Blessed Ostara! Today marks the Spring Equinox and the traditional pagan holiday celebrated by cultures all over Europe: Ostara.
Often credited as the origins of Christian Easter, Ostara and the celebration of the Spring Equinox has long been a story of death, resurrection, and rebirth, far before Jesus walked the earth. The Romans and the Egyptians, too, had tales of their deities being reborn during this sacred time between Winter (Death) and Summer (Growth).
In Germanic history, the people would celebrate the pagan holiday by painting egg shells with rabbits and flowers, an offering to the deities of fertility and abundance. During the mating season, female rabbits can become impregnated with a second litter prior to giving birth to the first. Making them an easy symbol of fertility and abundance during Spring.
One story has Eostre (the ancient goddess of Ostara and Spring), happening across a dead bird in the field. To save it, she transformed the bird into a hare and gave it the ability to lay eggs once a year at her feast. It then became a common practice for parents to leave eggs out for their children, a sign that the hare had blessed them with a gift from Eostre.
Sound familiar?
The truth is that many pagan holidays are still widely celebrated even in mainstream society, often unbeknownst to those practicing them. Want to celebrate but not sure how? Here are a few ways to incorporate this season or rebirth into your life:
Plant an egg near your front door. This encourages fertility and abundance in your gardens and in your home!
Bring in fresh flowers. Whether to adorn your kitchen table or your altar, fresh flowers and greenery is a great way to invite in the spring energy into your home.
Spring Clean! Opening up the windows (if you arne’t in a cold snap like me!), clearing out the dust, and making room in your home is a wonderful way to set the intention of Spring.
Create a blessing bowl or simmer pot.
Dress candles
Bless your seedlings
Make an Ostara Jar. Take a mason jar and fill it with moss, greenery, egg shells, stones, flowers, and a candle.
Create “Egg Dust”. Keep and dry out your eggshells and then grind them into dust with a mortar and pestle. Not only is this is a wonderful pest deterrent in the garden but also is a protective energy in your spell casting.
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