NMR ISSUE 36

An Urban Wicca
Artemis
Astrological Forecast 36
Daddy Long Legs, Stork & Swallow
Editorial 36
Esoteric Symbology of the Tarot
Eve of Persephone
Gematria
Guidance vs. Thou Shalt
Letters 36
Never Again the Burnings?
Pysanky Spring
The Magical Flute VIII:
Year of Vision

Articles
Authors
Rituals
Book Reviews
NMR Issues
NMR Covers

PYSANKY SPRING

by Robert Wilson

As the Spring Equinox approaches, the dark half of the year, the time of looking inward into ourselves through the short days and long nights, is coming to a close. Soon Spring will arrive and with it our associations of snow melting, flowers blooming, grass turning green, children laughing, birds chirping, newborn animals and so on. The light half of the year, the time when nature's beauty is all around us throughout the long sunny days, will soon be upon us. At the spring Equinox we celebrate a sacred event, the rebirth of the earth. One of the most ancient symbols of rebirth is the egg. In some religions, such as those of China, the earth was believed to have come from an egg. The coloring of eggs is something we are familiar with in America, but all over the world eggs have been colored and painted for millennia to celebrate the rebirth of the earth. One of the most charming of these customs comes from Ukraine.

In Ukraine, the rebirth of the earth is symbolized by designs dyed onto eggs. These eggs, which are then used as amulets for various purposes, are called pysanky. Pauline Campanelli in her book Wheel of the Year goes into detail about how to create the designs on the eggs and then dye them. The process is simpler than it sounds. There are many symbols that can be drawn on pysanky eggs. Pauline Campanelli has several traditional designs along with their meanings in her book Ancient Ways. Pysanky eggs with spring designs on them (such as flowers, bunnies, birds, sun symbols, fertility symbols, etc.) can be placed in a basket and used to decorate the Spring Equinox altar.

Pysanky are not only used as symbols of rebirth, but also of balance and harmony. Our ancient ancestors regarded balance as a crucial element in nature. Much of the world's mythology deals with balance and harmony. Christianity, however, is not concerned with balance but rather with good and evil as two opposing forces. When Christianity took over a native religion, the symbols of balance and harmony were often replaced with symbols of good and evil. But many customs, pysanky eggs among them, retained their symbols of balance in nature.

To symbolize balance in nature, pysanky eggs were often divided into two halves by decorative encircling bands that symbolized the cycle of life, death and rebirth. I ran across a paper mach of a pysanky egg when I was in England a couple of years ago that has on it an iris in full bloom on one side, and a leaf turning colors on the other. This is clearly a symbol of spring and fall. Other examples might include the sun and moon, fire and water symbols, and of course symbols of the Goddess and the God. These eggs should be kept and displayed as a reminder of the need for balance and harmony in our own lives.

While it is great to draw the charming designs that were used in Ukraine onto pysanky eggs, there are plenty of other designs one can use. Many of us who practice Wicca like to mix traditions somewhat, so there is no reason that symbols from other traditions cannot be used on pysanky eggs. For example, those familiar with the Celtic tree calendar might use the rowan (mountain ash), which represents sacred fire. They could draw a rowan tree (or its branches and leaves) on their pysanky egg along with other Fire symbols, then have the egg present when they light a sacred balefire on Beltaine and the Summer Solstice. The ash tree (not to be confused with mountain ash) is a symbol of the sea in the Celtic tree calendar, so a pysanky egg with an ash tree on one side and a water symbol of another could be present at rituals by the seashore. In most traditions, the fir tree is a symbol of rebirth, and the willow a symbol of death (as well as enchantment and the moon, interestingly enough). So a pysanky egg could be made with willow on one side and fir on the other. The two encircling bands that separate the hemispheres of the egg could be drawn in opposite directions, one deosil, the other widdershins. Those in the Scandinavian tradition could draw the Yggdrasil tree and Thor's hammer.

There are plenty of other ideas that can be explored. Pysanky eggs could be drawn to represent the four Directions. Perhaps a symbol of the Direction/Element could be drawn on one side and a symbol of the corresponding season drawn on the other. Symbols of changes you may like to see in your life for the coming year are appropriate to draw on pysanky. You may also draw a picture of a certain herb, vegetable, or flower you grown in a garden in full bloom or in full growth. All sorts of magick symbols can be drawn. And of course, you may draw any Goddess or God that you worship. The possibilities are endless!

So the wheel turns and spring will soon be upon us. The earth will soon be reborn, and Wiccans everywhere will be ready to celebrate that. As the baby birds poke their tiny heads out of their eggs in the endless cycle of rebirth, so we too use eggs to celebrate rebirth. Ukrainians have given us the wonderful tradition of pysanky eggs which we hope will continue for years to come.