Happy Spring!!
Don’t let the cold temperatures fool you, Mother Earth is awakening
and preparing to dazzle us with her spring beauty. The robins have come
quietly back, unlike the geese whom I’ve heard announce their return
often in the past few days. The air smells less ‘cold’ and
more earthy. People are feeling more active..... and more frisky : )
The Spring Equinox is a day of balance; equal night and day. But for
us pagans it is more. It is a spring celebration. The celebration Christians
stole much of the imagery from to help convert the people to their Easter.
How many Christians realize that even the very name Easter comes from
the Goddess Eostre? Well, I won’t tell them if you won’t.
This month I will share some info about the Goddess Ostara, a Goddess
I feel a strong to connection to.
Ostara
In a group guided meditation we were to be given a spiritual name.
The name I got was spoken fast and only once, then I saw the spelling
of it. Once out of the meditation, I tried to pronounce it for the others,
saying it wrong and explaining that that wasn’t right, it was much
prettier. After about an hour, in a flash, the correct pronunciation
came. The name was Ostara. At the time of this meditation, I was a witch
but was not celebrating the Wheel of the Year, I had just recently found
about the holidays and was learning about them. When I looked into the
name later, I saw it was the name for this holiday. I had a moment of
doubt, thinking the name came to me because I had seen it in a book
recently. The spring really held no special place for me, I preferred
the hot summers, and there was too much mud and rain at that time. So
why Ostara? Through a few unmistakable signs from the Goddess, I knew
this was my magickal name that I was to use as I started a new phase
on my path. I got the name in January, and in February I started teaching
another about witchcraft and also started holding rituals at every holiday
on the Wheel of the Year. By March I was experiencing a rebirth in my
magickal life. The Goddess in her wisdom gave me this name to awaken
me to this time of year.
So who is Ostara? Ostara is the Germanic counterpart to the Saxon Goddess
Eostre. Both are Goddesses of spring, dawn, fertility, and rebirth.
Both also have the rabbit as one of their sacred symbols. Both are associated
with fertility and a woman’s cycle. The hormone estrogen is named
for Eostre.
Ostara is the living symbol for air and the life force of spring. Air
is also associated with the East (dawn), mental powers, new beginnings
and allowing your spirit to soar. Ostara’s celebrations often occurred
at sunrise on hilltops, the theme being growth and renewal of life.
People prayed to her to assure abundance of crops. At some rituals,
eggs were eaten and/or exchanged. Ostara is the perfect goddess to call
on when dealing with women's health issues, especially when related
to the reproductive system.
How did Ostara/Eostre become connected to eggs and rabbits? Here’s
a little story I found in Ostara, Customs, Spells & Rituals For
The Rites of Spring, by Edain McCoy:
One of Eostre’s devotees was a small rabbit who wished to give
his Goddess a gift, but didn’t have anything he thought of value
to give her. One day while out foraging, he came across a fresh egg,
which was a very valuable thing in this time. Altho the rabbit wanted
very badly to eat the egg, he realized this would be the perfect gift
for his Goddess. He realized she could have all the eggs she wanted
so he pondered how to make this egg special for her. He decided to decorate
the egg. He created paints out of natural sources like dandelions and
heather. He painted the egg in pastel colors and with symbols of spring.
When he felt it was as beautiful as he could make it, he took it to
present it to Eostre. She was so pleased by the rabbit’s gift that
she wanted everyone, especially children, to enjoy this gift too. Since
that day, the descendants of that rabbit have taken up the task of delivering
decorated eggs to the world’s children at spring. Thus they were
known as Eostre’s Bunnies and then, Easter Bunny.
So how did this holiday get the name Ostara instead of Eostre? I have
not been able to find out. All my books call this holiday Ostara and
mention that she is the counterpart of Eostre, but none specify why
it is called Ostara. My theory? Somewhere along the way, pagans wanted
to separate their holiday from the Christian Easter but still honor
the same Goddess. If anyone has a different theory or knowledge of this,
please let me know and I will share it in the next newsletter.
Scents of Spring
The most obvious scents for spring are those of flowers. Any floral
oil or herb would be wonderful in your own spring concoction Here
are some magickal correspondences for your consideration:
-
Lilac: can help you see past lives and also wards off evil spirits
-
Violet: has many magickal uses including protection, love, healing
and sleep
-
Rose: any type of love, especially for romantic love
-
Primrose: attracts spring fairies
-
Cowslip: another for spring fairies, also wealth and health
-
Apple blossom: love spells, symbol of the otherworld and rebirth,
Avalon
-
Orange blossom: marriage, carry at your wedding to insure a sexy
and sacred marriage
-
Daisy: another one for love and lust, also for bringing wealth
into your life
-
Hawthorn: ultimate fairy plant, they make their homes in this
bush
-
Daffodil: wishing charms and love spells, use to honor the God
& Goddess of Spring to enhance fertility
-
Jasmine: love, psychic dreaming, and to help find needed cash
-
Crocus: attracts love and a good choice to adorn Ostara altars
Not into flowers? Want to honor the Spring God? Try this recipe from
Edain McCoy:
4 drops oak moss oil
2 drops cinnamon oil*
1 drop bay oil
2 drops allspice oil
Add these to a base of 2 tablespoons almond or safflower oil. Seal
tightly in a dark glass vial until ready to use.
*Note: cinnamon can irritate the skin, best to use this to on
a candle or to anoint something other than the skin. If you want to
use it to anoint yourself or your god, either omit the cinnamon or replace
it with a safer oil, I bet sandalwood would smell wonderful in this
blend. I haven’t tried it yet but plan on making some in the coming
days.
~~~~Rhiannon Rose
