Wheel of the Year // Ostara

Spring has sprung!

Tonight the vernal (Spring) equinox occurs - the moment when there is equal light and dark in our day. 

Everywhere around us we can see the Earth coming back to life, spurred on by this increasing light. There are lambs in the fields, birds in the hedgerow and daffodils everywhere!

Hundreds of years ago, the Germanic pagans who resided in Western Europe, including the British Isles, celebrated this time by honouring their fertility goddess Eostre. The festival became known as Ostara and we retain aspects of its symbolism in modern celebrations for the Christian festival of Easter. 

Spring Equinox is a time to begin planting and sowing seeds, ready for the summer harvests - those of you who garden, like me, will surely be sorting through your packets of seeds and planning when you will plant them. 

I try to treat my hopes, dreams and personal goals in much the same way - by planting the metaphorical seeds. Right now, this is most clearly demonstrated by my photography; I'm working hard to get in place the skills and tools I need to allow it to come into fruition. 

I hope that whatever your plans and dreams may be, that the warmth and light of Eostre shines upon them, to allow them to grow. 

Brightest blessings. 

Blessed Ostara!

Happy Springtime! Today's vernal equinox falls during the early evening (17:32 to be precise) and it marks the moment when the Earth's axis is inclined neither away nor towards the Sun.

In 'real' terms, this means we have an instant of 'equal night'; the light and the dark are today of even length. Come tomorrow, our friends in the Southern Hemisphere will start moving into the dark months, while we here in the North will stride into light.

In pagan terms, this means Eostre / Persephone / Cybele / Freya is here. The Earth has awakened; reborn with new life. In Anglo-Saxon England, the goddess Eostre / Ostara was celebrated for the month following the equinox with her feast-day falling on nearest full moon after this moment of equal light and darkness. We see many of these pagan traditions mirrored in modern-day 'Easter' celebrations, with the Christian holiday falling on the nearest weekend to said full moon.

Early Christians, arriving in western European countries believed it would be easier to convert the pagan locals to their teachings if they could amalgamate their practices with existing dates and rituals. It is for this reason that this time of year sees pagan and Christian tradition walking hand it hand, as children at Sunday school paint eggs and make fuzzy-felt cards of chicks and rabbits; families perpetuate the story of the 'Easter bunny' providing chocolate treats and inside a church, filled with spring flowers, a minister will teach about rebirth and light.

For pagans, this time of year honours the Spring goddesses and the life they have brought back to the world. Traditionally these goddesses are associated with animals such as hares, birds and lambs - the creatures who are currently enjoying seasonal frolic and birth.

Eggs are used as decorations round the house, as powerful symbols of birth and the combined fragility and strength present in new life. Spring flowers such as tulips, daffodils and irises display their prominent blooms proudly, representing the combination of male and female required to make the land fertile. I cannot think of a flower more obviously showing off its reproductive organs than a daffodil!

Candles in bright colours demonstrate the growing light and warmth of the sun and often you will find modern-day pagans using a pair of candles (one black, one white) to symbolise the equality and balance found in today's festival.

Ostara is a time for sowing seeds, to ensure there is a harvest for autumn: this may be a physical act of planting your own food crops or a psychological one focussing on the spiritual and emotional rewards you would like to reap later in the year. Try writing down your goals - make them specific - and fold the piece of paper. Sit quietly in front of a lit candle and meditate, visualising the outcome of these hopes and aspirations in the dancing flames.

Ask your chosen Spring goddess to help you tend your wishes, by providing warmth and light whilst they grow. Once you have finished, take your folded paper and the candle down to a quiet spot somewhere earthy, perhaps beneath a budding hedge or beside a tree's roots. Plant both and bless the ground, thanking the goddess for her assistance. Remember to revisit your spot throughout the coming months to nourish with positive thoughts. Brightest blessings.

One egg is enough....

As the Spring Equinox traditionally marks the beginning of Eostre's month, preparations for tomorrow's Ostara celebrations are already well under way in my household. New spring flowers have been gathered and are adorning every available surface, bread is being baked and an egg has been painted.

Just one egg.

One egg is enough.

First the egg was pricked with a needle at either end and the insides blown out into a bowl.

Then, using a long needle, I threaded a ribbon through the holes and tied a knot at the bottom to secure. (At least I thought it was secure; about half-way through the painting process this proved not to be the case and the whole rigmarole had to be done again afterwards).

Now the egg was ready to be painted and, if I'm honest, I didn't really have a plan for this. I just took paints in what I thought were bright, spring-like colours, and did the first thing that came to mind. After a base coat of turquoise, this was essentially just a case of streaking blue and yellow around to make what can only really be described as a marbled mess. But a pretty marbled mess, I'd like to think.

The lone egg is now ready to take pride of place on my Ostara altar, which I will reveal tomorrow. Brightest blessings.