Embracing the Energy of Growth: Wicca and the Spring Equinox

The Wiccan Spring Equinox, also known as Ostara, is a significant moment in the Wiccan calendar. It falls between March 19th and 22nd in the northern hemisphere and September 20th and 23rd in the southern hemisphere. This Sabbat celebrates the arrival of spring, when day and night are of equal length, symbolizing balance and renewal. Ostara is named after the Germanic goddess of the same name, who was associated with the celebration of the spring equinox. It is believed that during this time, the days grow longer and the land begins to awaken from its winter slumber. It is a time of fertility, growth, and new beginnings.

The Sylex blast caused a Dark Age on Dominaria. During this era, in the aftermath of the blast, Dominaria's climate became colder and resources became scarce. Quaking before the climatic shifts rocking Dominaria, the peoples of every land fell under the control of zealots and despots. Because of the Brothers' War, the use of magic was condemned by the Church of Tal, and so mages practiced in secret. The people were factionalized and rose against each other. It was a time of persecution and corruption when it seemed as if the end of the world was at hand.

Mishra and Hajar used this confusion to retrieve the Weakstone, so Mishra could weaken it, but to everyone s surprise, Mishra found he could directly control it. Before he could reach it, he was captured by the Suwwardi, a militant faction of the Fallaji, who was subjugated into slavery and had the Weakstone taken from him.

It is a time of fertility, growth, and new beginnings. Wiccans celebrate Ostara by connecting with nature and the changing seasons. They decorate their altars with symbols of spring, such as flowers, eggs, and rabbits.

General (BRO) The Brother's War Spoilers

Recruitment Officer is one of my favorite 2/1s for W. Fair and fun way to add card draw into white. Good art, too (I prefer the standard to the game day promo for sure).

Surprised you didn't mention this one! Blue gets its second Figure of Destiny (lol), and this one doesn't require snow basics or house rules. It's immediately one of my top choices for a blue two-drop: solid base stats, an easy upgrade into an unblockable 3-power creature, supports the artifact deck. and it still has two more abilities after that! Very flexible, good early and late, and the promo art is excellent.

I adore the lands, especially the top Plains and Forest. Very high quality basics that integrate giant robots into lands without them losing their identity as lands. At least half of these will make the cut into my land box for sure.

Very very happy that the promos for this set are old-bordered. I used to feel somewhat forlorn that my cube was becoming progressively more modern border with each passing year. That's really reversed in the last two years, and while I still won't put things like Baleful Strix old-bordered in my cube because it obscures its artifact quality (in addition to making it harder to quickly assess its colors), I'm thrilled to upgrade things like Wurmcoil to old-border, it looks wonderful. The blueprint style is excellent as well, and the EDH decks being entirely old bordered is yet another point of excitement.

The Urza meld card isn't for my cube but I adore the concept and find it a clever way to represent the power of oldwalkers. This set has already surpassed expectations, and I'm about as hyped as it gets here.

Zoss

BEEG Urza looks like a fun Meld card to include, especially because the Mightstone/Weakstone looks like a very solid Meteorite-type card on its own.

I am already testing Recruitment Officer.

I am also testing the Pacific Rim Island.

People have noted this already, but it seems more and more obvious that full-art cards are the intended way to view the art and that the standard versions are inferior crops done without too much attention paid to their individual aesthetic quality. This stinks, but makes sense from a business perspective of WotC trying to make a designated "budget option" that looks pretty much strictly inferior to the "regular" option. At least collectors' boosters help bring prices down. Personally, I don't love the numbering, but if it brings prices down I'm more than happy to see them. Yeah, proxying is Good And Fun, but I like to support Magic when it's reasonable for me to do so--and this will help me do so by slurping a lot of value out of the set.

Chris Taylor

Contributor

LadyMapi

Zoss

Real talk, I've always wanted to include a land slot in my boosters to draft really sick basics. However, the problem is that you're throwing away equity by doing so, and the only solution I've been able to find is to make it a desert cube, i.e. one in which you have to draft your basics, and I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that. If anyone else has other ideas I'm all ears!

inscho

Recruitment Officer is an easy include for me. Love that the cmc matters theme continues to get fleshed out with recent printings.

Doubt I have room for Mishra’s Foundry, but it’s super cool

LadyMapi

Real talk, I've always wanted to include a land slot in my boosters to draft really sick basics. However, the problem is that you're throwing away equity doing so [. ]

Silly suggestion: let people trade in two sick basics of different colors to get a copy of a better-than-usual dual lands for those colors.

Like, maybe your normal RG dual land is a Sheltered Thicket, but you can trade in a cool Forest and a cool Mountain to get a Taiga.

