Goddess Speak Sanctuary of Solace Newsletter - March 2024

“Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

March Dates of Interest:

• March 2 - Dr. Seuss's Birthday, National Read Across America Day
• March 3 - Sin City Witches Magick Brew Coffee Social
• March 8 – International Women's Day
• March 9 - Psychic Faire & Community Bazaar
• March 10 - Super New Moon in Pisces @ 1:00 am
• March 10 - Start of Ramadan, which begins at sundown.
• March 11 - Johnny Appleseed Day
• March 15 - Mother Nut / Spring Equinox Ritual (follow link below to RSVP!)
• March 15 - The Ides of March!
• March 17 - St. Patrick's Day
• March 19 @ 8:06 pm - Vernal Equinox / Earth Day / First Day of Spring
• March 24 - PPDLV Planning Meeting @ UUCLV 1:00 pm
• March 25 @ 12:00 Midnight - Micro Full Worm Moon
• March 31 – Easter Sunday. (May 5 is Orthodox Easter.) Did you know that Easter’s date is related to the full Moon?

~ The Star Goddess ~

Mother Nut

"she who holds a thousand souls"

Nut, or Nuit, is a star or sky goddess who was there at the creation of the world and who supports us on the daily, yearly, or lifetime path of renewal and rebirth. She is a mother goddess who gave birth to the Ennead. She is similar to the Hindu goddess Shakti because She is the source of all life. It is said that She was the very first goddess to be worshipped and revered in the land of Khemit (Egypt). She is both the beginning and the ending of human experience, but her great power allows life to continue, in cycles, through endless periods of realization and reflection. She is the source of new ideas, the endless reservoir of possibilities. The powers of Nut provide increase, allowing the seed of thought to grow and reach its destiny. She brings healing dreams and insights, and intuition.

She rules the daytime sky where the clouds are formed. Every night Nut is above us, stretching from the East where Her toes touch the Earth to the west where Her hands touch the Earth. She gives birth to the Sun each morning. Stars glitter from her body. She is depicted as an azure-colored Goddess, tall and slender and is conceptualized as the infinity of an ultimately expanded Universe. She is infinite space. Her fingers and toes touched the four cardinal points, or the directions of east, south, west, and north. She is the day sky and the night sky. She is Goddess of the wind. All things are contained within Her body. She represents everything, yet the space in-between that is nothing. We are infinite stars within Her.

In most depictions, she is stretched out so that her hands and feet touch the western and eastern horizons. Her father Shu holds Her up in that position while her brother/consort Gab lies on the ground reclining on one elbow, with his knees up in the air. It this position, Geb depicts the hills and valleys of the land. This positioning symbolizes that when Shu raised Nut, the sky above Geb, the earth, he brought an end to chaos. It is believed that during the day Nut and Geb are separated, but each evening Nut comes down to Earth to be with Her beloved Geb, and this is what causes darkness.

There are several accounts of how the Sun moves across the sky from East to West. One says that Nut gave birth to the Sun every morning. Then, as the day continued, the sun moved over Nut’s body until it reaches Her mouth at sunset. The sun enters Her mouth and travels through Her body until it comes forth from Her vagina in the morning. Another version describes how the sun sailed up, over Nut’s legs and back in the Atet (Natet) boat until high noon. At high noon, the sun changed boats and then sailed in the Sektet boat over the rest of Nut’s body until sunset arrived.

Nut is also sometimes depicted as a Cow Goddess, taking on some of the attributes of Hathor. As the great solar cow, Ra asked Nut to raise him to the heavens and remove him from the world below because he found it to be quite distasteful. She was thought to have carried Ra up into the heavens on Her back. Usually depicted in nude human form, she is also sometimes depicted as a sycamore tree or as a giant sow, suckling many piglets, who represent the stars. Most frequently she is depicted as stretching across the night sky with her hands and feet touching the earth.

