#alban eilir

[wildhemlock]

Happy Spring Equinox 2023!

Happy First Day of Spring! or Vernal Equinox, a milestone of the Earth’s revolution around the sun. The day and night cycle is close to equal – about 12 hours and 10 minutes of sunlight here in Western Pennsylvania today. Today is halfway between the [approximately] longest day of the year in June and the shortest day in December. Flora and fauna are waking from their winter dormancy.

During the Equinox, the Sun’s Ecliptic Pathway crosses the Celestial Equator, as per the Glossary of Astronomical Phenomena:

Vernal Equinox – The intersection of the celestial equator and the sun’s ecliptic pathway in it’s northern ascent towards the tropic of Cancer. At this time, the Earth’s axial tilt is facing neither toward nor away from the sun, and there is approximately 12 hours of daylight and nighttime. This marks the beginning of the spring season in the northern hemisphere.

Right now, night is receding and making way for longer, warmer days. It is time to get outside and enjoy it!

Click Here to Learn More at WildHemlock.Com!

[wherekizzialives]

Spring is Sprung

This year the vernal equinox finds me living a wildly unbalanced life but, for once, this is intentional rather than a cause for concern. All of my energy, and most of my time, is focused on preparing my parents house to be put up for sale whilst keeping myself and my parents as healthy as possible (mentally and physically). The finish line is now in sight, even if it’s still a good distance…

[unseeliej]

Happy Spring Equinox!

Hello! It’s Tuesday. It’s also the Equinox, Alban Eilir, or, in some traditions, Ostara. (Unless you’re in the southern hemisphere, in which case: Happy Mabon!) This is essentially the second part of the celebrations of spring: Imbolc, the Equinox, and Beltane. If Imbolc is when spring wakes up, the Equinox is when it really gets going, and Beltane is the height of its strength. Since it’s…

[crynwr-drwg]

todays the equinox! first day of spring and a day for celebrationsss

Oh!!! Now I feel bad for having done nothing today outside (it's been raining!) Oh well, Alban Eilir hapus, anon!!!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

( Artist credit: Tasmin Abbott )

* * * *

If ever you’d like to delve deeper into the ancestral lore of the British Isles & under stand some of its indigenous foundations, I feel it is the most directly accessible in the gateway of the spring equinox (which rings in this Wed 20th March) other wise known in Scots Gaelic as Alban Eilir, the ‘light of the earth’ when the light of the sun meets in equal hours with the night

The myths & lore are interwoven so intricately in the landscape this time of year. Here it is in a nutshell for you to absorb. But it truly is a nutshell as each part is deserving an immense investigation & study to take you further into the heart of it all:

~ TOWER HILL: The spring equinox still today is honoured by the Druids on Tower Hill in London. An ancient ancestral mound once known as ‘Bryn Gwyn’, which translates to White Mound or White Raven. It visually used to look like Silbury Hill a neolithic hill in the Avebury complex in Wiltshire, & was covered in a white chalk which reflected in the moon & sunlight & could be seen for miles. The White Mound is the sacred mound of Sovereignty of this isle, a place where our ancestors would pilgrimage to from far & wide

~ RAVEN: The raven is the bird & protector of the spirit of Sovereignty of the British Isles & has done for millennia. Raven veneration goes back very far in this country’s lore & is deeply rooted in it’s soul’s foundations. An ancient ancestor of this isle called Bran the Blessed, a Welsh King who you could say presides over this gateway because his lore is so interwoven into the landscape this time of year. Bran means ‘Raven’ in Welsh, who was seen as a seer & oracular king bridging the worlds of the gods & earth like his divine messenger feathered friends. Story goes that on his death bed in battle he asked for his head to be buried in the White Mound in London in protection of the Sovereignty of this isle. The ravens in the tower of London today, hold the lore & protective forces of Bran. The fact that the raven is the animal of sovereignty of this isle…tells you everything you need to understand about this island & it’s essence. It is one of magic & deep seership

~ SOVEREIGNTY: You see in the sovereign codes of olde in kingship, that in maintaining balance in your kingdom you married yourself to the earth in an alliance for true balance. Your sovereignty was infused with the earth (the goddess) and the minute that allegiance was severed a wasteland would take seed in the land and all hearts. For Bran to ask for his head to be buried in the White Mound even at death shows his complete allegiance to the earth and understanding of what it means to be Sovereign. The olde understanding is to be in Service to the All, in allegiance with the earth and protection of the goddess. When the Druids stand on Tower Hill, they are welcoming back the sovereign sun during the tide of the equinox but they are also invoking the ancient powers of sovereignty in the land. And of Bran.

