White Rabbits

Hare and Crow by Amanda Clark

While spinning round this morning whilst saying white rabbits three times, because it's the first of March, I wondered where does this come from, why white rabbits.  The best reasons seems to come from the story of Ostara the Spring Goddess and Goddess of the Dawn.

It is said she was late arriving one year to bring the spring warmth and sunlight in, when she did arrive the ground was still frozen and covered in snow.  She felt even worse about being late when she discovered a small bird with his wings frozen dying from the cold.  Ostara picked the bird up and cradled him to warm him through, but his wings still remained damaged and he couldn't fly.  Feeling remorseful about the bird not being able to fly she turned him into a white rabbit or rather a Snow Hare and named him Lepus. She gave him the gift of great speed and turning ability and to remember his time as a bird she gave him the ability to lay eggs, eggs of many colours, but only for one day a year.

So it could be that that is why saying white rabbits on the first of March, or some say on the first new moon of this month, brings you good luck.  Why the spinning, I don't know, maybe that's just me.  Does anyone else spin?

Looking forward to eggs of many colours at the Spring Equinox :0)

Mother Goddess Love Necklace

 

Just finished this lovely little Goddess necklace.  She is cut from Sterling silver sheet, has light engraving to give details and has a gold coloured love heart soldered to her centre.  She is about 3 cm heigh by 2cm wide.  The pendant is completed with a silver chain.  Was flipping through one of my sketch books when I came across a drawing of the shape of the goddess, was looking to do hare shapes to make another hare necklace ready for Ostara buy this goddess wanted to come out first. 

A link to my website in case you want to treat your mum or someone who's like a mother to you for Mothering Sunday :0) Goddess Necklace

Spring Equinox, Eclipse Necklaces

Spring Equinox/Ostara is almost here, Spring yay :0) and this year it comes with a solar eclipse!!
With those events in mind I thought I would show a couple of necklaces that I created which would make an excellent (eggcellent ;0)) memento/gift.

This is a silver spiral moon kissing the sun for the eclipse or for the balance of night and day at the equinox.

And this is for Ostara's Hare coursing across the starlit night under a crescent moon.  With added symbology of the triple spiral/ triskele.

With Terry Pratchett's sad passing it also remind's me of Tiffany Aching's hare necklace in I shall wear Midnight. I think I shall make a silver horse necklace to compliment this one similar to the one she wore when she was younger.

If you like these necklaces you can find out more about them here -

 Necklace and pendants

Spring Equinox

 

Blessed Ostara, Spring Equinox, the balance of day and night, coming of warmth and new life, even if it is still snowing here today! 

The Black Birds in the garden are gathering nest building materials I can see them hopping about with leaves and things in their beaks, the Robin's chest is still as bright as ever, and the Ringnecked Doves have been checking out the Silver Birch again.  The Hazel is full of yellow catkins, yes even though the weather is still cold, spring is stirring:0)

Moon Hares

Running Spiral Moon Hare Necklace

Leaping Full Moon Hare Pendant

Moon Gazing Spiral Hare

As it's nearly the Spring Equinox/Ostara thought I would show some of the Moon Hares I have finished recently. They have been hand sawn (pierced) from brass (the two top ones) and copper, the silver is all sterling silver.

I have engraved some detailing onto the Running Hare. Behind is a silver moon which has been lightly hammered to give texture and a crescent shape and a silver spiral acts as the bail.

The Leaping Hare has a circle of sterling silver bringing together the hare and the mother of pearl full moon.

The Moon Gazing Hare has a silver spiral on the back leg and sits under a lightly hammered silver moon.

The hare is an ancient symbol of this time of year and is closely associated with the Saxon goddess Oestara and is from where the modern easter bunny comes. There are different spellings for Oestara - Ostara, Eostra (notice the similarity with the word easter). She is the European version of the Goddess Ishtar/Astarte whose worship goes back thousands of years. She is goddess of the spring, and the dawn, and fertility, as christianity took over her time was changed to easter and the hare to an easter bunny.

This is my favorite time of year, the celebration of the arrival of Spring. There is new hope and promise for the coming seasons, warmth returning, early flowers blooming, renewal and rebirth, balance of night and day, with the light growing stronger day by day, masculine and feminine/yin and yang are also in balance, young life is emerging, and of course chocolate eggs;0)
www.morningstarcraft.co.uk necklace pendants

Festive Branch

This is our festive branch in its Spring Equinox/Ostara/Easter mood. Thought I'd take a picture before we change it. Most of the eggs are ones me and the kids have blown and decorated and the paper chain bunnies are by the kids too.