Sigr / Sigerblót - 19th to 26th March

By this time of 19th to 26th of March ( the spring Equinox )there is a celebration called Sigr or Sigerblót or simply Ostara, it is known as the "Victory-Blessing".

When the winter weather passed away and nature's rebirth brings back the natural beauty of the world, we all are aware of it, we can see it in the blossoming of beautiful flowers, the birds singing and all other kind of animals coming back to live and see the day light. Just like the birds that have made their shelter during the winter times, preparing their homes for the coming of spring and to mate, all other animals including ourselfs have this feeling, not just to mate of course, but to welcome the powers of the warm sun, and the soft north brise that whispers gentel words that soothes the heart.

In the Northern Tradition paganism, we ritualize all those feelings and happenings of nature with the festival called Ostara, and as i have told before, it is a celebration to the rebirth of nature and of the world, in other terms, it is the coming of life again.
As i have told in an other post, this is the season to celebrate Easter. The name Easter comes from the germanic goddess Eostre who i have talked about in an other post.

So getting back to the subject, at this time of the year, the is also an other celebrations, which isn't known as much as Ostara it self is.

In the past there was a celebration to the god Odin called Sigrblót/Sigerblot, Sigr means "Victory". This of course, was a celebration to call for Victory in a time of raiding, long journeys, in war, in one's endeavours. This seems a bit contradictory, how can it be the time for nature's rebirth, and also of war and battle? These are two subjects that can be linked both in our lifes and in the natural world, there is always a constant rebirth of the spirit, there is always a battle also, always problems we have to face during our life time that make us grow, there are times we fall into deep sorrow and there is a rebirth when victory is conquered, when victory and glory is earned. We all need the courage to face these problems.

Sigr (victory) is a spiritual quality and, in the northern tradition paganism, people are happy and they accept the natural world as it is, we are happy with it, we say yes to it and to nature, we look all around with the eyes of joy and caring, there is a beauty in the human expirience, we are satisfied with it, unlike others, we do not seek to leave our lifes after death, in other places, nor do we have the problem of salvation or reincarnation in something else, we like it in here in the natural world.

As we are World accepting people, also do we accpet joy, we accept life, and one think that makes life even better, is to have victory, to succeed, it is good to have that in our lifes. it is good to win, it is good to attain everything we with to attain in our lifes, for our personal joy and to others, in anything, at work, social life, studying, love life etc, and this is the true essence of Sigrblót.

Sigr affirms what we are as a single individual, ir affirms our existence, it validates our lifes and our experiences.

What is the source of this victory? How does it come to us?

Over and over again, we see that Sigr / Victory, is connected to the god Odin, we can see that in one of his names, Sigfater, or Father of Victory, this is also connected to the rune tiwaz ( which you can take a look in my blog in the label called Runes ), and this rune is connected to the god Tyr. Tyr is seen as a god of war and of justice, also a god of "assemble" or "gather" in terms of assembling the people to confront and to discuss and resolve their disputes. This kind of victory, is also the victory of the mind, the power and might of the spirit, with a strong mind and will, we are able to confront in a better way, all our problems, to face them and to win.

Sigr is a useful tool to aid in our personal evolution, it can help us to grow, and the more victorys we have, the more we can savour life and enjoy it even more, the victory of the spirit, that comforts us, and so we become more attached to life. There isn't a refusal to enjoy to win, to have victory, there is no withholding of good emotions, that is why we honour victory and that is why we celebrate it, there can't be a denial of our personal growth, our evolution as a human being, sigr works with the spring time, it is linked to it, because it is an affimation of life and joy, it is a rebirth of ourselfs.

Easter - Pagan or Christian ?

When we celebrate Easter, do we know what the rabbit and eggs symbolize and do they actually have anything to do with Jesus’ resurrection? Its quite interesting to know where these symbols came from...

When the christian missionaries wanted to convert the Pagans to Christians they thought the easier way would be to incorporate some Pagan beliefs with the story of Christ.
Many people celebrate Easter, thinking that this was the time when Christ resurrection took place, but Easter is a pagan festival, it is the coming of spring and the actual rebirth of nature after the dark times of the harsh winter, and the church adopted this concept, and turned it into the ressurection of jesus, it was a very affective propaganda, and so the pagans used to celebrate this time, would easily welcome a person who was actualy the rebirth of the seasons himself, into their celebrations.

