My Ostara Gift. :)
Hello, everyone! :D
Spring is coming up, Ostara and all, and honestly, this is one of my favorite times of year. I'm busy gathering supplies for my spring cleaning, researching the plants I want to grow in the new garden, and generally being an excited fop about the upcoming warm weather.
I was wondering if anyone else was in the same mood? And if not, I figured I could do a little to help get you there. So here I come with a great big Spring/Ostara post complete with a few holiday recipes, beautiful Spring imagery to get you in the mood, poems, activities, and even a few songs. :D
I Meant To Do My Work Today
Richard Le Gallienne
I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand--
So what could I do but laugh and go?
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/easter/worktoday.html
Spinach (or Broccoli) Quiche
1 9-in pie crust, unbaked
3 eggs, beaten
8 oz pkg of Swiss cheese slices
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
dash pepper
1 c milk
dash nutmeg
1 small onion, sliced and sauted lightly
10 oz pkg frozen spinach (chopped) or broccoli, cooked and drained
Cut cheese in strips. Toss with flour. In pie crust, alternate layers of onion, spinach (or broccoli) and cheese, ending with cheese layer. Mix milk, eggs, and spices. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/tigris/567/id70_m.htm
Ostara Oil
2 parts frankincense
1 part benzoil
1 part dragon's blood
1/2 part nutmeg
1/2 part violet
1/2 part orange
1/2 part rose
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/tigris/567/id70_m.htm
Glazed Ham
10lbs ham
Whole cloves
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. flour
Canned pineapple slices
Place ham in a pot and cover with water. Bring slowly to the boil, then simmer for 1 hour. Allow to cool in the water, then remove ham and pour off water. Using a sharp knife, remove the rind from the ham.
Omit these steps when using precooked ham. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Score the fat at 1-inch intervals and stick with cloves. Combine the brown sugar, dry mustard, and flour and press on all sides about 1 1/2 inches thick. Pour the juice from the pineapple over the top of the ham. Place on the pineapple slices.
Bake about 25 minutes to the pound, basting often. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees about 15 minutes before the end of cooking time. Coat with more brow sugar mixture and bake 15 minutes without basting for a crisp glaze.
Allow the ham to stand for 15 minutes before serving.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/easter/easterrecipes.html
Daffodils
Williams Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills.
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company;
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/easter/daffodils.html
Plant a Garden
Edgar A. Guest
If your purse no longer bulges
and you've lost your golden treasure,
If times you think you're lonely
and have hungry grown for pleasure,
Don't sit by your hearth and grumble,
don't let mind and spirit harden.
If it's thrills of joy you wish for
get to work and plant a garden!
If it's drama that you sigh for,
plant a garden and you'll get it
You will know the thrill of battle
fighting foes that will beset it
If you long for entertainment and
for pageantry most glowing,
Plant a garden and this summer spend
your time with green things growing.
If it's comradeship you sight for,
learn the fellowship of daisies.
You will come to know your neighbor
by the blossoms that he raises;
If you'd get away form boredom
and find new delights to look for,
Learn the joy of budding pansies
which you've kept a special nook for.
If you ever think of dying
and you fear to wake tomorrow
Plant a garden! It will cure you
of your melancholy sorrow
Once you've learned to know peonies,
petunias, and roses,
You will find every morning
some new happiness discloses
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/easter/plantagarden.html
I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds, and bowers:
Of April, May, of June, and July flowers.
I sing of Maypoles, Hock-carts, wassails, wakes,
Of bridegrooms, brides, and of their bridal cakes.
~Robert Herrick (1591-1674)
Hesperides (1648)
Give me the splendid silent sun
with all his beams full-dazzling.
~Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
Leaves of Grass (1855; 1891-92)
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/springquotes1.html>
Ostara Hot Cross Buns
3 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
¼ cup melted butter
¼ tsp. salt
1 large egg, well beaten
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp.allspice(optional)
¾ cup raisins1 package
(1 oz.) dry yeast
Combine all ingredients except eggs and yeast and mix well. Dissolve
the yeast in a ¼ cup hot water. Add yeast and eggs to the rest and
mix well. Cover with a cloth and allow the dough to rise in a warm
spot until it has nearly doubled. This will take about an hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Shape the dough into round balls about
3 inches across and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet or
jellyroll pan. After five minutes, remove buns and cut into the dough
about ¾ of an inch down, slicing equilateral crosses into the tops.