She is known as Nut, Nuit, Neuth, and Nwt (pronounced New-Eat) and it was from those names that the modern English words “night,” “nocturnal,” and “equinox” and the French term “la nuit” which means “the night” were derived. Her name translates as “sky.”

Nut rules astrology, the passage through death to rebirth, and provides help and compassion when crossing any abyss in life. She is associated with eternal life, water, and abundance.

Plate 143 of the Pyramid Texts, reflecting the Lower Kingdom of Egypt and Heliopolis, states “In the beginning there was Nun, the boundless primordial water shrouded in darkness. From this came Khepera (Atum) who formed an egg from which sprang Ra, the Sun. Ra then brought forth the first Divine couple of Shu, God of Air and Atmosphere and Tefnut, Goddess of Dew and Rain. From the first Divine couple came the Earth god Geb, and Nut the Goddess of the Sky, and from Geb and Nut came the Ennead: Osiris, Horus the Elder, Set, Isis and Nepthys.” Ra was angered that Nut brought froth the Ennead with her brother/consort Geb and decreed that Nut could not bear a child in any given month of any year. Thoth, the God of Wisdom, then in a game of draughts with the Moon won enough light from the Moon to compose five new days. These five days did not belong to the official Egyptian calendar of 360 days. (These are party days in the Egyptian calendar.) They are known as Epagomenal Days and were created at the end of the year, or at the beginning of time. On these five days were born the five great gods and goddesses on earth: Osiris, Horus the Elder, Seth, Isis and Nepthys.

From as far back as the Old Kingdom (the 3rd millennium BCE), Nut received, revived, and protected the dead. She is strongly connected to the Sun’s rebirth each morning, so was also associated with the idea of the resurrection of the dead. This meant that when the deceased was sealed inside the coffin, it was as if she was placed within the body of Nut. Images of Her were drawn on the coffin lid, inside the sarcophagus, just as Her star body stretches out over the Earth, and on the base of the coffin facing up, so that the deceased lay enfolded in the loving embrace of the heavenly mother. “Sarcophagus” is a Greek work that means “sacred eating.” Vaults of tombs were often painted ark blue with many stars as a representation of Nut. She is thought to draw the dead into Her star filled sky, and refresh them with food and wine. Today, the worship of Nut is very much alive. She is considered the first Deity of Thelemic magickal trinity, the Star Goddess who is unlimited possibility.

Symbols of Nut:

• The ladder, called “maquet,” was placed in tombs to protect the deceased and to invoke Her aid.
• The water pot – a womb symbol which is on Nut’s head. This is also the hieroglyph that represents the sound “nu”, which is both Her name and the function associating water with life.
• The Sycamore Tree – coffins were often made of the wood from this tree.
• Her colors are deep blue and gold
• She likes sandalwood or frankincense
• She likes olive oil and coconut oil
• She likes white / pink quartz and amber
• Her numbers are 11 and 77
• The five-pointed star (whenever a five pointed star appears drawn in a circle, the symbol for duat or “the neterworld” it signified the transformation of the spirit inside the womb of Nut.
• The seven-pointed star
• The High Priestess card in the Tarot
• Offerings to Nut are liquids (water, milk and beer), fruits and flowers
• The Milky Way
• Nourishment, regenerations, the universe
• The Tyet knot (also known as the Knot of Isis)

Titles of Nut:

• Coverer of the Sky (She was covered in stars)
• She Who Protects
• Mistress of All
• She who Bore the Gods
• She Who Holds a Thousand Souls
• Goddess of the Celestial Vault
• The Great Deep
• The Starry One
• Cow Goddess
• Mother of the Gods
• Mother of the Sun
• Protector of the Dead
• Mystery of the Heavens

Sources:

• “Nut/Nuit: The Egyptian Sky Goddess,” White Moon Gallery www.orderwhitemoon.org/goddess/Nut/index.html
• “Nut (Goddess),” Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_(goddess)
• “Invoking the Egyptian Sky Goddess” by Julie Kling. http://tetonspirit.com/invoking-the-egyptian-sky-goddess/
• “Nut, Egyptian Goddess of the Sky” http://www.angelfire.com/journal/of a poet/nut.html
• Feasts of Light: Celebrations for the Seasons of Life based on the Egyptian Goddess Mysteries by Normandi Ellis.
• Invoking the Egyptian Gods by Judith Page and Ken Biles.
• Heka: The Practices of Ancient Egyptian Ritual & Magic by David Rankine
• The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt by Rosemary Clark.

