bunnies and egg baskets that many people associate with Easter, each year in Sweden and Finland, young children continue a centuries-old tradition marking the night that witches celebrated Sabbath with the devil before Jesus’s resurrection.

Dressed as Easter witches (påskkärringar)—and Easter trolls (påsktroll)—they go door-to-door wishing families “Glad Påsk.” The tradition varies slightly by region: While some communities celebrate on Easter Eve, others dress up on Maundy Thursday. Some children sing in exchange for candy while others give their neighbors letters filled with candy.

Skott, now a docent in Nordic folklore at the Institute for Language and Folklore in Gothenburg, has spent years studying the Swedish mumming tradition, which sheds light on the link between witchcraft and Easter as well as how beliefs about witches changed over time in Sweden.

The origins of Easter witches:

There’s still some debate about exactly when the tradition began but scholars agree that it derives from Sweden’s spate of witch trials that spanned from 1668 to 1678—as well as a robust folklore around witches that had already taken root as early as the 1400s.

One of these ideas was the belief that witches flew to a fictitious location called Mount Blåkulla to celebrate the Black Sabbaths or Witches’ Sabbaths. In Mount Blåkulla, everything was upside down and backwards: old people grew young and people danced with their backs turned against each other. Folk stories held that the chaos of Blåkulla blurred into our world during the period between Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday.

“When Jesus was dead, it was believed that witches and other creatures were more active than at other times,” Skott says.

According to folklorist Per-Anders Östling, Sweden’s most famous witch trials began in 1668 after children spread rumors that they were taken by witches to Mount Blåkulla. Hundreds of women were accused and sentenced to death—and that fear of witches persisted well into the next century. Communities in southwest Sweden held huge bonfires and shuttered their doors before Easter to protect themselves and their children from witches.

Even though most scholars believe that the tradition of dressing as Easter witches didn’t begin until the early 20th century, after belief in witches waned in large cities, Skott’s research suggests that the practice began right around this time in the 18th century.

Skott points to the court records of Husby parish in Uppland, Sweden, where a farmhand accused a young woman named Anna Olofsdotter of witchcraft on October 3, 1747. One year earlier, three children in her parish had discovered “troll butter,” a slimy fungus associated with witches. They believed that by burning the troll butter, the witch who owned it would reveal herself.

According to the court records, Olofsdotter decided to play a joke on the children and farmhand, wearing an apron over her shoulders and draping her hair over her face. As the farmhand threw the fungus into the fire, she ran out screaming “it burns, it burns.” The farmhand began circulating rumors that Olofdotter was a witch, and she was brought to court on the charge of defamation. The court concluded she was not a witch.

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” – Khalil Gibran

“The April winds are magical, and thrill our tuneful frames; The garden-walks are passional, to bachelors and dames.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Coming up May 1st....

~ Beltane ~

an Editorial by: Priestess Novaembre

Feasts, Fires and Fertility Abound!

Beltane is the last sabbat of the waxing year, the last of the three spring festivals (Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane). The height of fertility, Midsummer, is near. For Pagans and Goddess Women, this is the beginning of summer. This is a feast of fires and flowers and the theme is passion: women’s, Goddess, the Earth. In the Persephone story, Persephone has come of age and reached menarche. She discovers sexuality, physical love, self-love, and learns what passion means. At Beltane, love is new and just beginning. It is emotionally innocent.

Beltane is the old Celtic name for the holiday, derived from the Irish Bealtaine or the Scottish Gaelic Bealtuinn. Sometimes it is called Cetsamhain (opposite Samhain). It is the 2nd of four great Celtic fire festivals - Imbolg (the beginning of spring), Beltane (the beginning of Summer), Lughnassadh or Lammas (the beginning of fall), Samhain (the beginning of winter). This is one of two hinges of the year, the other being Samhain. Like Samhain, this is a time of no time, when the veil between the worlds is thin and the fairies return.

