Happy Easter! Initially, I wanted to find a brief, fun history of the celebration of Easter beyond the Christian tradition. Though I had certainly heard that Easter is attributed to being named for a pagan;goddess of varying names, Ostara, Eastre, Eostre, just to name a few; I did not realize that colored eggs have been exchanged at this time for as long as you want to go back. Zorastrians painted eggs for Nowrooz for their New Year’s celebration that fell on the Spring Equinox.

So then I decided to turn to the Easter Bunny for guidance. In both THE DRUID ANIMAL ORACLE, and ANIMAL SPEAK, the hare is associated with New Life, Rebirth and the moon. The date of Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the full moon following the Spring Equinox. The moon is traditionally associated with the goddess and has a 28 day cycle. At the new moon, the moon is effectively missing in action and then reappears bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the next full moon. The rabbit feeds her young only in the morning and evening, the rest of the day she spends feeding herself away from the nest so as to protect her young.In 28 day, the young are able to leave the nest and survive on their own.

And if you didn’t know, this is the year of the rabbit in Chinese Astrology. According to Ted Andrews, “It was considered a most fortunate sign, giving those born under it the ability to possess the powers of the moon.” And of course we all know the moon is associated with Shape-shifters, most notably the werewolf.

Shape-shift. Be reborn. Have a wonderful Easter!