OSTARA - THE SPRING EQUINOX

Merry Meet to all of you!

Following the Wheel of the Year, we have a Sabbat coming up this weekend, The Spring Equinox, the festival of Ostara, celebrated around the 21st of March (depending on the exact time of the equinox).

The name Ostara is derived from the Germanic goddess Ostara or Eostre (Teutonic/Anglo Saxon names) and was later adopted by the christian church into Easter. Ostara is pictured as a beautiful young woman with flowers in her hair, accompanied by her male consort in form of a rabbit. Sacred attributes of the Goddess are children, rabbits and painted eggs, two of which have been integrated into the 'christian' celebrations of Easter.

Ostara is in essence a spring festival, falling on the first day of spring, celebrating the rejoicing of nature after the long winter and the triumph of light over darkness, as day and night finally reach equal length.
The Spring Equinox often represents the beginning of a new year, in the zodiacal calendar for example the sign of Aries starts on this day, the first sign of the Zodiac.

In wiccan ditheism Ostara marks the rejoining of the Mother Goddess with her male consort who spent the winter months in death or the returning of the Goddess to her Maiden aspect.

There are different ways to celebrate Ostara, which in folk tradition was done with singing, bell ringing, flowers and new fires being lit at dawn.

You may want to celebrate with a traditional wiccan ritual, an example of which can be found in "Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft" (Raymond Buckland), which happens in a coven based environment.

You don't have to be a member of a coven to pay respect to Ostara though, a simple celebration on your own or with friends, in which you include what feels right to you is as valid.

As Ostara is a spring festival, if you have the opportunity, go and have your celebrations outside, to be close to the reawakening nature. Song, dance, prayer and meditation can all be part of your festival, as well as little rituals you can devise yourself. For example, take some painted eggs (the decorating can be part of your celebration, or prepared beforehand) and visualize your dreams for the year to come while holding one of them, imagining your wishes to enter the egg, ready to be hatched. Then bury the egg, so your dreams can grow from it.

Another thing you can include is an Honouring ofVenus, like the one described in our Tip Of The Day earlier this week.

However you decide to celebrate Ostara, make sure it feels right for you and makes you happy doing so!

Enjoy your Spring Celebrations!

Warm Blessings

Ilona