Bright blessings to all Stonewylders at the Spring Equinox, or Ostara
as many like to call this lovely spring festival. Welcome to all new
subscribers to the newsletter (so many since the last one!) and warm
greetings to all the old faithfuls. Do you know almost 1000 people
now receive the Stonewylde newsletter?
As I write, it’s warm and positively balmy. Mr B and I are just back
from a wonderful long weekend on the Isle of Wight, where we
went to celebrate his birthday. What a magical place! It felt very
like my favourite parts of Dorset, and I suppose geologically it is
almost the same. The long sweeps and curves of the land brought
to mind the Goddess in the Landscape, and whilst there we walked
amongst the tumuli and visited an amazing monolith. We had such a
good time on the island and will definitely be returning for a
longer visit. Do any of you live on the Isle of Wight? If so,
please get in touch and tell me all about the special places
there.
As you read this I shall be in Lincoln, at the East Midlands Pagan
Federation Conference. I’ve been invited as a guest speaker and
am looking forward to meeting many Stonewylde supporters who’ll
be there to greet me. I shall also be visiting Wild Roses to discuss
the silver Stonewylde pendants. I know many of you are waiting for
these.
Earlier this month, I was also a guest speaker at the Cornwall &
Devon PF Annual Conference in Bude, Cornwall. Mr B and I were
looked after for the whole weekend, staying at Penstowe Manor Hotel
where the event took place. We had the most fantastic time! Levannah
had done a great job of organising the huge event. On Friday night
Damh the Bard played, and on Saturday it was The Dolmen from
Dorcester! Cassandra Latham presented Penglaz, the ancient horse
figure from Penzance that can once again be seen cavorting through
the streets at certain times of the year. The horse is quite terrifying,
and Cassandra and her team gave a really exciting performance,
dancing and teasing the horse which snapped its long jaws at the
audience.
Whilst in Cornwall, we visited the Rocky Valley and saw the two
beautiful seven-coiled labyrinths carved into the cliffside. I was
amazed at how old they were (apparently made sometime between
1400 and 1800 BC!) but disappointed that the whole area around
them had become so bedgraggled with bits and pieces left by
people. Pretty ribbons are one thing, but we saw car air fresheners
and even a pair of pants dangling from a nearby tree. We enjoyed
lunch with Cornmother, our most famous of all Stonewylders, and then
I collected the beautiful dress I’d had made by Sam of The Goddess
Equation in Newquay. This will appear in the next newsletter as it’s
been made specially for wearing at the Elf Fantasy Fair in the
Netherlands, where I shall be appearing as the Queen of Beltane!
Breaking Stonewylde news
In the last newsletter I wrote about my
imminent signing with a literary agent. The
deed has now been done, and I signed with
Piers Russell-Cobb in a very exciting meeting
at Centre Point in London. Piers is a big fish in
the publishing world and will hopefully be able
to secure the right deal for Stonewylde with a
major publisher. And if not, we’ll just carry on
as before! More details here.
Stonewylde is as much a concept as a series
of books, and Mr B and I have always been
aware of its commercial prospects. To this end
we’ve just had confirmation that Stonewylde
has now achieved trademark status, and is
officially registered. This will prevent anyone
trying to exploit the name and sell things using
the word “Stonewylde”. It means too that we
can officially license people to produce goods
in the Stonewylde brand.
We have only a few of the Stonewylde Green
Labyrinth T-shirts left, at £9.99 plus P&P - click
here. New T-shirts with a different design will
be on sale soon - check the website from April.
We’re still running our successful special offer
in the Stonewylde Store. You can buy the
trilogy of Stonewylde books, personally
dedicated and signed by me, and also a
beautiful Stonewylde Wheel of the Year
greetings card (blank for you to write in) for
I’m leading a course at Monkton Wyld in
Dorset - the Green Man at Beltane, and have
negotiated a special 25% discount for all
Stonewylde readers. See below for more info.
I’m now on Twitter so please follow me!
Stonewylde Newsletter 27
March 21st 2010
Bright blessings at
to all Stonewylders
What’s been going on ...
The Spring Equinox falls on March 21st in the Northern
Hemisphere, and is one of the four fire or solar festivals.
It’s the time of year when days and nights are of equal
length, when light and darkness are in balance. Some
call this festival Ostara or Eostre, after an ancient fertility
goddess of spring. This is the source of the
word “Easter”, the Christian festival that
takes place every year on the first
Sunday on or after the first full moon
after the spring equinox. A strange
way to fix the date of such an
important religious event, but
often the roots of one religion
can be found in another.
The egg is a major symbol of this spring festival, as a
potent emblem of new and growing life. For centuries,
and in many cultures, eggs have been dyed or painted,
and often hidden for others to find. The origins of the
egg as a spring symbol
are very old indeed.
Small cakes or buns are
also associated with this
festival, marked into
four quarters to
represent the four fire
festivals or the four
elements.
Another modern icon, particularly popular in the USA, is
the Easter Bunny. In fact the hare is the totem animal of
this spring festival, linked with fertility and also the act of
reproduction itself. Watching a group of hares in a field at
this time of year can be an enlightening experience! And
boxing hares, thought by many to be two males fighting
over a female, are in fact the female interacting with the
male.
The hare has also long
been associated with
witchcraft, and in folklore
it was said that witches
could transform
themselves into hares.
