The spring equinox, known as Ostara by Wicca and other Pagan traditions, is coming (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). Ostara is a time of rebirth and new beginnings. The ground is becoming warmer and getting ready for new seeds to be planted. Your own life is in sync, preparing for new beginnings. In the past, spring was also the time when babies were born. So it’s a time associated with fertility. This is the case not only for the body but also for the mind, spirit, and any of your projects or endeavors. This is a great time to be creative and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
What’s special about Ostara in 2022, though?
It takes place on the heels of the Full Moon in Virgo. This Full Moon is in opposition to the Sun, Neptune and Jupiter all conjunct in Pisces – a planetary movement that hasn’t happened since 1856.
The Sun in Pisces makes us all focus on our feelings and intuition. Neptune is the planet of compassion and dreams, but also of illusion and scamming. This fogs up our connection to our feelings. It also makes us particularly prone to self-delusion. Jupiter only magnifies the effects of Neptune. This is so because everything Jupiter touches becomes bigger, for better or worse.
In contrast, the Full Moon in Virgo is inviting us to clean and declutter. It’s a good idea to get rid of what’s no longer serving us, both literally and metaphorically, to make space for new and better things. Pay special attention to your habits and your health and make adjustments to have a better quality of life.
What activities are suitable given the charged energies in the sky and the Earth? Here are a few activities and rituals you can do to celebrate Ostara and interact with the energies of the Full Moon in a healthy and constructive way.
1. Decorate your Altar with Flowers
This is a great idea to celebrate spring in general and connect with the energy of the cheerful colors and the rebirth of spring. You can just pick up whatever’s pretty. Or you can be intentional about it and use flowers to manifest what you want in this coming period.
If you want to attract new love and abundance, go for daffodils. Dandelion is great if you’re cleansing and purifying your home and if you want to attract energies of healing. Goldenseal will attract new business and money. Hibiscus is related to passion and lust and psychic powers. Hyacinth is known to protect gay men and other masc people who are not straight and cis. It also attracts peaceful sleep. It works as an amulet against nightmares and eases grief.
Narcissus will help you build a harmonious environment in your home. It’ll help you build a place where feelings of peace and tranquility are fostered. Violets can protect you from any negative energies and have a soothing effect.
Beware if you have pets, especially cats, as contact with some of these flowers can make them ill or even be lethal to them. Here’s a great source on which flowers to avoid if you have a cat at home. You can always print images of flowers if you have a kitty at home, their energetic vibration will be just the same.
2. Tend to your garden
If you have a garden and don’t want to do anything elaborate, making space on your calendar to tend to this garden is an excellent idea. This is so because it’s a way to connect with the renewed Earth.
If you’ve always wanted a garden but never got round to building it, Ostara is also an excellent time to start to plan it. Buy all the supplies you need and get started. You can even go for a hydroponic garden if you live in an apartment and don’t want to miss out on the fun of gardening.
3. Declutter objects with an emotional significance
The Full Moon in Virgo of March the 18th and the heavy Pisces energy provides a great time to declutter objects with emotional significance that you should no longer have around. This will help you seize the energy of new beginnings that comes with the vernal equinox.
Are there any letters or presents from your ex that should no longer be in your home? An object that reminds you of a friend you had a falling out with? An item that represents a painful time of your life? Toss them, put them up for sale, donate them, give them away – but get them out of your house. If you have to cry about it, do, but don’t neglect doing this.
4. Cast a spell for people who want a baby
Because of the amount of fertile energy present at this time, it’s a great opportunity to boost the likelihood of people you know (or strangers) to have a baby. Of course, this would only apply to the hopeful parents that are trying for one. Otherwise, it would be Baneful Magick. For this spell, you’ll need:
- a combination of orange and white candles (four total)
- olive oil or almond oil
- some matches
- a candle holder for each of the candles
- some oats
- Carnelian, Moonstone and/or Shiva Lingam
Cleanse the candles with running water, taking care not to get the wicks wet. Then, pat them down from the bottom to the top with a paper towel to remove any excesses of water. Put some of the oil on your fingers and anoint the candles with it from top to bottom. Then, visualize people getting pregnant (either strangers who are trying or the friend who has given you their consent to do this spell). Inhale and exhale on the candles so they become infused with this energy.
