Page 2 - March newsletter 2023

Ēostre’s gift – A Fairy Tale feeding and caring for their newborn baby kits. The small
rabbit tried to help as best she could, but no matter what
for the Spring Equinox she did, she just seemed to get in the way.

One bright morning, her mother could see that the
small rabbit was restless and not at all happy simply hang-
The Spring Equinox had come. The day’s light and the ing around in the burrow. “Out you go!” she said, as she
night’s dark had reached that magical moment when, for a gently nudged her towards the opening with her
tiny instant, they were perfectly equal. And as it does at nose. “Your father and I have a lot to do here, but we’ve
that time every year from that point on, the sunlight began got it covered. Why don’t you go out and find some of
to grow ever stronger and ever brighter. And as the air your brothers and sisters or play with your cousins? Bet-
warmed from the growing sunlight, the snow melted and ter yet, why not make yourself useful and find something
ran crystal clear as it filtered into the thirsty earth below fresh to eat? Perhaps some tender new shoots of fresh
and the rivers and streams run fuller and faster. The grow- grass, some sweet purple wood violets or some delicious
ing light signaled the sap to move up through the roots of and nutritious nettle tops.”
the trees into their bare branches, delivering the nourish-
ment they needed to stretch out even further and push The little rabbit ventured out of the burrow carefully be-
their buds into fresh new flowers and leaves. cause that is the way rabbits are. Rabbits are always vigi-
lant—every instinct tells them to
The birds were always be prepared for the possibility of
first to welcome Spring with danger. They are constantly sniff-
their heart songs at dawn and ing, cautiously observing, always
soon all the creatures in the ready with all their senses to know
Wildwood knew that it was when to spring away in a flash if
time to wake up and grow. The danger comes their way.
furry ones stretched their arms
and legs, the winged ones The small rabbit’s nose
spread their wings, the amphibi- twitched as she hid under a hedge-
ans emerged from their long row at the edge of the forest, and
cold sleep, the bees and other she looked out across the open
pollinators shook themselves meadow. She was watchful, but
awake and set off into the air to she was also excited, for who
begin their important work. wouldn’t be? It was Spring! As
Even the grubs and the worms she looked across the open mead-
who worked so hard beneath ow, she could see the bees buzzing
the soil at that time wriggled among the blooming yellow daffo-
their tiny bodies joyfull dils and purple and blue violets,
and further in the distance she
Of all the living crea- could see newborn calves dance as
tures, it was the rabbits who their delicate hoofs first touched
loved Springtime the most. To a the green grass while their mothers
rabbit, Spring is the ringing watched with pride. She looked
time—the harmony and singing up into the sky and watched as an
time. It is the pushing and the older crow taught younger ones
pulling and the bringing forward time when babies are how to sail in the wind high above
born from their mothers into a world where all is fresh and the tops of the evergreens and she heard them all caw,
new. To a rabbit, Spring is that bright and beautiful time caw, caw in delight that Spring is here!
when love of the earth becomes the most important thing
of all because (as all rabbits know) when new life is creat- Hesitant, she began to hop along, venturing a little
ed and born, the ever-revolving cycles of the earth contin- way across the grass, but always staying close to the edge
ue. of the woods in case she needed to quickly hide. She
sniffed the wonderful smell of clover and paused to nibble
The small rabbit was only a few months old when on a bit of yummy chickweed and the first of the dandeli-
this fairy tale took place, but she already knew how to on shoots emerging from the grass.
look after herself quite well. She was born among the first
of that Spring’s litters and since that time, her mother had As she sniffed and nibbled from one delicious plant
had another litter and was expecting a third! Of course, to another along the edge of the forest she came across a
the small rabbit’s mother and father were extremely busy beautiful unbroken bird’s egg that must have fallen from a