Hares are magical
creatures, known to be
moongazy (struck by the
full moon) and are renowned as animals of
transformation. A close encounter with a hare is said to
be an indication that some kind of personal
transformation will take place soon.
Dates for your diary ...
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY APRIL 24th to 25th - Elf Fantasy Fair, Netherlands
Mr B and I will be returning to the amazing Elf Fantasy Fair following our wyldly successful visit last
September. A group of Stonewylders are also making the trip, which really is well
worth it. If you enjoy dressing up in fantasy costume (faeries to stormtroopers
and everything in between) and also enjoy mediaeval stalls, incredible shows
and a chilled atmosphere, this is the festival to attend. We’ll be dressed as the
Green Man and May Queen, and I’ll be giving talks and doing book signings.
Also a chance to meet our wonderful Sorcha and Ebany, two of the original fans.
This is an event not to be missed! Details here.
FRIDAY TO MONDAY APRIL 30th to MAY 3rd - Green Man at Beltane, Monkton Wyld, Dorset
This event has been organised by the green, holistic centre at Monkton Wyld, and I’m the course leader (with
Mr B to assist) for this lovely three to four day event which spans Beltane.
We’ll have loads of fun being creative and spiritual, with plenty of opportunity
to soak up the magic of Dorset in May and lots of Stonewylde-type activities
too. Bookings are through Monkton Wyld - click here for more information.
I’ve negotiated a special discount for all Stonewylde readers, bringing the
inclusive price for the long weekend down to only £220! This is a real
bargain, and Monkton Wyld is especially magical at this time of year, with the
sea close by too. If you’d prefer to stay off-site (there’s lots of other
accommodation nearby of all types) then the discounted cost is only £145
(includes lunch and supper each day). But you must book soon to get this
discount.
SATURDAY MAY 15th - Charity Day at Charborough Park, Wimborne, Dorset
I’m honoured and extremely excited to be invited to the Drax Estate in Dorset
to take part in a day's fundraising event in aid of Life Education Wessex. This is
the estate with the long boundary wall (and five-legged stag over the gate)
which first inspired me with ideas for Stonewylde. This estate is rarely open to
the public so this is a very special event, and I hope many of you will join me.
On this day, the grounds will be open from 2.30 - 6.00, and you can drive
through the estate to Highwood. This is a magical woodland walk, particularly
beautiful in May with rhodedendrons and azaleas. There’ll be a treasure hunt,
the Life Education bus, and of course Mr B and me with lots of Stonewylde
books and cards. Do come and see us - teas will be available and it’s a rare
chance to go inside Charborough Park grounds. Price on gate: £4 adults, £2
children (all to the charity). Spooky thought - what if Stonewylde really does
exist behind those boundary walls???
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY JULY 10th and 11th - Quest at Newton Abbot, Devon
I’m delighted to be running two big workshops at this event,
including a guided Stonewylde meditation. This is a
wonderful event with a very special atmosphere, and there’s
camping available too. Visit the Quest website here.
Stonewylde Community news ...
The online Stonewylde Community has even more members now, with people
applying to join almost daily. We’ve recently started a new category in the
forum discussions called Stonewylde Arts & Crafts, by popular request. This is
where folk can write photos about the things they make, put up and plug their
own websites. There’s a huge diversity of talent in the community, and it
amazes me just how creative people are. If you are ever stuck for a gift, take
a look at what some of our Stonewylders make and sell.
There are often get-togethers
amongst the readers, and
there’s a big one coming up
soon. It’s not too late to come
along if you’re a keen
Stonewylder and would like to
meet others. This meet-up has
been organised by one of the
members, nothing to do with either me or Mr B, although we are
hoping to come along for at least some of the weekend. The event
will be held in Avebury over a weekend in May, and folk are
camping, staying in b&b’s and some in hotels. They’re coming from
far and wide, someone’s making a Stonewylde banner, and they’re
also taking over the Barge Inn for the Saturday night! It should be great fun. If you’d like to find out more, you’ll
have to join Stonewylde to be able to access all the details. It’s completely free!
We’re still welcoming new members so do come and join us - click here to visit the community.
There are also traditional tales of the hare laying eggs
in a nest at this time of
year. This may derive
from the fact that the
skylark lays eggs in a nest
on the ground in the same
kind of habitat where the
hare builds her own nest
(a form) for raising her
leverets.
At Stonewylde, the standing stones in the Stone Circle
are decorated with “a carousel of hares”, and also a
beautiful pattern of spring flowers: violets, primroses
and celandine. The
great stone behind the
Altar Stone is
decorated with a
painting of Eostre,
depicted as a beautiful
young woman with
flowers in her hair, stars
around her head, a hare
by her side and an egg in each upturned hand. As in all
the fire festivals, a great bonfire is lit during the
ceremonies, and there is celebration in the Great Barn.
The children make masks
(hares, chicks, lambs) and
perform a dance and
drama which symbolises
the potency of new life
growing as the weather
becomes warmer and the
days longer. Eggs are
blown and decorated, hidden in the grass and
hedgerows around the Village Green and riverbank.
The children go on an Egg Hunt and proudly bring their
finds back to the Barn where the lovely eggs are put on
display and the children rewarded with cinnamon buns.
The Spring
Equinox
heralds the
real start of the
growing
season at
Stonewylde,
and the
hardworking
Villagers know
that this is
when the work
really begins.
©Steve Perry
