Goddess Speak Sanctuary of Solace Newsletter - March 2025

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” ― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

March Dates of Interest:

• March 2 - Dr. Seuss's Birthday, National Read Across America Day
• March 3 - World Wildlife Day
• March 4: Mardi Gras, aka Fat Tuesday
• March 5 - Ash Wednesday
• March 8 - International Women's Day
• March 9 - Daylight Saving Time
• March 13 - Good Samaritan Day
• March 13 - Full Lunar Eclipse begins @ 8:57 pm - ends @ 3:00 am Mar. 14th
• March 13 @ 11:54 pm - Full Worm Moon/Full Lunar Eclipse
• March 17 - St. Patrick's Day
• March 20 @ 8:33 am - Vernal Equinox / Earth Day / First Day of Spring
• March 21 - Spring Equinox Ritual on Zoom (follow link below to RSVP!)
• March 22 - Spring Equinox Ritual @ UUCLV (follow link below to RSVP!)
• March 22 - World Water Day
• March 25 - National Tolkien Reading Day
• March 29 @ 3:57 am - Super New Moon (in Pisces)

The ancient and mysterious history of:

~ Abracadabra ~

By Tom Metcalfe - March 1, 2024

The earliest mention comes from a text in the second century A.D., which used the term as a treatment for fevers...

When you hear the word “abracadabra” you know that something magical is meant to have happened—a transformation maybe, or at least just a trick. The word itself is peculiar, yet it’s now an almost universal signal of the supposedly impossible. And while experts debate the exact origins of abracadabra, the word is undeniably ancient.

Abracadabra first appears in the writings of Quintus Serenus Sammonicus more than 1,800 years ago as a magical remedy for fever, a potentially fatal development in an age before antibiotics and a symptom of malaria. He was a tutor to the children who became the Roman emperors Geta and Caracalla, and his privileged position in a wealthy noble family added importance to his words.

Writing in in the second century A.D. in a book called Liber Medicinalis (“Book of Medicine”) Serenus advised making an amulet containing parchment inscribed with the magical word, to be hung around the neck of a sufferer. He prescribed that the word be written on subsequent lines, but in a downwards-pointing triangle with one less letter each time:

ABRACADABRA

The inscription would then consist of 11 lines, written until there were no characters left in the word; and in the same way, Serenus said, the fever would also disappear.

A Word Against Evil Spirits

According to recent research, versions of abracadabra also appear in an Egyptian papyrus written in Greek from the third century A.D., which omits the vowels at the start and end of abracadabra in subsequent lines; and in a Coptic codex from the sixth century, which uses the same method but a different magical word.

For followers of Greek magic, writing variations of a word in a downwards-pointing triangle formed a “grape-cluster” or “heart shape,” which was a way of writing down an oral incantation that repeated and diminished the name of an evil spirit in the same way. Such spirits were thought to cause diseases, and both these versions of the abracadabra spell were supposed to cure fevers and other ailments.

Abracadabra was an “apotropaic—a word that could avert bad things,” explains Elyse Graham, a historian of language at Stony Brook University, noting that its origins have been much debated.

Some think abracadabra comes from the Hebrew phrase “ebrah k’dabri,” and means “I create as I speak,’” while others think it comes from “avra gavra,” an Aramaic phrase meaning “I will create man” — the words of God on the sixth day of creation. Still others note its similarity to “avada kedavra’, the “Killing Curse” in the Harry Potter books, which author J.K Rowling has said is Aramaic for “let the thing be destroyed.”

Medieval historian Don Skemer, a specialist in magic and former curator of manuscripts at Princeton University, suggests abracadabra could derive from the Hebrew phrase “ha brachah dabarah,” which means “name of the blessed” and was regarded as a magical name.

“I think this explanation is plausible because divine names are important sources of supernatural power to protect and heal, as we see in ancient, medieval, and modern magic,” he says; for early Christians “names derived from Hebrew enjoyed high standing because Hebrew was the language of God and Creation,” Skemer adds.

A Spoken Remedy

Abracadabra seems to have kept its function as a magical cure against illness for many centuries. A 16th century Jewish manuscript from Italy records a version of the abracadabra spell for an amulet to prevent fever; and the English writer Daniel Defoe noted in A Journal of the Plague Year that it was used in 17th century London to prevent the infection: “as if the plague was not the hand of God, but a kind of possession of an evil spirit, and that it was to be kept off with crossings, signs of the zodiac, papers tied up with so many knots, and certain words or figures written on them, as particularly the word Abracadabra, formed in triangle or pyramid.”