Return to oven. Allow to bake for another fifteen to twenty minutes.
Remove the buns from the oven and drizzle on the frosting.
Frosting
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp. Milk
2 cups orange juice
Mix all ingredients and drizzle onto hot cross buns.
A few links
Here you can find instructions on dying your Ostara Eggs with natural home made egg dyes. :D
And are links to Ostara themed coloring pages for children. Adorable. :D
The Leaf and the Wind
This story literally had me misty eyed by the end. Not that I was sad, just that strange girl thing where really beautiful/happy things make us cry. You know.
taken from the book "Tell Me Another Story," by Lisa Suhay to be published by Paraclete Press on Sept 1, 2001
Leaf looked out across the broad, dawn-pink sky and down over the beautiful spring garden. The dewy breeze grazed it and left it shimmering, fluttering.
As it moved, Leaf saw all the corners of the garden with its flowers, bushes, trees and animals. Leaf stretched to catch every sight and sound. It was a new leaf at the top of a very old tree.
Leaf adored all the elements - wind, sun and rain. But it was in love with the wind.
Wind gave it the freedom of motion. Without the breeze it would never have seen the world below or from side to side. Wind rocked Leaf to sleep and shook it awake. Wind made Leaf dance.
Wind whistled haunting tunes through the branches, it whispered and sometimes it even sang.
On many days, Wind told Leaf of the places it had been. "All across the Rivers and down to the sea have I been," whispered Wind. On that day, Leaf could even smell the scent of the water and salty places of which Wind spoke.
"High up the mountain to the very door of Heaven today," Wind told, as the fresh clean smells settled down upon Leaf. "I have seen where the Blue-sky ends and birds cease to wing. I have heard the voice of Life itself and it is so beautiful."
Leaf shuddered with the thought of having Life speak to it as it did to Wind. "When will life speak to me?" Leaf asked Wind.
The breeze warmed as it blew over Leaf and Wind said softly, "You can Hear Life's voice in me."
Whenever it blew past, be it a breeze or gale, the little green leaf waved a joyful greeting to Wind - like the hand of a happy child to a loved one.
"I will love you for all time," Leaf whispered to the moving air around it. "I could not be happier."
Hearing this promise Tree itself shook and emitted a deep chuckle. "I am glad you are happy now," the tree said. "Enjoy your youth and beauty while you can, for soon enough you will be withered and brown, dry as dust and blown away with by the same breeze that stirs your heart today."
Leaf stiffened at these words. The other leaves said nothing. One or two fell like tears before their time, so stricken were they by the sadness.
"That is not so!" Leaf cried.
Tree shook again and said, "Oh but it is true. I have seen many, many leaves from many trees fall and crumble. Your time will come to curse the wind and the way of things. Wind is old and you are young. Ask Wind sometime."
The tree said no more. Leaf tried not to think about what Tree had said. Of course it had heard the stories of how leaves grow old and die, but still it would never be hateful.
That very day, Leaf made a decision. It shouted to the world, "I will Never hate Wind. I will not give in to fear or unhappiness."
Still, the next time Wind came to call, Leaf could not help but ask. "When I become old, dry and brittle will you destroy me as Tree says," Leaf asked.
Wind was silent for a long moment. "I will not destroy you my dear one," Wind said. "All Earthly things grow old and dry. That is not my doing."
Leaf was shaking and Wind could see the fear beginning to overtake Leaf. Wind added, "Keep your promise not to give in to hate and sorrow and when the time comes for you to fall, I will be there to catch you. It will be a beginning and not and end for you."
Again Leaf felt strong. "Tell me of your travels," Leaf said. Wind spoke well into the night.
Time passed. Leaf grew and changed. At first it became very big and strong. Then, as the air grew chill, Leaf began to take on the most magnificent colors. First a yellow cast and then little patches of red and gold began to creep across it.
"You are most beautiful today," whispered Wind. "I do not think that of all the leaves in the world there is one to match you."
Leaf shook a bit, knowing full well that many of the others had also begun to change and take on different hues. Still, the words brought joy.
"It is the beginning of the end for you and all your kind," Tree said. "Soon now, oh so soon, you will be nothing but a speck in the dirt."
All the other leaves began to droop and some even tumbled from their homes early as the weight of that unhappy thought dragged them down to Earth.
