Ostara, Oestre blessings, How will you be celebrating the Spring Equinox

How will you be spending this Ostara?

*´¯`•.¸¸.☽◯☾ *´¯`•.¸¸

Myself and my daughters took this photograph on a lovely spring walk last Ostara, I love walking out in the countryside and seeing all the daffodils that have pushed their way through the soil at this time of year. I love in particular the clusters of these beautiful yellow flowers that can be found on the verges of our roads, they really brighten up an otherwise very dull and grey vista. Nature's beauty can be found even in the heart of our cities and you do not need to be living in the countryside to appreciate the wonders of our Mother Earth.

Take some time to spend in nature if you can. Go for a walk, read a book or meditate with the trees. You do not need to live in the countryside in order to do that. Thank the Goddess Mother Earth, Gaia for all the wonders she provides for us.

I hope that you and all that you hold dear have a wonderful Ostara, Oestre planned, may the Spring Equinox bring warmth and balance to your lives. Equinox blessings to you, Alison xxx

20 Ways to celebrate Ostara Eostre, Oestara, the Spring Equinox.

20 Ways to celebrate Ostara, the Spring Equinox.

You may be celebrating Oestara on your own or with friends and family and below are a few ways in which you can welcome the Spring into your home and honour the turning of the wheel. If you have children the Spring Eqinox is a wonderful time of year as new life is all around us and the cycle of life can be explained to children; you can have great fun with craft projects to illustrate this. 

Ostara eggs by Oshuna

Decorate some eggs. You could get real eggs and hard boil them, then use vegetable dye to make them lovely spring colours. If you create a pattern with candle wax before dying them this makes a lovely effect when the wax is scratched away.  Or alternatively make eggs out of papier-mâché or cardboard and decorate them with felt tip pens and sequins. You can decorate them with Pagan symbols of new life and balance such as spirals or the Yin and Yang symbols.  Hang them around your house or place them on your altar to welcome the coming of Spring.

Carry out some ‘spring cleaning’. Pick an area of your house that could do with a sort out and have a good clear out of anything that you no longer need. Getting rid of old accumulated things makes way for something more positive to enter into your life.

Go for an Oestara/Ostara walk to your local park or out in the countryside. Notice which flowers are starting to bloom, which trees have got buds on them, and give thanks to our mother earth, Gaia for all the bounty that she provides us with. You may like to meditate with the trees for a little while, absorbing the wisdom that they have to give to us.

Make an Ostara display. You could use spring flowering bulbs such as crocus, hyacinth, tulips, daffodils. Oestara themed objects such as rabbits and eggs, and pretty pastel colours will finish off your decorations perfectly.

Ostara by Oshuna on DeviantArt

Meditate on the Moon-Hare, the animal our ancestors saw on the face of the moon. Let your mind wander to thoughts of how to make sure your life is blossoming this spring.

Clear out a section of your garden in readiness for some spring planting. You may have a section that needs weeding or cutting back in readiness to plant some flower seeds or some spring vegetables.

Think about any relationships in your life that might be a little out of balance at the moment. Ostara or Eostre is a time of balance in nature and a perfect time to sort out anything that is a little out of kilter. It may mean an apology or a little more effort on your part but it is worth it for the harmony it will bring to your life.

Make a dragon puppet out of old egg boxes held together with string and stuck on green canes. Your children might like to perform a puppet show for you with the dragons that they have made.  Our ancestors could strongly feel the dragon energy that ran through our land, the ancient ridgeways were said to be the backbone of the dragon. Honour this dragon energy with your very own creation! We would love to see a picture of your dragon.

Dance to celebrate the coming of spring and the returning of the light. You could dance a pre-rehearsed dance such as a dragon procession, or you could simply put on your favourite music and dance around the house. Dancing is always a perfect way to obtain a feel-good factor! You don’t have to be any good at it- dance on your own or with friends and family and just enjoy yourself.

Taking time to meditate with trees can be a very special feeling to share with mother nature, especially Alder, Ash or Birch if you know of any that grow nearby as these are symbolically important for Ostara.

Share some Ostara food with friends or family. You could bake some bread, eat hot cross buns or hard boiled eggs. As you eat and enjoy one another’s company give thanks to our mother Goddess for all that she has provided for you.