"O my mother Nut, spread yourself over me, so that I may be placed among the imperishable stars and may never die."

“March came in that winter like the meekest and mildest of lambs, bringing days that were crisp and golden and tingling, each followed by a frosty pink twilight which gradually lost itself in an elfland of moonshine.” ― L.M. Montgomery

The brown buds thicken on the trees, Unbound, the free streams sing, As March leads forth across the leas The wild and windy spring. –Elizabeth Akers Allen (1832–1911)

March's Lunar Spotlight

March - New Moon in Pisces

The Pisces New Moon can be a great time for creativity since Pisces rules imagination and fantasy, and we can get lost in daydreams. This can be channeled into creative projects and ventures, and we can get inspired more easily.

Pisces is a compassionate sign, so empathy and understanding can also be strong with the New Moon. We may want to be of help in new ways, and focus on trying to help those who can't help themselves.

Pisces is the sign of spirituality, so this can be a time to start new spiritual ventures. We can make more time to connect with our intuition and subconscious mind, and we can feel more in tune with the subtle energies all around us.

Pisces rules what's hidden, so we may become aware of something that has been hidden, some sort of secret, and can work well alone. While we may want to be of help, we can also find we do our best on our own, in the background, and behind the scenes.

Pisces is the last Zodiac sign, so we may also take some time to clear things out and make room for anything new to come. We can also reflect more on the past, but in a less emotional way, and get more understanding.

The New Moon is sextile (beneficial aspect, two signs away) transit (moving) Uranus in Taurus, and this helps us with making changes, and we can take a different approach than usual. We can embrace the unconventional, be inventive, and can be true to our unique selves. We can be independent and open.

March's Full Storm Moon (aka Worm Moon)

Adapted From The Farmer's Almanac.com

The first full moon of the spring season will appear on the nights of Sunday, March 24, and Monday, March 25. Specifically, March’s full Worm Moon reaches peak illumination at midnight on Monday, March 25, 2024.

Of course, you don’t have to wait until the middle of the night to see the Moon! Look for the spectacularly bright Moon as it rises above the horizon on Sunday evening. If your weather is poor on Sunday night, try again on Monday!

If you have just a bit of rain on either of these nights, you may even get to spot a rare phenomenon called a moonbow. A moonbow is just like a solar rainbow but is created by moonlight (rather than sunlight) when it is refracted through water droplets in the air. Moonbows only happen when the full Moon is fairly low in the sky, so look for one in the hours after sunset when the sky is dark. Learn more about moonbows here!

This March Moon will look especially large to us when it’s near the horizon because of the “Moon illusion,” which is when it looks bigger when near comparative objects than it does when it’s high in the sky without any references.

The Worm Moon

March’s full Moon goes by the name Worm Moon, which was originally thought to refer to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in spring. This invites robins and other birds to feed—a true sign of spring!

An alternative explanation for this name comes from Captain Jonathan Carver, an 18th-century explorer, who wrote that this Moon name refers to a different sort of “worm”—beetle larvae—which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.

ALTERNATIVE MARCH MOON NAMES:

There are quite a few names for the March Moon that speak to the transition from winter to spring. Some refer to the appearance (or reappearance) of certain animals, such as the Eagle Moon, Goose Moon (Algonquin, Cree), or Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe), while others refer to signs of the season:

• The Sugar Moon (Ojibwe) marks the time of year when the sap of sugar maples starts to flow.
• The Wind Strong Moon (Pueblo) refers to the strong windy days that come at this time of year.
• The Sore Eyes Moon (Dakota, Lakota, Assiniboine) highlights the blinding rays of sunlight that reflect off the melting snow of late winter.