“Summer is only the unfulfilled promise of spring, a charlatan in place of the warm balmy nights I dream of in April. It’s a sad season of life without growth…It has no day.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Beltane is also sometimes called Roodmas because the Catholic Church tried to redirect the people’s celebration away from the Maypole (symbol of life) toward the cross (rood - symbol of death). Beltane is also sometimes called Walpurgisnacht (in Germany). The Roman Floralia occurred April 28 - May 1 and involved three days of unrestrained sexuality. May is named for the Greek mountain nymph Maia who was later identified as the most beautiful of the seven sisters, the Pleiades.

The Traditional Symbols of Beltane:

• Rose colored candles symbolize passion, new love, first blood
• Foods: strawberries, vanilla ice cream, red cherries
• May bowl - sprigs of blossoming wood in a bowl with water.
• Colors - green, white, red
• Bells
• Branches - May Birching
• Hawthorn - the May Bush - blooms at this time. It is sacred to the Goddess. llIts pinkish white flowers were hung about the house for purifying and protection. It is the favorite tree of fairies.
• Flowers are female sexual symbols and the symbol of the season. Flowers show the interconnectedness of all things.
• Dew - it was a tradition to collect dew early on May 1. The dew was sacred to Diana. Maidens would bathe their f aces in the dew to retain their youth and beauty.

When in the springtime of the year When the trees are crowned with leaves When the ash and oak, and the birch and yew Are dressed in ribbons fair ~ "The Mummer's Dance" by Loreena McKennett.

Fairie Lore / Animals / Tree of Life

In Ireland, one of the early races of conquerors was known as the Tuatha de Danaan. It was believed that once the invaders arrived, the Tuatha went underground. In hiding from the Milesians, the Tuatha evolved into Ireland's faerie race. Said to be the children of the goddess Danu, the Tuatha appeared in Tir na nOg and burned their own ships so that they could never leave. Leave them a few offerings in your garden as part of your Beltane celebration–and maybe they'll leave you something in return!

• Fairy mischief - In parts of England and Britain, it was believed that if a baby was ill, chances were good that it was not a human infant at all, but a changeling left by the Fae. Daisy chains were made at Beltane to protect children from being taken by the Fae.
• Frogs - associated with Beltane
• Snakes - associated with the fertility of May. They penetrate the Earth thus acquiring the knowledge of Earth’s inner secrets, of creation. They are the guardian of the waters of life. They symbolize rebirth and eternal life. They shed their skin, thus being reborn.

The Sacred Marriage / Sex / Fertility

Sacred Marriage - May was the month the Goddess married. It was unlucky for humans to marry in that month - instead they marry in June, thus our custom of June weddings.

The custom of making love in the fields on May Eve enhanced the fertility of the growing crops and could be a remnant of the days when women shed their menstrual blood in the fields. (OK, now, think about this. In May you are making love in the fields. By June you know you are pregnant - thus, marriage.) These were called Greenwood marriages, young men and women who stayed the entire night in the forest, greeted the May sunrise bringing back flowers to decorate the village. Even after the Christian form of marriage replaced the older Pagan handfasting, the rules of strict monogamy were relaxed on May Eve.

• Queen Guinevere’s abduction occurred on May 1.
• Lady Godiva - rode through Coventry sky clad as Queen of the May. Every year for three centuries a sky clad village maiden enacted this rite until the Puritans put an end to it.
• Walking the circuit of one’s property (beating the bounds), repairing fences is normally done at this time.
• There were also processions of chimney sweeps and milk maids, archery tournaments, Morris dances, sword dances and riding the hobby horse.
• The Maypole was a European custom. It is a Goddess and fertility totem, the moontree of the Great Mother. The roots are in the underworld, the branches are in the upper realms. It is also a phallic symbol.

