The ground is beginning to thaw with all this luscious rainfall, beckoning critters and other animals to leave their homes of hibernation. The first flower shoots, brave enough to burst through the surface of the soil, are reaching with hopeful aspirations for the sun. Even we feel a pull for fresh air an sunlight as we open our windows and head out for a walk with only a light jacket.
Spring is here, and it's a magickal time of rebirth, renewal and new life.
The sun has been silently growing since Yule, the winter solstice, when the Sun King made his triumphant return, conquering darkness. In early February, we celebrated Imbolc, when the first light, the first rays of hope for new life were sown. Even though seeds are still planted in darkness, we begin to see the signs of a return of the fruitful life summer has to offer. Now Ostara, when the life that has been secretly growing beneath the surface, becomes evident, like a mother beginning to show her pregnant belly in the second trimester.
The Spring Equinox
The Spring equinox is the midpoint between the summer and winter Solstices, representing an equilibrium or balancing point between the light of summer and the darkness of winter. At the moment of the equinox, as the Sun's gaze lands square on the Earth's equator, there is a perfect balance between the hours of day and night.
This balancing point offers a reset, a time to pause before the great Light of the Sun begins to overcome the Darkness of Winter. Ostara, the Spring Equinox, brings the hope of rebirth, a new life, and new beginnings. A theme of the season is fertility, as we need fertile ground in which to plant our seeds of intention to guarantee their successful fruition.
The Birth of the Goddess
From the moment of the Winter Solstice (Yule) when the light overcomes the darkness, we are honoring and celebrating the growth and evolution of the Goddess, like a woman evolving from maiden, to mother and finally crone. The spring time represents the birth of the Goddess. Like all other life is growing and birthing all around us, so the Goddess is as well.
One of the major themes of Ostara is fertility.
In a magickal sense, fertility means the ability to create. Feminine energy creates within herself, by receiving energy; whereas masculine energy creates outside himself by cultivating energy from within.
The fertility of Ostara signifies the Goddess realizing and coming into her power to birth life. Mother Gaia receives energy from the Sun (masculine) in order to create live within herself, like the seeds planted in soil which then grow to flower and bear fruit, and the baby that grows within the mother's belly.
The Story of Ostara's Eggs
Ostara stems from Eostre, the Germanic Goddess of Spring. As the story goes, Eostre came across a bird with a broken wing, unable to fly and therefore unable to feed, care for and protect itself and would surely die in the wild. To save the small bird, Eostre magickally transformed it into a hare. As a show of gratitude, the hare would lay colorful eggs every year for her to find as gifts for Goddess Eostre. The hare and the egg are both symbols of fertility, representing this season's Magick of procreation.
This story also tells us of the Goddess's Magick; being able to transform nothing into something or something into something else.
This is pivotal as the Goddess grows into and becomes confident in her power to create, for she is the center and essence of all elements of Creation. All the power to create lies within her, for her own discovery.
Themes of Ostara:
Colors: white, pale or pastel pinks, purples, blues, yellows, all shades of green
Symbols: eggs, lamb, rabbits, chicks, seeds, basket, cradle
Flowers & Herbs: tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, baby's breath, crocus, lilly, pussy willow, rosemary, sage, thyme
Oils: lavender, rosemary, lemon grass
Crystals: rose quartz, aventurine, citrine, malachite, lepidolite
Dieties: Eostre, Mother Mary, Aphrodite, Adonis, Persephone
Activities to Ground the Energy of Ostara
- Spring Clearning! Open those windows and let the sunlight and fresh air in (when its warm enough). Dust off surfaces and throw away useless clutter. Letting go of the old is one of the best way to prepare for something new.
- Bring in Joy! Invite your friend to decorate eggs, have an egg/scavenger hunt or play any sort of game with you, playing and expressing yourself artistically will connect you with that childlike wonder and playful expression that Wicca and springtime is all about!
- Plant a seed garden! Start a small indoor garden of seeds or small seedlings, they'll need plenty of sunlight and usually prefer daily misting over watering. Watch as your seeds grow from nothing to something! And maybe even plant them outside in a month or two.
- Welcome with Flowers! Make a flower arrangement for your home or decorate a wreath for your front door to welcome in the new energies of spring.
Ostara Ritual - Create your own fertility spell.
Supplies:
• at least one egg shell, broken into 2/3 or at least a half, carefully cleaned out
• paints/markers to decorate egg shells
• soil
• seeds of your choosing
• a stand or something to place your egg shell in
• items for an Ostara altar : flowers, feathers, crystals, eggs, bunnies, statue, etc
Meditate on something you would like to create this year, it can be a physical goal or simply a feeling within yourself you would like to cultivate like peace, confidence or self love
Speak your goal or intention into the egg shell(s) and then hold the egg shell to your heart and feel it fill up with the desire that you hold in your heart. You can do one egg shell, or multiple, its your ritual!
Plant your seed into the egg shell once you have filled it with soil (not too deep!) while still holding the energy of the intention/desire/goal.
Nurture your seeds in a sunny spot where it can get lots of warmth and sun and gently mist with water daily. Remember to also nurture your seedling with words, thoughts, and actions of affirmation!
Create an altar or 'nest' around your egg shell seedlings with crystals, flowers, statues, trinkets, positive affirmations written on pieces of paper, whatever you feel would be good energy to help nurture the growth of your desire.
Enjoy watching your seed become a plant. You may eventually want to transfer it outside or to a larger pot.
(this is with a candle, but you get the idea)
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