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by Charlotte Pulver
Easter really is about the resurrected light embodied on the earth. Pre-Christian worship this time of year involved the honouring and veneration of the Goddesses of the Dawn. Eostre was one of these Goddesses, a diety from pre-christian germanic cultures. Ostara was another dawn goddess venerated in western germanic cultures, who’s name is rooted in the word Austra. Aurum is the latin word for gold which means ‘shining dawn’. The essence within these names really is about the golden shining light of the dawn which these goddesses imbue the land and morning dew come April tide.he month of April was even called Eustur monab which means ‘Month of Eostre’ by the Anglo-Saxons.
A beautiful way to connect with this tide and Goddess of the dawn is to work and meet with her in the morning dew.
Even in the practise of alchemy the best dew to collect for medicine making is this time of year, because the Goddess of Dawn’s fire is known to be at her peak. In the practise of alchemy dew is viewed as the celestial waters and the vehicle for the universal spiritual fire to become embodied on earth. In alchemical practise for medicine making the best time to collect morning dew is 21st March to 21st May when the sun is in Aries and Taurus as it is a time when the dew waters are the most deeply charged and impregnated with this universal fire.
It’s easy to understand the unique and powerful life force of Spring, which brings growth and regeneration out of the quiet stillness of winter. Buds swell, bulbs arise and flower and seeds sprout. Alchemically, much of this rebirth is connected to the energy that the dew carries during this time of year, considered the fire of nature, ‘cooking’ the seeds in the ground, drawing the green out of the trees with its warmth, and transferring life back into the land.
For the period around the Spring Equinox up into late May, this fire is especially powerful, and carries not just the general spark that kindles the rebirth of the land, but also known in alchemy as the ‘Secret Fire’, which can be used in many alchemical lab practises.
The fire that the dew carries is understood on many levels. First, it is the energy of the sun’s increased warmth, carried to the plants and all life. Secondly, dew is the carrier of ‘Nitre’, the life force of the heavens; in it’s literal physical form this is Potassium Nitrate.
Potassium Nitrate is a very fertilising substance, which is naturally occurring in manure, and when heated it gives off pure oxygen. It is the alchemists millennia ago who understood the power within the ‘secret fire’ of nitre obtained in morning dew that it was later utilized in the human world to create gunpowder. That is the power of its physical force; and interesting that humans decided to access and work with this universal fire for such purposes in life.
Nitre is considered so powerful in its energy because it is at the very upper limit of material existence, the most subtle state possible without being completely non-physical. This is how it brings both an etheric and physical fire and life to the water that carries it, and transfers that life to the earth. Nitre’s special fire can also be transferred to substances in a lab for alchemy where dew is used to revive dead substances and quicken the force of many alchemical practises.
So working with the alchemy of this time of year you may like to enjoy and try out one of the following practises, in meeting the Goddess of the Dawn for transformation and resurrection within, through the wonder that is spring time dew:
1 - Place a shawl/scarf that is sacred to you outside before you go to sleep and ask the Goddess of the Dawn to bless your shawl and embue it with the regenerative energies of spring. Your shawl will be charged up for the year and full of protection.
2 - On waking, strip off naked and roll around in the morning dew, inviting the regenerative energies of the celestial forces of spring to imbibe and renew you.
3 - On waking walk outside into the morning dawn and bless yourself with the dew on the ground. Sending prayers into the world.
4 - Before going to sleep at night, place a bowl of water outside infused with herbs and flowers of spring collected from the day. Ask the plants and the Goddess of the Dawn to infuse these waters with her radiant light. On awaking, bless yourself with these waters, your energy field and home.
May the light of the Goddess of Dawn bless and guide you on your way home. Blessed Eostra!
If ever you’d like to delve deeper into the ancestral lore of the British Isles and understand some of its indigenous foundations, I feel it is the most directly accessible in the gateway of the spring equinox other wise known in Welsh and by the Druids as Alban Eiler, the ‘light of the earth’ when the light of the sun meets in equal hours with the night.
The codes, myths and lore are interwoven so intricately in the landscape this time of year:
~ TOWER HILL: The spring equinox still today is honoured by the Druids on Tower Hill in London. An ancient ancestral mound once known as ‘Bryn Gwyn’, which translates to White Mound or White Raven. It visually used to look like Silbury Hill a neolithic hill in the Avebury complex in Wiltshire, and was covered in a white chalk which reflected in the moon and sunlight and could be seen for miles. The White Mound is the sacred mound of Sovereignty of this isle, a place where our ancestors would pilgrimage to from far and wide.
~ RAVEN: The raven is the bird and protector of the spirit of Sovereignty of the British Isles and has done for millennia. Raven veneration goes back very far in this country’s lore and is deeply rooted in it’s soul’s foundations. An ancient ancestor of this isle called Bran the Blessed was a Welsh King who you could say presides over this gateway because his lore is so interwoven into the landscape this time of year. Bran means ‘Raven’ in Welsh, who was seen as a seer and oracular king bridging the worlds of the gods and earth like his divine messenger feathered friends. Story goes that on his death bed in battle he asked for his head to be buried in the White Mound in London in protection of the Sovereignty of this isle. The ravens in the tower of London today, hold the lore and protective forces of Bran. The fact that the raven is the animal of sovereignty of this isle…tells you everything you need to understand about this island and it’s essence. It is one of magic and deep seership.
~ SOVEREIGNTY: You see in the sovereign codes of olde in kingship, that in maintaining balance in your kingdom you married yourself to the earth in an alliance for true balance. Your sovereignty was infused with the earth (the goddess) and the minute that allegiance was severed a wasteland would take seed in the land and all hearts. For Bran to ask for his head to be buried in the White Mound even at death shows his complete allegiance to the earth and understanding of what it means to be Sovereign. The olde understanding is to be in Service to the All, in allegiance with the earth and protection of the goddess. When the Druids stand on Tower Hill, they are welcoming back the sovereign sun during the tide of the equinox but they are also invoking the ancient powers of sovereignty in the land. And of Bran.
~ BRIDGING: In one of the stories of Bran, his sister Branwen (which means ‘white raven’) is abused by her husband who is an Irish King. Bran hears of the news and crosses the Irish seas, by using his body as a bridge for his men to cross over him safely across the stormy seas to help him set his sister free. He was always seen as a king who sought to bring enemies into peaceful accord with one another, and therefore may represent the balance implicit in the equinox as well.
~ ALDER: Bran carries alder branches on his journey to rescue his sister. People recognise him by the alder that he holds. He is known as the alder king. Alder trees are indeed ‘bridging’ trees which preside over the realms of water and fire; the conscious and unconscious. The inner and outer. In the tree ogham it resides between the astrological zodiac signs of pisces and aries, emerging from the watery fluid time of Pisces and entering the fiery intensity of Aries. It is a water resistant wood which gets harder in water and was widely used to build the city of Venice. It is connected to the realms of fire, due to it’s ability to create very high quality charcoal and gun powder. It holds the ancient alchemical colours of white and red in it’s wood. It’s wood is a beautiful white colour but when cut or it’s roots exposed to the air it turns a bright red colour. The white is representative of the moon, the water, Branwen the white raven. And red, being the sun, the fire of the coals of gunpowder, Bran the solar deity king. It possesses both female and male catkins on the same branch - a tree that symbolises the balance between the masculine and the feminine, day and night.
In essence the gateway of the vernal equinox is deeply coded in the earth and lore of the land:
Reminding us in order to keep balance within and without ~ true Sovereignty must be upheld, and that is in an alliance with the earth and in service to all.
That sovereignty is restored when we act as a bridge in the world; remembering the essence of our humanity in bringing heaven to earth as bridges. Akin to the raven messengers who bring the words from the gods into the human world. And the alder trees who bridge the worlds of water and fire.
