Before I begin, I would like to tell you what you won't find in this post. You won't find any information on Ostara or the Eostre Hare. Personally, that stuff is a little too saccharine for my taste, and I believe that there is an abundance of information on it out there on the web. If you are looking for information on the bunny, the Goddess Eostre, or egg dying, you will certainly find it. You just won't find it here.
I am more interested in the natural elements of this time of year. Day and night are balanced. The winter is giving way to spring. For some of us, that is a more dramatic transition. Winter has been relatively mild in North Carolina this year, but for people further North, they got a lot of snow and cold weather. Despite the promise of warmth and renewal that waits on the horizon, we are not yet actually out of winter. There are still cold nights ahead. We might even get more snow (even here in the Tar Heel State), but we can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel.
In Celtic countries, the Cailleach Bheur is still wandering the land, tapping her staff along the ground, but her influence is waning. The Cailleach is an aspect of the Crone Goddess. She rules over darkness and winter and the cold winds that accompany it. At Beltane, she will turn to stone and toss her staff under the root of a holly tree until it is time to return at Samhain. This time of the year, when day and night (light and darkness) are balanced, is excellent for working with the Crone energies. The world is slowly waking from its hibernation. As the Cailleach moves towards her well-deserved rest in her stone tomb, ask her to take any problems or concerns you have along with her. Ask her help in freezing those issues in stone and removing them from your life so that you can focus on your own re-awakening, your own rebirth during this productive time of new life.
As a hedge witch who is interested in hearth and home, contacting the fairies is an excellent idea. While home is a place to relax, it takes a lot of energy to maintain a healthy, happy home. The fairies can help lighten your load. If you wish to connect with the gnome energies, work on being more spontaneously helpful and humble. They will perceive your efforts as an invitation into your life, and you will see amazing results. The undines, which are often thought of as mermaids or mermen, help us get in touch with our feelings and deeper emotions. They also stimulate our nurturing abilities (a wonderful addition to the hearth and home toolbox), and they open us up to find healing compassion and intuition. However, if you are going to work with the undines on a more conscious level, you must be prepared to adopt an attitude of gentle firmness or you may become more wishy-washy than you'd like. Consistency is important when working with the sylphs. Have you ever found a person who had his or her head up in the clouds? This person has a strong connection to the sylphs and neglects to employ consistency in his or her dealings with them. The sylphs are wonderful spirits of the air. They can help inspire you and expand your wisdom. They are wonderful to work with for protecting the home, because their energy is so strong that they can confuse possible intruders. Every hearth witch should cultivate a relationship with them. Just remember that, when dealing with the sylphs, routine is not always a bad thing. The salamanders are spirits of fire. Any where that there is heat, they can be found, so it is not difficult to see their connection to hearthcraft. A good connection with the salamanders will stimulate vitality and loyalty. They are also excellent companions for anyone who composes music or works with words, because they ignite our creativity and our passions. In order to work with the salamanders effectively, you must be willing to remain receptive and still. Be careful not to over-indulge in this relationship, though. Too strong a connection to these group of spirits can bring about a lack of self-control and over-sensitivity. (The sensitive artist comes to mind here.)
Aside from the elementals, there are fairies who share our homes. They are referred to as "house fairies," and they can be excellent companions for any witch who is willing to provide a suitable home.
In Scotland, they have the brownies. The house brownie is one of the kindest and most beneficial fairies a witch can connect with. Edain McCoy says that he "looks for a deserving human to aid, one who is humble and gracious and is good to nature and other people. And he hunts for a warm house, one which he feels he can be comfortable--that means one with no cats!" The brownie always seems to appear as a small male fairy, and cats tend to mistake them for mice. They tend to like the attic, the cellar, or the woodshed--out of the way places where they can stay warm and remain undisturbed. They are most active at night, and will finish household tasks, protect your home, family, and pets. They will also lend their energy to prosperity spells.
The bean-tighe (pronounced ban-tee), unlike the banshee, is a delight to have around the house. She is also known as "Our Housekeeper." They tend to look like small elderly women in old fashioned peasant clothing, with kindly dimpled faces. However, no one has ever set a full description of this spirit down in writing. If you are fortunate enough to have a bean-tighe inhabit your house with you, you will most likely find her watching over your children, hearth, or pets. She will also finish up any household chores left undone by the tired mother. Show your appreciation by leaving her fresh strawberries and cream by the fireplace. While she will protect the house just like the brownie, she differs from the brownie in that she will lend her energies to any fertility spells you wish to cast.
The domovoi is a Russian fairy who is very similar to the brownie. They live in human homes, which they protect with a fierce loyalty. Though they can be a bit crotchety, their bark is worse than their bite. They are known for doing favors for their adopted families. However, what your personal domovoi views to be a favor to you (stealing needed supplies from the neighbors, raising a ruckus to let the family know of approaching trouble, sobbing and wailing when death is coming to his home) may not always be appreciated by the family members. If you are considering inviting a domovoi into your home, you must pay special attention to his jealous nature (especially where poultry meats are concerned). He will protest loudly if you give a guest or another fairy a larger portion of meat than him. His temper tantrums have been known to shake the very foundations of houses, but if you are willing to give him "his fair share" and you are willing to honor him with libations of grain at every sabbat, the relationship will be well-worth cultivating.
While Epona is best known for her association with horses, she has a dual expression of her worship. She is also a goddess of Spring, healing, maternity, and prosperity. One of her symbols is the cornucopia (the horn of plenty), a symbol of fertility and plenty, so she is a wonderful goddess to worship at this time of the year.
In her guise as a goddess of fertility, Epona was recognized as "the bringer of dreams." This applies to dreams in both the literal and figurative sense. She often appeared to her devotees in their dreams. It is suggested that our word "nightmare" comes from Epona's Irish name (Mare). She was recognized for bringing both good and bad dreams. However, she is also the goddess to aid you in achieving your ambitions (wildest dreams). She was the goddess who was married off to the king of the land, granting him the soverignty to lead his people. If she could raise ancient kings to the height of their societies, she can do the same for us in our modern-day lives.
Appeal to Epona for protection and healing (especially for animals). She is able to help you become fertile in mind, body, and spirit. If you wish to enhance or simply remember your dreams, she is the perfect goddess to reach out to. She can banish nightmares in children. Her energies will aid you in your pathworking and in enhancing your abilities with divination. She can help women who wish to be leaders in their communities, but she can also help women to accept, love, and become whole within themselves. Any of these associations would be excellent places to work with her this Vernal Equinox.
Though I am not the kitchen witch of my coven, I am learning to cook (and to enjoy it). As every good chef I've talked to has told me, your cooking will improve with fresh, home-grown herbs. I decided that I would take them up on the challenge and expand my hearthcraft specialization into the kitchen and the garden.