~ BRIDGING: In one of the stories of Bran, his sister Branwen (which means ‘white raven’) is abused by her husband who is an Irish King. Bran hears of the news and crosses the Irish seas, by using his body as a bridge for his men to cross over him safely across the stormy seas to help him set his sister free. He was always seen as a king who sought to bring enemies into peaceful accord with one another, and therefore may represent the balance implicit in the equinox as well.

~ ALDER: Bran carries alder branches on his journey to rescue his sister. People recognise him by the alder that he holds. He is known as the alder king. Alder trees are indeed ‘bridging’ trees which preside over the realms of water and fire; the conscious and unconscious. The inner and outer. In the tree ogham it resides between the astrological zodiac signs of pisces and aries, emerging from the watery fluid time of Pisces and entering the fiery intensity of Aries. It is a water resistant wood which gets harder in water and was widely used to build the city of Venice. It is connected to the realms of fire, due to it’s ability to create very high quality charcoal and gun powder. It holds the ancient alchemical colours of white and red in it’s wood. It’s wood is a beautiful white colour but when cut or it’s roots exposed to the air it turns a bright red colour. The white is representative of the moon, the water, Branwen the white raven. And red, being the sun, the fire of the coals of gunpowder, Bran the solar deity king. It possesses both female and male catkins on the same branch - a tree that symbolises the balance between the masculine and the feminine, day and night.

In essence the gateway of the vernal equinox is deeply coded in the earth and lore of the land: Reminding us in order to keep balance within and without ~ true Sovereignty must be upheld, and that it is in an alliance with the earth and in service to all.

That sovereignty is restored when we act as a bridge in the world; remembering the essence of our humanity in bringing heaven to earth as bridges. Akin to the raven messengers who bring the words from the gods into the human world. And the alder trees who bridge the worlds of water and fire.

[Thank you Charlotte Pulver]

[luminous-gemstone]

Pagan Holidays

Origin

The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many pagans, consisting of the year's main solar events, solstices and equinoxes, and the midpoints between them. While names for each festival vary among diverse pagan traditions, they often refer to the four solar events as "quarter days", with the four midpoint events as "cross-quarter days". Observing the cycle of the seasons has been important to many people, both ancient and modern. Contemporary Pagan festivals that rely on the Wheel are based to varying degrees on folk traditions, regardless of actual historical pagan practices. Among Wiccans, each festival is also referred to as a Sabbat, based on Gerald Gardner's view that the term was passed down from the Middle Ages. Modern conceptions of the Wheel of the Year calendar are heavily influenced by mid-20th century british paganism. Historical and archaeological evidence suggests ancient pagan and polytheist peoples varied in their cultural observations; Anglo-Saxons celebrated the solstices and equinoxes, while Celts celebrated the seasonal divisions with various fire festivals.

Dates and Offerings

Dates may be on the days of the quarter and cross-quarter days proper, the nearest full moon, the nearest new moon, or the nearest weekend for secular convenience. The festivals were originally celebrated by peoples in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Consequently, the traditional times for seasonal celebrations do not agree with the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere or near the equator. Pagans in the Southern Hemisphere often advance the dates 6 months to coincide with their seasons. Offerings of food, drink, various objects, etc. have been central in ritual to and for deities for millennia. Modern pagan practice strongly avoids sacrificing animals in favour of grains, herbs, milk, wines, incense, baked goods, minerals, etc. Burying and leaving offerings in the open are also common in certain circumstances. The purpose of offering is to benefit the deity, show gratitude, and give something back, strengthening the bonds between humans and divine and between members of a community.

