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One of my daughters moved home.  She's got a new job and has moved home to save money.  However, we've had no children at home for about four years.  My husband and I settled into our house.  This is a nice way of saying we had accumulated a lot of stuff.

This means it's time for spring cleaning!  The year has turned towards spring.  The days are warmer.  The yard is green, the trees are starting to bud.  It's time to clear out our space in order to make room for our daughter and to clear out our clutter.

We take a look at the way in which online customers of occult services are being taken advantage of. A Pagan writer describes the "beauty of the warrior." And reflections and thoughts on the arrival of spring. It's Watery Wednesday, our segment for news and content from the Pagan community around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

Most usually people talk about the dawn chorus at midsummer – that’s when events to experience it seem to be organised. It is the case that the midsummer dawn chorus is the longest and loudest. However, you also need to be awake by four in the morning here in the UK, and that’s not easy, nor is it practical for some of us.

There is always a dawn chorus. In winter it’s brief, but even so I usually hear something. However, now in early spring is a great time for encountering and appreciating dawn bird song. Firstly it’s often warm enough to have the windows open a bit at night. If there are any trees in your vicinity, there’s a fair chance of birdsong, and of being able to lie in bed and hear it. Otherwise, it means being out at about six am, which is a good deal more feasible.

Spring beckons us to awaken from the sleep of Winter and bring the newness of our being into the cycle of season and growth. The Great Mother pushes us up from Her life giving sanctuary and we stretch and yawn, expand and reach towards a light that sustains the potential of what we may become. And as we reach above, the roots that nourish and anchor reach deeper into Gaia's form...

Settle deep into
The rich fertile
Soil of my womb.

Settle deeper into the
Strands of quickened seed and
Light that promise growth.

Settle deeper still into
The heated core of intention
And draw from that source
Of life all that I give
Freely to you..

.....My most beloved child..... 

There’s something about that first whiff of spring in the air that makes one hopeful. Even if you don’t normally consider yourself an optimist, it’s hard not to smile more often or sing to yourself when the sun shines a bit brighter and the birds sound a bit chirpier. This is the optimum time to start either a new project, exercise plan, or go for a new job. Here is a simple but effective ritual to assist in welcoming spring:

Decorate your altar with some fresh bright yellow daffodils. Fill your chalice with a sunny beverage offering such as orange juice or lemonade. Set out some eggs or images of eggs. In fact, get one boiling on the stove. An optimum hard-boiled egg should be brought to a rolling bowl, submerged in a small pot of water. Once the boil is full, turn off the heat but leave on the burner, cover and let sit for 12-15 minutes. Eventually drain out the hot water, rinse the egg in cold h2o, dry and set aside.

If you don’t already own some runic stones, I highly recommend "The Healing Runes," by Ralph H. Blum and Susan Loughan. Any set will do – however this one specifically for healing is apropos for new beginnings and the like. Light some incense and draw five runic stones from the bag and lay them out in a row vertically, going toward you. This is also fun because the stones are shaped like little eggs.

The first stone runic symbol that you draw symbolizes “heart in the past (overview),” and how that can be influencing your current situation. The second will represent the present, and what you will most likely be grappling with right now. The third stone represents “surrender” or an obstacle for you to overcome. And much like a tarot reading, the last rune will be the future, if you continue on this current path.

Decorate your now boiled egg with the symbol of the last rune of your reading. Peel, eat, and meditate on what you have learned. When you are done, toss the remainders of the shell into a planter outside that should bloom when spring gets fully underway.

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Today is the Spring or Vernal Equinox, also known to ancient Anglo-Saxons Pagans as Ostara, from which the word Easter is derived. For many, today marks the beginning of spring. For others, it is its midpoint. Either way however, everyone is in agreement that winter is over and summer not too far off. It is a time of change, renewal, and fertility as the natural world awakens from its cold slumber in the temperate parts of the northern hemisphere.

As always we’ve gathered all of our related posts as well as those we found across the internet that we thought you might enjoy . We hope you have a great time this spring!