April is such an exciting month! This time last month, we were seeing the first flowers and signs of new life, but now we’re seeing the real greening of the world. The forests are iridescent green, the azaleas, phlox, red buds, and cherry trees are coming in, and those first signs of life have become a full-on explosion of color. I’ve been seeing the deep purple of hyacinths in important places, though they’re pretty much past at this point. The tulips and wisteria are getting ready to explode in a week or two. I really love Spring.
The weather is still back and forth, and the cool days are mixing with days that seem unreasonably warm for the season. And here in the South, at least, the pine pollen is really starting to coat every single surface. So while we desperately want to keep the windows open and feel the warmer air, that’s a recipe for sinus disaster. Ahhh, the paradox of Spring.
I’ve been seeing robins for a few weeks, and the hawks and crows that are around all Winter are still here, just more feisty. I just saw a squirrel chasing another one around the backyard, and that reminds me that it’s mating season. Where’s my husbear?
The etymology of the word ‘April’ either comes from the Latin word meaning ‘to open’, or from Aphrodite (Roman Venus), to whom this month was dedicated. Both seem appropriate, as we get a little randy and find ourselves opening up to our world and our relationships. Go outside and experience some joy!
Lunations:
April 5- New Moon in Aries, 4:50am EDT
April 19- Full Moon in Libra 7:12am EDT
Astronomy:
April 6- Kappa Serpentids meteor shower begins
April 10- Jupiter goes retrograde
April 23- Lyrids meteor shower begins
April 24- Pluto goes retrograde
April 24- Pi Puppids meteor shower begins
April 30- Saturn goes retrograde
Celtic Tree Month:
Alder (Mar 18th- April 14th): Balance, reawakening fertility, accelerated growth (good time for business or creative ventures), harnessing your hidden potential, balancing practical and mystical, release, foundations, determination, confidence, facing things you’ve been avoiding.
Willow (April 15th-May 12th): Resonance and harmony, creativity, fertility, feminine rights of passage, inspiration, love, love divination, sleep with a willow wand for vivid dreams, protection for underworld journeying, found near water, spring cleaning physically/mentally/emotionally/spiritually, letting go of the past.
Holidays (non-Pagan):
April 3: Isra and Mi’raj (Muslim)
April 6: National Tartan Day
April 14: Palm Sunday (Christian)
April 15: Tax Day (a dubious holiday)
April 20: First day of Passover (Jewish)
April 21: Easter (Christian)
April 25: Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
April 26: Arbor Day
April 27: Last day of Passover (Jewish)
Holidays (Pagan):
April 1: Veneralia, celebrating Venus as the embodiment of love vanquishing Mars as the embodiment of war
April 4-5: Greek festival of Hekate
April 5-6: Mounikhion Noumenia- Greek festival honoring all gods and goddesses
April 7-8: Greek festival of The Charities, goddesses of beneficience
April 8-9: Greek festival honoring Aphrodite
April 10-11: Greek festival honoring Artemis
April 12-13: Greek festival honoring Posiedon
April 14-25: Icelandic Summer Days Feast- honoring the gods, where petitions and toasts were made to them.
April 20-21: Mounikhia- festival of Greek goddess Artemis
April 28- May 5: Floralia- Roman festival of Flora, goddess of flowers
April 30- May 2: Beltaine- Celtic festival of Blodeuwedd (goddess of flowers) and Llew (god of Oak)- celebrates love and fertility
Themes for the month: Refreshing everything, renewal, growth and greening, clearing out our Winter homes from stagnant energy, leaving our cocoons and moving out into the world. Flowers, joy, excitement, celebration, fertility and creativity.
General activities for the month: Getting outside! Planning and building your garden, yardwork, moongazing, birdwatching, shopping for summer clothes, spring cleaning, rebirthing yourself.
Herbs I’m using: I’m really feeling connected to everything lunar right now. I’m using almonds, coconut, and vanilla in teas and desserts, and I’m adding mugwort to all my teas as well. After going within all Winter, I’m ready to connect to the magick of the outside world and nature again.
