~ THE TURNING OF THE WHEEL ~
OSTARA
2008

The springtime's pallid landscape
Will glow like bright bouquet,
Though drifted deep in parian
The village lies to-day.

The lilacs, bending many a year,
With purple load will hang;
The bees will not forget the tune
Their old forefathers sang.

~ Emily Dickinson

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I want to share with you a secret that civilized humans have forgotten for thousands of years. The Earth is full of magic...

Eostar / Ostara / Spring Equinox
March 20-22 in the Northern Hemisphere / September
20-22 in the Southern Hemisphere

At Eostar when day and night, light and dark, are in perfect balance, Mother Earth warms and gives new life to the green world on which all other life depends. We honor our roles and responsibility in the community of life by putting our hands in the soil, tending and talking with young plants, and encouraging children as they explore their growing skills and potential.

Meditating on balance, equality, and our power to nurture growth, we reach out to others in our communities and help to create positive change. As sap stirs in the trees, we too become more active. Animals emerge from their winter homes, and we step forth enjoying walks that reveal sprouting seeds and spring flowers, tadpoles and butterflies, a thousand different eggs and babies beginning life's journey. We celebrate the rebirth of the green world that gives us life as spring spills forth full of promise, bees and burgeoning plants hum with life's increase, and returning songbirds herald the waking, thriving, rejoicing world.

–Image and text excerpted from
Wild Magic: Celebrating the Earth Throughout the Year
A Coloring and Creativity Book for All Ages
Words by Lichen June, Pictures by Kerry V. McQuaid
View more at:
www.lichenjune.com/wildmagic
www.myspace.com/wildmagicbook

Find a pull-out Summer Solstice page for you
or your kids to color in the newest issue of HEX!

* * * * * *

From Healing Nature Ourselves
to
Using Nature to Heal Ourselves

Now is the season for hope and seeing potential all around us. And while we're looking, to find the same inside ourselves. We are inextricably linked to Nature. We are a part of her and she is the very thing we are made of. It only stands to reason that she can heal us and we in turn are obligated to respect and cherish her. In the newest issue of HEX Magazine we introduce, Viriditas: The Greening Power of Nature, a recurring column delving into the many aspects of natural medicine. Also featured, is a collection of information on sustainable eating and farming practices—A Call to Hoes: Sowing the Seeds of Hope. These two contributions remind us that we are responsible for keeping ourselves, our families, and our land healthy by honoring them as sacred.

* * * * * *

• SOWILO •

[Sun] is the light of the lands;
I bow to the holiness.

~ Old Norwegian Rune Rhyme

The sun now grows stronger, as does our energy, fueling the will and all it aspires to. To our ancestors, the sun was considered feminine, with all its implications—nurturing, life-giving, and also bringing protection. This rune embodies the literal energy that radiates down from the heavens to us, imbuing us with the power of growth through focused concentration and raised consciousness. Use this force to melt any icy stagnation brought on by fear or apathy. Then use it to purify your intentions and set worthy goals. The 'S' rune guides us toward victory in attaining a higher state of being. ~A. von Rautmann

Until Walpurgisnacht, may you and your
household be blessed and kept. Hail!
~HEX Magazine

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Due date for Fall 2008 submissions
is Spring Equinox 2007!
submissions@hexmagazine.com

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