Vernal Equinox

Ostara, or the Spring Equinox, is such an exciting time of year! All the plants are getting ready to fully bloom, and everyone has a little skip in their step.

Migrating animals have returned home, and hibernating animals have reemerged. It is time for us to celebrate the passing of winter and finally welcome the arrival of spring.

Imbolc (back in February) was all about recognizing new signs of life and preparing for spring. We start getting excited for winter to end. This Lesser Sabbat is observed around March 20-21, depending on the year.

Ostara is the official first day of spring, the moment where we begin to reconnect with nature once again.

Life is beginning to thrive. Our hopes and wishes from Imbolc are being put into action now at Ostara.

As the seasons transition, the light begins to overcome the darkness a little bit more each day. New life is growing all around us, and we are growing right alongside it.

Right now, creative energy is running very high! We feel a sense of renewal, completion, and empowerment. After braving another cold and dark winter, we are ready to be inspired and tackle new challenges.

Ostara Goddess

Ostara (aka Eostre) is the Goddess who brings us the joy of spring each year. She is associated with fertility, innocence, and new growth, and is honored during this time.

Unfortunately, the information our ancestors left behind about her is very limited. There’s lots of scholarly debate on her origins and authenticity. She certainly isn’t considered an “ancient” goddess, let alone an important one for cultures that came before us.

Regardless, Ostara has come to be important to us in modern spirituality. Who says we can’t discover and honor new gods and goddesses just because we’re in the new millennia?

When Ostara arrives, we are guided to reinvent ourselves. To shed our winter coats and to bloom where we are planted. Her invigorating energy helps us attune the body with the mind so we can find inner balance.

Ostara is a warm, dynamic, and compassionate Goddess who represents internal and external rebirth.

She may not have had a role in our ancestors’ version of spring celebrations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t embrace her essence. Which is one of optimism, new beginnings, and kindness. Ostara beckons us to flourish and bloom just as the flowers in nature are doing!

How to Celebrate Ostara

Celebrating Ostara can be as complex or as simple as you wish. You can choose to see some regular spring activities as rituals if you’d like, or try something new to usher in the new season.

There’s a good chance you’re already doing some of these, or maybe you have always wanted to. So this Spring Equinox is a great time to experiment!

Plant Seeds

For most avid gardeners, the Spring Equinox is the ideal time of year to begin planting their seeds. Crops, herbs, and annual flowers need time to grow up before they can be brought outside. Now is a great time to do this!

You can also plant figurative seeds in the spring. Think about how you want the next season to look for you. What are your goals and values? How can you begin working towards the next phase of your life?

Decorating Eggs

Here’s a fun spiritual tradition that can be done a lot of different ways. You can go the mainstream route by coloring real, white eggs with various dyes and designs.

You don’t have to use real eggs to take part in this symbolic tradition though. You can find wooden or plastic eggs to decorate instead. Paint wooden ones, get crafty with plastic ones, or find egg-shaped objects in nature.

Use your decorative eggs around the house as décor or even leave them outside to promote fertility and abundance!

Altar Refresh for Spring

Not every sabbat requires an altar. Nor does every person want an altar in their home. But, if you find joy in decorating a special spot in your home to reflect the seasons, now is a great time to refresh it.

Use bright, pastel colors: pink, yellow, purple, blue, green, and white. Use symbols of fertility as mentioned: eggs, chicks, rabbits, acorns, etc.

Clean Up Litter

Now that the snow is melting away, copious amounts of litter and garbage are being revealed. Take some time and care to clean it up. This is a loving gesture towards Mother Earth, and doubles as spending time outside.

As you pick up the litter, you can send a bit of love and blessings to the area you’re cleaning. Ground your energy into the Earth, feel connected with the surrounding nature, and feel good in your heart knowing you’re making the nature more beautiful for everyone else, too.

Grounding in Nature

As the weather becomes warmer and sunnier, we naturally want to spend more time outside. Reconnecting with nature is the best spiritual celebration of Ostara! Take time to play and run around outside like a little kid would.

You can go for more walks, prep the garden for spring, breathe in the cool air, or anything that helps you focus your energy on being in nature. Really take the time to enjoy this beautiful change of season.

Feeding the Animals

Winter isn’t quite over yet, and some little critters might still need some help with getting enough food. Refill your bird feeders, toss raw veggie scraps out for the bunnies, leave some nuts out for the squirrels. They’re all ramping up for summer and would greatly appreciate the gesture.

Notice the Animals

Not all animals have stuck around this whole winter. But they’re coming back now! Start to pay more attention to the animals you see moving around your home. Are the geese coming back? Are you hearing more song birds? Are other animals waking up?

Paying attention to nature’s little details will help slow down time. You won’t feel like summer is suddenly upon you if you take the time to engage in the changing seasons.

Start New Projects

While this isn’t strictly a spiritual act, Ostara and springtime marks the beginning of the calendar year for many people. So treat it like the new year! Set new goals, intentions, and deadlines for new projects. Starting something new right now feels easy and natural.

You can also use this time to start building new habits. These could be personal habits, like more regular deep cleaning, meal planning, better budgeting, etc. Or these can be better spiritual habits, like prioritizing meditation, changing your thoughts, working with crystals, etc.

Spring Cleanse

Spring cleaning is a give-in at this time. But along with deep cleaning, a deep cleansing can feel wonderful right now within your home. After being closed in all winter, energy can easily go stale and stagnant.

Use your preferred cleansing method to refresh the energy in your home. This is especially powerful to do after the house has been thoroughly cleaned and clutter has been removed.

Spring Equinox Rituals

We’ve entered a period of time where manifesting energies are hard at work. So this is the ideal time to stop procrastinating and take action towards achieving big goals.

The Earth and its inhabitants are undergoing a massive energetic shift that will dissolve the old to make way for the new. We feel lighter, happier, energized, and inspired. Almost like magic, our dreams start to become our reality. Leaving room for us to dream new, bigger dreams for the coming year!