Bel-Fires

• May Fire - Bel Fire: jumped for fertility, health, good luck.
• The Beltane fire traditionally has 3 pieces of each of 9 kinds of wood.
• Beltane means “bright fire.” Fires celebrate the warmth of the sun, the power to return life and fruitfulness to the soil.
• It was a tradition to take home a smoldering piece of Beltane fire, but do not give it away as a gift.
• Fairies can’t start their own fires, so they would come to the celebration disguised as humans to ask for a part of the fire. When freely given, this gave the fairies power.
• Ashes from the Beltane fire were scattered on the fields for fertility.
• Herds of cattle were driven between two fires for purification and protection, safety and fertility.

The Maypole

• The maypole is a female Goddess / fertility totem, a Moon Tree of the Great Mother. It is also the Tree of Life and the world tree with its roots in the underworld and branches in the upper realms.
• The Tree of Life is the prime symbol of spring celebrations in many cultures.
• To celebrate May Day, people in Europe would chop down a tree for a May Pole and crown it with a wreath, and long ribbons would be tied to its apex.
• Women holding the red ribbons and men holding the white ribbons would dance around, interweaving the ribbons.
• The woven ribbons symbolized the generative energy of the female and male, personified by the Snake Goddess and her consort.
• Origins of the May Pole go back to the ancient religions who celebrated the Goddess in Her manifestation as the Tree of Life.
• The Goddess, the Tree of Life, and the Serpent are common motifs dating from early Mesopotamia, and perhaps earlier.
• Cylinder seals from the 2nd millennium BCE show Ishtar with the Tree of Life and the Serpent. Asherah, the Canaanite Goddess, was symbolized as a stylized tree and worshiped in sacred groves. She was called Lady of the Serpent.

Celebration of the tree of life continued into Roman times. Emperor Theodosius banned many Pagan rituals, however, including decorating a tree with ribbons. The custom survived, however, and in 1644 the English Puritans outlawed the setting up of Maypoles. “A heathenish vanity, generally abused to superstition and weakness, the lords and Commons do further order and ordain, that all and singular Maypoles that are, or shall be erected shall be taken down and removed by the Constables, and Church Wardens of the parishes and places where the same be; and that no Maypole shall be hereafter set up, erected, or suffered to be within this kingdom of England or Dominion of Wales.” Maypoles gained favor during the Restoration.

"On that bed there was a girl. And on that girl there was a man. From that man there was a seed. And from that seed there was a boy. From that boy there was a man. And for that man there was a grave. From that grave there grew a tree..." Maypole Song from The Wicker Man – 1973

April's Lunar Spotlight

Solar Eclipse-New Moon in Aries

Excerpt from article on Dark Pixie Astology

Our first Solar Eclipse for 2024 comes to us in Aries, the very first sign of the Zodiac, and a fire and cardinal sign. Aries is full of energy, enthusiasm, and spunk, and wants to get things going. With Solar Eclipses ruling new beginnings and opportunities, we have the ability to take the initiative to make what we want happen, and this can be bigger than usual thanks to the eclipse energy. We're ready to hit the ground running and go.

This is our second Aries Solar Eclipse in this eclipse set, and we had one last year in 2023, and will have one more next year in 2025. So, we might be in the middle of developments and whatever we're focusing on with this energy. We may have begun last year, continue this year, and culminate next year.

This eclipse occurs with Mercury retrograde (appearing to move backward) in Aries, and the eclipse is widely conjunct (aligned with) Mercury retrograde. While Solar Eclipses are times of big new beginnings, new journeys, and new ventures, retrogrades are times of looking back and doing things over. This means this eclipse is absolutely fabulous for a second chance. Is there something you'd like to try again with? You might've tried it and failed, got started but didn't finish, or didn't get off of the ground at all. This would be the time of the year to give it a shot.

The energy of this period also says that what passes now is meant to be. So, that second chance? Maybe it wasn't meant to be before, but it is now!