Easter really is about the resurrected light embodied on the earth. Pre-Christian worship this time of year involved the honouring and veneration of the Goddesses of the Dawn. Eostre was one of these Goddesses, a diety from pre-christian germanic cultures. Ostara was another dawn goddess venerated in western germanic cultures, who’s name is rooted in the word Austra. Aurum is the latin word for gold which means ‘shining dawn’. The essence within these names really is about the golden shining light of the dawn which these goddesses imbue the land and morning dew come April tide.he month of April was even called Eustur monab which means ‘Month of Eostre’ by the Anglo-Saxons.
A beautiful way to connect with this tide and Goddess of the dawn is to work and meet with her in the morning dew.
Even in the practise of alchemy the best dew to collect for medicine making is this time of year, because the Goddess of Dawn’s fire is known to be at her peak. In the practise of alchemy dew is viewed as the celestial waters and the vehicle for the universal spiritual fire to become embodied on earth. In alchemical practise for medicine making the best time to collect morning dew is 21st March to 21st May when the sun is in Aries and Taurus as it is a time when the dew waters are the most deeply charged and impregnated with this universal fire.
It’s easy to understand the unique and powerful life force of Spring, which brings growth and regeneration out of the quiet stillness of winter. Buds swell, bulbs arise and flower and seeds sprout. Alchemically, much of this rebirth is connected to the energy that the dew carries during this time of year, considered the fire of nature, ‘cooking’ the seeds in the ground, drawing the green out of the trees with its warmth, and transferring life back into the land.
For the period around the Spring Equinox up into late May, this fire is especially powerful, and carries not just the general spark that kindles the rebirth of the land, but also known in alchemy as the ‘Secret Fire’, which can be used in many alchemical lab practises.
The fire that the dew carries is understood on many levels. First, it is the energy of the sun’s increased warmth, carried to the plants and all life. Secondly, dew is the carrier of ‘Nitre’, the life force of the heavens; in it’s literal physical form this is Potassium Nitrate.
Potassium Nitrate is a very fertilising substance, which is naturally occurring in manure, and when heated it gives off pure oxygen. It is the alchemists millennia ago who understood the power within the ‘secret fire’ of nitre obtained in morning dew that it was later utilized in the human world to create gunpowder. That is the power of its physical force; and interesting that humans decided to access and work with this universal fire for such purposes in life.
Nitre is considered so powerful in its energy because it is at the very upper limit of material existence, the most subtle state possible without being completely non-physical. This is how it brings both an etheric and physical fire and life to the water that carries it, and transfers that life to the earth. Nitre’s special fire can also be transferred to substances in a lab for alchemy where dew is used to revive dead substances and quicken the force of many alchemical practises.
So working with the alchemy of this time of year you may like to enjoy and try out one of the following practises, in meeting the Goddess of the Dawn for transformation and resurrection within, through the wonder that is spring time dew:
1 - Place a shawl/scarf that is sacred to you outside before you go to sleep and ask the Goddess of the Dawn to bless your shawl and embue it with the regenerative energies of spring. Your shawl will be charged up for the year and full of protection.
2 - On waking, strip off naked and roll around in the morning dew, inviting the regenerative energies of the celestial forces of spring to imbibe and renew you.
3 - On waking walk outside into the morning dawn and bless yourself with the dew on the ground. Sending prayers into the world.
4 - Before going to sleep at night, place a bowl of water outside infused with herbs and flowers of spring collected from the day. Ask the plants and the Goddess of the Dawn to infuse these waters with her radiant light. On awaking, bless yourself with these waters, your energy field and home.
May the light of the Goddess of Dawn bless and guide you on your way home. Blessed Eostra!
If ever you’d like to delve deeper into the ancestral lore of the British Isles and understand some of its indigenous foundations, I feel it is the most directly accessible in the gateway of the spring equinox other wise known in Welsh and by the Druids as Alban Eiler, the ‘light of the earth’ when the light of the sun meets in equal hours with the night.
The codes, myths and lore are interwoven so intricately in the landscape this time of year:
~ TOWER HILL: The spring equinox still today is honoured by the Druids on Tower Hill in London. An ancient ancestral mound once known as ‘Bryn Gwyn’, which translates to White Mound or White Raven. It visually used to look like Silbury Hill a neolithic hill in the Avebury complex in Wiltshire, and was covered in a white chalk which reflected in the moon and sunlight and could be seen for miles. The White Mound is the sacred mound of Sovereignty of this isle, a place where our ancestors would pilgrimage to from far and wide.
~ RAVEN: The raven is the bird and protector of the spirit of Sovereignty of the British Isles and has done for millennia. Raven veneration goes back very far in this country’s lore and is deeply rooted in it’s soul’s foundations. An ancient ancestor of this isle called Bran the Blessed was a Welsh King who you could say presides over this gateway because his lore is so interwoven into the landscape this time of year. Bran means ‘Raven’ in Welsh, who was seen as a seer and oracular king bridging the worlds of the gods and earth like his divine messenger feathered friends. Story goes that on his death bed in battle he asked for his head to be buried in the White Mound in London in protection of the Sovereignty of this isle. The ravens in the tower of London today, hold the lore and protective forces of Bran. The fact that the raven is the animal of sovereignty of this isle…tells you everything you need to understand about this island and it’s essence. It is one of magic and deep seership.
~ SOVEREIGNTY: You see in the sovereign codes of olde in kingship, that in maintaining balance in your kingdom you married yourself to the earth in an alliance for true balance. Your sovereignty was infused with the earth (the goddess) and the minute that allegiance was severed a wasteland would take seed in the land and all hearts. For Bran to ask for his head to be buried in the White Mound even at death shows his complete allegiance to the earth and understanding of what it means to be Sovereign. The olde understanding is to be in Service to the All, in allegiance with the earth and protection of the goddess. When the Druids stand on Tower Hill, they are welcoming back the sovereign sun during the tide of the equinox but they are also invoking the ancient powers of sovereignty in the land. And of Bran.
~ BRIDGING: In one of the stories of Bran, his sister Branwen (which means ‘white raven’) is abused by her husband who is an Irish King. Bran hears of the news and crosses the Irish seas, by using his body as a bridge for his men to cross over him safely across the stormy seas to help him set his sister free. He was always seen as a king who sought to bring enemies into peaceful accord with one another, and therefore may represent the balance implicit in the equinox as well.
~ ALDER: Bran carries alder branches on his journey to rescue his sister. People recognise him by the alder that he holds. He is known as the alder king. Alder trees are indeed ‘bridging’ trees which preside over the realms of water and fire; the conscious and unconscious. The inner and outer. In the tree ogham it resides between the astrological zodiac signs of pisces and aries, emerging from the watery fluid time of Pisces and entering the fiery intensity of Aries. It is a water resistant wood which gets harder in water and was widely used to build the city of Venice. It is connected to the realms of fire, due to it’s ability to create very high quality charcoal and gun powder. It holds the ancient alchemical colours of white and red in it’s wood. It’s wood is a beautiful white colour but when cut or it’s roots exposed to the air it turns a bright red colour. The white is representative of the moon, the water, Branwen the white raven. And red, being the sun, the fire of the coals of gunpowder, Bran the solar deity king. It possesses both female and male catkins on the same branch - a tree that symbolises the balance between the masculine and the feminine, day and night.
In essence the gateway of the vernal equinox is deeply coded in the earth and lore of the land:
Reminding us in order to keep balance within and without ~ true Sovereignty must be upheld, and that is in an alliance with the earth and in service to all.
That sovereignty is restored when we act as a bridge in the world; remembering the essence of our humanity in bringing heaven to earth as bridges. Akin to the raven messengers who bring the words from the gods into the human world. And the alder trees who bridge the worlds of water and fire.
