Ostara is the Spring Equinox, when day and night are equal lengths
We now enter into the light half of the year, with daylight overtaking darkness (yay!). We can use this energy either as a still point of balance or a catapult into the new. This season is all about rebirth and growth, the world “springs” into bloom and greenery unfolds from the dormant earth. If we personify nature, this is the time that Mother Earth is waking up in the warm embrace of the Sun. It reminds me of Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, a fair maiden revived by the love of her Prince. It's a time of innocent love, beginnings and excitement, like young lovers planning their marriage. The Earth is a maiden with flowers in her hair, and the young Sun is gaining his summer strength.
History
The name Ostara comes from the Goddess Eostre, a Germanic Goddess of Dawn, Fertility, and Spring. Though the holiday is named for her, there isn't a lot of historical evidence of Eostre's existence. Eostre isn't mentioned in any text until 725 CE, when a Christian monk named Venerable Bede wrote about her local worship in what is now the UK. I highly recommend this article detailing the history and misinformation surrounding this holiday.
Spring by Franz Xaver Winterhalter
It's a commonly held belief in neo-pagan communities that the old pagan Ostara traditions got pulled into Easter. While the name Easter could possibly come from Eostre, it could also mean East, where the sun is resurrected each day. While we can clearly point out the pagan connection to modern holidays such as Yule (Christmas) and Samhain (Halloween), Ostara might be more of a case of neo-pagans borrowing from Christianity. There isn't any recorded history of an Easter Bunny until 1678, and it was only found in Southwestern Germany until the 17th century. Eggs might be pagan, but could equally be connected to breaking the Lenten fast. And the whole egg laying rabbit myth is even more recent, first appearing in Jacob Grimm's book Deutsche Mythologie from 1835. For a very in-depth analysis of this story from its origin to present day you can check out this article here.
So does this change the validity of the holiday? Not in my opinion. If the lack of historical credentials and connection to Christianity bothers you, this holiday can be more about crossing the threshold into the light half of the year and celebrating new growth. You can use the imagery of Mother Earth waking up from her slumber in the warm embrace of the Sun. You can include eggs and bunnies as symbols of fertility, or not! This is something I absolutely LOVE about this path. It's open for interpretation, ever evolving, and not married to tradition or dogma. So, on with the celebrations!
Ostara Playlist
Decorations
Spring Flowers (daffodil, tulips, hyacinth), Budding Branches and Seeds
Eggs, Bunnies and Baskets
Symbols of Balance and the Sun
Birds, Butterflies, and Bees
Activities
Celebrate Spring and the Strengthening Sun
This holiday is the beginning of the light half of the year, so watching the sunrise is a perfect way to honor the sun's return. Prepare a cup of tea (the Spring Zinger below is perfect!), pop some breakfast treats in the oven, light a candle and enjoy the natural beauty unfolding. Let the growing light on the horizon inspire a rekindling of your creative fire within. If the weather is good, take a morning walk in the woods and look for signs of spring in the growing light: buds on trees, crocuses, robins, and even pesky bugs are all signs of life returning. Encounter each with gratitude and feel the resurgence of life growing within you.
You can also take this time to forage for wild edibles. These two sites have great descriptions of early spring delicacies you can find in your local forest.
Egg Dyeing and Hunting
Even though egg decorating might be a modern Christian tradition, there's no denying it seems pretty Pagan. Eggs are powerful symbols of fertility and new beginnings. If you want to make a lasting project or don't eat eggs, you can find wooden eggs at most craft stores and decorate those instead. You can use any art supplies you'd like on wooden eggs, but if you plan on eating the eggs, make sure you hard-boil them first and use a food grade dye. For a more natural options like beet root and turmeric, check out this site!
Have you ever wondered why the heck a rabbit goes around hiding eggs? Were our ancestors confused how bunny reproduction works? We don't know for certain where this myth came from but an adorable story that was popular in the late 19th century was that the Goddess Eostre found a bird nearly frozen to death in a late frost. In order to save the bird, she transformed them into a rabbit with thick fur to keep it warm. The transformation was nearly complete, except that the rabbit could still lay eggs. To thank Eostre, the rabbit now lays beautifully colored eggs every Ostara and hides them to share it's joy with you. We'll never know if this is an ancient legend or modern creation, but it's sweet and gives the Easter/Ostara Bunny a cute backstory. If this resonates with you and your little ones, enjoy your Ostara Egg Hunt!
New Beginnings and Setting Goals
The quickening of spring aids us in starting new projects. Not only is the natural world waking up and creating, we enter into Aries season at the Spring Equinox. We take the dreaminess of Pisces and ignite it in Aries. Aries is all about starting new things, full of excited, impulsive, creative energy. Not always the best at follow-through, we need to make sure we set goals with achievable milestones while we're in this fiery energy. Plan time to check-in with your progress every couple weeks to make sure you're staying on track. The Practical Magic portion of my ebook Secrets to Manifest Your Dreams has some good tips to help you stay on track.
