In order to improve the practice of Celtic Reiki, it is of great value to study the traditions of these ancient peoples. This improves the understanding of this system as a whole, and deepens the ability to intuit the best combinations between symbols during a session.
As we know, the Celts were very attached to seasonal changes, on which their livelihoods depended. This allowed the observation of Nature to go deeper, apprehending the life cycles that govern both the life of animals and plants, as well as that of human beings themselves.
Thus, during the turning of the "Wheel of the Year" (the apparent movement of the Sun in the firmament), the time when day and night appear to be of equal length is called the equinox; the northern and southern terrestrial hemispheres are equally illuminated by the Sun. This takes place twice a year – in March and in September.
The spring equinox, which occurs on March 21 (in the Northern Hemisphere), is called Ostara. At the end of winter, the Sun begins to rise again in the heavens, and Nature recovers, giving the first signs of rebirth. Life takes the reins, and Winter has no more power.
Goddess Ostara
The Goddess Ostara has an Anglo-Saxon origin from the adverb ostar. This word expresses something like “Rising Sun” or “Sun that rises”.
Eostre (of Indo-Germanic origin) means "brightness". This may indicate that the goddess was associated with the light of dawn. Her name gave rise to the English word “Easter”, which means “Easter”.
The ancients celebrated fertility during spring festivals, with great joy at the renewal of Nature. Winter and its powers ceased to influence the weather, and people could resume planting and hunting, close to the land.
In the first part of March, the symbol tree is the Ash (Nuin or Nion). After the 17th, the symbol tree is the Alder (Fearn or Fern). As well as the equinox, which represents the balance of the forces of light and darkness, these trees also bring this quality, as Nuin has a feminine polarity linked to the goddess Eostre, while Fearn brings the masculine polarity, of the young god of the hunt, as the god Welsh Celtic Gwyn ap Nudd ("Gwyn, son of Nudd") or the fertility god Cernunnos.
You might also like:
- Celtic Reiki: Cycles and Transitions
- Reiki Celta: Lughnasadh, Colheita
- Celtic Reiki: Beltane
Eostre (or Oster), the Celtic goddess of fertility, had as a symbol the rabbit, the animal that reproduces very quickly. The rabbit, among the peoples of northern Europe, was considered sacred since ancient times.
Another tradition associated with the pagan festival was egg decoration, representing the fertility and renewal potential brought by the gods. The egg was associated with the beginning of life and several myths recall the “Primordial Egg”, which would have been hatched by the heat of sunlight, giving life to everything that exists. Large bonfires were lit, representing this renewing force of the Sun and Life.
Christianity, with the intention of converting the pagans, took advantage of the recurring idea of ​​renewal of this time to associate the Easter feast – the feast of the resurrection of Jesus – with the ancient celebrations.
According to scholars, the Christianization of England began at the end of the XNUMXth century, taking advantage of ancient religious traditions for a faster assimilation of the Gospel.
This is a propitious time to renew ourselves continually, striving to shed the darkness of ignorance and illusion, consciously and continuously, improving our qualities – and in this way we too can make the world around us a better place.
References
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roda_do_Ano#Ostara
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eostre
Celtic Reiki – Ancient Wisdom for Current Times – Maria Tereza do AGO Ramos – AGbook – São Paulo