Charlotte Pulver is a modern day alchemist, pilgrimage, ceremony and ritual facilitator and founder of Pulver's Apothecary.
by Charlotte Pulver
Easter really is about the resurrected light embodied on the earth. Pre-Christian worship this time of year involved the honouring and veneration of the Goddesses of the Dawn. Eostre was one of these Goddesses, a diety from pre-christian germanic cultures. Ostara was another dawn goddess venerated in western germanic cultures, who’s name is rooted in the word Austra. Aurum is the latin word for gold which means ‘shining dawn’. The essence within these names really is about the golden shining light of the dawn which these goddesses imbue the land and morning dew come April tide.he month of April was even called Eustur monab which means ‘Month of Eostre’ by the Anglo-Saxons.
A beautiful way to connect with this tide and Goddess of the dawn is to work and meet with her in the morning dew.
Even in the practise of alchemy the best dew to collect for medicine making is this time of year, because the Goddess of Dawn’s fire is known to be at her peak. In the practise of alchemy dew is viewed as the celestial waters and the vehicle for the universal spiritual fire to become embodied on earth. In alchemical practise for medicine making the best time to collect morning dew is 21st March to 21st May when the sun is in Aries and Taurus as it is a time when the dew waters are the most deeply charged and impregnated with this universal fire.
It’s easy to understand the unique and powerful life force of Spring, which brings growth and regeneration out of the quiet stillness of winter. Buds swell, bulbs arise and flower and seeds sprout. Alchemically, much of this rebirth is connected to the energy that the dew carries during this time of year, considered the fire of nature, ‘cooking’ the seeds in the ground, drawing the green out of the trees with its warmth, and transferring life back into the land.
For the period around the Spring Equinox up into late May, this fire is especially powerful, and carries not just the general spark that kindles the rebirth of the land, but also known in alchemy as the ‘Secret Fire’, which can be used in many alchemical lab practises.
The fire that the dew carries is understood on many levels. First, it is the energy of the sun’s increased warmth, carried to the plants and all life. Secondly, dew is the carrier of ‘Nitre’, the life force of the heavens; in it’s literal physical form this is Potassium Nitrate.
Potassium Nitrate is a very fertilising substance, which is naturally occurring in manure, and when heated it gives off pure oxygen. It is the alchemists millennia ago who understood the power within the ‘secret fire’ of nitre obtained in morning dew that it was later utilized in the human world to create gunpowder. That is the power of its physical force; and interesting that humans decided to access and work with this universal fire for such purposes in life.
Nitre is considered so powerful in its energy because it is at the very upper limit of material existence, the most subtle state possible without being completely non-physical. This is how it brings both an etheric and physical fire and life to the water that carries it, and transfers that life to the earth. Nitre’s special fire can also be transferred to substances in a lab for alchemy where dew is used to revive dead substances and quicken the force of many alchemical practises.
So working with the alchemy of this time of year you may like to enjoy and try out one of the following practises, in meeting the Goddess of the Dawn for transformation and resurrection within, through the wonder that is spring time dew:
1 - Place a shawl/scarf that is sacred to you outside before you go to sleep and ask the Goddess of the Dawn to bless your shawl and embue it with the regenerative energies of spring. Your shawl will be charged up for the year and full of protection.
2 - On waking, strip off naked and roll around in the morning dew, inviting the regenerative energies of the celestial forces of spring to imbibe and renew you.
3 - On waking walk outside into the morning dawn and bless yourself with the dew on the ground. Sending prayers into the world.
4 - Before going to sleep at night, place a bowl of water outside infused with herbs and flowers of spring collected from the day. Ask the plants and the Goddess of the Dawn to infuse these waters with her radiant light. On awaking, bless yourself with these waters, your energy field and home.
May the light of the Goddess of Dawn bless and guide you on your way home. Blessed Eostra!
If ever you’d like to delve deeper into the ancestral lore of the British Isles and understand some of its indigenous foundations, I feel it is the most directly accessible in the gateway of the spring equinox other wise known in Welsh and by the Druids as Alban Eiler, the ‘light of the earth’ when the light of the sun meets in equal hours with the night.
The codes, myths and lore are interwoven so intricately in the landscape this time of year:
~ TOWER HILL: The spring equinox still today is honoured by the Druids on Tower Hill in London. An ancient ancestral mound once known as ‘Bryn Gwyn’, which translates to White Mound or White Raven. It visually used to look like Silbury Hill a neolithic hill in the Avebury complex in Wiltshire, and was covered in a white chalk which reflected in the moon and sunlight and could be seen for miles. The White Mound is the sacred mound of Sovereignty of this isle, a place where our ancestors would pilgrimage to from far and wide.
~ RAVEN: The raven is the bird and protector of the spirit of Sovereignty of the British Isles and has done for millennia. Raven veneration goes back very far in this country’s lore and is deeply rooted in it’s soul’s foundations. An ancient ancestor of this isle called Bran the Blessed was a Welsh King who you could say presides over this gateway because his lore is so interwoven into the landscape this time of year. Bran means ‘Raven’ in Welsh, who was seen as a seer and oracular king bridging the worlds of the gods and earth like his divine messenger feathered friends. Story goes that on his death bed in battle he asked for his head to be buried in the White Mound in London in protection of the Sovereignty of this isle. The ravens in the tower of London today, hold the lore and protective forces of Bran. The fact that the raven is the animal of sovereignty of this isle…tells you everything you need to understand about this island and it’s essence. It is one of magic and deep seership.
~ SOVEREIGNTY: You see in the sovereign codes of olde in kingship, that in maintaining balance in your kingdom you married yourself to the earth in an alliance for true balance. Your sovereignty was infused with the earth (the goddess) and the minute that allegiance was severed a wasteland would take seed in the land and all hearts. For Bran to ask for his head to be buried in the White Mound even at death shows his complete allegiance to the earth and understanding of what it means to be Sovereign. The olde understanding is to be in Service to the All, in allegiance with the earth and protection of the goddess. When the Druids stand on Tower Hill, they are welcoming back the sovereign sun during the tide of the equinox but they are also invoking the ancient powers of sovereignty in the land. And of Bran.
~ BRIDGING: In one of the stories of Bran, his sister Branwen (which means ‘white raven’) is abused by her husband who is an Irish King. Bran hears of the news and crosses the Irish seas, by using his body as a bridge for his men to cross over him safely across the stormy seas to help him set his sister free. He was always seen as a king who sought to bring enemies into peaceful accord with one another, and therefore may represent the balance implicit in the equinox as well.
~ ALDER: Bran carries alder branches on his journey to rescue his sister. People recognise him by the alder that he holds. He is known as the alder king. Alder trees are indeed ‘bridging’ trees which preside over the realms of water and fire; the conscious and unconscious. The inner and outer. In the tree ogham it resides between the astrological zodiac signs of pisces and aries, emerging from the watery fluid time of Pisces and entering the fiery intensity of Aries. It is a water resistant wood which gets harder in water and was widely used to build the city of Venice. It is connected to the realms of fire, due to it’s ability to create very high quality charcoal and gun powder. It holds the ancient alchemical colours of white and red in it’s wood. It’s wood is a beautiful white colour but when cut or it’s roots exposed to the air it turns a bright red colour. The white is representative of the moon, the water, Branwen the white raven. And red, being the sun, the fire of the coals of gunpowder, Bran the solar deity king. It possesses both female and male catkins on the same branch - a tree that symbolises the balance between the masculine and the feminine, day and night.
In essence the gateway of the vernal equinox is deeply coded in the earth and lore of the land:
Reminding us in order to keep balance within and without ~ true Sovereignty must be upheld, and that is in an alliance with the earth and in service to all.
That sovereignty is restored when we act as a bridge in the world; remembering the essence of our humanity in bringing heaven to earth as bridges. Akin to the raven messengers who bring the words from the gods into the human world. And the alder trees who bridge the worlds of water and fire.