Festivals

Winter Solstice (Yule, Saturnalia, Midwinter)

Midwinter, known commonly as Yule or within modern Druid traditions as Alban Arthan, has been recognised as a significant turning point in the yearly cycle since the late Stone Age. The reversal of the Sun's ebbing presence in the sky symbolizes the rebirth of the solar god and foretells the return of fertile seasons. From Germanic to Roman tradition, this is the most important time of celebration. Practices may vary but common offerings, feasting, and gift giving are common elements of Midwinter festivities. Bringing sprigs and wreaths of evergreenery (such as holly, ivy, mistletoe, yew, and pine) into the home and tree decorating are also common during this time.

Imbolc (Candlemas)

The cross-quarter day following Midwinter falls on the first of February and traditionally marks the first stirrings of spring. It aligns with the contemporary observance of Groundhog Day. It is time for purification and spring cleaning in anticipation of the year's new life. For Celtic pagans, the festival is dedicated to the goddess Brigid, daughter of The Dagda and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Among Reclaiming tradition Witches, this is the traditional time for pledges and rededications for the coming year.

Spring Equinox (Ostara)

Derived from a reconstruction produced by linguist Jacob Grimm of an Old High German form of the Old English goddess name Ēostre, Ostara marks the spring equinox in some modern Pagan traditions. Known as Alban Eilir to modern Druid traditions, this holiday is the second of three spring celebrations, the midpoint between Imbolc and Beltane, during which light and darkness are again in balance, with light on the rise. It is a time of new beginnings and of life emerging further from the hold of winter.

Beltane (May Eve)

Traditionally the first day of summer in Ireland, in Rome the earliest celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times with the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers. Since the Christianisation of Europe, a more secular version of the festival has continued in Europe and America, commonly referred to as May Day. In this form, it is well known for maypole dancing and the crowning of the Queen of the May. Celebrated by many pagan traditions, this festival recognizes the power of life in its fullness, the greening of the world, youthfulness and flourishing.

Summer Solstice (Litha)

Midsummer is one of the four solar holidays and is considered the turning point at which summer reaches its height and the sun shines longest. Among the Wiccan sabbats, Midsummer is preceded by Beltane, and followed by Lammas or Lughnasadh. Bede writes that Litha means gentle or navigable, because in both these months the calm breezes are gentle and they were wont to sail upon the smooth sea. The sun in its greatest strength is greeted and celebrated on this holiday. While it is the time of greatest strength of the solar current, it also marks a turning point, for the sun also begins its time of decline as the wheel of the year turns.

Lughnasadh (Lammas)

Lammas or Lughnasadh is the first of the three Wiccan harvest festivals, the other two being the autumnal equinox, or Mabon, and Samhain. Wiccans mark the holiday by baking a figure of the god in bread and eating it, to symbolise the sanctity and importance of the harvest. The Irish name Lughnasadh is used in some traditions to designate this holiday. Wiccan celebrations of this holiday are neither generally based on Celtic culture nor centered on the Celtic deity Lugh. This name seems to have been a late adoption among Wiccans. In early versions of Wiccan literature the festival is referred to as August Eve. The name Lammas implies it is an agrarian-based festival and feast of thanksgiving for grain and bread, which symbolises the first fruits of the harvest.

Autumn Equinox (Mabon)

The holiday of the autumnal equinox, Harvest Home, Mabon, the Feast of the Ingathering is a modern Pagan ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and a recognition of the need to share them to secure the blessings of the Goddess and the Gods during the coming winter months. The name Mabon was coined by Aidan Kelly around 1970 as a reference to Mabon ap Modron, a character from Welsh mythology. Among the sabbats, it is the second of the three Pagan harvest festivals.

Samhain

Samhain is one of the four Greater Sabbats among Wiccans and Pagans. Samhain is typically considered as a time to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on, and it often involves paying respect to ancestors, family members, friends, pets, and other loved ones who have died. Aligned with the contemporary observance of Halloween and Day of the Dead, in some traditions the spirits of the departed are invited to attend the festivities. It is seen as a festival of darkness, which is balanced at the opposite point of the Wheel by the festival of Beltane, which is celebrated as a festival of light and fertility. Many Neopagans believe that the veil between this world and the afterlife is at its thinnest point of the year at Samhain, making it easier to communicate with those who have departed.

