“Enlightenment doesn’t come through constantly seeking after some kind of excitement, but through concentration on making each task in our everyday routine sacred.”
A Poem For April’s New Moon
by Elizabeth Barrette
The Maiden Goddess
The Maiden dances, pale and fair,
On April mornings soft with rain
With apple blossoms in Her hair
And green leaves trailing from Her train.
In pastures thick with silver dew
She stops to bless each calf and cow.
Her duty here is to renew,
A waxing crescent on Her brow.
She sows the sees of things to come
As fresh and innocent as air
But in the distance, summer’s drum
Will beckon Her from here to there.
INSPIRATION FOR THE WITCH IN YOU
APRIL 2008
by Lily Gardner
Small shoots poke up from the ground and tight green buds unfold into leaf and blossom. The air is filled with birdsong. A new April green saturates the landscape and every gardener steals time to be outdoors to cultivate and plant. Whether you’re a gardener or not, April is the perfect time to cultivate a wish garden. What have you wished that seemed beyond your reach? Plant your wish this April, using the four corners of the Witches’ Pyramid as your tools, and see what you can accomplish by harvest time.
Let’s begin with the first corner of the Witch’s Pyramid: to know. I would suggest that you begin a wish-garden journal as a way of focusing your thoughts. Novelist Don DeLillo said, “I don’t know what I think about certain subjects until I sit down and try to write about them.” Write down your thoughts until you’ve come to the place of really knowing your wish.
The next step in the process of “knowing” is brainstorming. Often a wish can be so ambitious as to seem overwhelming. Begin with the large steps necessary to get you from where you are now to where you want to be when you’ve achieved your wish. Break those large steps into smaller, concrete steps that you feel are doable in the present. Write down your specific plan one small step at a time. For example, your wish may involve schooling or learning a new skill, so begin with a list of classes you could take at this time. Visualizing your desire and brainstorming ways to achieve it is analogous to plowing the ground of your wish garden.
As you continue to prepare the groundwork for realizing your wish, consider the next corner of the Witches’ Pyramid: to will. Will is the steadfast resolve you need to reach your goal. Talent will only bring you so far; what you truly need is the passion to continue through fatigue and setbacks. To help build this resolve, I suggest making an altar dedicated to your wish. Find a deity whose special province aligns with your wish, and choose one of the four elements that resonates with your goal. If, for example, your wish is to own a farm, Tara would be a choice for your goddess and earth would be the element that resonates with your goal. Choose colors for cloth and candles that correspond with your wish. Use green for possessions, yellow for a new career, orange for an artistic endeavor, and pink for a committed relationship.
Every morning on awakening and every evening before going to bed, light a candle and pray to your deity to strengthen your will. Journal your progress as you work down the list of concrete steps toward realizing your wish. Each step is a young plant in your wish garden. Think of the obstacles as stones that need to be removed from your garden so the young shoots of your wish can flourish.
The third corner of the Witches’ Pyramid is: to dare. Do you have the confidence to override your own inner critic? The inner critic is that little voice inside that says you can’t possibly achieve your wish: you don’t have the intelligence, time, or talent to accomplish what you set out to do. Prayer, visualizations, and positive affirmations are the nutrients that help build confidence and firm your resolve. Spend time at your altar visualizing yourself living in the center of your wish.
The last corner of the Witches’ Pyramid is: to be silent. Always be cautious about sharing your wishes. Even loved ones may express doubts as to whether you can accomplish your dream, and that only serves to strengthen your inner critic and undermine your progress/ Even more caution is needed when sharing your magical workings. Many Witches believe that his type of sharing actually depletes the energy of your spell. Keeping your energies focused in this way also nourishes your wish.
May the garden of your wishes be fruitful and thrive!
April’s Promises: Astrological Update
April showers may bring May flowers and the blooming promise of romance, but — astrologically speaking — this month is almost too hot to handle! Pluto goes retrograde in Capricorn on April 2, focusing your attention on transformation. Mercury enters Aries on April 2, beginning a period of enthusiasm and creativity. Then, lovely Venus follows Mercury into the fiery planet’s influence on April 5 — signaling a time of gallant chivalry and romance. A new Moon follows the first two planet’s lead the very same day, bearing new beginnings. Seize onto this dynamic energy — the month is just starting!
Sun Squares Jupiter on April 10, followed by a sextile to Neptune on April 13, when enthusiasm needs to be tempered with practicality. Also on April 10, Mercury forms a T-square with Mars, followed by a square to Jupiter on April 13. These are passionate transits, so think carefully before you speak!
Things calm down the following week with Mercury entering Taurus and the Sun transiting into the same sign on April 19. A full Moon in Scorpio brings forth intense emotions. However, strength and passion are rewarded now, due the harmonious aspects of the Sun and Moon to Saturn. Embrace them both!
The show is still not over when Venus squares Mars on April 23 — depending on your birth chart, things might either spice up or there will be trouble. When explosions follow Mars moving opposite Jupiter on April 24, you may feel that you drank a glass of rocket fuel. You will be treading water when Mars moves quincunx to nebulous Neptune on April 28. The month closes on steadier ground, as Venus moves into Taurus on April 30. Courtesy of Astrology.com
April’s Special Days
– 1: April Fools’ Day / All Fools Day (Pagan)
– 2: Pluto goes retrograde 5:23 am
– 5: New Moon 11:55 pm
– 14: Celtic Tree Month of alder ends
– 15: Celtic Tree Month of Willow begins
– 18: Juno goes retrograde 8:48 am
– 19: Sun enters Taurus constellation / Passover begins at sundown
– 20: Full Moon 6:25 am (Wind Moon). Moon enters Scorpio 5:00 am / Passover
– 22: Earth Day
– 23: Administrative’s Day
– 25: Arbor Day / Orthodox Good Friday
– 27: Orthodox Easter / Passover ends