Easter really is about the resurrected light embodied on the earth. Pre-Christian worship this time of year involved the honouring and veneration of the Goddesses of the Dawn. Eostre was one of these Goddesses, a diety from pre-christian germanic cultures. Ostara was another dawn goddess venerated in western germanic cultures, who’s name is rooted in the word Austra. Aurum is the latin word for gold which means ‘shining dawn’. The essence within these names really is about the golden shining light of the dawn which these goddesses imbue the land and morning dew come April tide.he month of April was even called Eustur monab which means ‘Month of Eostre’ by the Anglo-Saxons.
A beautiful way to connect with this tide and Goddess of the dawn is to work and meet with her in the morning dew.
Even in the practise of alchemy the best dew to collect for medicine making is this time of year, because the Goddess of Dawn’s fire is known to be at her peak. In the practise of alchemy dew is viewed as the celestial waters and the vehicle for the universal spiritual fire to become embodied on earth. In alchemical practise for medicine making the best time to collect morning dew is 21st March to 21st May when the sun is in Aries and Taurus as it is a time when the dew waters are the most deeply charged and impregnated with this universal fire.
It’s easy to understand the unique and powerful life force of Spring, which brings growth and regeneration out of the quiet stillness of winter. Buds swell, bulbs arise and flower and seeds sprout. Alchemically, much of this rebirth is connected to the energy that the dew carries during this time of year, considered the fire of nature, ‘cooking’ the seeds in the ground, drawing the green out of the trees with its warmth, and transferring life back into the land.
For the period around the Spring Equinox up into late May, this fire is especially powerful, and carries not just the general spark that kindles the rebirth of the land, but also known in alchemy as the ‘Secret Fire’, which can be used in many alchemical lab practises.
The fire that the dew carries is understood on many levels. First, it is the energy of the sun’s increased warmth, carried to the plants and all life. Secondly, dew is the carrier of ‘Nitre’, the life force of the heavens; in it’s literal physical form this is Potassium Nitrate.
Potassium Nitrate is a very fertilising substance, which is naturally occurring in manure, and when heated it gives off pure oxygen. It is the alchemists millennia ago who understood the power within the ‘secret fire’ of nitre obtained in morning dew that it was later utilized in the human world to create gunpowder. That is the power of its physical force; and interesting that humans decided to access and work with this universal fire for such purposes in life.
Nitre is considered so powerful in its energy because it is at the very upper limit of material existence, the most subtle state possible without being completely non-physical. This is how it brings both an etheric and physical fire and life to the water that carries it, and transfers that life to the earth. Nitre’s special fire can also be transferred to substances in a lab for alchemy where dew is used to revive dead substances and quicken the force of many alchemical practises.
So working with the alchemy of this time of year you may like to enjoy and try out one of the following practises, in meeting the Goddess of the Dawn for transformation and resurrection within, through the wonder that is spring time dew:
1 - Place a shawl/scarf that is sacred to you outside before you go to sleep and ask the Goddess of the Dawn to bless your shawl and embue it with the regenerative energies of spring. Your shawl will be charged up for the year and full of protection.
2 - On waking, strip off naked and roll around in the morning dew, inviting the regenerative energies of the celestial forces of spring to imbibe and renew you.
3 - On waking walk outside into the morning dawn and bless yourself with the dew on the ground. Sending prayers into the world.
4 - Before going to sleep at night, place a bowl of water outside infused with herbs and flowers of spring collected from the day. Ask the plants and the Goddess of the Dawn to infuse these waters with her radiant light. On awaking, bless yourself with these waters, your energy field and home.
May the light of the Goddess of Dawn bless and guide you on your way home. Blessed Eostra!
If ever you’d like to delve deeper into the ancestral lore of the British Isles and understand some of its indigenous foundations, I feel it is the most directly accessible in the gateway of the spring equinox other wise known in Welsh and by the Druids as Alban Eiler, the ‘light of the earth’ when the light of the sun meets in equal hours with the night.
The codes, myths and lore are interwoven so intricately in the landscape this time of year:
~ TOWER HILL: The spring equinox still today is honoured by the Druids on Tower Hill in London. An ancient ancestral mound once known as ‘Bryn Gwyn’, which translates to White Mound or White Raven. It visually used to look like Silbury Hill a neolithic hill in the Avebury complex in Wiltshire, and was covered in a white chalk which reflected in the moon and sunlight and could be seen for miles. The White Mound is the sacred mound of Sovereignty of this isle, a place where our ancestors would pilgrimage to from far and wide.
~ RAVEN: The raven is the bird and protector of the spirit of Sovereignty of the British Isles and has done for millennia. Raven veneration goes back very far in this country’s lore and is deeply rooted in it’s soul’s foundations. An ancient ancestor of this isle called Bran the Blessed was a Welsh King who you could say presides over this gateway because his lore is so interwoven into the landscape this time of year. Bran means ‘Raven’ in Welsh, who was seen as a seer and oracular king bridging the worlds of the gods and earth like his divine messenger feathered friends. Story goes that on his death bed in battle he asked for his head to be buried in the White Mound in London in protection of the Sovereignty of this isle. The ravens in the tower of London today, hold the lore and protective forces of Bran. The fact that the raven is the animal of sovereignty of this isle…tells you everything you need to understand about this island and it’s essence. It is one of magic and deep seership.
~ SOVEREIGNTY: You see in the sovereign codes of olde in kingship, that in maintaining balance in your kingdom you married yourself to the earth in an alliance for true balance. Your sovereignty was infused with the earth (the goddess) and the minute that allegiance was severed a wasteland would take seed in the land and all hearts. For Bran to ask for his head to be buried in the White Mound even at death shows his complete allegiance to the earth and understanding of what it means to be Sovereign. The olde understanding is to be in Service to the All, in allegiance with the earth and protection of the goddess. When the Druids stand on Tower Hill, they are welcoming back the sovereign sun during the tide of the equinox but they are also invoking the ancient powers of sovereignty in the land. And of Bran.
~ BRIDGING: In one of the stories of Bran, his sister Branwen (which means ‘white raven’) is abused by her husband who is an Irish King. Bran hears of the news and crosses the Irish seas, by using his body as a bridge for his men to cross over him safely across the stormy seas to help him set his sister free. He was always seen as a king who sought to bring enemies into peaceful accord with one another, and therefore may represent the balance implicit in the equinox as well.
~ ALDER: Bran carries alder branches on his journey to rescue his sister. People recognise him by the alder that he holds. He is known as the alder king. Alder trees are indeed ‘bridging’ trees which preside over the realms of water and fire; the conscious and unconscious. The inner and outer. In the tree ogham it resides between the astrological zodiac signs of pisces and aries, emerging from the watery fluid time of Pisces and entering the fiery intensity of Aries. It is a water resistant wood which gets harder in water and was widely used to build the city of Venice. It is connected to the realms of fire, due to it’s ability to create very high quality charcoal and gun powder. It holds the ancient alchemical colours of white and red in it’s wood. It’s wood is a beautiful white colour but when cut or it’s roots exposed to the air it turns a bright red colour. The white is representative of the moon, the water, Branwen the white raven. And red, being the sun, the fire of the coals of gunpowder, Bran the solar deity king. It possesses both female and male catkins on the same branch - a tree that symbolises the balance between the masculine and the feminine, day and night.
In essence the gateway of the vernal equinox is deeply coded in the earth and lore of the land:
Reminding us in order to keep balance within and without ~ true Sovereignty must be upheld, and that is in an alliance with the earth and in service to all.
That sovereignty is restored when we act as a bridge in the world; remembering the essence of our humanity in bringing heaven to earth as bridges. Akin to the raven messengers who bring the words from the gods into the human world. And the alder trees who bridge the worlds of water and fire.
