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The
month of April was named after the Greek goddess Aphrodite and
the Roman goddess Venus. April is also the month when the land
begins to open up and receive the planted seeds for the spring
season. In the backwoods, the full moon that falls into the
month is referred as the Pink Moon. This is also the month of
widespread observances to loosen up and play the role of Loki
the trickster god.
April Fool’s Day commences in the morning and only
operates until midday.
 
Gnowee
(Australian) is the Sun goddess. As legend tells it, that Gnowee
once lived on the earth at a time when the sky was always dark
and the people walked around carrying torches in order to see.
One day while Gnowee was gathering yams, her baby son wandered
off. She set out to search for him, carrying a huge torch, but
never found him. To this day she climbs the sky, carrying her
torch, trying to find her son.
Xochiquetzal
(Aztec) is the goddess of the Earth, Flowers, and Dance; mainly
the goddess of Love. She is also the patron saint of artisans,
prostitutes, pregnant women, and birth. This goddess is the most
charming of the Aztec pantheon, and her retinue consists of
butterflies and birds. In her honor, every eight years a
festival is held where the celebrants will wear animal and
flower mask.
Oya is
the Yoruba Goddess of the Winds of Change; Primeval Mother of
Chaos; Queen of the Nile and the tributaries of the Niger River
with the strength of the machete, or sword of truth, she cuts
through stagnation and clears the way for new growth. She is a
wild woman, the force of environmental change with lighting,
fire, tornadoes, earthquakes, and storms of all kinds. Oya is
also the Queen of the Marketplace, as a shrewd businesswoman and
adept with horse-trading. She can also restore your memory with
the gift of being a genius, or if she feels that you crossed
her, she can slap you with insanity. No one can be certain of
Oya’s movements because she is a master of disguises, with
daily transformations, maybe as an animal on one, or maybe a
rainbow on the next.
The
Celtic tree calendar for the mid month of April starts with
Saille (SHAiLuh). Saille (willow) settles around swamps, streams
and damp areas, which is symbolically referred to as the dove
and also as a symbol of the mist. She is also associated with
the moon governing the waters. With that connection to the lunar
energies, she has that ability to see through dreams and night
visions. The willow is also drawn towards enchantment,
connecting oneself with the subconscious and intuition side.
Celtic creation lore mentions of two scarlet sea serpent eggs,
which contained the Sun and the Earth. Both were hidden in the
Willow
tree until the hatching of early creations of life. The
Willow
offers protection against “damp diseases” with medical
purposes dealing with the dampness. The bark contains salicylic
acid and can be made into a pain-relieving tea. Native Americans
use it for diarrhea, to staunch bleeding, and for dandruff. In
medical testing, the willow has shown to delay cataract
formation and the risk of heart disease in males.
  
In
Mayan beginnings after the gods were born, there were only sky
and water. Two of the gods, whose names were Quetzalcoati and
Tohil, captured a hungry woman in the mist and threw her down
into the oceans depths. Each of them took hold of an arm and
leg, molded her until the Earth was formed. Since both of the
Gods treated her so roughly, they gave her the right to a type
of human sacrifice, which was the right to eat the dead, when
they were buried within her. After this the Gods decided that
they needed creatures that would talk to them through prayers
and meditations. They created three races of beings before
humankind was created. The First of beings, were a race the
ancestors similar to the animals that live the Earth today.
Displeased and frustrated, the Gods were only able to
communicate to them with noises. The second race was made out of
mud, and they were also disappointed with the results. The third
race was carved out of wood, but they were too stubborn and
troublesome to deal with. Even though the wooden creatures could
multiply, they were incapable to live up to the Gods
companionship. Also, with this last creation they were limited
to show of any type of emotions, to care for their creators. As
time pasted on, humankind finally developed enough, and was able
to communicate and pray to the Gods.
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