On Ostara

This festival celebrates the Spring, or Vernal Equinox. On this day, as the sun enters Aries (March 20th or 21st) the light and dark share equal length and as the sun sets, the new day begins with the promise of longer, warmer days.

This is the time of planting seeds, sowing not only physical seeds that will ripen and blossom over the coming months, but the time for planting goals and ideas!

Sacred to Eostre, Goddess of the Spring, this holiday’s decorations include white rabbits, colored eggs, and woven baskets. The white rabbit represents innocence and fertility; eggs represent new life and rebirth, and the basket is representative of the tools once needed to hunt for and gather eggs in times before one could simply purchase them at the grocery store.

We decorate eggs to symbolize the color (the vibration or energy) into which we wish to be reborn, adding symbols to enhance and further empower our vision! Egyptians and Druids along with Witches and other ancient shamans decorated hollowed eggs and kept them as amulets intended to support the souls of departed loved ones on their journeys to rebirth into the next dimension. Other groups began adopting these practices and beautiful examples of other intricately decorated eggs may be found in Ukrainian Churches even today.

Additional symbols of the holiday include the 3-Leaf Clover representing the Triple Goddess and the 4-Leaf Clover representing luck and the four elements in balance. Wildflowers often make an appearance in celebrations, as do walks and outdoor playtime.

A time of balance, growth, fertility, communication and planting, Ostara heralds not only Spring, but also that which will be born of our labors.

It is the time to attend to the balance in life. Determine what you wish to create and actively participate in the creational process! Gather the seeds, the tools and fertilize your soil, making it rich with those who support you on your journey. When you have prepared your land, prepare your body and mind by connecting with your spirit and begin planting your seeds.

In the coming months, through the whirlwind of everyday life, remember to tend to your plot of land. Nurture it with thanks, rich food, water, sunlight and wisdom. Untended gardens often become something quite different than our original design!

When the time of the harvest once again returns, be ready and passionate about what you plant on this day!