Charlotte Pulver is a modern day alchemist, pilgrimage, ceremony and ritual facilitator and founder of Pulver's Apothecary.
by Charlotte Pulver
Easter really is about the resurrected light embodied on the earth. Pre-Christian worship this time of year involved the honouring and veneration of the Goddesses of the Dawn. Eostre was one of these Goddesses, a diety from pre-christian germanic cultures. Ostara was another dawn goddess venerated in western germanic cultures, who’s name is rooted in the word Austra. Aurum is the latin word for gold which means ‘shining dawn’. The essence within these names really is about the golden shining light of the dawn which these goddesses imbue the land and morning dew come April tide.he month of April was even called Eustur monab which means ‘Month of Eostre’ by the Anglo-Saxons.
A beautiful way to connect with this tide and Goddess of the dawn is to work and meet with her in the morning dew.
Even in the practise of alchemy the best dew to collect for medicine making is this time of year, because the Goddess of Dawn’s fire is known to be at her peak. In the practise of alchemy dew is viewed as the celestial waters and the vehicle for the universal spiritual fire to become embodied on earth. In alchemical practise for medicine making the best time to collect morning dew is 21st March to 21st May when the sun is in Aries and Taurus as it is a time when the dew waters are the most deeply charged and impregnated with this universal fire.
It’s easy to understand the unique and powerful life force of Spring, which brings growth and regeneration out of the quiet stillness of winter. Buds swell, bulbs arise and flower and seeds sprout. Alchemically, much of this rebirth is connected to the energy that the dew carries during this time of year, considered the fire of nature, ‘cooking’ the seeds in the ground, drawing the green out of the trees with its warmth, and transferring life back into the land.
For the period around the Spring Equinox up into late May, this fire is especially powerful, and carries not just the general spark that kindles the rebirth of the land, but also known in alchemy as the ‘Secret Fire’, which can be used in many alchemical lab practises.
The fire that the dew carries is understood on many levels. First, it is the energy of the sun’s increased warmth, carried to the plants and all life. Secondly, dew is the carrier of ‘Nitre’, the life force of the heavens; in it’s literal physical form this is Potassium Nitrate.
Potassium Nitrate is a very fertilising substance, which is naturally occurring in manure, and when heated it gives off pure oxygen. It is the alchemists millennia ago who understood the power within the ‘secret fire’ of nitre obtained in morning dew that it was later utilized in the human world to create gunpowder. That is the power of its physical force; and interesting that humans decided to access and work with this universal fire for such purposes in life.
Nitre is considered so powerful in its energy because it is at the very upper limit of material existence, the most subtle state possible without being completely non-physical. This is how it brings both an etheric and physical fire and life to the water that carries it, and transfers that life to the earth. Nitre’s special fire can also be transferred to substances in a lab for alchemy where dew is used to revive dead substances and quicken the force of many alchemical practises.
So working with the alchemy of this time of year you may like to enjoy and try out one of the following practises, in meeting the Goddess of the Dawn for transformation and resurrection within, through the wonder that is spring time dew:
1 - Place a shawl/scarf that is sacred to you outside before you go to sleep and ask the Goddess of the Dawn to bless your shawl and embue it with the regenerative energies of spring. Your shawl will be charged up for the year and full of protection.
2 - On waking, strip off naked and roll around in the morning dew, inviting the regenerative energies of the celestial forces of spring to imbibe and renew you.
3 - On waking walk outside into the morning dawn and bless yourself with the dew on the ground. Sending prayers into the world.
4 - Before going to sleep at night, place a bowl of water outside infused with herbs and flowers of spring collected from the day. Ask the plants and the Goddess of the Dawn to infuse these waters with her radiant light. On awaking, bless yourself with these waters, your energy field and home.
May the light of the Goddess of Dawn bless and guide you on your way home. Blessed Eostra!
If ever you’d like to delve deeper into the ancestral lore of the British Isles and understand some of its indigenous foundations, I feel it is the most directly accessible in the gateway of the spring equinox other wise known in Welsh and by the Druids as Alban Eiler, the ‘light of the earth’ when the light of the sun meets in equal hours with the night.
The codes, myths and lore are interwoven so intricately in the landscape this time of year:
~ TOWER HILL: The spring equinox still today is honoured by the Druids on Tower Hill in London. An ancient ancestral mound once known as ‘Bryn Gwyn’, which translates to White Mound or White Raven. It visually used to look like Silbury Hill a neolithic hill in the Avebury complex in Wiltshire, and was covered in a white chalk which reflected in the moon and sunlight and could be seen for miles. The White Mound is the sacred mound of Sovereignty of this isle, a place where our ancestors would pilgrimage to from far and wide.
~ RAVEN: The raven is the bird and protector of the spirit of Sovereignty of the British Isles and has done for millennia. Raven veneration goes back very far in this country’s lore and is deeply rooted in it’s soul’s foundations. An ancient ancestor of this isle called Bran the Blessed was a Welsh King who you could say presides over this gateway because his lore is so interwoven into the landscape this time of year. Bran means ‘Raven’ in Welsh, who was seen as a seer and oracular king bridging the worlds of the gods and earth like his divine messenger feathered friends. Story goes that on his death bed in battle he asked for his head to be buried in the White Mound in London in protection of the Sovereignty of this isle. The ravens in the tower of London today, hold the lore and protective forces of Bran. The fact that the raven is the animal of sovereignty of this isle…tells you everything you need to understand about this island and it’s essence. It is one of magic and deep seership.
~ SOVEREIGNTY: You see in the sovereign codes of olde in kingship, that in maintaining balance in your kingdom you married yourself to the earth in an alliance for true balance. Your sovereignty was infused with the earth (the goddess) and the minute that allegiance was severed a wasteland would take seed in the land and all hearts. For Bran to ask for his head to be buried in the White Mound even at death shows his complete allegiance to the earth and understanding of what it means to be Sovereign. The olde understanding is to be in Service to the All, in allegiance with the earth and protection of the goddess. When the Druids stand on Tower Hill, they are welcoming back the sovereign sun during the tide of the equinox but they are also invoking the ancient powers of sovereignty in the land. And of Bran.
~ BRIDGING: In one of the stories of Bran, his sister Branwen (which means ‘white raven’) is abused by her husband who is an Irish King. Bran hears of the news and crosses the Irish seas, by using his body as a bridge for his men to cross over him safely across the stormy seas to help him set his sister free. He was always seen as a king who sought to bring enemies into peaceful accord with one another, and therefore may represent the balance implicit in the equinox as well.
~ ALDER: Bran carries alder branches on his journey to rescue his sister. People recognise him by the alder that he holds. He is known as the alder king. Alder trees are indeed ‘bridging’ trees which preside over the realms of water and fire; the conscious and unconscious. The inner and outer. In the tree ogham it resides between the astrological zodiac signs of pisces and aries, emerging from the watery fluid time of Pisces and entering the fiery intensity of Aries. It is a water resistant wood which gets harder in water and was widely used to build the city of Venice. It is connected to the realms of fire, due to it’s ability to create very high quality charcoal and gun powder. It holds the ancient alchemical colours of white and red in it’s wood. It’s wood is a beautiful white colour but when cut or it’s roots exposed to the air it turns a bright red colour. The white is representative of the moon, the water, Branwen the white raven. And red, being the sun, the fire of the coals of gunpowder, Bran the solar deity king. It possesses both female and male catkins on the same branch - a tree that symbolises the balance between the masculine and the feminine, day and night.
In essence the gateway of the vernal equinox is deeply coded in the earth and lore of the land:
Reminding us in order to keep balance within and without ~ true Sovereignty must be upheld, and that is in an alliance with the earth and in service to all.
That sovereignty is restored when we act as a bridge in the world; remembering the essence of our humanity in bringing heaven to earth as bridges. Akin to the raven messengers who bring the words from the gods into the human world. And the alder trees who bridge the worlds of water and fire.
