Celebrating the Wheel of the Year: Ostara

March 13th, 2019 - filed under: The Farm » Family

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On the Vernal Equinox, we celebrate Ostara!

Ostara marks the Spring (Vernal) Equinox, when darkness and light are in harmony. The day has exactly as many hours as the night, and for this one perfect period, there is balance in the universe.

♥ 12 + 12 ♥

Ostara also means that spring is here! The sun gains strength and is showing herself more and more every day. The sun — our incredible celestial life-giver from no less than 92 million miles away — has been traveling on her annual journey, slowly moving north along the ecliptic. And on this day, on Ostara, she will set exactly and directly due west. And I can’t help but think that you don’t need to believe in magick or gods or goddesses, or anything else supernatural, to appreciate the exquisite symmetry of this moment. The natural is super enough, all on its own. Impossibly big and yet still, always — dependably and reliably — in perfect alignment.

If nothing else, I think that’s something to celebrate.


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♥ My Ostara altar, 2018. ♥


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Ostara celebrates fertility and rebirth. It’s the time for the intentions we set on Imbolc to turn into A C T I O N.

The equinox marks the official first day of spring, and everything around us is coming to life. The last of the winter snow has melted, and in its place the world is greening. Buds have emerged from long-bare branches. The crocus are pushing up through the earth, and seedlings dot the landscape. If you stop to listen, you may hear the return of birdsong in the air.

If we imagine the Wheel of the Year as representing the course of one life, then Ostara is the birth! This is a festival of fertility in celebration of spring, which is why the symbols of the egg and the hare belong to Ostara — to the goddess Eostre — and long predate the Christian Easter holiday.


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Ostara baby, 2018.

Ostara has been celebrated in many ways by people of many faiths, for many many centuries. It is perhaps the most universal of the pagan holidays, which means you can adapt it in whatever way strikes your fancy. This year, the equinox falls on March 20th. Some suggestions for celebrating in modern day include:

♥ Reconnect with nature. Take a walk outdoors with no other purpose than just to be in the natural world. ♥

♥ Plant new spring seeds. If you weren’t able to do this on Imbolc, then Ostara is the perfect opportunity to get started on your garden. ♥

♥ For cooking: spring greens or herbs, edible flowers, violet jelly, sprouts, and seeds. (We made veggie risotto and spring asparagus!)
For drinking: sweet wine, warm milk, and flower tea. (We drank French rosé and champagne!) ♥

♥ Ostara is also a wonderful time for “flower divination”. Go to a field (in warmer climates) or visit a florist (in colder climates), and select a flower that speaks to you. Then, take that flower home and learn about what it symbolizes. The flower that you choose, and the magical meaning behind it, will reveal your inner thoughts and emotions . . . because Ostara is the perfect time to get in touch with those inner thoughts and emotions. ♥


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♥ My witches. ♥

In my own life, last year’s Ostara was a very special night. It was the first of the sabbats that we celebrated as a complete coven — we were joined by our fourth!

Four women, four seasons, four corners of the earth. It felt so powerful to finally be practicing in totality.


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Our ritual lasted for hours, while our children played late into the night. We built a giant group altar, cast and burnt and built and cried, connected deeply to each other and to ourselves. We did big magic that night. Big magic.


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I love this photo. I love the look on Ingrid’s face as she lights a candle and asks for something so, so difficult to speak. I relate to that look. I know that look.

And I love the look on Jennie’s face, just flush with absolute love in that same moment.

God I love this photo.


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The candles burn. The nights shorten. The seasons turn.

However you celebrate Ostara (or not!), I wish you a spring of warmth and light, the birth of new beginnings and a season full of love. Happy Vernal Equinox!

♥ ♥ ♥

  • http://www.one-sonic-bite.com/ Jennifer

    Love these posts.

  • Bianca Phillips

    Yay!!! Ostara is my favorite Sabbat! BECAUSE SPRING!!!! I can’t wait to celebrate next week! Your celebration from last year looks fantastic!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    I am soooo ready for spring! Bring on the sun. Happy Ostara Bianca! ♥

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Thank you Jennifer, I’ve really loved writing them.

  • http://kittensgonelentil.blogspot.com Susan

    Confession, I almost forgot what we were talking about because I was so excited to see kitty in the window box. ;) Getting distracted by cats, the story of me. We are heading up to Mabon here in the southern hemisphere. It is weird because of course everything is Easter this and Easter that and bunnies and spring, even though we are in autumn (though technically we are more just trapped in an endless summer).

    I’m really enjoying these posts! When we loop around on each other, I look forward to coming back to these posts for inspiration when my sabbats come around. :)

  • Jenna

    Great post – I am so excited for spring to officially start… The weather where I am has still be pretty dang cold. Thanks for sharing!
    -Jenna ♥
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