Ostara The Spring Equinox Ostara is a time for welcoming of the return of spring, and marks the date when night and day are of equal lengths. For agricultural societies, this was a time of celebration since it meant that winter would be ending soon. For people who were confined to the limits of their homestead, this was a very welcomed time since it meant that they would soon be able to move about freely. It was, and still is, the time when animals began to awaken from their slumber, many with their young.
Today, Ostara is still recognized as the coming of spring. Even if the weather isn’t improving, we know that soon we’ll see the first green shots of new growth. For us, it is a time to clean out the house, figuratively and literally. As pagans, we need to get rid of the cobwebs and dust bunnies at home, and do a personal assessment to determine how each of us plans to grow this coming year.
Ostara is the time when the God and Goddess have reached their adolescence and are becoming sexually aware, just as the world around us is awakening from its slumber. Goddesses appropriate to this time are Aphrodite, Minerva, and all Virgin, Love, or Moon Goddesses. Gods appropriate to this time are the Green Man, Adonis, Osiris, and Mithras.
After you’ve done your cleaning and reflection, sit down to enjoy a hot cross bun. Yes, they’re usually associated with Christian practices, but who says that the points of the cross are a cross? They can also stand for the directions of the elements! (They’ve adopted some of our traditions so we can adopt one of theirs. And besides, hot cross buns taste delicious.)
Other activities at this time include the planting of seeds in preparation to put them into your garden. You can color eggs, take a walk to reflect on the changing season, or celebrate the last of winter. Many covens honor the Lord of the Dance in ritual.
This is the time when magick begins to move back from the ethereal plane to the physical, so this is now the time to begin herbal magicks. Also included within this realm are artistic and physical endeavors. It is also an important time to reconsecrate your magickal tools.
Magick associated with Ostara: abundance, assertion, awakening, balance, communication, expressiveness, fertility magick, growth, new beginnings, passion, phallic magick, renewal, sacrifice, seed planting, transformation, union, willfulness, and worldly activities.
Altar decorations: bells, butterflies, catkins, Celtic cross, chicken symbols. colored eggs, feathers, new moon symbols, rabbit symbols, rod, seed cake, spear, spring flowers, and staff.
Colors: blue, green, lemon yellow, pale pink, pastel colors, and yellow.
Foods: biscuits, cheese, dairy products, eggs, fresh fruits, ham, honey cakes, hot cross buns, milk, nuts, seed cakes, seeds, spring greens, sprouts, and waffles.
Herbs / Incense / Oils : blue flag, crocus, daffodil, ginger, gorse, honeysuckle, iris, jonquils, jasmine, lily, lotus, magnolia, narcissus, olive, orange, peony, rose, sage, strawberry, tansy, violet, woodruff.
Stones: amethyst, aquamarine, jasper, moonstone, and rose quartz.
© 2000 Mother