Easter really is about the resurrected light embodied on the earth. Pre-Christian worship this time of year involved the honouring and veneration of the Goddesses of the Dawn. Eostre was one of these Goddesses, a diety from pre-christian germanic cultures. Ostara was another dawn goddess venerated in western germanic cultures, who’s name is rooted in the word Austra. Aurum is the latin word for gold which means ‘shining dawn’. The essence within these names really is about the golden shining light of the dawn which these goddesses imbue the land and morning dew come April tide.he month of April was even called Eustur monab which means ‘Month of Eostre’ by the Anglo-Saxons.
A beautiful way to connect with this tide and Goddess of the dawn is to work and meet with her in the morning dew.
Even in the practise of alchemy the best dew to collect for medicine making is this time of year, because the Goddess of Dawn’s fire is known to be at her peak. In the practise of alchemy dew is viewed as the celestial waters and the vehicle for the universal spiritual fire to become embodied on earth. In alchemical practise for medicine making the best time to collect morning dew is 21st March to 21st May when the sun is in Aries and Taurus as it is a time when the dew waters are the most deeply charged and impregnated with this universal fire.
It’s easy to understand the unique and powerful life force of Spring, which brings growth and regeneration out of the quiet stillness of winter. Buds swell, bulbs arise and flower and seeds sprout. Alchemically, much of this rebirth is connected to the energy that the dew carries during this time of year, considered the fire of nature, ‘cooking’ the seeds in the ground, drawing the green out of the trees with its warmth, and transferring life back into the land.
For the period around the Spring Equinox up into late May, this fire is especially powerful, and carries not just the general spark that kindles the rebirth of the land, but also known in alchemy as the ‘Secret Fire’, which can be used in many alchemical lab practises.
The fire that the dew carries is understood on many levels. First, it is the energy of the sun’s increased warmth, carried to the plants and all life. Secondly, dew is the carrier of ‘Nitre’, the life force of the heavens; in it’s literal physical form this is Potassium Nitrate.
Potassium Nitrate is a very fertilising substance, which is naturally occurring in manure, and when heated it gives off pure oxygen. It is the alchemists millennia ago who understood the power within the ‘secret fire’ of nitre obtained in morning dew that it was later utilized in the human world to create gunpowder. That is the power of its physical force; and interesting that humans decided to access and work with this universal fire for such purposes in life.
Nitre is considered so powerful in its energy because it is at the very upper limit of material existence, the most subtle state possible without being completely non-physical. This is how it brings both an etheric and physical fire and life to the water that carries it, and transfers that life to the earth. Nitre’s special fire can also be transferred to substances in a lab for alchemy where dew is used to revive dead substances and quicken the force of many alchemical practises.
So working with the alchemy of this time of year you may like to enjoy and try out one of the following practises, in meeting the Goddess of the Dawn for transformation and resurrection within, through the wonder that is spring time dew:
1 - Place a shawl/scarf that is sacred to you outside before you go to sleep and ask the Goddess of the Dawn to bless your shawl and embue it with the regenerative energies of spring. Your shawl will be charged up for the year and full of protection.
2 - On waking, strip off naked and roll around in the morning dew, inviting the regenerative energies of the celestial forces of spring to imbibe and renew you.
3 - On waking walk outside into the morning dawn and bless yourself with the dew on the ground. Sending prayers into the world.
4 - Before going to sleep at night, place a bowl of water outside infused with herbs and flowers of spring collected from the day. Ask the plants and the Goddess of the Dawn to infuse these waters with her radiant light. On awaking, bless yourself with these waters, your energy field and home.
May the light of the Goddess of Dawn bless and guide you on your way home. Blessed Eostra!
If ever you’d like to delve deeper into the ancestral lore of the British Isles and understand some of its indigenous foundations, I feel it is the most directly accessible in the gateway of the spring equinox other wise known in Welsh and by the Druids as Alban Eiler, the ‘light of the earth’ when the light of the sun meets in equal hours with the night.
The codes, myths and lore are interwoven so intricately in the landscape this time of year:
~ TOWER HILL: The spring equinox still today is honoured by the Druids on Tower Hill in London. An ancient ancestral mound once known as ‘Bryn Gwyn’, which translates to White Mound or White Raven. It visually used to look like Silbury Hill a neolithic hill in the Avebury complex in Wiltshire, and was covered in a white chalk which reflected in the moon and sunlight and could be seen for miles. The White Mound is the sacred mound of Sovereignty of this isle, a place where our ancestors would pilgrimage to from far and wide.
~ RAVEN: The raven is the bird and protector of the spirit of Sovereignty of the British Isles and has done for millennia. Raven veneration goes back very far in this country’s lore and is deeply rooted in it’s soul’s foundations. An ancient ancestor of this isle called Bran the Blessed was a Welsh King who you could say presides over this gateway because his lore is so interwoven into the landscape this time of year. Bran means ‘Raven’ in Welsh, who was seen as a seer and oracular king bridging the worlds of the gods and earth like his divine messenger feathered friends. Story goes that on his death bed in battle he asked for his head to be buried in the White Mound in London in protection of the Sovereignty of this isle. The ravens in the tower of London today, hold the lore and protective forces of Bran. The fact that the raven is the animal of sovereignty of this isle…tells you everything you need to understand about this island and it’s essence. It is one of magic and deep seership.
~ SOVEREIGNTY: You see in the sovereign codes of olde in kingship, that in maintaining balance in your kingdom you married yourself to the earth in an alliance for true balance. Your sovereignty was infused with the earth (the goddess) and the minute that allegiance was severed a wasteland would take seed in the land and all hearts. For Bran to ask for his head to be buried in the White Mound even at death shows his complete allegiance to the earth and understanding of what it means to be Sovereign. The olde understanding is to be in Service to the All, in allegiance with the earth and protection of the goddess. When the Druids stand on Tower Hill, they are welcoming back the sovereign sun during the tide of the equinox but they are also invoking the ancient powers of sovereignty in the land. And of Bran.
~ BRIDGING: In one of the stories of Bran, his sister Branwen (which means ‘white raven’) is abused by her husband who is an Irish King. Bran hears of the news and crosses the Irish seas, by using his body as a bridge for his men to cross over him safely across the stormy seas to help him set his sister free. He was always seen as a king who sought to bring enemies into peaceful accord with one another, and therefore may represent the balance implicit in the equinox as well.
~ ALDER: Bran carries alder branches on his journey to rescue his sister. People recognise him by the alder that he holds. He is known as the alder king. Alder trees are indeed ‘bridging’ trees which preside over the realms of water and fire; the conscious and unconscious. The inner and outer. In the tree ogham it resides between the astrological zodiac signs of pisces and aries, emerging from the watery fluid time of Pisces and entering the fiery intensity of Aries. It is a water resistant wood which gets harder in water and was widely used to build the city of Venice. It is connected to the realms of fire, due to it’s ability to create very high quality charcoal and gun powder. It holds the ancient alchemical colours of white and red in it’s wood. It’s wood is a beautiful white colour but when cut or it’s roots exposed to the air it turns a bright red colour. The white is representative of the moon, the water, Branwen the white raven. And red, being the sun, the fire of the coals of gunpowder, Bran the solar deity king. It possesses both female and male catkins on the same branch - a tree that symbolises the balance between the masculine and the feminine, day and night.
In essence the gateway of the vernal equinox is deeply coded in the earth and lore of the land:
Reminding us in order to keep balance within and without ~ true Sovereignty must be upheld, and that is in an alliance with the earth and in service to all.
That sovereignty is restored when we act as a bridge in the world; remembering the essence of our humanity in bringing heaven to earth as bridges. Akin to the raven messengers who bring the words from the gods into the human world. And the alder trees who bridge the worlds of water and fire.