Have a traditional Ostara breakfast of buns and eggs.

Eggshells provide fertility to your garden, spread some crushed egg shells around your plants with a blessing for the plants and soil.

Wear clothing in spring like colours such as green and yellow.

On Ostara Eve, light a purple or violet candle and burn patchouli incense. Carry them both through the house, blessing each room as you do so. This will give your newly spring cleansed house a fresh spring like feel to it. Incense is available to buy at www.astarte-moon.co.uk

Have an easter egg hunt around your home or garden, children and adults alike enjoy this pastime! In our house every year we create clues that lead all around the place, eventually ending up at the place where the eggs are all hidden: usually the washing machine!

Make some spring equinox healing water. Leave water in a bowl from dawn until midday at the time of the equinox. This energizing water will be fabulous to use around the house as a blessing, or drink a little every day to encourage optimism and self confidence. Bless any new projects you are about to start with a little of your equinox water.

Make an Ostara basket with food and drink of the season and take it round to a friend or neighbour who is feeling under the weather at the moment. Spread a little Ostara magic!

However you celebrate Oestara this year, above all enjoy yourself. This is a time for celebration and new beginnings, it is a very joyous time of year when the earth is awakening and the flowers and trees are coming to life. The warmer days make us feel better and give a hope for the increased sunshine and happy days ahead of us.

Ostara Eostre Oestre blessings free e-card

 Ostara heralds the coming of the Spring. It is celebrated usually on March 21st. Ostara, Oestara, Eostre or Oestre is also known as the Spring Equinox, day and night are of equal length and our Mother Earth has a sense of balance in the air. All around us there are signs of the earth waking from the winter cold. Daffodils and crocuses rise from the ground, shoots push through the soil and lambs are seen playing in the fields, there is a sense of expectation in the air and a looking forward to the warmer more fruitful days ahead.

Eostre blessings for you for this joyful start of Spring.

Celebrate the wonder that is Ostara, Eostre by sending this free e-card to someone special. Just right click on the pic and then you can save to your phone, tablet or laptop and print out or send as you please. Enjoy!

Ostara, Eostre, Spring Equinox Blessings to you and all those you hold dear,

blessings, Alison xxx

Shrove Tuesday on March 4th 2014, what are the Pagan origins

It is Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras this year on March 4^th, 2014 this precedes the beginning of the Christian festival of Lent, the fasting period leading up to Easter. Do you have any plans? We usually cook pancakes, with sugar and lemon of course!

Easter was originally a Pagan festival celebrating the Goddess Eostre, Astara or Oestara. This is of course the festival of Oestara, Oestre or Eostre on the Pagan Wheel of the Year, this follows Imbolc and heralds the beginning of spring. 

Lent is developed from the pagan tradition of mourning for forty days over the death of the God Tammuz(one day for each year of his life) who was the son/husband of the Babylonion Goddess Ishtar. He was killed by a wild boar and then allegedly resurrected. Tammuz represents the seasons and the cycle of life, fertility and the harvest. Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras was a Pagan day that occurred before this fasting period to use up all the rich foods before the fasting began. This year we have a dark moon on the day of Shrove Tuesday.

Books, daffodils and tress. A quote on gratitude and the wonders of nature.

Books, daffodils and trees. How wonderful is life! We have much to be grateful for.

Try and take some time this month to spend a little time with nature. A walk around your local park, or sitting beneath an ancient tree are wonderful ways to ground yourself. Even spending five minutes each day just standing barefoot is a fabulous way to connect with the earth and ground yourself.  Let nature's strength and love course through your veins, re-vitalising you and filling you with serenity and hope. For my cousins on the Southern Hemisphere, happy arrival of spring to you. I am very grateful for all that nature provides for us and very much looking forward to the arrival of spring with its beautiful bulbs and blossom on the trees. In the meantime I am going to offer gratitude for the autumn and winter and all their magickal delights. As the wheel turns there are always so many wonderful things to be grateful for.  Our Mother Earth, Gaia is truly an amazing place, giving us her unconditional love. 

Blessings to you all, Alison

Ostara Oestara free Pagan e-card

<a href="http://www.astartemoonblog.com/ " target="_blank"><img alt="astartemoonblog" src=" http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag28/astartemoon/oestara-blessings-daffodil-original-pagan_zps7fc87585.jpg "/></a>

Free Ostara Oestara Eostre e-card. Please feel free to grab the image and send it out to your friends and family to wish them a happy and fulfilling Ostara.  

