A Might-do List for the Spring Equinox
Ostara, known also as the Spring Equinox, the Vernal Equinox, and Alban Eilir, is the first official day of Spring. Just as there are three harvest festivals later in the year (Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain), Ostara marks the second of three spring festivals landing in-between Imbolc and Beltane. The holiday is tied to the movement of the Sun, when the Sun enters 0° Aries and marks a point of equal night and equal day with the nights becoming shorter than days until the Autumn Equinox. It’s a time for celebrating the return of youth to the land and the retreat of winter back up into the mountains or deep below the earth. At Ostara we prepare ourselves, along with our homes and gardens, for the coming of warmer weather and the quickening of life across the land. Continuing a project started last Lughnasadh, here’s a list of nine things that you might-do (or not) for the greening festival of Ostara.
Spring cleaning in your home and community. Was this the most obvious suggestion? Yes, and it’s a good one. Following the cycles of nature and celebrating the wheel of the year is not just about filling up your calendar with celebrations (though this is a great thing), but connecting what is happening around us to what is happening within us. As we clean our homes, prepare our gardens, pick up trash in our neighborhoods or the parks and trails that we frequent, we are also participating in an inner cleansing and renewal where we’re preparing our spirits for spring. Make washing your floors and windows a ritual and include stewardship of the land into your ritual celebrations. In her book Earth Wisdom: A Heartwarming Mixture of the Spiritual, the Practical, and the Proactive, Glennie Kindred suggests going on a community walk to your ritual site or spring picnic, making sure to pick up trash along the way. She also suggests a lovely chant to tie your ritual work and community together:
Building bridges between our divisions,
I reach out to you as you reach out to me.
With all our voices and all of our visions,
Together we can make such a sweet harmony.
Together we can make such a sweet harmony.
Get to a local market. Farmer’s markets are opening again but there are all sorts of warmer weather festivals and fares happening. Get out and support your local community, re-connect with what is happening in your local world, and eat some spring berries while you’re at it.
Invoke the winds of change. In the part of the world that I live in as well as the one that many of the ancient beliefs of the modern wheel of the year comes from, March is a windy time of year. The winds of spring hold a certain sort of wildness that make them distinct from winter’s gales, summer’s sweet breezes or autumn’s gathering in storms. Connecting with these winds of change through spellwork like tying loose biodegradable threads to trees that carry your wishes to the Ancient Ones help us to bring our inner and outer worlds into balance. Invoke the winds of the season to blow through the land, bringing justice and kindness to all.
Bring energy to new endeavors (and re-energize old ones). As Ostara marks the beginning of Aries season and the restart of the zodiac’s own turning, connect with the energetic and ambitious energies of the Ram by blessing new projects and endeavors. You can also re-invigorate old projects that still want doing, dancing with the newness of spring in order to guide you back to your inspiration. It can be a great time of year to build an altar to any endeavors you might have, feeding your vision with song, candles, incense, and other offerings relevant to your own tradition.
Bless young ones. As seeds bud up, baby animals emerge from winter burrows and new ones are being born, and trees begin to flower, Ostara is a celebration of youth and the young ones in our lives. Now is a lovely time to hold baby blessings as well as welcoming in littles ones into your spiritual community (i.e. a Wiccaning or similar such ritual).
Create an altar of flowers. Speaking of young ones and the young at heart, creating altars and sacred designs made of flowers is a beautiful and tactile way to celebrate the start of spring. Flower crowns are also a beautiful way to celebrate and they can be kept, dried, and offered to the fires of Beltane. Don’t want to pick flowers? Then enjoy the altar of flowers that the earth has already made by being in bloom. For some, this is the first time of the year to comfortably hold rituals outside after many a month spent mostly indoors - so get outside!
Hold rituals of re-emergence + identity. There are a number of myths associated with the re-emergence of spring in the land from the Greek story of Persephone and Demeter to the tale of Brighid and the Callieach or the trial of Innana and Ereshkigal. One of the underlying meanings of these stories is that of stepping into new identities and the process of loss, coming out, and joyful empowerment these times of transition can represent. Now is an auspicious time to hold rituals of re-emergence (such as stepping back into power in your life) as well as celebrating new identities, coming out, and transitioning.
Choose movement. Part of the holiness of our bodies is the amazing state of movement we are always in. Whether the movement of our blood through our bodies, the flow of oxygen to our cells or the constant electrical impulses helping to power movements both big and small, the movement of our bodies is a sign of life worthy of care and recognition. You don’t have to do anything fancy, join any gyms or online programs promising to change your life with their in-depth regimen or force yourself to push your body to your limits. Rather, the spring is a time to move with the flow of nature - stretching our bodies, breathing deep, and just choosing to move as we are called to do.
Plant a garden (or at least cast a seedbomb). Whether you have a yard to plant in or a selection of pots with kitchen herbs growing on a windowsill, reconnecting with our very ancient impulse to purposefully seed the land and grow along with it is a very effective way to connect with the season of Ostara. If you are feeling inspired, buy or make some seedbombs to spread wildflowers in your yard or vacant dirt lots that might be hanging out around your city. Planting is an opportune time for spellwork, as well, and you can plant and grow your dreams along with your greens.
If you’re the card-casting type, here’s a tarot spread for the season of Ostara and for those of you who enjoy creating your own herbal remedies check out my recipe for spring dreaming. If you’re looking for an overview of spring magick, come this way.
You can also check out the rest of my might-do lists for the sabbats and beyond.
May the winds of change bring all the inspiration you need to grow a life big enough for all your dreams. May we nurture our common roots and grow strong in our dreaming. May your spring be a full and blessed one.