Charlotte Pulver is a modern day alchemist, pilgrimage, ceremony and ritual facilitator and founder of Pulver's Apothecary.
by Charlotte Pulver
Easter really is about the resurrected light embodied on the earth. Pre-Christian worship this time of year involved the honouring and veneration of the Goddesses of the Dawn. Eostre was one of these Goddesses, a diety from pre-christian germanic cultures. Ostara was another dawn goddess venerated in western germanic cultures, who’s name is rooted in the word Austra. Aurum is the latin word for gold which means ‘shining dawn’. The essence within these names really is about the golden shining light of the dawn which these goddesses imbue the land and morning dew come April tide.he month of April was even called Eustur monab which means ‘Month of Eostre’ by the Anglo-Saxons.
A beautiful way to connect with this tide and Goddess of the dawn is to work and meet with her in the morning dew.
Even in the practise of alchemy the best dew to collect for medicine making is this time of year, because the Goddess of Dawn’s fire is known to be at her peak. In the practise of alchemy dew is viewed as the celestial waters and the vehicle for the universal spiritual fire to become embodied on earth. In alchemical practise for medicine making the best time to collect morning dew is 21st March to 21st May when the sun is in Aries and Taurus as it is a time when the dew waters are the most deeply charged and impregnated with this universal fire.
It’s easy to understand the unique and powerful life force of Spring, which brings growth and regeneration out of the quiet stillness of winter. Buds swell, bulbs arise and flower and seeds sprout. Alchemically, much of this rebirth is connected to the energy that the dew carries during this time of year, considered the fire of nature, ‘cooking’ the seeds in the ground, drawing the green out of the trees with its warmth, and transferring life back into the land.
For the period around the Spring Equinox up into late May, this fire is especially powerful, and carries not just the general spark that kindles the rebirth of the land, but also known in alchemy as the ‘Secret Fire’, which can be used in many alchemical lab practises.
The fire that the dew carries is understood on many levels. First, it is the energy of the sun’s increased warmth, carried to the plants and all life. Secondly, dew is the carrier of ‘Nitre’, the life force of the heavens; in it’s literal physical form this is Potassium Nitrate.
Potassium Nitrate is a very fertilising substance, which is naturally occurring in manure, and when heated it gives off pure oxygen. It is the alchemists millennia ago who understood the power within the ‘secret fire’ of nitre obtained in morning dew that it was later utilized in the human world to create gunpowder. That is the power of its physical force; and interesting that humans decided to access and work with this universal fire for such purposes in life.
Nitre is considered so powerful in its energy because it is at the very upper limit of material existence, the most subtle state possible without being completely non-physical. This is how it brings both an etheric and physical fire and life to the water that carries it, and transfers that life to the earth. Nitre’s special fire can also be transferred to substances in a lab for alchemy where dew is used to revive dead substances and quicken the force of many alchemical practises.
So working with the alchemy of this time of year you may like to enjoy and try out one of the following practises, in meeting the Goddess of the Dawn for transformation and resurrection within, through the wonder that is spring time dew:
1 - Place a shawl/scarf that is sacred to you outside before you go to sleep and ask the Goddess of the Dawn to bless your shawl and embue it with the regenerative energies of spring. Your shawl will be charged up for the year and full of protection.
2 - On waking, strip off naked and roll around in the morning dew, inviting the regenerative energies of the celestial forces of spring to imbibe and renew you.
3 - On waking walk outside into the morning dawn and bless yourself with the dew on the ground. Sending prayers into the world.
4 - Before going to sleep at night, place a bowl of water outside infused with herbs and flowers of spring collected from the day. Ask the plants and the Goddess of the Dawn to infuse these waters with her radiant light. On awaking, bless yourself with these waters, your energy field and home.
May the light of the Goddess of Dawn bless and guide you on your way home. Blessed Eostra!
If ever you’d like to delve deeper into the ancestral lore of the British Isles and understand some of its indigenous foundations, I feel it is the most directly accessible in the gateway of the spring equinox other wise known in Welsh and by the Druids as Alban Eiler, the ‘light of the earth’ when the light of the sun meets in equal hours with the night.
The codes, myths and lore are interwoven so intricately in the landscape this time of year:
~ TOWER HILL: The spring equinox still today is honoured by the Druids on Tower Hill in London. An ancient ancestral mound once known as ‘Bryn Gwyn’, which translates to White Mound or White Raven. It visually used to look like Silbury Hill a neolithic hill in the Avebury complex in Wiltshire, and was covered in a white chalk which reflected in the moon and sunlight and could be seen for miles. The White Mound is the sacred mound of Sovereignty of this isle, a place where our ancestors would pilgrimage to from far and wide.
~ RAVEN: The raven is the bird and protector of the spirit of Sovereignty of the British Isles and has done for millennia. Raven veneration goes back very far in this country’s lore and is deeply rooted in it’s soul’s foundations. An ancient ancestor of this isle called Bran the Blessed was a Welsh King who you could say presides over this gateway because his lore is so interwoven into the landscape this time of year. Bran means ‘Raven’ in Welsh, who was seen as a seer and oracular king bridging the worlds of the gods and earth like his divine messenger feathered friends. Story goes that on his death bed in battle he asked for his head to be buried in the White Mound in London in protection of the Sovereignty of this isle. The ravens in the tower of London today, hold the lore and protective forces of Bran. The fact that the raven is the animal of sovereignty of this isle…tells you everything you need to understand about this island and it’s essence. It is one of magic and deep seership.
~ SOVEREIGNTY: You see in the sovereign codes of olde in kingship, that in maintaining balance in your kingdom you married yourself to the earth in an alliance for true balance. Your sovereignty was infused with the earth (the goddess) and the minute that allegiance was severed a wasteland would take seed in the land and all hearts. For Bran to ask for his head to be buried in the White Mound even at death shows his complete allegiance to the earth and understanding of what it means to be Sovereign. The olde understanding is to be in Service to the All, in allegiance with the earth and protection of the goddess. When the Druids stand on Tower Hill, they are welcoming back the sovereign sun during the tide of the equinox but they are also invoking the ancient powers of sovereignty in the land. And of Bran.
~ BRIDGING: In one of the stories of Bran, his sister Branwen (which means ‘white raven’) is abused by her husband who is an Irish King. Bran hears of the news and crosses the Irish seas, by using his body as a bridge for his men to cross over him safely across the stormy seas to help him set his sister free. He was always seen as a king who sought to bring enemies into peaceful accord with one another, and therefore may represent the balance implicit in the equinox as well.
~ ALDER: Bran carries alder branches on his journey to rescue his sister. People recognise him by the alder that he holds. He is known as the alder king. Alder trees are indeed ‘bridging’ trees which preside over the realms of water and fire; the conscious and unconscious. The inner and outer. In the tree ogham it resides between the astrological zodiac signs of pisces and aries, emerging from the watery fluid time of Pisces and entering the fiery intensity of Aries. It is a water resistant wood which gets harder in water and was widely used to build the city of Venice. It is connected to the realms of fire, due to it’s ability to create very high quality charcoal and gun powder. It holds the ancient alchemical colours of white and red in it’s wood. It’s wood is a beautiful white colour but when cut or it’s roots exposed to the air it turns a bright red colour. The white is representative of the moon, the water, Branwen the white raven. And red, being the sun, the fire of the coals of gunpowder, Bran the solar deity king. It possesses both female and male catkins on the same branch - a tree that symbolises the balance between the masculine and the feminine, day and night.
In essence the gateway of the vernal equinox is deeply coded in the earth and lore of the land:
Reminding us in order to keep balance within and without ~ true Sovereignty must be upheld, and that is in an alliance with the earth and in service to all.
That sovereignty is restored when we act as a bridge in the world; remembering the essence of our humanity in bringing heaven to earth as bridges. Akin to the raven messengers who bring the words from the gods into the human world. And the alder trees who bridge the worlds of water and fire.