On the downside, we do need to be mindful of accidents and injuries (lots more of those), as well as work on keeping our anger and aggression under control (more war?), and there might be a bad wildfire around this time

Here are a few tips and tricks on how to prepare for the New Moon in Aries:

Setting Intentions:

New Moons are all about starting fresh and shedding our old skin. This is the time to hone your greatest ambitions and turn them into actionable steps forward. This month, you even have a little boost provided by driven and ambitious Aries. Think big and chase after monumental goals!

Start Something New:

Whether your new thing consists of cooking a new dish, trying a new sport, or meeting new people, a New Moon is the prime time for starting something from scratch! A fresh start is an exciting way to give you a little extra motivation for completing your goals. Don’t be afraid to dip your toes into the unknown right now.

Write it Down:

The first step to making your dreams and desires come true is writing it down! This might be more challenging under the influence of Aries as they like to take more unconventional approaches to planning. However, we still recommend doing this as it is one of the best things New Moon prepping.

Don’t Quit:

Motivation is one thing you should not be lacking this New Moon. With a fire sign under your wings, you will feel on top of your intentions. Stay true to the tasks you have at hand and focus on the reward you will receive at the end!

April's Full Pink Moon (aka Alder Moon)

Adapted From: The Farmer's Almanac

Venture outside on the night of Wednesday, April 23, to catch a glimpse of April’s full Pink Moon. For the best view of this lovely spring Moon, find an open area and watch as the Moon rises just above the horizon, at which point it will appear its biggest and take on a golden hue!

Although we wish this name had to do with the color of the Moon, the reality is not quite as mystical or awe-inspiring. In truth, April’s full Moon often corresponded with the early springtime blooms of a certain wildflower native to eastern North America: Phlox subulata—commonly called creeping phlox or moss phlox—which also went by the name “moss pink.”

Thanks to this seasonal association, this full Moon came to be called the “Pink” Moon!

ALTERNATIVE APRIL MOON NAMES:

In April Moon names, references to spring abound!

• Breaking Ice Moon (Algonquin) and Moon When the Streams Are Again Navigable (Dakota) reference the melting ice and increased mobility of the early spring season.
• Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs (Tlingit) and Moon of the Red Grass Appearing (Oglala) speak to the plant growth that will soon kick into high gear.

Other names refer to the reappearance of certain animals, including:

• Moon When the Ducks Come Back (Lakota)
• Moon When the Geese Lay Eggs (Dakota)
• Frog Moon (Cree)
• Along the same vein, Sucker Moon (Anishinaabe) notes the time to harvest sucker fish, which return to streams or lake shallows to spawn.

According to legend, now is the time when this fish comes back from the spirit world to purify bodies of water and the creatures living in them. (This name may also be applied to the February Moon, to honor the sacrifice of the sucker fish in order to feed the Anishinaabe peoples, traditionally helping them to survive the winter.)

MOON FACTS:

• A full Moon in April brings frost. If the full Moon rises pale, expect rain.
• On April 20, 1972, the lunar module of Apollo XVI landed on the moon with astronauts John Young and Charles Duke aboard. Thomas Mattingly remained in orbit around the moon aboard the command module.
• One day later, on April 21, 1972, Apollo XVI astronauts John Young and Charles Duke drove an electric car on the surface of the moon. It’s still up there along with some expensive tools and some film that they forgot.
• According to folklore, the period from the full Moon through the last quarter of the Moon is the best time for killing weeds, thinning, pruning, mowing, cutting timber, and planting below-ground crops.

“They came on one of April’s most brilliant days–a day as sparkling as a newly-washed lemon…a day when even the shadows were a melange of blue and orange and jade, like the shadows that poured from the tipsy brush of Monet.” – Beverley Nichols

April Full Moon Magic:

Wigington, Patti. "April's Full Wind Moon"

In April, about halfway through the month, the thunderstorms of March are beginning to subside, and the wind picks up. Seeds are being blown about on the breezes, spreading life all around from one place to the next. In fact, this lunar cycle is often known as the Seed Moon. Trees have buds on them, spring daffodils and tulips abound, and the birds are nesting once more. Much like March, this is a time of conception and fertility and new growth.

