Ostara
S.H. - 21st September
N.H. - 21st March
Ostara, the Spring Equinox, marks the first day of true Spring. It is a celebration of birth and new life. A day when death has no power over the living. This is the time of the official return of the young Goddess after her Winter hibernation.
The Goddess blankets the Earth with fertility, bursting for from Her sleep, as the God stretches and grows to maturity. He walks the greening fields and delights in the abundance of nature.
On Ostara the hours of day and night are equal. Light is overtaking darkness; the Goddess and God impel the wild creatures of the Earth to reproduce.
This is a time of beginnings, of action, of planting spells for future gains, and of tending ritual gardens.
In keeping with the ancient traditions, we work this magick not for our own benefit, but for that of nature and our local environment. We perform rituals in order to maintain the balance between positive and negative, light and dark, life and death, the Goddess and God. These aspects, opposite but equal, are celebrated at this most magickal time of the year.
Ostara Lore:
A traditional Spring Equinox pass time: go to a field and randomly collect wildflowers (thanking the flowers before you pick them). Or buy some from a florist, taking one or two of those that appeal to you. Then bring them home and divine their magickal meanings by the use of books, your own intuition, a pendulum or by other means. The flowers you've chosen reveal your inner thoughts and emotions.
It is important at this time of renewed life to plan a walk (or a ride) through gardens, a park, woodlands, forests and other green places. This is not simply exercise, and you should be on no other mission. It isn't even just an appreciation of nature. Make your walk celebratory, a ritual for nature itself.
Other traditional activities include practicing all forms of herb work - magickal, medicinal, cosmetic, culinary and artistic.
Foods in tune with this day include those made of seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin and seasame seeds, as well as pine nuts. Sprouts are equally appropriate, as are leafy green vegetables. Flower dishes such as stuffed naturtiums, or carnation cupcakes also find their place here.