Stones I’m using: Apache tears- to work through and clear away grief and mourning, salt- for cleansing and purifying, selenite- for more energetic cleansing and raising the vibration of a space.
Goddess of the Month: We’re getting ready to move where we’ll be next to a swampy area that’s actually a slow-moving stream. I’m SO excited. So I’ve been looking at fresh water or river deities, and the Naiads came up in my search. I want to connect with this body of water, and I want to connect with the Naiads as well. I have the perfect place to leave offerings, I just need to figure out what they would like.
3 card reading:
First, we see the 3 of Pentacles reversed. This is the card of working, collaborating, and being productive. So in the reversed position, we’re not going to feel like we’re doing good work. We may be too scattered, we may not have the resources we need, or we may just not be able to focus this month. There’s too much going on, and the distractions are making us veer from what we should be doing.
Next, we have The Lovers. This is a really appropriate card for this time of year, as most mammals tend to ramp up their mating rituals around now. We’re too distracted by love, romance, and sex to keep our wits about us. That’s nothing to worry about, really. Everyone else is distracted too.
And finally, we see The Magician. So from all this distraction and seeming chaos, we can make things happen. We can manifest magick, as long as we take this energy and use it instead of getting lost in confusion. This is the time to take control and create our reality. Use the energy of this crazy time to propel yourself forward!
Our special guidance card is One-Ring Circus. Again, we’re looking at a crazy time of action and reaction. But you we can do it! We can harness all this energy and make it into something grand and beautiful. This is our time!
The Clote (Water-Lily)
By William Barnes
O zummer clote! when the brook’s a-glidèn
So slow an’ smooth down his zedgy bed,
Upon thy broad leaves so seäfe a-ridèn
The water’s top wi’ thy yollow head,
By alder sheädes, O,
An’ bulrush beds, O,
Thou then dost float, goolden zummer clote!
The grey-bough’d withy’s a leänèn lowly
Above the water thy leaves do hide;
The bènden bulrush, a-swaÿèn slowly,
Do skirt in zummer thy river’s zide;
An’ perch in shoals, O,
Do vill the holes, O,
Where thou dost float, goolden zummer clote!
Oh! when thy brook-drinkèn flow’r’s a-blowèn,
The burnèn zummer’s a-zettèn in;
The time o’ greenness, the time o’ mowèn,
When in the häy-vield, wi’ zunburnt skin,
The vo’k do drink, O,
Upon the brink, O,
Where thou dost float, goolden zummer clote!
Wi’ eärms a-spreadèn, an’ cheäks a-blowèn,
How proud wer I when I vu’st could swim
Athirt the deep pleäce where thou bist growèn,
Wi’ thy long more vrom the bottom dim;
While cows, knee-high, O,
In brook, wer nigh, O,
Where thou dost float, goolden zummer clote!
Ov all the brooks drough the meäds a-windèn,
Ov all the meäds by a river’s brim,
There’s nwone so feäir o’ my own heart’s vindèn
As where the maïdens do zee thee zwim,
An’ stan’ to teäke, O,
Wi’ long-stemm’d reäke, O,
Thy flow’r afloat, goolden zummer clote!
My personal tides: The changes we’ve been building up to are finally underway. We’ve just closed on our new place, and we’re excited and terrified about all the work that needs to be done so that we can move in and start our new life. So our whole lives are all about renewal, transformation, and a fresh start. We can’t wait!
I’m looking forward to decorating, gardening, organizing, minimizing, decluttering, and creating a sacred home for myself, Husbear, and the kitties.
My personal goals: In spite of all the work that I have coming up, I’m also excited about what happens beyond that. I’m looking forward to setting up my office to be a spiritual, inspiring place to write, create my tarot classes, do in-person readings, and reconnect with my creativity. I’ve been so bogged down with anxiety about this change that I haven’t been able to focus on building or creating anything new, and I miss that.