Oestara is the joyful festival in the Pagan wheel of the year that heralds the return of spring.  It is a festival of balance, when day and night are of equal length.  It is also a time of fertilitly and new life, the egg symbolising the re-birth of nature and the fertility of the earth.  Oestara, or Oestare, the Norse Goddess of light is celebrated at this time of year.  Oestara is the root of the word oestrus, and oestrogen. It is believed that at Oestara the Goddess becomes pregnant with the god to give birth at Yule.  The myth surrounding Oestara says that she opened the gates of spring on equinox morning and her magical animal, the white hare, dashed across the snow, promising that spring was on its way.

Our ancestors seemed much more in touch with the earth energies that meander unseen beneath the ground that we walk on than we ourselves are today. From Eostre, the Spring Equinox to St George’s Day many dragon rituals and processions took place celebrating the dragon energy beneath our earth. The fertile earth energy is activated and runs strongly at this time of year so spring was seen as a good time to celebrate this.

We can take time to celebrate this wonderful heralding of the spring by going somewhere where the earth’s energy runs strong, on a ley line or dragon path.  It is easy to find out where these are by researching on the internet.

Taking time to meditate with trees can be a very special feeling to share with mother nature, especially Alder, Ash or Birch if you know of any that grow nearby.  Other fun things to do are of course decorating eggs and blessing and planting seeds. Please see my previous posts on ways to celebrate Ostara.

Just as Imbolc heralds the very first stirrings of the earth, Oestara brings the beginning of spring, the joy of fertility and the balance of light and dark. The Pagan wheel of the year demonstrates to us the changing of the seasons and how we must embrace each change and enjoy the new opportunities around every corner.

More information about the Sabbats and wheel of the year may be found here:http://www.astarte-moon.co.uk/Astartemoon/Wheel_of_the_Year_imbolc_beltane.html

Ostara, Oestara  is a perfect time for getting in touch with old friends and re-newing old acquaintances so why not do that by sending them a lovely message and picture.  You are free to send any of the images on my site, they are all my original work unless labelled from the artist I have shared from. All artwork I use on my site is fully credited to the artist who produced the lovely image. There are so many talented artists out there! 

Oestara blessings to you, may your Oestara be a joyous and fruitful one,

Alison xx

Ostara, Oestara Spring Blessing Ritual

Ostara Candle Blessing

I am all about simplicity when it comes to performing blessings or celebrations. We don’t always have the time to bring together a list of complicated ingredients that some spells and blessings may require. Therefore I thought I would write a simple Oestara blessing ritual for you. I hope you like it, please feel free to share/comment etc.

Ostara or Oestara marks the beginning of the Spring in the Pagan Wheel of the Year. It is a time for new beginnings and a time for growth. We are starting to see the first daffodils and crocuses, buds are forming on the trees, the world feels more alive somehow as the light returns. Ostara is a time of awakenings, our mother earth is awakening, and animals are coming out of hibernation. It is a time to ask ourselves what do we need to awaken within our selves. Is there something that you have within you that has been lying dormant? An idea for a new business perhaps? Some home decorating or a new friendship? Now is the time to stir those awakenings within us and concentrate on unfurling the leaves of our desire.

This is a very simple blessing designed to concentrate your intent and to celebrate the wonder that is our Mother Earth Gaia and all that she provides for us.

You will need ;

A candle, preferably in the colours of spring,  as noted in my previous post on associations. Green Yellow or white would be good choices here.

A sprig of greenery from your garden or local park. Anything that represents new growth would be good here, it might be a daffodil or other spring flower or a piece of a tree or bush that is beginning to sprout into life. Remember to thank the tree or plant for giving away a part of it’s growth freely.

A permanent marker pen

A small dish for the candle to stand in, preferably again in spring colours.

Now take your marker pen and draw on your candle something of significance to you. It may be a pentacle or some other Pagan symbol. You could draw a triple goddess symbol to represent the maiden mother and crone. Alternatively you could draw your own symbol to represent your own new beginnings: a spade for example if you are planning to dig over your vegetable patch or a heart if you are looking for new love in your life.

