Edited by: The 3 Witches Share your dreams by visiting:
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THE RITE OF SPRING-CLEANING A MESSAGE FOR THE EQUINOX FROM THE 3 WITCHES Greetings from the forest for Spring come a little late due to a problem in the lower quadrant of the west wood. The elves had made such a mess painting dewdrops with what looked like a tube of old acrylic purple paint, probably left behind by some visiting Physik Garden artiste in a thoughtless kind of way, that we had to spend well over our allotted time for cleaning chores rescuing the abundant yellowness of Spring from turning into a muddy brown. The elves were not punished, as they are just children after all, but we have implemented a system of reward for good behaviour. (Two goes on the Orc swing and extra helpings of mugwort pie for any elf spotted behaving in a manner consistent with the practice of good magic. Poulene has got her chart ready). Which brings us to the theme of this message. Spring is a time of rebirth, which comes about through death and decay. Change and transformation are everywhere. In olden days, the group would consider it necessary to sacrifice a member to promote healthy growth of the whole. The Rite of Spring. This member was the scapegoat, or pharmakos, (from the Greek, meaning healer), and was usually a volunteer, usually a most valued person, often a king. Jesus Christ is the prime example of this. Being wounded and being a healer are aspects of the same archetypal pattern. Healing requires sacrifice. Our Spring -cleaning rituals today are probably a hangover from this earlier time. As in the body, there is a need to eliminate in order to keep healthy. The expulsion of the scapegoat and the sweeping of the cellar (and the cleansing of the cellular), are but different points along the same ritualistic line. As recent events in Uganda have revealed,
hidden human sacrifice continues to be practised. The mass slaughter of
victims to satisfy power urges of a political, martial or religious kind,
are very different from the self-offerings of the pharmakos. They come
from a desire to dominate rather than a readiness to participate in a
transformation process. The continual sacrifice of Nature to human greed
is very different from the offerings of plants as food which are repayed
by our respect for, and nurturing of, the earth. (Elves, take note). |
