Ostara: Rites of Spring 🌱
"Mad March hares under a bright full moon - sunny days are coming soon!"
Good afternoon on this lovely seasonal threshold! Yes, we know, the Equinox isn’t direct until March 20th, but you know us pagan folk - any time we can kick off celebrations early, we certainly do!
Ostara, the traditional name for the Spring Equinox, is derived from the Norse goddess of the same name, the sweet daughter of Iðunna and Bragi. Known as Eostre in the Germanic tradition, this is where ‘Easter’ was taken from. This spring celebration from March 19 - 22nd marks her return to our world as she gently awakens all of the plants and animals from their winter slumber, reminding them that it’s safe to get back up and about - the cold, icy winds of winter have passed.
In my knowing of her story, a very long time ago, during her yearly wake-up call, Ostara came across a young bird with a broken wing, slowly succumbing to its fate. A lover of all animals, she stopped, kneeling down in sadness, seeing that the wing was broken beyond repair. Not wanting to leave this creature out in the cold, Ostara decided that the best she could do was transform the bird into a snow hare - the bird would retain her flighty (and egg-laying) capabilities, but now live on as a rabbit - thus where the mythology of the egg-bearing rabbit comes from. Every spring, this little snow hare was the first to greet Ostara, gifting her with magnificently detailed, colorful eggs as a sign of her gratitude for a second chance - a wiping clean of the slate.
This is also the time of year that the wise witch and wizard knows is the best for beginning to take action and steps towards those intentions and dreams conjured during the winter months. Remember how the world tried to get you to set your 'resolutions' into practice way back in January? How'd that work out for you?
We're going to go out on a limb and guess that, even through the best of intentions, it didn't go as planned. May we suggest that the energies in January (the dead of winter) simply weren't conducive to taking action and changing your life?
The best time for forward energetic momentum is actually NOW, as spring opens up her season in her gorgeous green clothes, bringing with her the energy streams of balance, growth, new beginnings, and renewal.
Spring Cleaning: Not Just For Your House
We’ll get into the details of a magickal, physical spring cleaning in a bit, but before we do, it’s likely not surprising that this season invites in quite a bit of…cleansing of a personal nature as well.
At the equinox, we experience a perfectly balanced day / night cycle - the two polarities are exact, creating what we could refer to as zero-point energy: (+)1 + (-)1 = 0.
You have an opportunity on the equinox to essentially reset the calculator of your life back to zero. What are you finally tired of? What are you ready to sweep out, clean up, and toss in the cosmic trashbin? Remember, by the power of your own consciousness, you get to choose to change whenever you feel the time is right. You don’t need to wait. You don’t need to put it off until next January. You certainly don’t need to wait to reach a certain age or milestone.
Stop framing your intentions as something that happens in an inaccessible, uncertain future.
“I will -” no. “I am going to -” no. “I will have-” no.
“I AM _____.”
“I _____.”
“I HAVE _____.”
If you never call it into the present moment, you’ll never experience it. You are always in the present. Not in the future. And certainly not in the past.
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