Ostara Spring Equinox

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OSTARA - Spring Equinox - March 21

Ostara is celebrated on the Vernal Equinox, a time when the light and dark are equal but the light's power is growing. Sacred to the Teutonic Goddess Ostre, many of our familiar celebrations of seeds, eggs and rabbits are originally from this pagan festival.

Ostara celebrations include rituals to unite the community and balance the cycles of the Sun, Moon and Earth; evocation of the Spring Goddess and newly growing Sun God; summoning of the plant spirits of spring flowers for healing and celebration; runic divination; drumming; and picnics and egg hunts, just to name a few.¹

Ostara is the time of hope, joy and expectation. The seeds planted at Imbolc are showing the first signs of new growth. The tender shoots still have so much potential for growth. It's the time to look forward toward a bright future. The earth awakens from its slumber, not just on the astral, but on the physical. What was only a thought at Imbolc becomes tangible at Ostara.

It is the equinox, the time of balance between the light and the dark, where the cycle is about to tip into the realm of the light, more and more each day until the Summer Solstice.

This is also a time to share good fortune.²

EGGS DECORATED WITH RUNES:

• Hard boil the eggs
• Once cooled, immerse them in bowls of seasonal colors (blue, green, pink, yellow)
• After they dry and the color is set, use paint or colored markers to adorn the eggs with runes such as Feoh (wealth, cattle), Gebo (gift), Wunjo (joy), and Sowilo (Sun).
• Distribute the eggs to family and friends, or hide them for a fun family treasure hunt for the kids.
• Eat the eggs to ingest the good wishes for the coming cycle.

1. © Christopher Penczak
2. © 2010 Witches Datebook