Easter: Rebirthing the Divine Feminine

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, ca. 1485

This is a most powerful, magical celebration, and one to definitely use to our advantage. All we need to do is remember what this holiday stands for, and take a good look at our lives from this perspective ...

The festival of Easter is firmly rooted in pre-Christian pagan traditions. It gets its name in English from the Saxon lunar goddess of fertility and springtime, Eostre, who is also at the etymological root of a cardinal point: the East. 

Eástre (1909) by Jacques Reich

Interestingly, and in line with the concept of fertility and re-birth (resurrection), Eostre is also connected to the name of the female hormone, estrogen, and the biological term 'estrus', which refers to the phase when the female is sexually receptive. 

Unlike other Christian festivals whose dates are fixed, Easter is always celebrated on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox, thus following a nature-based calendar.

Painted eggs and bunnies are among the most ancient and widely found spring symbols, although they were part of much more serious fertility observances thousands of years ago. The hare is also one of the companions and totems of Aphrodite (whose name is connected to the word 'April'), the Greek goddess of beauty, love and passion. 

According to some, the word Easter can be connected to the name of the Babylonian divinity, Ishtar, an earlier embodiment of Venus's womanly energy. Ishtar is also associated with the Egyptian goddess Isis, famous for having brought her murdered husband, Osiris, back to life.

A 1907 postcard

              The Goddess Isis, wall painting, c. 1360 BCE                   Old Babylonian period "Ishtar, Queen of Night" relief.

Finally, chocolate is undoubtedly every woman's favourite food, and wonderful to keep your mood up thanks to the phenylethylamine it contains.

So, Easter is the Festival of the Divine Feminine. Let's celebrate it properly by focusing on new beginnings, on how we want our lives to change in the year ahead of us. Remember, make Easter the day in which you connect with the Goddess in Embryo that you are (or with the feminine aspect of your psyche if you're a man).

This painting shows Paris surveying Aphrodite naked, with the other two goddesses watching nearby. This is one of the numerous works that depict the event. (El Juicio de Paris by Enrique Simonet, ca. 1904)

Rebirth the Goddess that you are and reveal her to the world!

... and by this time next year we will be celebrating our powerful achievements and happy outcomes together.
Have a wonderful holiday, everybody!

love, Cassie xx