Dates

Yule~ December 20-23

Imbolc~ February 1

Ostara~ March 19-22

Beltane~ May 1

Litha~ June 19-23

Lughnasadh~ August 1

Mabon~ September 21-24

Samhain~ October 31- November 1

[pendyyr]

Happy Alban Eilir - Spring Equinox

As we transition into spring, I'd like to take a moment to express what the spring equinox means to me. It is said that it represents balance, renewal, and rebirth, and I couldn't agree more with that. This year has, in a sense, been a rebirth for me as a whole. I've just gotten into Celtic Paganism/Druidry, and my life has changed drastically in such a short time for the better. I feel in balance with myself for the first time in my life. Just as the flowers bloom, so do I. My smile and energy radiate with the rays of the sun. My body feels like it's risen from the ground, as a new-born tree does. I can feel everything around me so much better than I ever could before. I have returned to my trees as they would.

For anyone struggling right now, remember that it is only temporary. Just as the seasons change, you too will bloom and be reborn again. Keep fighting for a better tomorrow and keep working to improve yourself, no matter what. No matter how big or small, It all matters. Listen to the call of nature, and it will guide you. 

[dualityvn]

Would Keith like to help me plant flowers and an herb garden for Alban Eilir (druid celebration of spring equinox)? :D

He'd love to! Especially since he no longer has his own garder ever since he moved out of his parents' house.

[delurkgallery]

This month, as part of our spring invitational, the featured artist is Amy da Luz exhibiting selections from Luzy : a Photo Essay Prints are 14 x 11 and 11 x 16 ; available framed or unframed, in a limited edition of 12 prints per image. Signed and numbered by the artist. All prints will be available for pick up at the close of the show or at the April Gallery hop on April 7. Also, there is a word and art event “Tipping Point” in association with the Alban Eilir exhibit on Friday, March 24, 2023. (at Delurk Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CppzSBlAyPn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wherekizzialives]

Working with the Wheel: Spring Equinox, or Alban Eilir

Today is the Vernal Equinox, the astronomical start of Spring in the northern hemisphere. Thanks to the tilt of Earth’s axis this is the day when the sun crosses the celestial equator moving north giving the day roughly* equal amounts of day and night. It is a day of balance. We are standing on the threshold that separates one half of the year from the other, held in the stillness between the…

[unseeliej]

A Happy and Blessed Alban Eilir

This past Saturday, my partner attended his first full-on ritual. A Druidry group that I’m part of collaborated with a pretty big, local Wiccan-inspired group to have an Ostara/Equinox celebration — there was a meditative walk through the forest, chanting, singing, dancing, and a big potluck full of tasty food. And we almost completely missed all of it. See, we’d offered to give a ride to a…

[dowsingfordivinity]

✨ Emojis for Druid festivals ✨

Samhuinn 🍎 🍂 🎃 💀 🍄Alban Arthan 🐻 ☀️ 🕯️ 🎄 ❄️Imbolc 🐑 🕯️ 💦 ✨Alban Eilir 🌍 ☀️ 🌱 🌸🌷🌼Beltane 🔥 🐄 🔥 🌳 🌹 🌷Alban Hefin ☀️ 🏝️ 🌊 🔥Lughnasadh 🌾 🍞 🍺 🧀 🤼Alban Elfed ☀️ 💦 🍏 🍇 🍐 🍑 Just my suggestions, add your own as desired. For more information on Druid festivals, visit Druidry.Org: The eightfold wheel of the year

[emperorofnowhereland]

I celebrate the Norse blóts, and the wheel festivals from a druidic tradition. So:

Samhain

Alfblót (offering to the alfár, your male ancestors)

Alban Arthan (Winter Solstice)/ Júl

Dísirblót (offering to the dísir, your female ancestors)

Imbolc

Alban Eilir (Spring Equinox)

Sigurblót ("victory" sacrifice)

Walpurgisnacht

Beltane

Sumarsdag

Alban Hefin (Summer Solstice)

Lughnasadh/ Freyrfaxi

Alban Elfed (Fall Equinox)

what festivities do you celebrate as pagans?

i know about the Wheel of the Year, but it doesn’t fully resonate with me… do you celebrate any other festivities? i was thinking of celebrating solstices and equinoxes but i feel like something is missing

[hochgouez-nerzhus]

Sukellos -Sucellos

God of Gaulish Celtic Mythology

Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, United States of America ( This statue of Sucellus is the earliest known depiction of the god (circa 1st century AD). It was found in a Roman dwelling in France and stood  in a private sanctuary (lararium).