• April is a good time to work on magic related to new beginnings, whether you're hoping to develop new relationships, grow professionally, or create new projects for yourself.
• This month's full moon is also called the Seed Moon, so do some planting magic, plan out your garden, and get your seedlings started.
• Because April's moon is associated with the wind, now is a good time to explore the symbolism of the winds that blow in from each of the four directions.

Correspondences:

• Bright primary colors such as red, yellow, and blue–and their many combinations–are associated with the ongoing spring season.
• Gemstones like quartz, selenite, and angelite are connected to the element of air. Leave stones outside on a windy day to absorb the energy of the elements.
• Trees, including hazel, forsythia, lilac, and willow, are beginning to bud in April, and represent the beginnings of new life for the coming summer.
• Gods and goddesses like Ishtar, Tawaret, Venus, Herne, and Cernunnos all represent the greening of the earth, and the coming of the fertility season, which is right around the corner.
• Herbs like dandelion, milkweed, dogwood, fennel, and dill are associated with air, in part because their seed pods will blow away and spread on a breezy day.
• The element of air is strongly tied to this month, because of the winds that may pop up out of nowhere to surprise you.

“The most beautiful springs are those that come after the most horrible winters!” – Mehmet Murat ildan

Magic for the Season:

This is a good time to work on magic related to new beginnings. Looking to bring new love into your life, or conceive or adopt a child? This is the time to do those workings. It's the time to stop planning, and start doing. Take all those ideas you've had brewing for the past couple of months, and make them come to fruition.

April does tend to be a wet, soggy month in many areas, so now is a good time to gather up rainwater for use in magic and spellwork. Leave a few glass jars outside in the open so you can collect water for different magical purposes. For instance, rain that accumulates during a soft, light drizzle can be used in rituals for calming and meditation. On the other hand, the water that fills your jar in the middle of a late-night, thunder-and-lightning deluge is going to have a lot of energy in it–use this for workings related to power, control, and assertiveness.

Don't forget, this month's full moon is also called the Seed Moon. Do some planting magic, plan out your garden, and get your seedlings started. In the weeks leading up to Beltane, do this planting ritual to get new things growing in your garden and in your life as a whole. The very act of planting, of beginning new life from seed, is a ritual and a magical act in itself. To cultivate something in the black soil, see it sprout and then bloom, is to watch a magical working unfold before our very eyes. The plant cycle is intrinsically tied to so many earth-based belief systems that it should come as no surprise that the garden is a magical place in the spring.

The Magic of Wind

Because April's moon is associated with the winds–for obvious reasons–now is a good time to explore the winds that blow from each of the cardinal directions. For instance, the North Wind is associated with cold, destruction, and change–and not always the good kind of change. If you've got some bad stuff looming on the horizon, now's the time to work through it. Do this not just by changing yourself, but also the way you respond to other people and to events that are taking place in your life.

The South Wind, in contrast, is connected to warmth and the element of fire, which in turn is associated with passion and power. Fire is a destroyer, but it also creates, so if there is a passion that you've lost in your life–whether it's romantic or something else–work on doing what you need to do to rebuild it.

The winds of the East are often associated with new beginnings; in particular, focus on new careers, education, or other aspects of your life that are related to communication and your intellect. Finally, the West Wind is tied to the cleansing and healing powers of water, so if you need to get rid of things that are causing you heartache or pain, let the wind blow them right out of your life.

“There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.” – William Cullen Bryant

Craft Corner...

~ Beltane Incense Recipe ~

By: Moody Moons

Looking for a DIY Beltane incense idea? In honor of the upcoming Sabbat, I threw together a little seasonal blend especially for Beltane festivities. Check out the recipe below for a quick, easy festival project to welcome the next turn on the Wheel of the Year.