MOON FACT:

• The Paschal Moon is the first Full Moon on or after March 21 and is used to determine the date of Easter. In some years, the Paschal Moon is the Worm Moon; in others, it's the Pink Moon (Full Moon in April). The dates for the Paschal Moon range from March 21 to April 18.

“March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes and a laugh in her voice.” ― Hal Borland

March Full Moon Magic:

Wigington, Patti. "What Is a Storm Moon?" Learn Religions.com

As the saying goes, March rolls in like a lion, and if we're really lucky, it might go out like a lamb. It's the time of the Storm Moon, the month when Spring finally arrives, around the time of the Equinox, and we see new life begin to spring forth. As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, heavy rains and gray skies abound — the earth is being showered with the life-giving water it needs to have a fertile and healthy growing season. This is also a time of equal parts light and darkness, and so a time of balance.

Depending on where you live, this moon may be called the Seed Moon, Lenten Moon, or Chaste Moon. Anglo-Saxons called it Hraed-monat (rugged month), or Hlyd-monat (stormy month). A stormy March was an omen of poor crops, while a dry March indicated a rich harvest.

According to the Farmer's Almanac, this month's moon is sometimes called the Full Sap Moon and the Worm Moon — and no wonder, since after a storm, there are worms all over the place!

As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation.

As the weather can be anything but predictable, the month of March in your area might not see the same weather as other locations, because your environment depends on a number of factors. If you need to adapt March's magical correspondences to those of a different month, then feel free to do so.

Correspondences:

• Colors: Use green, yellow, and light purple to represent the colors of the season. This is a great time to explore magic with pastel colors.
• Gemstones: Bloodstone and aquamarine are often associated with early spring, the vernal equinox, and the month of March.
• Trees: Dogwood, honeysuckle, lilacs, and cherry blossoms are just beginning to bloom this time of year in many areas, so find a way to incorporate them into your workings as needed.
• Gods: Work with Isis, the Morrighan, Artemis, and Cybele, all of whom are considered powerful during this time of year.
• Herbs: High John, pennyroyal, wood betony, and apple blossom can often be found during this season, depending on where you live.
• Element: Water is the element most closely associated with the Storm Moon — after all, it's one of the wettest time of the year, thanks to thunderstorms rolling through.

Storm Moon Magic:

Use this month for magical workings related to rebirth and regrowth. New life is blooming during this phase of the moon, as is prosperity and fertility. Here are some things you can do this month and plan accordingly.

• Begin planning your magical herb garden for the year. What would you like to grow? Consider whether you want specifically medicinal and healing herbs, or if you're going for a variety of magical purposes.
• Are you thinking about making a change in your career? Now is the time to tidy up that resume and get it up to date. Start researching the companies you'd really like to work for and figure out what you need to do to make it happen. Make phone calls, network, send in applications, and take control of the reinvention of your career.
• Got a storm rolling in? Place a jar or bucket outside so you can gather rain water for use in ritual (bonus magical points to you if it's collected during a lightning storm!).
• Spring tends to be the time of year to begin thinking about going back to school in the fall — partly because for many colleges and universities, this is the season when acceptances are finalized. If you're thinking about continuing your education, get those admissions forms completed.
• If you've ever thought about changing your life (haven't we all?), especially by making big changes, now is the time to plant the seeds for those efforts.
• Place your magical tools outside for cleansing during the Storm Moon.

“Daffodils, That come before the swallow dares, and take The winds of March with beauty.” ― William Shakespeare (The Winter’s Tale)

Craft Corner...