Celtic god of agriculture,

forests and alcohol...

Characteristics

Latin name: Sucellus

Main function: God of life, death, crops and flocks

Place of origin: Gaul

Period of Origin: Celtic and Gallic Antiquity

Paredre: Nantosuelte - Nantosuelta

Equivalent(s): by syncretism Dagda, Sylvain, Thor[1]Symbols.

The name of the god is said to mean "good hitter" or "hit hard".  The theonym is composed of the prefix su- which means "good, good" and cellos which designates the hammer (or striker)[3].

Judging by the number of his representations (more than 200), Sucellus is one of the greatest Gallic gods[4].

bronze statuette at the National Archeology Museum in Paris.

This god is known mainly in Gaul and all the elements concerning him (representation on a Unelles coin, some inscriptions and bronze statuettes) are from the Gallo-Roman period.

He appears to be old and bearded, dressed in the Gallic style of a long blouse tight at the waist and tight breeches, sometimes with boots.  In addition to the mallet (or the hammer), he is represented with food utensils: cauldron, keg, wine amphora.  It happens that the mallet is replaced by a sickle and that the foot of the god is placed on a keg.

He is sometimes accompanied by a dog.

Relief of the Gallic Silvanus on an altar in Nîmes.  The god carries his distinctive mallet and olla.  A dog is next to him.

Syncretism

At least eleven Sucellus inscriptions are known[5], mostly in Gaul.  An inscription (RIB II, 3/2422.21) was found at Eboracum (modern York) in Britain.

Sylvanus

In an inscription found at Augusta Rauricorum (modern Augst), Sucellus is identified with Silvanus[6]:

In honor (em) /d (omus) d (ivinae) deo Su /cello Silv (ano) /Spart (us) l (ocus) d (atus) d (ecreto) d (ecurionum)

The syncretism between Sucellus and Silvanus can also be seen in the work of Narbonne Gaul[7].

Thor

Sucellos bears strong similarities to the Germanic god Thor.

Archaeologist Jean-Jacques Hatt puts forward two possibilities:

• The resemblances between the two gods could result from a common origin dating from the Bronze Age, when the partition between Celtic or pre-Celtic cultures on the one hand and pre-Germanic on the other hand is not yet clear between North Germany.  South and West[1].  The separation between the two groups would then date from the beginning of the Iron Age, more precisely from the peregrinations of the Hallstattian warriors, bearers of the long sword[1].

• Another possibility, at a much lower period (3rd-2nd century BC), the Gallic Sucellos could also have contaminated the Germanic Thor like the Celtic Teutates the Germanic Odin[1].

Hatt also notes that these two theories are not exclusive, an ancient Celtic-Germanic origin of Sucellus and Thor, as between Teutates and Odhin, could have facilitated exchanges and syncretisms between the two pantheons, the Germanic and the Celtic[  1].

A god of life and death

He is the only Gallic god who has a somewhat infernal character[4].

Like the Irish Dagda, Sucellos kills and resurrects with his mallet, which he holds in his left hand.  He stands straight, his foot resting on a barrel, a symbol of survival.

He is the Gallic equivalent of the Irish god Dagda, but not an exact replica.  Indeed, as a dispenser of wealth, protector of crafts and agriculture, he falls under the third productive function (the other two being the priestly class of druids, and the class of warriors), whereas Dagda,  in the Irish tradition, belongs to the first function, called priestly.

The sucellus of vienna

A god of crops and herds

Sucellos is a rural deity, a pastoral god, protector of crops and herds[8].  Sucellos is a "provider of food[9]" god.  He is the holder of prosperity, symbolized by that other attribute which is the cauldron, in his right hand.  He is a god of nurturing nature, forests and plantations[10]. Sucellod is also considered like the god of beer

Beer ad (consume in moderation)

Her consort is Nantosuelte, which is a representation of fertility.  Sucellos and Nantosuelte are associated on an altar discovered in Sarrebourg and on which we can read the following inscription:

Deo Svcello /Nantosvelte /Bellavsvs Mas /se Filivs V(otum).S(olvit).L(ibens).M(erito).