But the word seems to have lost its usefulness as a remedy, and in the early 1800s it appeared in a stage play written by William Thomas Moncrieff, as an example of a word magicians would utter. Its only notable reference in the 20th century may be in the Thelema religion founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley. The occultist often used the word “abrahadabra” in his 1904 Liber Al Vel Legis (“Book of the Law,”) saying it was the name of a new age of humanity; and he claimed to have derived it from the numerology system known as Hermetic Qabalah, which induced him to swap out the C of abracadabra for an H.

Descent Into Conjuring

Historian Graham notes that magic was thought useful as a remedy only before modern medical developments: “We used to need magic to do different things, but we have better medicines now,” she says. And that’s relegated abracadabra to the realm of stage magic and conjuring tricks: “Now magic is more about spectacle and distraction.”

If abracadabra still retains any power, it may be because no one is sure what it means. “A magic word gives power to the magician, while outsiders don’t know what it is,” Graham says. “It endows the magician with power in the eyes of other people.” So if abracadabra sounds nonsensical, maybe that’s the point, she says: “If the word weren’t mysterious, then it would be less magical.”

A Meditation Inspiration!

Heather Aleander's 'An Sceal' inspired the meditation I wrote for our Spring Equinox!

“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

“As through the poplar’s gusty spire, the March wind sweeps and sings, I sit beside the hollow fire, and dream familiar things; Old memories wake, faint echoes make a murmur of dead Springs… “ ― Chambers’s Journal of Popular Literature

March's Lunar Spotlight

From Bustle.com by Nina Kahn

March Full Moon in Libra

March brings a brand-new retrograde that can rework your relationships, reevaluate your values, and perhaps even revamp your sense of style. That’s because the backspinning planet in question is Venus, which rules love, pleasure, art, and all things luxurious. Venus retrograde kicks off in Aries on March 1, and it’ll be reversing course through the full duration of the month ahead. During this time, expect to closely examine what you value, how you conduct relationships, and what pleases you.

On March 3, mental planet Mercury enters headstrong and firecracker-like Aries, giving everyone a sassier and more impulsive edge to communication. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself speaking off the cuff and brazenly sharing what’s on your mind. You may also have a lot of confidence in new ideas and feel energized to charge ahead on logistical tasks as a leader. Just don’t get too ahead of yourself, as Mercury will start retrograding in less than two weeks!

Venus and Mercury are lit up with Aries’ fiery vibes, but it’s still very much Pisces season when March kicks off, and the sun will remain in this mutable water sign throughout the first few weeks of the month. Pisces zodiac energy gets everyone’s emotions running deep and strong, flooding your heart with feelings and your head with fantasies. In general, it’s a time to tap into your creativity, mysticism, and empathy. Start seriously focusing on creative endeavors and fine-tuning your fantasies.

The sun in Pisces is making some important aspects during the first half of the month, giving this season a slightly stronger flavor than some. A lucky solar trine with adrenaline-fueled Mars on March 7 gives everyone a motivating burst of gusto that can help you jump-start your goals and channel your emotions into action. A few days later, on March 12, the sun meets with committed and responsible Saturn to form a Saturn cazimi — the perfect time to start seriously focusing on creative endeavors and fine-tuning your fantasies with a healthy dose of reality.

Welcome to eclipse season! The year’s first eclipse is hitting at 2:54 a.m. ET on March 14 (or just before midnight on March 13, for those of you in Pacific Time), and it’s taking place in the organized and orderly sign Virgo. This is a total lunar eclipse that coincides with a full moon, and it’s the first eclipse to take place in this mutable earth sign’s territory since 2008. Eclipses can bring big shake-ups and revelations, and this one is challenging all zodiac signs to release their need for control to embrace life’s mysterious side. Spiritual exploration and creativity require freedom.

Start double-checking the details of your emails and re-reading your texts before firing them off to the group chat, because logistical planet Mercury is stationing retrograde at 2:46 a.m. ET on March 15. Mercury rules schedules, timing, communication, and even technology, so its retrogrades can mix things up and slow things down in all of these areas. This backspin kicks off in headstrong Aries but will reverse into Pisces later in the month, so do your best to reign in your desire to speak impulsively or act on every thought — especially if you want to avoid pesky retrograde missteps during eclipse season chaos.

March's Full Storm Moon (aka Worm Moon)

Adapted From The Farmer's Almanac: https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-march#

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 - Super New Moon in Pisces

There may be eclipses turning your world upside down and dizzying retrogrades, but nothing can put a damper on the dynamic and energizing fresh start that arrives on March 20. To start, it’s the date of the spring equinox, which wraps up the winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Start packing away your heavy coats and digging out your florals, because spring has officially sprung.

This date doesn’t just mark the start of a new astronomical season — it’s also when the sun enters bold and brazen Aries, signaling the beginning of Aries season. This fire sign is self-starting, motivated, and impulsive, so think of this new solar vibe as a cosmic energy booster that’ll help you zoom toward your ambitions and zealously embrace your inner warrior.