Not Leaf. "Words, words, words," Leaf laughed. "You cannot harm me with words. I choose to be happy with my fate. Others choose to be sad. The only one who will be sad when I am gone is you old tree for then who will you talk to?"
Tree shook with frustration and anger. "You will see," Tree bellowed. "You will be dirt!"
As days passed Leaf began to feel thin and tired. The bright colors that covered Leaf darkened to brown and Leaf knew its time grew short. Still it would not be sad because each day now Wind told Leaf of the wonderful adventures that were to come.
Just seeing Leaf cling to happiness while all those around it fell made Tree angry. One day it could stand it no more and when Wind came to call, Tree shook for all it was worth and Leaf snapped away from its branch and began to fall.
Tree watched and waited for Leaf to scream and cry, to realize what horror had just befallen it. Instead Tree heard the sound of laughter.
One moment Leaf was held fast to Tree and the next it was falling, flipping end over end. "I am flying!" Leaf laughed in pure joy.
"You are falling! Plunging," shouted Tree.
"I am soaring like a little bird," Leaf sang out. "See how I go!"
Leaf felt something lift it up. It was Wind come to keep its promise. "I cannot take you far right now, just to rest on the ground. No matter what happens, do not be afraid. I will return for you."
Wind carried Leaf ever so gently to the ground and allowed it to rest there. Leaf could feel the rumble of the roots from Tree as it laughed and said," You see? Now you are ready to become like all the others. It is all just as I said. Just give up now."
Leaf was not stirred to sadness by Tree's words. It did not answer, but lay quietly looking up at the world. It all looked so different now. After a time, Leaf nodded off to sleep and a long time passed before it woke.
Instead of feeling old, stiff and papery, Leaf felt suddenly free to move about. It could hear wind singing softly through the trees and felt itself being lifted and spun higher and higher.
"Did I not promise all would be well," crooned Wind. "You have become the dust of the Earth, so light and so fine that I can carry you anywhere with me."
And so Wind did carry the dust of Leaf and scattered it over fields, onto the backs of birds that flew to mountains and into streams that led to oceans.
Finally Wind seeded the clouds with the last few tiny grains that were once Leaf and Leaf came back to Earth with rains and snows.
Everywhere it fell the remains of Leaf brought a grain of pure joy, a drop Of hope and touch of love for wind and life.
One day in springtime Wind rustled past Tree and heard Tree telling all the young leaves about the Leaf that had loved the Wind and perished in the dirt.
Wind came back through Tree singing a breezy tune, "Listen my children, but not to those who tell you that your fate is in the dirt. Listen to me instead. I will tell the tale of how you will become Heaven's Dust. Believe and you will never dread."
If ever you wonder which leaves listen to Wind and not Tree, look up on a stormy day and see, which ones wave, a joyous greeting and which fall down in sorrow.
http://www.isle-of-avalon.com/stories.htm
Songs!
Most of these are not Pagan themed, but all of them, imho, have that light, breezy, happy feel that I like to associate with Spring. :)
Bright Eyes -- The First Day of My Life: I love this song. It's quiet and loving, and a real mood lifter compared to some of the band's other songs. ;)
Travis Tritt -- It's a Great Day to be Alive: I'm not really a Travis Tritt fan. This song makes me want to dance for pure happiness, though. Listen to it and if it doesn't make you feel warm on the inside I'll replace it with a song of your choice.
Des'ree -- You Gotta Be: I know you remember this song. :) If it's been a while, I'll reassure you that it's just as uplifting as ever!
George -- Breathe In Now: This song feels spiritual to me. I don't know whether it's the singers beautiful soprano vocals, the airy quality of the music, or the meaningful lyrics, but either way: you need to hear this. :)
Loreena McKennitt -- The Mummer's Dance: I had thought that everyone knew this song, but I was proven wrong over the weekend! If you don't, you need to hear this! Loreena is an amazingly talented Celtic style musician.
Rise Against -- Swing Life Away: Just another beautiful song. This is one of those that ends up feeling really personal to me. "We live on front porches and swing life away/We get by just fine here on minimum wage/If love is a labor I'll slave til the end".
Well, I hope you've enjoyed this. :) I had a good time finding all the little bits, digging through pictures and all.