This can be translated: "For the god Sucellos and Nantosuelte, Bellausus, son of Massa, willingly and rightly fulfilled his vow."

Altar of Sucellos and Nantosuelte in Sarrebourg.

Sucellos seems to have been particularly honored in the Rhineland and in the eastern part of Gaul, in Narbonne, during the Gallo-Roman period.  An inscription has also been found in Britain.

• He was assimilated to the Roman god Sylvain, god of vegetation[12], especially in Gaul Narbonne.

• Paul-Marie Duval hypothesized a closeness to another Latin sovereign god, Dis Pater[13].

• Anne Lombard-Jourdan analyzes it as an avatar of the god Cernunnos[14].

• Strong links between Sucellos and Thor have also been put forward[1].

• Bernard Sergent compares him to Vishvakarma.

-------------------------------------------------------

contrary to what I could see as absurd, his feast day does not take place on November 11, the date dedicated to Thor, but his celebrations in Gaul took place on March 20 or 21, days of the spring equinox because he was a Agrarian God who largely dispensed food to men, he was celebrated with the aim of having good harvests in the year.

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Notes and references

• 1 / ↑ a b c d e and f Jean-Jacques Hatt, Myths and Gods of Gaul, vol 2

• 2/ ↑ Paul-Marie Duval, The Gods of Gaul, Paris, Payot, 1993, p.  62.

• 3/ ↑ Xavier Delamarre, Dictionary of the Gallic Language, Paris, Errance, 2003, p.  113, 282, 283 (ISBN 2-87772-237-6).

• 4/↑ a and b Paul-Marie Duval, Great Gods of Gaul [archive], Publications of the French School of Rome, Year 1989, 116, pp.  223-234

• 5/ ↑ Jufer and Luginbühl (2001), p.  63.

• 6/ ↑ AE 1926, 00040 [archive]

• 7/ ↑ Duval (1993), p.  78.

• 8/ ↑ Félix Guirand, General Mythology, ed.

• 9/ ↑ Paul-Marie Duval, The Gods of Gaul, p.  63.

• 10/ ↑ Jean-Paul Persigout, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, ed.  of the Rock, p.  280, Monaco, 1985, (ISBN 2-268-00968-8)

• 11/ ↑ Philippe Voluer, The Big Book of Beer in Alsace, Editions Place Stanislas, 2008. p23

• 12/ ↑ Record of the National Archaeological Museum, Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

• 13/ ↑ Paul-Marie Duval, The Gods of Gaul, p.  64.

• 14/ ↑ The origins of Carnival, ed.  Odile Jacob, Paris, 2005, p.196 (ISBN 2-7381-1637-X).

Bibliography

• Stéphanie Boucher, "The image and functions of the god Sucellus", in The world of images in Gaul and neighboring provinces, Caesarodunum, 23, 1988, p.  77-85.

• Paul-Marie Duval, The Gods of Gaul, Paris, Payot, 1993, 169 p.  (ISBN 2-228-88621-1)

• Bernard Sergent, "Sucellus and the barrel", in Marco V. García Quintela, Francisco J. González García and Felipe Criado Boado dir., Anthropology of the Indo-European World and material culture.  Proceedings of the 5th international Colloquium of Anthropology of the Indo-European World and comparative Mythology, Budapest, Archaeolingua, 2006, p.  61-80.

• Raymond Christinger and Willy Borgeaud, Ancient Swiss Mythology, Geneva, Georg-Musée d'Ethnographie de la Ville de Genève, 1963, 318 p.  (pages 147-214)

[invisible-goats]

Spring gardening day!

No pics bc it’s just dirt in pots rn but planted some onion, garlic, leek, radish, rainbow carrots, coriander, basil, dahlias, and a bunch of edible flowers

Would have done some peas and propogated some pumpkin seeds too but ran out of dirt :-(