A Wiccan point of view on Spring and vocabulary
In the beginning there was Spring...
This article is intended for those that think all pagan referenced vocabulary should be eradicated from our daily language. It was inspired by a well known blog editor, which I appreciate, although obviously do not agree with his perspective. His post proposed censoring describing Passover as Easter...
Of course Passover is not Easter... I understand that the Christian community should always refer to Passover, not to Easter... If they truly want to remain faithful and loyal to their belief.
Whereas Easter refers to the Pagan celebration of fertility, held by the Saxons to welcome Spring Eostre was the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring, East, Resurrection, and Rebirth. Get the drift? When the famous Council of Nicea took place in 325 CE, they made sure to, of course, reconcile these two big celebrations: Passover (Pasch) and Easter. That is why in some Bible versions you will find Easter, like in some chapters of Lucas. Please note that, to reiterate my introduction, these bibles should be corrected to read "Passover".
As Pagan, I am also entitled to celebrate Easter, in all her goddess forms: Eoster, Ishtar, Astarte... Nice story, that of Eostre. by the way. Well, there are several versions. The one that ringed to me the most was the one referring on how she stole a beautiful bird from another deity.
You see, Eostre has shape-shifting powers (that is why mornings are so beautiful!) so she took the bird and finally changed it into a hare. But she didn't changed it completely, so the hare was able to lay eggs, as he was really a bird. And since it was a truly beautiful animal, it lay the most beautiful and colorful eggs... And since its a rabbit laying eggs it lays them all around, instead of only one place. That's why later we are set to find them.
I like that celebration very much, it lifts my spirit. For every egg my children and I find, I feel a connection with our past, the preservation of our original traditions.
History of Ostara Eostara
We Speak Pagan
In any event, more than 60% of the words we use in our daily expressions stem from both Latin language and Pagan religion. If we truly want to peel onions, and erase the History of Humanity in the meantime, denying our children the right to learn where things came from before the appearance of Jesus, well, consider changing the names of the week and the names of the months.
Also consider renaming the chronometer, for it stems from god Chronus, or Kronos... as well as river, which we name after goddess Rhea...
By the way, there goes amenorrhea, gonorrhea... seborrhea... and sorry but find something also to replace diarrhea.
In fact, if your suggestion gets implemented, just to entertain the idea, I have no idea what would become of science in general, and of the English language in particular.
Look for a new name for East, and Easter, for they derived from the fertility goddess Eostre.
I think we should embrace our history. Our children are growing with no references whatsoever. Some go to college without knowing about the Trojan horse, another pagan folktale.
Whereas the word 'pagan' means merely citizen or civilian, which was another way to state they were unfit to pertain to the military.
I think your-my-our children have a right to know.
We even go by Pagan time, just live and let live...
Like why do we start our calendars in January? Well, I just found out the Roman empire, in all its splendor, imposed this, since its political leaders took office on this day, they needed the highlight. That is why December, which means 10, is our twelfth month, what a misnomer... And we accepted it because we have not made any reference to our previous history, just like you are proposing we do now.
But the first true month is March, the first month of Spring. That's pretty pagan... Speaking of pagan, the meaning of Wicca, or witch, is wise, in any dictionary. So, maybe you should also need to consider creating a new dictionary, to sustain your proposal.
When does it stop? Tolerance, Kindness, Patience... now those are fundamental values that go across any religion and deep into what we, as humans and members of any given society truly need.
Let our true religion be the one we practice when no one else is there to judge.
Use Mythology To Improve your Child's Vocabulary
- How to use Mythology to Improve our Children's Vocabulary - InfoBarrel
Storytelling adds meaning and order to the learning process. Mythology is filled with stories that explain the origin of more than 60% of the words we use on a daily basis. Shouldn't we start using mythology as a vocabulary enhancer?
Why the Rabbit? Why the eggs?
- The Ecclasian Fellowship - Articles - Ostara - The Story of Ostara\'s Bunny
Because the bunny is really a shape-changed bird... she can lay eggs, and because she is the most beautiful bird in the world she lays the most beautiful eggs. - From Passover to Easter | Prevail Magazine
Unquestionably, Jesus Christ was a Jewish Passover observing individual. He never kept an Easter in His life! How did Passover change to Easter? - Is Easter mentioned in the Bible? - ChristianAnswers.Net
Is Easter mentioned in the Bible?