Stimulating your Innate Potential for Growth
If you're having trouble coming out of your winter funk, now's the time to intentionally get fired up! The Spring Zinger Tea below is a great option, as the spicy ginger and green tea will wake up your senses and encourage action. Creating an essential oil blend of citrus and frankincense and smelling it daily is also a way to bring inspiration and brightness. Connect to the solar energy by carrying a bloodstone or intentionally soaking up some sun for some daily vitamin D (barefoot if possible).
Challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone and do something out of the ordinary. Attend Ecstatic Dance, sign up for a class, call up an old friend, cook something new. Get yourself laughing by watching funny videos or dancing around to your favorite song. The energy around us is supporting expansion, sometimes we just need to push ourselves to get the ball rolling.
Find Balance
Though we are at a moment of balance between light and dark at the Spring Equinox, we can often feel anything but that internally. One of the best ways to come into balance is by using your breath. Alternate nostril breathing is a yogic breath technique that can help to bring your energy into alignment when you’re feeling scattered. If you’re feeling out of balance, you can also try some yoga balance poses, like tree or dancer to get you grounded in the present moment and in your body. Feel your standing leg rooting down as you lengthen and extend. You can also carry amethyst, bloodstone, moonstone, or tiger eye to help find balance.
Celebrate Love (New and Old)
Bee are buzzing, flowers are opening, and Mother Earth is awakening in love as the Sun caresses her with his strengthening warmth. Love is definitely in the air and whether you are looking for love or to deepen your current connection, I’ve got you covered.
If you're seeking love, this is a perfect time to create a Dream List. Dream Lists help you get very specific so you can make sure you're attracting exactly what you want. I have a whole guide on how to make one and charge it up that you can find here.
If you're in a committed relationship, Ostara is a great time to reconnect and recommit to each other. Take time to both write out a list of all the reasons you love being with each other. You can simply read your list aloud to each other while snuggling, or do a more elaborate ritual. You'll need 3 candles, one can be large candle that you can burn throughout the year. Each of you take a candle in hand and as you read your list, light your partner's candle. Once you have both read your lists and lit each other's candles, light the 3rd candle together as a symbol of your continuing love.
Garden, Seed, and Plant Blessing
If you have a garden, gather your seeds and tools and give them a blessing for the coming growing season. Bring them outside on Ostara, letting the sun shine on them, and visualize the bounty they're going to bring you. If using salt water, sage or other herbs to clear energy is in your practice, you can cleanse them in that manner. A charged quartz crystal or moss agate would be great to use as a center piece. You can then place them on your alter until it's time to use them.
If you're not so much an outdoor gardener, Ostara is a great time to get a new plant friend. You can begin an Ostara tradition of repotting it each year. You can also gift loved ones with plants to celebrate the equinox. Before you gift them, hold them in your hands and see their growth reflected in your loved one's life, bringing abundance and prosperity. African Violets are associated with Ostara, but jade, money trees, bamboo, and tulsi are all considered lucky plants.
Fertility and Women's Cycles
Ostara is a great time to focus on fertility, coming of age, and hormone balancing for women. While Beltane is well known for it's connection to sex and fertility, Ostara is the preparation. If you're looking to conceive in the next year, take time at Ostara to begin preparing your body. You can do this physically by eating well and giving up bad habits and energetically by connecting to your uterus. Close your eyes, place your hands on your belly and begin connecting to your womb. Ask it questions and listen quietly for answers to bubble up. Ask it if it's ready to carry a child and what things you can do to prepare. Its might feel like you're talking to yourself, because...you are! I encourage you to sit with it and feel into the answers that come up and see if there's a truth within it.
At Ostara, Mother Earth is seen as a young maiden with the potential to become pregnant, but is not yet a mother. This is a great time to celebrate young women that have just began their period during this past year. Welcome them into women's circles and celebrate their new phase. So many of us felt some level of shame or embarrassment when we began menstruating, and we can change that stigma for the next generation by making it a joyful occasion that opens the door to sisterhood.
If you're looking to balance your hormones at any phase of your life, Ostara is a good time to commit to that regimen. Talk to a healthcare provider or do some research online to find herbs that will help with your specific situation. Dandelion root is a seasonal spring medicine that also helps with hormone balancing, so you can start there as you begin your exploration.
Wrap Yourself in Newness
If you sew or make jewelry, Ostara is a great time to debut your newest creations. This is also a great time to host a clothes swap with friends. Everyone cleans out their closet and brings their clothes to be re-homed. Each person goes through their pile, holding up each item and saying the size and its either claimed or put into a donation bin. At the end of the party, everyone goes home to a clean closet with some fun new items.
Cakes and Ale
Spring Zinger Tea
Blend together equal parts organic or food grade:
3 parts Nettle
1 part Ginger
2 parts Jasmine
2 parts Tulsi
3 parts Rose
Green Tea Bag (optional)
Steep at least 10 minutes (if using green tea in a bag, you can remove that part at the recommended steep time). This tea gently opens you up to new beginnings, abundance, and growth, while also preventing allergies and boosting immune health.
Lemon Poppy Bread
What better way to celebrate the return of the sun than with some zippy lemon flavor? You can bake this the day before Ostara to have a delicious morning treat for a sunrise ritual. Find the easy, delicious recipe here.