This is the time for joy, and to welcome the harm sun and the power of nature, after its "death" at winter time, it can return in such a beauty and a cosy feeling, when people can start their crops again and enjoy and take what the earth has to give.

So is Easter Pagan or Christian?

In reality, Easter does not represent the "historical" crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in fact, the gospel tale reflects the annual "crossification" of the sun through the vernal equinox (Spring) at which time the sun is  "resurected", as the day begins to become longer then the night. Rather then being a "chirstian" holiday, Easter celebrations date back into remotest antiquity and are found around the world as the blossoming of spring did not escape the notice of the ancients, who revered this life-renewing time of the year, when winter had passed and the sun was "born again".

To the Anglo-Saxons, Easter or Eostre is the goddess of the dawn, but i will make a post about it, just to talk about Eostre.

The word "Easter" shares the same root with "east" and "eastern", the direction of the rising sun.

The Syrian sun and fertility god Attis, was annualy hung on a tree, dying and rising on March 24th and 25th, an "Easter celebration" that occured at Rome as well.

This tradition which placed the death of Christ on the twenty-fifth of March was ancient and deeply rooted. This "coincidence" between the  deaths and resurections of Christ and the older Attis was not lost on easly Christians, whom it distressed mightily. In their attempt at explaining the existence of these pre-christian motifs, easly christians apologists, claimed  the devil had gotten there first!
The rises of the "crucified Adonis", another dying and rising  saviour god, were also celebrated in Syria at Easter time.

"When we  reflect how often the church has skillfully contrived to plant the seeds of the new faith on the old stock of paganism, we may surmise that the Easter celebrations of the dead and risen christ,  was grafted upon a similar celebration of the dead  and risen Adonis, which, as we have seen reason to believe, was celebrated in Syria at the same season."

The Salvific death and resurection at Easter of the god, the initiation as remover of sin, and the notion of becoming "born again" are all ages-old pagan motifs or mysteries rehashed in the later Christianity.

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The Thirteen Full Moons of the Year

The Thirteen Full Moons of the Year

The pagan practices bases its festivities not only on the sabbatical wheel of the year, but also in the thirteen full moons that occur throughout the year.

January - Wolf's Moon

With the deep snow of winter, hungry packs howled near the villages, this is why the full moon this month was known by this name. It was also known by the moon after Yule. We can associate these wolves with the  furious horde of wolves that came with the god of the wild hunt.

February - Snow's Moon

Usually the heaviest snow fell in February and hence its name, but it was also referred to as "full moon of hunger." So at this time comes the first festival of light of the year in the  Pagan Calendar , Imbolc.

March - Raven's Moon

The Ravens announced the departure of winter, which was at the beginning of the thaw, this was the reason that it was also entitled as the full moon's crust, as the snow thawed during the day and returned to form a crystalline crust overnight. Celebrating the arrival of spring in its equinox, Ostara.

April - The Moon of the Rose

This full Moon  owes its name to the pink colored-moss, one of the first flowers to bloom in early spring, but the April moon was recognized as the frog's moon or planter's moon.

May - The Moon of Flowering

Because May is the month that begins with Bealtaine and because the flowers reach their maximum brightness, color and fragrance this time of the year, this full moon is well known by this, or as the full moon flowers.

June - Moon of strawberries

It has this name because it is the season where people wanted to reap the fruits, in Europe it is known as the moon rose, since the roses reach their maximum splendor in this month. Litha is celebrated, or summer solstice.

July - The Thunder Moon

July brings heat and thunderstorms, showers and heat, being one of the months that have more climatic variations. However, this full moon is also nicknamed the blood moon because of the sacrificial rites that took place at this stage of the year.

August - The Red Moon

At the peak of harvest, the full moon appears in the sky with red tones, reflecting the light of the indomitable August sun. Reminds us of the sacrificial rites of the oak god in  Lughnasadh.

September - The Harvest Moon

In the month of threshing corn and early harvest, this is the most appropriate name to the full moon of September. Mabon is celebrated and all the good things that the  land gave us.

October - The Moon of the hunt

Since the peak period of harvest, and since the light of the sun was maintained to a late time, people began hunting in the woods. On the last day of the month it is celebrated Samhain, the beginning of the pagan year, announcing the wild chase of  Winter.

November - The moon of the Pig

It was in this month of the year, when people killed the pigs and began to to replenish the flue as a way of ensuring subistencia in winter.

December - The Icy Moon

Also known as the long night moon, is closely linked to the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Yule is celebrated and the full moon was also known as the Oak Moon.


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