Really, it's all just a long, drawn out way of saying brightest blessings, everyone! :D
Warning: image heavy
Spring is coming up, Ostara and all, and honestly, this is one of my favorite times of year. I'm busy gathering supplies for my spring cleaning, researching the plants I want to grow in the new garden, and generally being an excited fop about the upcoming warm weather.
I was wondering if anyone else was in the same mood? And if not, I figured I could do a little to help get you there. So here I come with a great big Spring/Ostara post complete with a few holiday recipes, beautiful Spring imagery to get you in the mood, poems, activities, and even a few songs. :D
I Meant To Do My Work Today
Richard Le Gallienne
I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand--
So what could I do but laugh and go?
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/easter/worktoday.html
Spinach (or Broccoli) Quiche
1 9-in pie crust, unbaked
3 eggs, beaten
8 oz pkg of Swiss cheese slices
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
dash pepper
1 c milk
dash nutmeg
1 small onion, sliced and sauted lightly
10 oz pkg frozen spinach (chopped) or broccoli, cooked and drained
Cut cheese in strips. Toss with flour. In pie crust, alternate layers of onion, spinach (or broccoli) and cheese, ending with cheese layer. Mix milk, eggs, and spices. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/tigris/567/id70_m.htm
Ostara Oil
2 parts frankincense
1 part benzoil
1 part dragon's blood
1/2 part nutmeg
1/2 part violet
1/2 part orange
1/2 part rose
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/tigris/567/id70_m.htm
Glazed Ham
10lbs ham
Whole cloves
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. flour
Canned pineapple slices
Place ham in a pot and cover with water. Bring slowly to the boil, then simmer for 1 hour. Allow to cool in the water, then remove ham and pour off water. Using a sharp knife, remove the rind from the ham.
Omit these steps when using precooked ham. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Score the fat at 1-inch intervals and stick with cloves. Combine the brown sugar, dry mustard, and flour and press on all sides about 1 1/2 inches thick. Pour the juice from the pineapple over the top of the ham. Place on the pineapple slices.
Bake about 25 minutes to the pound, basting often. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees about 15 minutes before the end of cooking time. Coat with more brow sugar mixture and bake 15 minutes without basting for a crisp glaze.
Allow the ham to stand for 15 minutes before serving.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/easter/easterrecipes.html
Daffodils
Williams Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills.
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company;
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/easter/daffodils.html
Plant a Garden
Edgar A. Guest
If your purse no longer bulges
and you've lost your golden treasure,
If times you think you're lonely
and have hungry grown for pleasure,
Don't sit by your hearth and grumble,
don't let mind and spirit harden.
If it's thrills of joy you wish for
get to work and plant a garden!
If it's drama that you sigh for,
plant a garden and you'll get it
You will know the thrill of battle
fighting foes that will beset it
If you long for entertainment and
for pageantry most glowing,
Plant a garden and this summer spend
your time with green things growing.
If it's comradeship you sight for,
learn the fellowship of daisies.
You will come to know your neighbor
by the blossoms that he raises;
If you'd get away form boredom
and find new delights to look for,
Learn the joy of budding pansies
which you've kept a special nook for.
If you ever think of dying
and you fear to wake tomorrow
Plant a garden! It will cure you
of your melancholy sorrow
Once you've learned to know peonies,
petunias, and roses,
You will find every morning
some new happiness discloses
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/easter/plantagarden.html
I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds, and bowers:
Of April, May, of June, and July flowers.
I sing of Maypoles, Hock-carts, wassails, wakes,
Of bridegrooms, brides, and of their bridal cakes.
~Robert Herrick (1591-1674)
Hesperides (1648)
Give me the splendid silent sun
with all his beams full-dazzling.
~Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
Leaves of Grass (1855; 1891-92)
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/springquotes1.html>
Ostara Hot Cross Buns
3 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
¼ cup melted butter
¼ tsp. salt
1 large egg, well beaten
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp.allspice(optional)
¾ cup raisins1 package
(1 oz.) dry yeast
Combine all ingredients except eggs and yeast and mix well. Dissolve
the yeast in a ¼ cup hot water. Add yeast and eggs to the rest and
mix well. Cover with a cloth and allow the dough to rise in a warm
spot until it has nearly doubled. This will take about an hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Shape the dough into round balls about
3 inches across and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet or
jellyroll pan. After five minutes, remove buns and cut into the dough
about ¾ of an inch down, slicing equilateral crosses into the tops.