~Magickal Graphics~

Once you are happy with your artwork, place the candle on your dish placing your sprig of greenery in front of it. Light the candle and mediate on what you would like in your future, what new awakenings you wish to stir by performing this simple blessings.

You may like to read out your favourite Ostara blessing or use this simple one that I have written:

Lord and Lady of the spring I welcome you into my heart.

I thank you for bringing the light and warmth back to our world.

Just as Persephone brought the spring so may we continue to enjoy her bounty.

I thank you for all the growth and new awakenings I see all around me.

Please be by my side as I welcome the new awakenings within me.

I ask that you bless the projects I am about to undertake.

Please bless my family, friends and animals that they may all have a happy and fruitful springtime.

May Ostara bring with it hope and fulfillment for the coming year.

I thank you lord and lady of the spring and keep you close within my home.

This can be easily adapted to your own needs and wishes or why not have a go at writing your own.

Polly Taskey at Pagan by Design has also written a lovely post about the awakening we experience at Ostara.
http://paganbydesign.blogspot.co.uk/

This is another lovely verse I found written by Carolyn Clark. It may be found in

Creating Circles & Ceremonies: Rituals for All Seasons and Reasons [Paperback]

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (Author), Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart (Author)

Come to us, Holy Maiden,

Cloaked in the green and yellow of daffodils.

With your smile thaw the frozen springs,

Let the waters gush out,

The birth waters of the world.

Bless the buds on the apple trees and the seeds.

We hide in the dark, moist womb of our mother.

Dance the lengthening days of Spring,

And sing the summer into being.

Carolyn Clark

Once you have completed your ceremony, gently blow out the candle, keeping it’s light alive in your heart. Whenever you need some extra strength or to be reminded of your path, light the candle again and just spend a few minutes in meditation.

Sources

Creating Circles & Ceremonies: Rituals for All Seasons and Reasons [Paperback]

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (Author), Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart (Author)


  www.magickalgraphics.com

Oestara, Ostara symbolic associations, food, flowers etc

Oestara is a wonderful time of year, the spring equinox when we celebrate the fertility of our Mother Earth and new beginnings. As our earth springs to life, so may our lives reflect that new growth and anticipation.

Below are associations with Oestara for your information. You may like to use this information to think about ways to decorate your home or your altar, food to prepare for this feast or ways to celebrate with family and friends. Enjoy.

Oestara Symbolic associations: rabbit and the egg , the element air, the direction east, the morning star and the time of dawn, new moon butterflies and cocoons

Oestara Colours: Green, white and silver. Lemon yellow, pale green and pale pink, all pastels. These are wonderful colours to decorate your home and your Oestara altar with at this time of year, welcome in the Spring!

Ostara Foods: Eggs, honey cakes, first fruits of the season. Dairy foods like cheese and ice-cream, if you are Vegan substitute these for soya varieties. Also include foods made of seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds. Sprouts are wonderful as they symbolize the new growth of Oestara and spring. Leafy salad greens are great, include some dandelion leaves for variety and de-toxification.

This is from Scott Cunningham:

 “Foods in tune with this day (linking your meals with the seasons is a fine method of attuning with nature) include those made of seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds, as well as pine nuts. Sprouts are equally appropriate, as are leafy, green vegetables. Flower dishes such as stuffed naturtiums or carnation cupcakes also find their place here.” Scott Cunningham

Oestre Flowers:
 Daffodil, Violet, Iris, Narcissus, Crocus, Anemone.

The flowers of the anemone were said to bloom either from the blood of Adonis or the tears shed by Aphrodite, his beloved. The Romans picked the first anemone of the year as a health protectant, saying "I gather this against all diseases". They wore the flowers around the neck in garlands. You could do the same, wearing flowers in your hair or as a necklace.

~Magickal Graphics~

Crocus is a flower often grown in the home to attract love. Giving a Crocus plant to someone as a house blessing would be a wonderful Oestara activity.

Any spring flowers that grow in your local area would be appropriate for Oestara. Bring the spring into your home with some locally grown cut flowers. Do remember to ask the flower’s permission for any blooms that you cut down to bring indoors.

Oestara, Ostara Gemstones: Aquamarine, agate, amazonite, amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone rose quartz, jasper and moonstone.