With the back of a match, carve on each candle the full name and date of birth of the person who’ll benefit from the spell. If it’s for no one in particular, write HOPEFUL PARENTS WHO ARE TRYING FOR A BABY. Light a match and expose the bottom of each candle to the flame, then place firmly on each candle holder.
Place the candles so they form a loose oval shape and place the crystal(s) in the middle. Then, surround this setup with the oats.
Light each candle and snap your fingers three times to activate them. Then, summon a fertile spirit. If you don’t work with Deities, you can summon the spirits of fruitful mothers in your ancestral line or the Stork or Rabbit spirit. If you do work with Deities, figures like Freyja, Makosh, and so on are ideal.
Say “I ask (Name of the Spirit) to help (Name/A hopeful parent who is trying) conceive or otherwise become a parent. So mote it be.” Once the candles have burned down, your spell is done. Thank the Spirits for their help and pick up the remnants of the spell. Spread the oats in your garden or a nearby park to take advantage of the fertile energy they have absorbed.
5. Paint, draw, or color a serpent
The Serpent spirit is very important in Ostara. In many cultures, the snake is a positive symbol that represents the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. In Scotland, the Highlanders had a custom that consisted of pounding the ground with a stick. They did this until a snake appeared. The behavior of this animal was used as an omen for how much frost was left in the season. In Hoodoo and American Folk Magic, the snake was used as an instrument of harm. Therefore, the snake can be a symbol for transformation and transmutation. It’s also a symbol for cunning, treachery, fertility, the Solar or Yang polarity, and protection.
You can connect with the Serpent spirit and the creative energy that’s available during Ostara by painting, drawing, or coloring an image of a snake. The act of painting or drawing can connect you with pleasure and place you in a meditative state. In this state, you can slowly process the ways in which you need to transform and be reborn. Here is a free coloring page featuring a snake you can print out:
6. Work with the Rabbit or Hare spirit
The rabbit and the hare are also key figures during Ostara. Hares started to be seen more frequently during the vernal equinox. This is so because their mating season is in March. Plus, the famous Easter Bunny actually has German origins. Its first documented appearance took place in Germany in the 16th century. It was said to reward well-behaved children with painted eggs. It became part of American folklore in the 18th century thanks to German immigrants.
The rabbit spirit is linked to luck, and the hare spirit is linked to creativity and willpower. You can do a guided meditation to connect with these spirits. You can also combine this exercise with another meditation linked to your Sacral Chakra. You may also decorate your Altar or home with rabbit or hare imagery to bring this energy into your life as well.
7. Meditate in the sunrise
Another efficient ritual that takes up little time is waking up early to meditate as the sun rises. The sun rise is a promise of new life and new beginnings, just as Ostara. Take your time to be present as nature wakes up and blooms. Use this moment as an opportunity to take in this new energy.
8. Inner child healing with flowers
Because of the crowdedness in the sign of Pisces and the effects of the Full Moon in Virgo, this is a great time for some inner child healing. This is so because of the balance between the emotional nature of Pisces and the potential for healing that the sign of Virgo holds.
Flowers, heavily associated with Ostara, have a very loving, soothing energy that can help you through this process. Put together a sachet of flowers you’re not allergic to. Which flowers? Perhaps flowers that remind you of relatives or flowers you associate with your childhood, like daisies or dandelions. You can also add soothing and protective flowers like lavender or violet.
Meditate with this sachet on your heart space, then journal about your inner child. Give your inner child the space to express themselves. Cry or get angry if you need to. Then, meditate with the flowers again. Come back to what you journaled later on and go from there to heal what your inner child expressed.
In short, despite the intensity of this time astrologically, this is a happy time full of potential and new energy. There are many rituals and activities you can do to connect with the cycles of nature. They range from some that are easy to integrate to your day-to-day routine like gardening or meditating at sunrise, to more time-consuming ones like casting a spell for hopeful parents.
How do you celebrate Ostara? Which one of our recommendations is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!
References
Pluralism Project Archive at Harvard
Learn Religions: All About Ostara
Learn Religions: History of Ostara
Learn Religions: Setting up your Ostara Altar
Learn Religions: Ostara Rituals for Solitaires
Learn Religions: Serpent magick and Symbolism
Learn Religions: Correspondences in Spring Flower Magick
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