Return to oven. Allow to bake for another fifteen to twenty minutes.
Remove the buns from the oven and drizzle on the frosting.
Frosting
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp. Milk
2 cups orange juice
Mix all ingredients and drizzle onto hot cross buns.
A few links
Here you can find instructions on dying your Ostara Eggs with natural home made egg dyes. :D
And are links to Ostara themed coloring pages for children. Adorable. :D
The Leaf and the Wind
This story literally had me misty eyed by the end. Not that I was sad, just that strange girl thing where really beautiful/happy things make us cry. You know.
taken from the book "Tell Me Another Story," by Lisa Suhay to be published by Paraclete Press on Sept 1, 2001
Leaf looked out across the broad, dawn-pink sky and down over the beautiful spring garden. The dewy breeze grazed it and left it shimmering, fluttering.
As it moved, Leaf saw all the corners of the garden with its flowers, bushes, trees and animals. Leaf stretched to catch every sight and sound. It was a new leaf at the top of a very old tree.
Leaf adored all the elements - wind, sun and rain. But it was in love with the wind.
Wind gave it the freedom of motion. Without the breeze it would never have seen the world below or from side to side. Wind rocked Leaf to sleep and shook it awake. Wind made Leaf dance.
Wind whistled haunting tunes through the branches, it whispered and sometimes it even sang.
On many days, Wind told Leaf of the places it had been. "All across the Rivers and down to the sea have I been," whispered Wind. On that day, Leaf could even smell the scent of the water and salty places of which Wind spoke.
"High up the mountain to the very door of Heaven today," Wind told, as the fresh clean smells settled down upon Leaf. "I have seen where the Blue-sky ends and birds cease to wing. I have heard the voice of Life itself and it is so beautiful."
Leaf shuddered with the thought of having Life speak to it as it did to Wind. "When will life speak to me?" Leaf asked Wind.
The breeze warmed as it blew over Leaf and Wind said softly, "You can Hear Life's voice in me."
Whenever it blew past, be it a breeze or gale, the little green leaf waved a joyful greeting to Wind - like the hand of a happy child to a loved one.
"I will love you for all time," Leaf whispered to the moving air around it. "I could not be happier."
Hearing this promise Tree itself shook and emitted a deep chuckle. "I am glad you are happy now," the tree said. "Enjoy your youth and beauty while you can, for soon enough you will be withered and brown, dry as dust and blown away with by the same breeze that stirs your heart today."
Leaf stiffened at these words. The other leaves said nothing. One or two fell like tears before their time, so stricken were they by the sadness.
"That is not so!" Leaf cried.
Tree shook again and said, "Oh but it is true. I have seen many, many leaves from many trees fall and crumble. Your time will come to curse the wind and the way of things. Wind is old and you are young. Ask Wind sometime."
The tree said no more. Leaf tried not to think about what Tree had said. Of course it had heard the stories of how leaves grow old and die, but still it would never be hateful.
That very day, Leaf made a decision. It shouted to the world, "I will Never hate Wind. I will not give in to fear or unhappiness."
Still, the next time Wind came to call, Leaf could not help but ask. "When I become old, dry and brittle will you destroy me as Tree says," Leaf asked.
Wind was silent for a long moment. "I will not destroy you my dear one," Wind said. "All Earthly things grow old and dry. That is not my doing."
Leaf was shaking and Wind could see the fear beginning to overtake Leaf. Wind added, "Keep your promise not to give in to hate and sorrow and when the time comes for you to fall, I will be there to catch you. It will be a beginning and not and end for you."
Again Leaf felt strong. "Tell me of your travels," Leaf said. Wind spoke well into the night.
Time passed. Leaf grew and changed. At first it became very big and strong. Then, as the air grew chill, Leaf began to take on the most magnificent colors. First a yellow cast and then little patches of red and gold began to creep across it.
"You are most beautiful today," whispered Wind. "I do not think that of all the leaves in the world there is one to match you."
Leaf shook a bit, knowing full well that many of the others had also begun to change and take on different hues. Still, the words brought joy.
"It is the beginning of the end for you and all your kind," Tree said. "Soon now, oh so soon, you will be nothing but a speck in the dirt."
All the other leaves began to droop and some even tumbled from their homes early as the weight of that unhappy thought dragged them down to Earth.