Leadership-oriented Aries is considered the first sign of the zodiac, so the sun’s entrance into this fire sign is also the start of the astrological year new. With spring, Aries season, and the sun’s fresh rotation through the zodiac all taking place on one day, this is the perfect time to set some intentions and refresh your goals.

As Aries season begins, Mercury and Venus will still be retrograding through this fire sign’s realm — and during the first few days, each of these planets will cross paths with the sun, forming special alignments known as cazimis. The Venus cazimi occurs on March 22, while the Mercury cazimi occurs two days later. Both planetary aspects serve as a motivating retrograde checkpoint, allowing you to see things more clearly and start integrating the lessons you’re learning.

During the following days, both planets will retrograde back into Pisces, with Venus leading the charge on March 27 and Mercury following suit on March 29. These two celestial bodies will spend the remainder of their backspins in this water sign, giving the rest of the retrogrades a more sensitive, introspective, and emotional slant.

The month ends with one of the most monumental cosmic moments of the year so far, the ingress of numinous Neptune into Aries. Neptune is the planet of dreams, illusions, magic, and intuition, and it’s been in Pisces since 2011 — so this is the first sign shift it’s made in nearly fifteen years, and the first time it’ll hit Aries territory in more than 150 years. With Neptune in Aries, expect to develop a more empowered and action-oriented relationship with spirituality. Neptune will retrograde back into Pisces temporarily starting on Oct. 22, but the next seven months will offer a sneak peek of the Neptunian energy you’ll be working with for years to come.

“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, Aug. 28, 2020

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.

“The stormy March has come at last, With winds and clouds and changing skies; I hear the rushing of the blast That through the snowy valley flies.” ― William C. Bryant

The Kitchen Witch's Cauldron

~ Laurelinn's Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie ~

For the equinox, celebrate with foods that honor the coming of spring — eggs, early spring greens, shoots, sprouts, seasonal local produce, local bread, wine, etc.

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

~ March Book Review ~

Becoming Baba Yaga:

Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods

by Kris Spisak

Explore the folklore of the trickster, villain, and rescuer known as Baba Yaga in a new light.

“With Becoming Baba Yaga, Kris Spisak presents a robust work of scholarship. Baba Yaga is a wily shapeshifter, nearly impossible to pin down—but Spisak miraculously transforms alongside her, ever keeping up.” —from the foreword by GennaRose Nethercott, bestselling author of Thistlefoot

When darkness, fear, and instability inundate our daily lives, folktale figures like Baba Yaga speak to the dichotomy of our existence—the hope and the horror, the magic and the mundane. At once an old hag and an enchantress, a demon and wish granter, a feminist and nothing more than a fairytale, Baba Yaga is an endlessly complex folktale character.

Becoming Baba Yaga provides an in-depth look at the Baba Yaga mythos and history through Slavic folklore. Filled with historical and cultural context, analyses, and the stories themselves that add depth to the conversation. A comprehensive resource for anyone hoping to learn more about this ambiguous character and how her multifaceted presence still ripples through the present day, Becoming Baba Yaga is as thoughtful as it is illuminating.

Spisak explores Baba Yaga’s connection to nature as an Earth goddess and as an herbalist. She also delves into the Shadow Self and Baba Yaga’s aspect as a trickster and places her in a modern context as not merely a witch of the woods but also as an archetype and force for finding your own path. Becoming Baba Yaga shares how she is both a force for good as much as evil and a feminist before her time.

Review

“With Becoming Baba Yaga, Kris Spisak presents a robust work of scholarship. Baba Yaga is a wily shapeshifter, nearly impossible to pin down—but Spisak miraculously transforms alongside her, ever keeping up.”

—from the foreword by GennaRose Nethercott, bestselling author of Thistlefoot

“Becoming Baba Yaga is the balm for every spiritual seeker and folklore fanatic. For so long, the mysterious woods Witch has been just that . . . such a mystery! Spisak has gifted the world with a beautiful look at a goddess and character with a complicated and textured legacy, bringing both history and story to life with a loving, inviting touch. I will be referring to this book for my own studies as well as suggesting it to anyone interested in Slavic lore or the Baba Yaga.”

—Courtney Weber, author of Hekate: Goddess of Witches

About the Author

Kris Spisak earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the College of William and Mary, her Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Richmond and did further graduate work in fiction through the University of Iowa. She taught college writing courses at schools including Virginia Commonwealth University before stepping away from the classroom to pursue her own writing work. Kris has been spotlighted in Writer’s Digest and HuffPost for her work as an editor and author dedicated to helping other writers. She is the author of The Baba Yaga Mask (a novel) and Get a Grip on Your Grammar. Kris fully believes that well-written words and well-told stories have always changed the world and that they will continue to. She can’t wait to tell you her next story.

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

March Laughs:

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