MilesOfficial

Real talk, I've always wanted to include a land slot in my boosters to draft really sick basics. However, the problem is that you're throwing away equity by doing so, and the only solution I've been able to find is to make it a desert cube, i.e. one in which you have to draft your basics, and I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that. If anyone else has other ideas I'm all ears!

Here's my solution: you make all your basics in the land box less desirable and/or identical boring lands, and then give players literal raffle tickets to get the best basics. You can make the default lands all white bordered as an extra incentive. Give every something like 10 raffle tickets to start, and you can even include some cards that represent additional raffle tickets as cards included in the draft.

Then you need to be able to have an easy system for your players to trade in raffle tickets themselves without someone having to arbitrate the system, or else it's just a blocker for deck construction.

Version 1: You make it really obvious, i.e. 1 ticket = standard black bordered land of your choosing, 2 tickets = full art land, 3 tickets = specialty land (making them all foil or something is an easy way to communicate the difference between a 3-ticket Godzilla Mountain and a 2-ticket full art Zendikar one, for example).

Version 2: You have multiple copies of only very specific lands (maybe 10 varieties per basic?) that are each featured on a print-out per land type with their corresponding ticket costs.

I kept trying to think of a bidding or drafting system that could be fun, but bidding would take way too long and drafting just basic lands would feel tedious and provide more feelbad than sick moments. Fundamentally, these are all ways to complicate an already-complicated format, but I broadly do like the idea of making Basics something to compete over somehow.

I think a lot about basic lands and think they're an essential part of my group's cubing experience. The method my cube uses is dramatically simpler but achieves a similar goal: singleton basics, first-come-first-serve. I maintain my land box just as religiously as my main cube (which yes, I promised here I'd share it and its corresponding write-up like. a week ago). I try to be vocal about how the coolest lands go fast as incentive to get people to get through deck construction in a reasonable amount of time, which does actually work when players start remarking out loud on how cool the new additions are in front of the rest of the table(s)

After Tocasia's death, Urza moved to Yotia and put his skills with machinery to work as a clockmaker's apprentice. Shortly thereafter, a public contest was announced by the ruler of Yotia: Any man who could move a gigantic jade statue across a courtyard would be married to his daughter. Urza wasn't particularly interested in the daughter, but in an attempt to acquire a Thran tome that was in her dowry, Urza built a gigantic machine to move the statue. He succeeded and was wed to Kayla bin-Kroog. However, being wed did not make him any more affectionate towards his wife - on the contrary, he left her bed on their wedding night to study the Thran book from her dowry. However, he threw himself headlong into his new position of Chief Artificer, working obsessively on his attempts to improve his artifacts.

The egg, in particular, holds significance as a symbol of fertility and rebirth. Many Wiccans also perform rituals to honor the goddess Ostara and to welcome the return of the sun. During this time, Wiccans may also engage in activities like planting seeds, tending to gardens, or taking nature walks to observe the signs of spring. It is a time of introspection and setting intentions for the coming season. Some Wiccans may perform divination rituals or seek guidance from the goddess Ostara. Overall, the Wiccan Spring Equinox is a time for Wiccans to celebrate the energy of spring, embrace the balance between light and dark, and connect with the natural world. It is a time of rejuvenation, growth, and embracing the cycles of life..

Reviews for "Incorporating Sacred Symbols into Wiccan Rituals for the Spring Equinox"

1. Sara - 2 stars

I was really disappointed with "Wicca Spring Equinox". The book lacked depth and substance. The characters were one-dimensional, and their motivations were unclear. The plot was predictable, and the dialogue felt forced. Overall, I found it to be a very underwhelming read.

2. John - 1 star

I couldn't even finish reading "Wicca Spring Equinox". The writing was so poor, with countless grammatical errors and awkward sentence structures. The story line was confusing and disjointed, making it difficult to follow. I also found the characters to be incredibly uninteresting and flat. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

3. Jessica - 2 stars

"Wicca Spring Equinox" had potential, but it fell short for me. The pacing was inconsistent, with moments of extreme action followed by long stretches of boredom. The world-building was insufficient, leaving me with many unanswered questions. The author also seemed to rely too heavily on clichés and stereotypes. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and unengaged with the story.

4. Mike - 3 stars

I had high hopes for "Wicca Spring Equinox", but unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. The writing style was average, and the plot was quite predictable. Although there were a few intriguing twists, they were overshadowed by the lackluster character development. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, which made it difficult for me to fully invest in the story. While it had its moments, I found this book to be mediocre at best.

Connecting with the Wheel of the Year: Exploring the Spring Equinox in Wicca