Not Leaf. "Words, words, words," Leaf laughed. "You cannot harm me with words. I choose to be happy with my fate. Others choose to be sad. The only one who will be sad when I am gone is you old tree for then who will you talk to?"
Tree shook with frustration and anger. "You will see," Tree bellowed. "You will be dirt!"
As days passed Leaf began to feel thin and tired. The bright colors that covered Leaf darkened to brown and Leaf knew its time grew short. Still it would not be sad because each day now Wind told Leaf of the wonderful adventures that were to come.
Just seeing Leaf cling to happiness while all those around it fell made Tree angry. One day it could stand it no more and when Wind came to call, Tree shook for all it was worth and Leaf snapped away from its branch and began to fall.
Tree watched and waited for Leaf to scream and cry, to realize what horror had just befallen it. Instead Tree heard the sound of laughter.
One moment Leaf was held fast to Tree and the next it was falling, flipping end over end. "I am flying!" Leaf laughed in pure joy.
"You are falling! Plunging," shouted Tree.
"I am soaring like a little bird," Leaf sang out. "See how I go!"
Leaf felt something lift it up. It was Wind come to keep its promise. "I cannot take you far right now, just to rest on the ground. No matter what happens, do not be afraid. I will return for you."
Wind carried Leaf ever so gently to the ground and allowed it to rest there. Leaf could feel the rumble of the roots from Tree as it laughed and said," You see? Now you are ready to become like all the others. It is all just as I said. Just give up now."
Leaf was not stirred to sadness by Tree's words. It did not answer, but lay quietly looking up at the world. It all looked so different now. After a time, Leaf nodded off to sleep and a long time passed before it woke.
Instead of feeling old, stiff and papery, Leaf felt suddenly free to move about. It could hear wind singing softly through the trees and felt itself being lifted and spun higher and higher.
"Did I not promise all would be well," crooned Wind. "You have become the dust of the Earth, so light and so fine that I can carry you anywhere with me."
And so Wind did carry the dust of Leaf and scattered it over fields, onto the backs of birds that flew to mountains and into streams that led to oceans.
Finally Wind seeded the clouds with the last few tiny grains that were once Leaf and Leaf came back to Earth with rains and snows.
Everywhere it fell the remains of Leaf brought a grain of pure joy, a drop Of hope and touch of love for wind and life.
One day in springtime Wind rustled past Tree and heard Tree telling all the young leaves about the Leaf that had loved the Wind and perished in the dirt.
Wind came back through Tree singing a breezy tune, "Listen my children, but not to those who tell you that your fate is in the dirt. Listen to me instead. I will tell the tale of how you will become Heaven's Dust. Believe and you will never dread."
If ever you wonder which leaves listen to Wind and not Tree, look up on a stormy day and see, which ones wave, a joyous greeting and which fall down in sorrow.
http://www.isle-of-avalon.com/stories.htm
Songs!
Most of these are not Pagan themed, but all of them, imho, have that light, breezy, happy feel that I like to associate with Spring. :)
Bright Eyes -- The First Day of My Life: I love this song. It's quiet and loving, and a real mood lifter compared to some of the band's other songs. ;)
Travis Tritt -- It's a Great Day to be Alive: I'm not really a Travis Tritt fan. This song makes me want to dance for pure happiness, though. Listen to it and if it doesn't make you feel warm on the inside I'll replace it with a song of your choice.
Des'ree -- You Gotta Be: I know you remember this song. :) If it's been a while, I'll reassure you that it's just as uplifting as ever!
George -- Breathe In Now: This song feels spiritual to me. I don't know whether it's the singers beautiful soprano vocals, the airy quality of the music, or the meaningful lyrics, but either way: you need to hear this. :)
Loreena McKennitt -- The Mummer's Dance: I had thought that everyone knew this song, but I was proven wrong over the weekend! If you don't, you need to hear this! Loreena is an amazingly talented Celtic style musician.
Rise Against -- Swing Life Away: Just another beautiful song. This is one of those that ends up feeling really personal to me. "We live on front porches and swing life away/We get by just fine here on minimum wage/If love is a labor I'll slave til the end".
Well, I hope you've enjoyed this. :) I had a good time finding all the little bits, digging through pictures and all.
Really, it's all just a long, drawn out way of saying brightest blessings, everyone! :D
Warning: image heavy