Easter really is about the resurrected light embodied on the earth. Pre-Christian worship this time of year involved the honouring and veneration of the Goddesses of the Dawn. Eostre was one of these Goddesses, a diety from pre-christian germanic cultures. Ostara was another dawn goddess venerated in western germanic cultures, who’s name is rooted in the word Austra. Aurum is the latin word for gold which means ‘shining dawn’. The essence within these names really is about the golden shining light of the dawn which these goddesses imbue the land and morning dew come April tide.he month of April was even called Eustur monab which means ‘Month of Eostre’ by the Anglo-Saxons.
A beautiful way to connect with this tide and Goddess of the dawn is to work and meet with her in the morning dew.
Even in the practise of alchemy the best dew to collect for medicine making is this time of year, because the Goddess of Dawn’s fire is known to be at her peak. In the practise of alchemy dew is viewed as the celestial waters and the vehicle for the universal spiritual fire to become embodied on earth. In alchemical practise for medicine making the best time to collect morning dew is 21st March to 21st May when the sun is in Aries and Taurus as it is a time when the dew waters are the most deeply charged and impregnated with this universal fire.
It’s easy to understand the unique and powerful life force of Spring, which brings growth and regeneration out of the quiet stillness of winter. Buds swell, bulbs arise and flower and seeds sprout. Alchemically, much of this rebirth is connected to the energy that the dew carries during this time of year, considered the fire of nature, ‘cooking’ the seeds in the ground, drawing the green out of the trees with its warmth, and transferring life back into the land.
For the period around the Spring Equinox up into late May, this fire is especially powerful, and carries not just the general spark that kindles the rebirth of the land, but also known in alchemy as the ‘Secret Fire’, which can be used in many alchemical lab practises.
The fire that the dew carries is understood on many levels. First, it is the energy of the sun’s increased warmth, carried to the plants and all life. Secondly, dew is the carrier of ‘Nitre’, the life force of the heavens; in it’s literal physical form this is Potassium Nitrate.
Potassium Nitrate is a very fertilising substance, which is naturally occurring in manure, and when heated it gives off pure oxygen. It is the alchemists millennia ago who understood the power within the ‘secret fire’ of nitre obtained in morning dew that it was later utilized in the human world to create gunpowder. That is the power of its physical force; and interesting that humans decided to access and work with this universal fire for such purposes in life.
Nitre is considered so powerful in its energy because it is at the very upper limit of material existence, the most subtle state possible without being completely non-physical. This is how it brings both an etheric and physical fire and life to the water that carries it, and transfers that life to the earth. Nitre’s special fire can also be transferred to substances in a lab for alchemy where dew is used to revive dead substances and quicken the force of many alchemical practises.
So working with the alchemy of this time of year you may like to enjoy and try out one of the following practises, in meeting the Goddess of the Dawn for transformation and resurrection within, through the wonder that is spring time dew:
1 - Place a shawl/scarf that is sacred to you outside before you go to sleep and ask the Goddess of the Dawn to bless your shawl and embue it with the regenerative energies of spring. Your shawl will be charged up for the year and full of protection.
2 - On waking, strip off naked and roll around in the morning dew, inviting the regenerative energies of the celestial forces of spring to imbibe and renew you.
3 - On waking walk outside into the morning dawn and bless yourself with the dew on the ground. Sending prayers into the world.
4 - Before going to sleep at night, place a bowl of water outside infused with herbs and flowers of spring collected from the day. Ask the plants and the Goddess of the Dawn to infuse these waters with her radiant light. On awaking, bless yourself with these waters, your energy field and home.
May the light of the Goddess of Dawn bless and guide you on your way home. Blessed Eostra!
If ever you’d like to delve deeper into the ancestral lore of the British Isles and understand some of its indigenous foundations, I feel it is the most directly accessible in the gateway of the spring equinox other wise known in Welsh and by the Druids as Alban Eiler, the ‘light of the earth’ when the light of the sun meets in equal hours with the night.
The codes, myths and lore are interwoven so intricately in the landscape this time of year:
~ TOWER HILL: The spring equinox still today is honoured by the Druids on Tower Hill in London. An ancient ancestral mound once known as ‘Bryn Gwyn’, which translates to White Mound or White Raven. It visually used to look like Silbury Hill a neolithic hill in the Avebury complex in Wiltshire, and was covered in a white chalk which reflected in the moon and sunlight and could be seen for miles. The White Mound is the sacred mound of Sovereignty of this isle, a place where our ancestors would pilgrimage to from far and wide.
~ RAVEN: The raven is the bird and protector of the spirit of Sovereignty of the British Isles and has done for millennia. Raven veneration goes back very far in this country’s lore and is deeply rooted in it’s soul’s foundations. An ancient ancestor of this isle called Bran the Blessed was a Welsh King who you could say presides over this gateway because his lore is so interwoven into the landscape this time of year. Bran means ‘Raven’ in Welsh, who was seen as a seer and oracular king bridging the worlds of the gods and earth like his divine messenger feathered friends. Story goes that on his death bed in battle he asked for his head to be buried in the White Mound in London in protection of the Sovereignty of this isle. The ravens in the tower of London today, hold the lore and protective forces of Bran. The fact that the raven is the animal of sovereignty of this isle…tells you everything you need to understand about this island and it’s essence. It is one of magic and deep seership.
~ SOVEREIGNTY: You see in the sovereign codes of olde in kingship, that in maintaining balance in your kingdom you married yourself to the earth in an alliance for true balance. Your sovereignty was infused with the earth (the goddess) and the minute that allegiance was severed a wasteland would take seed in the land and all hearts. For Bran to ask for his head to be buried in the White Mound even at death shows his complete allegiance to the earth and understanding of what it means to be Sovereign. The olde understanding is to be in Service to the All, in allegiance with the earth and protection of the goddess. When the Druids stand on Tower Hill, they are welcoming back the sovereign sun during the tide of the equinox but they are also invoking the ancient powers of sovereignty in the land. And of Bran.
~ BRIDGING: In one of the stories of Bran, his sister Branwen (which means ‘white raven’) is abused by her husband who is an Irish King. Bran hears of the news and crosses the Irish seas, by using his body as a bridge for his men to cross over him safely across the stormy seas to help him set his sister free. He was always seen as a king who sought to bring enemies into peaceful accord with one another, and therefore may represent the balance implicit in the equinox as well.
~ ALDER: Bran carries alder branches on his journey to rescue his sister. People recognise him by the alder that he holds. He is known as the alder king. Alder trees are indeed ‘bridging’ trees which preside over the realms of water and fire; the conscious and unconscious. The inner and outer. In the tree ogham it resides between the astrological zodiac signs of pisces and aries, emerging from the watery fluid time of Pisces and entering the fiery intensity of Aries. It is a water resistant wood which gets harder in water and was widely used to build the city of Venice. It is connected to the realms of fire, due to it’s ability to create very high quality charcoal and gun powder. It holds the ancient alchemical colours of white and red in it’s wood. It’s wood is a beautiful white colour but when cut or it’s roots exposed to the air it turns a bright red colour. The white is representative of the moon, the water, Branwen the white raven. And red, being the sun, the fire of the coals of gunpowder, Bran the solar deity king. It possesses both female and male catkins on the same branch - a tree that symbolises the balance between the masculine and the feminine, day and night.
In essence the gateway of the vernal equinox is deeply coded in the earth and lore of the land:
Reminding us in order to keep balance within and without ~ true Sovereignty must be upheld, and that is in an alliance with the earth and in service to all.
That sovereignty is restored when we act as a bridge in the world; remembering the essence of our humanity in bringing heaven to earth as bridges. Akin to the raven messengers who bring the words from the gods into the human world. And the alder trees who bridge the worlds of water and fire.
Charlotte Pulver is a modern day alchemist, pilgrimage, ceremony and ritual facilitator and founder of Pulver's Apothecary.