Happy Easter!

I wonder how many Christians realize Easter originated as a pagan celebration of the spring equinox. Think about it. Why would the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus be celebrated on the a different date every year? It is because Easter was originally a celebration of new life and fertility. Eostre (or Ostara) was a Germanic Goddess of Spring and renewal celebrated for hundreds of years, associated with fertility and renewal whose name is the origin of the word "Easter." Her sacred month was April and celebrated  with fertility symbols like rabbits and eggs.That's why Easter falls on a different date every year. It falls on the Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, honoring fertility and the return of life after winter, celebrating the balance of day and night and the earth's renewal.

Rooted in ancient traditions, Spring time celebrated the Germanic Goddess Eostre and symbolizes growth, often featuring symbols like eggs and rabbits. It is a period for planting, spring cleaning, and welcoming warmth. It marks the astronomical start of spring, the rebirth of light, life and creation.

Traditions were absorbed and rebranded into a Patriarchal Christian narrative focused on a male savior, now known as Easter Sunday. Nature-based rituals transformed into a linear story of sin, redemption, and male authority. As Christianity expanded, these existing symbols were retained but given new meanings to serve a male-focused theological narrative. The focus shifted from the Earth's natural cycles to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The divine feminine, embodying nurturing, intuition and creation was suppressed, demonized and removed from mainstream patriarchal religious systems, reducing God to a purely masculine concept. This suppression silenced the stories of goddesses. In Christian religions Easter is now dedicated to observing the resurrection of Jesus.

Common symbols like eggs and rabbits are often cited as pagan fertility symbols of Spring.

And as for April Fools Day, on April 1, 1582, when France adopted the Gregorian calendar, many people stubbornly continued celebrating New Year's on April 1 instead of changing to January. These individuals, were called "April fools," mocked with fake gifts and nonsensical errands by those following the new system. This historical misunderstanding created the tradition of lighthearted pranks.

Happy Easter!

In Memory of Pope Francis - December 17, 1936 – April 21, 2025

There seems to be profound messages that come when people cross over. I woke up this morning to the sad news that Pope Francis, the extremely progressive and compassionate leader of the Catholic Church, passed away this morning. 

Pope Francis
December 17, 1936 –  April 21, 2025

It seems appropriate that he would pass away the day after Easter Sunday. It reminded me of when Pope John Paul II passed away on April 2, 2005, six days after Easter. My mother was terminally ill at the time and she didn't seem to be afraid of the transition she was going through. 

For instance, a few weeks before Mama passed away, she had a dream about the Virgin Mary. In the dream Mary asked her why she was wearing a Willie Nelson bandana with braids on her head, because after all, Willie isn't a Catholic. In her vivid dream, my mother told the Virgin Mary that Willie wasn't a Catholic but he was a very good man. Then after Pope John Paul passed away, she very clearly thought it would a good time to go and she wanted a pretty burial casket like his. She passed away 10 days later on April 12, 2005. It seems that when one gets to be that age, there has been enough time to think about how one prefers to exit stage left and everything seems very clear.

My father had passed away suddenly on August 20,2001. I had a dream that morning that someone had stolen the hand carved chair that he had made as a young man in the Civilian Conservation Corps Camps in the 1940's.When I woke up, I sat up to make the chair was still there in my bedroom, it was there but I still felt something was terribly wrong. I received a call at work later that afternoon with a message that my father had passed away suddenly of a heart attack.

I felt the presence of my father for weeks after he passed away then on the morning of September 11, he came to me in a dream and told me he was going to have to go help some people. I started crying in the dream and he told me I was strong and I was going to be okay. I was working at the newspaper at that time, my mother was staying at my house for the weekend and I remember dropping her off at "Jim's" restaurant in Oak Hill for my sister Nita to take her home with her for the week. When I got to work, the news on all the TVs in the newsroom were reporting that  two hijacked airplanes crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Almost 3,000 people died. It was just like my dad to be there for those who crossed over the morning of 9/11.

Today Pope Francis has crossed over but I can't help but believe that his soul knew that he could accomplish so much more from the other side during these difficult times. Pope Francis led and lived by example. He consistently focused on the needs of the poor, migrants and other marginalized groups, challenging the church to be more compassionate and proactive in addressing social inequalities. He focused on social justice, inclusion and the importance of caring for the marginalized and vulnerable. He spoke out against climate change and war, urging the world to address these challenges with urgency and compassion. He introduced significant changes to the Catholic Church, including loosening official attitudes on divorce, de-emphasizing conservative sexual morality, and promoting a more open and inclusive approach to LGBTQ+ Catholics. So now, after his death, his teachings, writings and actions will continue to inspire and guide Catholics and others seeking to create a more just and equitable world. Pope Francis's legacy will serve as an example for future generations of leaders in the church and beyond, encouraging them to be bold, courageous, and committed to making a difference in the world. 

May the spirit of Pope Francis live on forever.

Easter Sunday Came and Went

Ooooopppssss.... a couple of Sundays came and went and I haven't blogged. I have been in the full blown artist mood, waking up at the crack of dawn taking advantage of every minute of daylight to either paint or garden. Who needs to go to the gym when there are flowers to plant?

Easter Sunday was the prefect spring day spent with friends. For thirty some odd years I have attended Easter Sunday service at the church in Willie's old town, Luck, but this year I invited some of my new friends and good times was had by all.

Damon, Caroline, Sam Van Elliot, Christina, Kate, Carole, Roger, Cash, Mike I just realized while typing the caption on the photo that all the names of the women in the above photo all start with the sound "K." Things that make ya go "Hummmm."

Carole, Kate and Christina

Spring and Easter arrived in perfect timing. At last, I felt like a phoenix rising from the ashes, emerging from The Dark Night of the Soul. On Good Friday, I asked Nita to cut my hair shorter than it had been since I was 25. The winter was filled with loneliness, clouded by uncertainty that felt like it would never lift. There's nothing like a little self inflicted pain. In the fall I had asked for the courage to make needed changes in my life, never expecting it to manifest the way it did, realizing I didn't fully understand courage. Kelly Rae Roberts had created several pieces of art with the word "Courage." Studying Flying Lessons and Hello Soul, Hello Business helped me not only to understand the word, but to find my own COURAGE. You know what they say, be careful of what you ask for, you will get it!

Courage by Kelly Rae Roberts

I realized that the wheels were already turning or I wouldn't have signed up for the classes. I spent my winter listening to Wayne Dyer, Oprah anyone else I could find on Hay House Radio. It was an amazing experience but one I wouldn't wish on anyone. I totally embrace the loneliness and darkness, turning it into then best art that I have created. I learned that I could only enter the dark corridors of this purification of my consciousness if I accepted the courage that comes from Spirit. I had nightmares, food was something that was forced, but I accepted the process, realizing that my courage was sustaining my mind and body on this very dark journey. I entered a cloud of unknowing, through which profound illumination in consciousness emerged. By entering and accepting the intense pain and emptiness, I emerged liberated with an enlightenment that I had never experienced. A higher consciousness replaced my ego's distorted clouded perceptions with clearer flowing light. The suffering within was transformed to profound understanding.

Needless to say, this Easter meant so much more to me than an Easter egg hunt.