Merry Ostara // Turning The Wheel of the Year

Merry Spring Equinox!

Do you feel the strain of the buds waiting to pop? Do you feel the quiet buzz of germinating plants waiting to make their debut above ground? Do you feel the tender protectiveness towards all the tiny, new shoots in the Green World asking for our notice and care? Are you relishing in the return of the warm sun, and the fragrance of flowers wafting through the air?

Welcome to Ostara...

Ostara Blessings by Wendy Painting Dreams

The cosmic Egg 

In Germanic, Saxon, and neo-pagan lore, this time of year is presided over by the Goddess of the Egg. Known as Eostre in Saxon tradition and Ostara in the Germanic, we embrace anticipation, fertility, and preparations for abundance. Eostre was traditionally associated with rabbits, and provides the most obvious foundation for the Christian holiday Easter that follows the Equinox. Ostara means “goddess of the dawn”, and during this turning of the wheel of the year, we are released from the harsh darkness and chill of winter and again embrace the Earth as a gentle and bountiful nourisher.

Both goddesses also had associations with eggs, and for Northern tribes and European villages exiting winter, Spring eggs provided an essential source of nourishment as the last of the winter stores were consumed. Eggs were decorated and used in various games and rituals, ranging from throwing them at your friends to hiding them on hillsides or under thatched roofs to provide protection for the land and home.

Consider boiling some eggs and making natural dyes out of any brightly colored vegetables or herbs you have on hand! You can use beets, red cabbage, turmeric, yellow onion skins, or dark greens to color your eggs. Simply boil 4 cups of plant matter or 1 oz of dried herb in one quart of water for 10-20 minutes, strain the liquid and add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to set the dye. Immerse your hard-boiled eggs in the dye and let them steep overnight to produce luscious colors to enjoy. When eating the eggs, traditionally the shell was disposed of in a respectful way, either as an offering to the garden or thrown into the hearthfire. 

Clear it Out

You may be feeling your energy shifting towards innovation, preparation, and beginning the projects of the year. This is a great time of year to indulge in the “spring cleaning” impulse and clear out your home of unnecessary items in order to make room for all that this year might bring. We gather/make baskets for the collecting we will soon do, stock up on jars for food preservation and seed our seeding trays or transplant our starts depending on how far North we live.

A wonderful ritual you can engage in is to take a warm herbal bath and use a salt or sugar scrub to exfoliate your skin. If you don’t have a scrub, a hardy loofah will do! Scrub yourself down with something that smells delicious, dry off, and eat some edible wild greens to help your body engage in the sloughing off and clearing out of old dead cells and stagnant energies. 

The Herbs of Ostara

Speaking of wild greens -- this is the moment to start eating your wild green salads before the heat makes the greens too large and bitter to enjoy. Dandelion, chickweed, lamb’s quarters, peppercress, miner’s lettuce, gallium, stinging nettle, and cleavers are just a few of the wild greens that may be popping up in your neighborhood. All of these bitter greens will kickstart your digestion, move your lymph and provide nourishment for your liver and calm inflammation.

To preserve these greens, consider making herbal vinegars with them to make a beautiful spring tonic you can eat all throughout the Spring and Summer on salads, rice, beans, or by the spoonful in warm water. If you experience allergies, Stinging Nettle can be a primary ally. Drink it several times a week as a nourishing herbal infusion. Steep 1 oz. of dried herb in 1 quart of just boiled water overnight, strain, and drink throughout the day. 

Other magical herbs for Ostara are Rose, Iris, Jasmine, and Violets. All of these flowers have associations with romance and desire, and Spring can see the awakening from the shadows as our creative and sexual fire is stoked by the sunlight and plant beauty.

expanding into the year

As we clear out the spiderwebs from the corners of our homes, we illuminate the corners of our minds as well and clear out the cobwebs of confusion, weariness, and indecision. As the days get longer, our energy grows, and we can shift our focus from the internal to the external as we open ourselves up to connecting intimately with plants, friends, family, and lovers. New life is all around us, and this season is an opportunity to begin putting into action our dormant desires.

This is the moment to wake up and start whatever it is you have put on the back burner or talked yourself out of time and time again. The energy of Spring helps us be brave, take risks, and pioneer our own lives into new and exciting directions. Ride the golden wave of exploration and see what wonders are waiting for you to arrive and enjoy. 

Merry Ostara, dear ones. 

As above, so below

As within, so without. 

Enjoy the blooming time. 

In Love,

Susan Marie 

P.S. Spring Classes with Susan Marie are blooming! Browse my upcoming classes to learn more!