10 Ways to Celebrate Ostara & the Spring Equinox
Ostara, also known as the Spring Equinox, is the magical season of fertility. Whether you are a solitary practitioner or belong to a coven, whether you are a beginner or seasoned witch, you may wish to celebrate this joyous season of life. Ostara falls between March 19th and March 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not necessarily a one day celebration. You can celebrate all week long. We are finally emerging from the cold, dark winter into a season of new growth and fertility. Celebrate as if you've been waiting for an old friend to return from a long trip.
Ostara is a time when life enters the world or returns from a deep sleep. You may find you have an extra hop in your step as the days grow longer and the sun gives you a burst of energy. You also may find yourself and those around you are in a better mood. The days may seem to go by more quickly, even though they are actually longer.
This time of new fertility brings with it better communication as your throat chakra expands and opens. This not only aids communication but also artistic expression and creativity. You may discover a passion for gardening, or begin to experiment new things. Don't be afraid of these endeavors, just go with the flow.
Here are ten ways to make the most of the Ostara seasonal energy.
1. Give Yourself a Springtime Spiritual Cleansing
Winter often stagnates energy and transforms it into negativity. This manifests itself as depression for some, or you may feel down, chaotic or emotionally charged. Your body is a temple that has been hiding from the bitter elements, protecting itself from the cold weather outside. You are about to shift your energy just as nature is transforming. Let go of that old energy and allow yourself to sprout new leaves and grow. In order to make room for the spring energy of abundance to flow in, you need to cleanse and open new avenues within yourself. Embrace the return of the sun through cleansing so that you can welcome it with fresh intent.
2. Detox and Lighten Up Your Meals
During the winter we tend to eat warmer and heavier foods. When spring returns, it is time to eat fresher foods that are full of color. Start eating lighter meals made of from fresh, spring fruits and vegetables.
3. Intentional Spring Cleaning
Gather your housemates, family member, or whoever is willing to hang out with you and clean. Invite them to participate in a fun and season-welcoming spring cleaning activity.
Open windows.
Dust out cobwebs.
Get rid of old furniture and things that are not useful, beautiful or joyful.
Play fun music.
Make food to snack on throughout the day.
Light candles or incense.
Have fun with it and embrace this time of life, excitement and joy. Push out the old to make room for the new.
4. Eat and Share Vibrant Fresh Food
Spring is bountiful with beautiful seasonal fruits and vegetables. Create a picnic with friends and loved ones. Try to find a place by water to represent the flowing energy of life. Invite everyone to bring a dish that shows the vibrant colors of the season. It is not only a time for new beginnings, but for new friendship, adventures, atmospheres, and traditions.
5. Get Crafty with Symbols of Fertility
Eggs are a symbol of fertility because they produce life. Decorate eggs with natural dyes such as turmeric or beet juice, or decopage or paint your eggs. You can purchase plastic or wooden eggs to decorate and use year after year as well (a vegan option). Rabbits are another symbol of fertility due to the prolific way that they reproduce. Decorate your altar with these crafts.
6. Hold a Circle to Raise Vibrations
Gather with friends and family for togetherness, fertility and abundance. Have everyone set and share an intention. It's really important to come together during this time of new beginnings to bring positive energy and raise it together as one. You will find you have more laughter and joy in your heart when this is done with others. You can decorate with colorful ornaments, flowers, plants and candles.
7. Honor the First Sun of Spring
This can be done as a solitary activity or with others. Wake up before the sun on the first day of spring. As the sun rises welcome it by raising your hands up with palms to sky. This brings the sun into your body and aural field. Pull the energy of the sun through your Crown, Third Eye, Thraot, Heart, Solar Plexus, Sacral and Root chakras. Then, plant your hands firmly on the ground to return the sun to Mother Earth. Take your time with this. Breathe in love, breath out gratitude. Smile. You will notice a difference in your own energy because the sun passed through you on it's way to the earth. Share your energy with those around you.
8. Create a Flower Mandala and Meditate
This is another activity that can be done alone or with others. Collect flowers, flower petals, crystals and candles to create a flower mandala. Play music and burn incense in the background as you make patterns and spirals or whatever imagery you are drawn to. Put forth positive energy throughout your creation process. When you finish, sit in meditation with the mandala and the energy you created.
9. Make a Spring Altar
By yourself or with friends and loved ones, decorate an altar for spring. Use bright colors and vibrant imagery. Make sure it's somewhere you can visit easily and often. If you are nervous that those you live with will judge you or be fearful of the witchy symbology, keep it positive and light by using only flowers and candles. You do not want to invite fear into your home and certainly not to your altar. If those who live in your home understand the symbolism, then add in pentacles, goddesses, symbols of protection and blessings. Placing living plants and flowers can encourage you to visit daily. Make it a beautiful, colorful, celebration of life and new beginnings. Imagine you are throwing a baby shower for mother nature.
10. Reconnect with Animals
Spring awakens new life so celebrate it with new life. Take yourself to the zoo, a farm, or a petting zoo, where you might find baby goats, chicks, ducklings, calfs, etc. Spend time with the small creatures and gaze into their beautiful, big eyes. Additionally, if there are new babies in your family, spend time with them. Take a picnic, a walk, or do whatever you are drawn to. Babies only know love so share that positive energy with them.
Bonus: Acts of Service
Assist the Homeless - temporary shelters that house people during the bitter cold months of winter often close around Ostara.
Pick up Garbage - when the snow melts, it reveals months of litter.
Community Gardening - offer to volunteer to care for plants at a community garden or farm
Ready to go deeper with the Wheel of the Year? Join the Mumbleship at Mumbles Academy for access to courses and resources on Ostara, the Wheel of the Year, and so much more.
Crystals
My top ten choices of stones that can be helpful dealing with the many emotions and themes of this season would be Tigers Eye, Tree Agate, Serpentine, Peridot, Sunstone, Amethyst, Green Aventurine, Amazonite, Sodalite, Obsidian.
Themes
SPIRITUAL FOCUS: balance, birth, change, fertility, growing in strength, light, new beginnings, rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal
MAGICAL FOCUS: abundance, balance, change, fertility, growth, lust, new beginnings, new love, passion, prosperity, purification
SUGGESTED WORKINGS: bonfires, creating outdoor spaces and altars, divination focused on the coming year and bringing balance to one's life, planning and creating fairy, flower and vegetable gardens, purifying and protecting the home and all who live there, including animals
Colors
Green: abundance, calming, fertility, growth, health, new beginnings, prosperity
Light Blue: calmness, patience, tranquility, understanding
Pink: affection, contentment, harmony, honor, love, spirituality, healing, spring, tenderness, virtue
Silver: The Goddess, intuition, the inner self, night, psychic abilities, receptivity, spiritual truth
Violet: healing, intuition, self-improvment, spiritual awareness
White: childhood, cleansing, divination, healing, innocence, peace, protection, purification, truth
Yellow: attraction, creativity, communication, joy, planning, psychic ability, the sun, vitality
Guide to Ostara Correspondences
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