Ostara Gods and goddesses: Goddesses: Persephone, Blodeuwedd, Eostre, Aphrodite, Athena, Cybele, Gaia, Hera, Isis, Ishtar, Minerva and Venus. Gods: Green Man, Cernunnos, the Dagda, Attis, Mithras, Odin, Thoth, Osiris and Pan.

Persephone is particularly appropriate as she represents spring, being the time that she comes back to her mother Demeter after spending winter in the underworld with Hades.

The full story of Persephone may be found here:

http://www.astartemoonblog.com/search?q=persephone

Any maiden Goddesses and youthful Gods are appropriate for this spring festival of Eostre or Ostara, welcome the  Gods and Goddesses of Spring into your life.

Symbolism of Ostara: Oestara is seen as the Pagan celebration of fertility, re-birth and new life.

The Union of the Goddess and the God, and dispensing of the old and making way for the new are common themes.

Oestre Herbs: lavender, marjoram, thyme, tarragon, lovage, vervain. A blend of lovely Oestara herbs is detailed at the bottom of this post. Planting a herb garden is a wonderful way to celebrate Oestara and then you will have fabulous spring herbs to hand whenever you need them.


Oestara Ostara Incense: jasmine, frankincense, myrrh, dragon's blood, cinnamon, nutmeg, aloes wood, benzoin, musk, African violet, sage, strawberry, lotus, violet flowers, orange peel, or rose petals. Any floral incense is lovely at this time of year to remind you of Springtime and the returning of the light.

Animals and Mythical Beasts to represent Oestara: rabbits, snakes, unicorns, merpeople, and pegasus

Eostre Candle Colors: White, Yellow and Green. Beautiful aromatherapy candles may be purchased here: http://www.astarte-moon.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=candle

Oestara Trees: The Alder, a tree sacred to the God Bran, who is said to protect the British Isles. The buds of the alder are set in a spiral, which symbolizes reincarnation, and new growth that we see at springtime. According to the poet Robert Graves, alder is called Fearn, and represents the letter F in the Beth-Luis-Nion tree calendar. The Greek deity Cronos was also represented by an alder tree.  Also young oak trees are significant at Oestara.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and found it useful. Please feel free to share/comment.

Further Eostre information:

You can buy a wonderful blend of Ostara herbs from this lovely site. http://www.whitemagickalchemy.com/ostara-spring-casting-herbs-16oz-spring-equinox-flowers-herbs-gemstones-fertility-abundance-rebirth-and-new-beginnings/

This is their description “Ostara Spring Blossoms Casting Herbs are a proprietary blessed mix of beautifully freshly dried flowers, herbs and woods including organic Hibiscus, Heather, Hemp, Linden Flowers, Dandelion Flowers and Root, Jasmine, Rose, Lavender, Garden Sage, Willow, Oak, Marigold, Vervain and Hops Flowers and more, topped with magickal Crystal Quartz gemstones. This blend is so naturally aromatic and pretty, what a wonderful way to celebrate the season and the coming of spring!~ 



Created to empower your Ostara Bonfire, simply cast a handful of this blessed blend right into your bonfire!~ There is plenty at hand! You can also use as an Ostara potpourri and place in a bowl upon the altar as an offering or to simply add an all natural essence within your sacred space. Sprinkle around the base of candles or cast a bit into the garden or forest as a sacred offering to the earth in celebration and honor of the coming of spring. 

Burn as a loose incense in your sacred burning vessel. This magickal blend will intoxicate and fill the air, inside or out of doors, with a pure organic and fragrant all natural fragrance. This authentic aroma is so powerful that just about a half a teaspoon full burned on a disk will fill up your sacred space with a mood transforming all natural wintery scent. 
”

Sources: Glennie Kindred, Sacred Celebrations, http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/ostarathespringequinox/Ostara_the_Spring_Equinox.htm; http://gemsong.hubpages.com/hub/Solitary-Witchcraft-Ostara

various webpages.

Graphics from http://www.magickalgraphics.com/ostara4.htm

If you would like to share the picture below please feel free to grab the button, any links back here gratefully received!!

<a href=" http://www.astartemoonblog.com/ " target="_blank"><img alt="Astarte-moon" src=" http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag28/astartemoon/oestara-blessings-daffodil-original_zpsf4a8db35.jpg "/></a>