~ Natural Easter Egg Dyes ~

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

It's fun and easy to use foods and flowers to make your own natural egg dyes. The two main ways to use your own dyes are to add dyes to the eggs when boiling them or to dye the eggs after they have been hard-boiled. It's a lot faster to boil the dyes and eggs together, but you will use several pans if you want to make multiple colours. Dyeing the eggs after they have been cooked takes as many dishes and more time, but may be more practical (after all, most stoves only have four burners!).

Try both fresh and frozen produce. Canned produce will produce much paler colours. Boiling the colours with vinegar will result in deeper colours. Some materials need to be boiled to impart their colour (name followed by 'boiled' in the table). Some of the fruits, vegetables, and spices can be used cold. To use a cold material, cover the boiled eggs with water, add dyeing materials, a teaspoon or less of vinegar, and let the eggs remain in the refrigerator until the desired colour is achieved. In most cases, the longer you leave Easter eggs in the dye, the more deeply coloured they will become.

Here is the preferred method for using natural dyes:

• Place the eggs in a single layer in a pan. Add water until the eggs are covered.
• Add approximately one teaspoon of vinegar.
• Add the natural dye. Use more dye material for more eggs or for more intense colour.
• Bring water to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• If you are pleased with the colour, remove the eggs from the liquid.
• If you want more intensely coloured eggs, temporarily remove the eggs from the liquid. Strain the dye through a coffee filter (unless you want speckled eggs). Cover the eggs with the filtered dye and let them remain in the refrigerator overnight.
• Naturally-coloured eggs will not be glossy, but if you want a shiny appearance you can rub a bit of cooking oil onto the eggs once they are dry.
• You can use fresh and frozen berries as 'paints', too. Simply crush the berries against dry boiled eggs. Try colouring on the eggs with crayons or wax pencils before boiling and dyeing them.

I Martius am! Once first, and now third! To lead the Year was my appointed place; A mortal dispossessed me by a word, And set there Janus with the double face. –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (1807–82)

The Kitchen Witch's Cauldron

THE MAGICAL DEVILED EGGS OF SPRING

Happy Lieldienas! Many old Latvian folk songs known as Daina, (many passed down for over a thousand years) sing of magical foods found on Lieldienas feasting tables, white, silver, and golden eggs, white cakes, round pies, buns, and pastries, all of which encourage the fertile growth of spring. So on these “Great Days” when sunlight finally becomes greater than darkness, I offer these warm nourishing deviled eggs to make your taste buds sing!

Eggs embodied the fertilizing power of the sun because spring is when hens, cued by increasing light, began laying once again. For the “Lieldienas Feast“, eggs colored with onion skins, red cabbage, birch leaves, and tree bark created golden colors emulating the sun – ensuring a plentiful growing season to come.

“Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.” ― Lewis Grizzard

March Book Review

The Green Witch's Garden:

Your Complete Guide to Creating and Cultivating a Magical Garden Space

By: Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Create your own enchanting witch’s garden and draw energy from the earth with this guide to cultivating your very own magical ingredients.

A green witch embraces the power of nature, draws energy from the earth and the universe, and relies on stones, plants, flowers, and herbs for healing. In The Green Witch’s Garden, you will learn how to create your own magical space to enhance your witchcraft practice.

With information on how to plan and design your sacred garden and tips and tricks to growing and harvesting magical ingredients, this book will allow you to take control of your practice and more deeply connect with the earth. Let experienced witch and author of The Green Witch Arin Hiscock-Murphy guide you on your path to creating your personal piece of nature.

Review:

"Well-written, seems extremely well researched, and is very comprehensive… highly visually appealing." —Bucolic Bookshelf

About the Author:

Arin Murphy-Hiscock is the author of The Green Witch’s Grimoire, Spellcrafting, The Pregnant Goddess, Wicca, The Green Witch, The Way of the Hedge Witch, House Witch, The Witch’s Book of Self-Care, Pagan Pregnancy, Solitary Wicca for Life, and The Hidden Meaning of Birds—A Spiritual Field Guide. She has been active in the field of alternative spirituality for over twenty years and lives in Montreal, Canada.

March Laughs:

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