Tirza Schaefer: Romance Author & Goddess Facilitator

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In Europe, the hare as a mythical creature connected to the moon as an intermediary between the worlds is well established, but there is mythology found in most parts of the world relating to Hare. Many Buddhist and Hindu texts describe the hare as a creature of fire, but not just any fire--the same consuming sacrificial fire of the phoenix, then to rise again out of the ashes. The hare, in this sense, is not just a symbol of cyclical life like the moon and in many tales blatantly depicted as a bringer of reincarnation to mankind, but also, in the same way, it becomes a symbol of simultaneous destruction and recreation that is at the very heart of all life. Life is not just about being creative, but also requires the balance of first being destructive. Thus, we are confronted again with an appropriate reminder of the Equinoxes.

In my book Opposites Attract, I use this theme, bringing this macrocosmic archetype into form in the microcosm of a relationship between two very different individuals interacting with each other. At first, it seems, there is only a small step to full-out war, but as the plot develops and the story unfolds with many scenes that will make you laugh, feel for the characters, or hold your breath with suspense, (and hopefully it will make you take away some insights into your own psyche as well), the two warring parties slowly come together. As trust is built and teamwork established, instead of blocking each other, the two main protagonists come to a consensus whereby they can actually appreciate each other’s strengths and together, they make a whole whose sum is larger than their individual parts.

Back to Hare, it is interesting to note that the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for the verb "to be" or "being" was actually a hare crouched over a squiggly line of water. This "to be" incorporated at that time in Egyptian grammar the idea of being embodied, alive and persisting in being. For all these reasons, the hare then is not only associated with the moon, the sacred fire and spring, the daybreak of the year, but also with the dawn and, more importantly, with enlightenment.

Returning to the Goddess Eostre, the Goddess of spring, dawn and new life, whose familiar Hare was, Hare represents the archetype in our psyche of new beginnings, rejoicing at the rebirth of life and the full potential that is presented to us in abundance. The Easter Bunny, - which is actually a Hare - is traditionally said to lay eggs on Easter.

This is not to be taken literally, but symbolically. The egg represents potential and the cosmos, the very ground of being from which we spring. When you think of the Cosmic Egg or Druid’s Egg, you may begin to detect the full scope of this meaning. And to produce the cosmos, both the male and female creative forces must be present, and thus, this ties in neatly with the belief that Hare was both male and female.

Further associations for Hare are marriage, the companion of the Goddess Aphrodite, and also being a medicine man or woman's familiar. In this version, Hare is a trickster and cheats winter and death. Overall, Hare is a symbol of many things, involving balance, life, creative potency, regeneration, fertility, and eternity. This symbolism is associated with springtime, the dawn, the moon, sacred fire, the egg, the circle, the infinity symbol, marriage, androgyny and hermaphroditism, as well as genius and inspiration.