Think of the ingredients below as a rough guide. I suggest some substitutions, but I also encourage you to use your knowledge of herbalism to come up with your own substitutions as well. This isn’t an exact science. Experiment with different ratios until you get something you really like.

Then remember to write it down for next year!!

Red Bud

• I included dried red bud to pay homage to Beltane’s association with romance. It also happens to be in season right now in many regions of the United States and Canada.
• If you search for images of this tree in bloom and you live in one of these regions, you will probably recognize it immediately. I wild harvest the above red bud. It’s also edible!
• Suggested Substitute: rose.

Mugwort

• In this context, mugwort is used for its reputation for heightening psychic or unconscious awareness. The time between Beltane and Midsummer’s Eve is one of two times of the year when the “veil between worlds” grows to its thinnest (the other being the time between Lammas and Samhain). Mugwort enhances the chance to “reach through the veil” and connect with the Otherside.
• Suggested Substitute: damiana or wormwood.

Anise

• Ruled by the Element of Air, Anise symbolizes the activity of pollen in the air at this time (sorry allergy sufferers!) and its roll in the coming grow season.
• Suggested Substitute: Peppermint.

Orange Peels

• Orange symbolizes the growing in power of sunlight from now until Litha or Midsummer, when the sun takes on its full glory. (For more ideas on how to use this herb, check out 10 Ways to Use Oranges in Witchcraft.)
• Suggested Substitute: lemon rind.

Wild Violet

• Associated with faeries and woodland spirits, wild violet sprinkled in a spring incense lends hope for wishing magic and future growth. Wild violet grows wild in the North East towards mid-spring.
• Suggested Substitute: lavender.

Frankincense

• Famous for its use in clearing impurities, I included frankincense, which contributes to the lightness of clarity we feel as the spring air comes sweeping back into our lives.
• Suggested Substitute: Cinnamon

Happy Crafting and Blessed Be!

“Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns and shadow of April showers.” – Byron Caldwell Smith

The Kitchen Witch's Cauldron

~ Pomegranate Molasses ~

Pomegranates, with their many seeds, symbolize fertility and abundance. They have been revered as a potent aphrodisiac and a representation of prosperity and hope across various cultures! This makes them a prime ingredient as part of a seasonal Beltane feast! Both the natural sweetness and the pomegranate’s tartness are heightened during this process, producing an intensely flavored syrup that can be used in a myriad of ways.

“Summer is only the unfulfilled promise of spring, a charlatan in place of the warm balmy nights I dream of in April. It’s a sad season of life without growth…It has no day.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

April Book Review

Soul Songs

By Binnie Tate Wilkin

Except from the 'FORWARD' written by, Elizabeth Martinez.

"Looking for truth? Inspiration? Binnie Tate Wilkin, is an award-winning Storyteller, Poet and Author who always brings history alive - sometimes it's brutal or cruel and sometimes it's inspiring and joyful. It is always passionate and insightful."

About the Author:

Binnie Tate Wilkin is an award-winning professional storyteller, writer, and consultant. In Oct. 2019, she was inducted into the California Library Association's Librarian Hall of Fame. During her multifaceted career, she has lectured and taught storytelling at Schools of Library and Information Science in various parts of the nation including Columbia University. Her publications include African American Librarians In The Far West, Pioneers and Trailblazers; African and American Images in Newbery Award Titles, and A Life in Storytelling.

I am lucky and honored to count Binnie Tate Wilkin among my friends. Her lifetime of experiences, both good and bad, come through her writing with stunning clarity. This book is a must for anyone looking to experience life through the words of an artist. ~Donna Mead - Goddess Speak Editor

Available from Zeitgiest Press on Amazon

April Laughs:

Write for Goddess Speak!

Goddess Speak accepts submissions for articles, stories, poetry, recipes, guided meditations, creative fiction, chants, artwork, photography and more. Please send submissions to Laurelinn, in care of  goddessspeakeditor@gmail.com. If your submission is selected you will be notified by email.