Ostara. Vernal equinox. 1st day of spring! 🌸
Whatever you call this time of year, have you been counting down the days like me?
Hearts are opening along with the Earth.
Fertility, birth and rebirth, and renewal are the keynotes of the season.
It's time to start taking action on the dreams that germinated over the long, dark months.
Ostara is an ancient fire festival that celebrates the shift from darkness to light.
In pre-Christian times, the Spring Equinox was the time to celebrate the end of winter and was (and still is) known as Ostara.
The festival of Ostara is named after Oestre, a goddess of Spring.
The Christian holiday of Easter also is named after this goddess.
As the goddess of Spring, Oestre represents fertility (i.e., the state of being able to grow). And fertility historically has been symbolized by the hare (rabbit) and eggs.
Fast forward hundreds of years and the bunny and eggs still symbolize the first celebration of Spring -- Easter.
Egg dying is a fun and colorful way to call in spring’s energies. But let’s take it a step further and create a Blessing Egg.
Poke a hole in one end of a regular egg and another (slightly larger) hole in the other end. Blow out the contents and allow the inside of the egg to dry.
Now, think about what you want to "grow" in this new season.
Money?
Love?
A beautiful life?
Gather items that represent these things to you.
You might use green glitter or snips of green raffia for money.
Crushed, dried rose petals could symbolize love.
What other herbs and flowers could you use to symbolize your dreams and intentions?
Once you've gathered what you need, carefully insert them into the egg, keeping your intention (blessing) in mind as you work.
Place a small piece of masking tape or glue a small bead over each hole in the egg.
You want to be able to keep the contents (intentions) inside.
Then have fun decorating it.
You could paint it, dye it (traditional, right?), decoupage it. Let your creativity flow!
You can be intentional with the colors you choose (color magic) and even use a wax stick (a white crayon works too) to draw sigils or spring images before you dip in the dye.
Use your imagination and intention to make this a little treasure.
When you're finished, you can decide whether to display it on your Ostara altar or somewhere else.
My favorite thing to do with my Blessing Egg? Add a bit of dirt and a few seeds and then plant the pretty egg in the ground to beautifully and symbolically "plant" my intention.
Just be sure to "feed and water" it so it will flourish.
Another little egg thing…
I made beeswax candles (I poured the wax into egg shells) as a way to honor the bees -- the tiny guardians of the natural world -- for their message of industry, abundance, magic, and connection to the Divine.
REMEMBER: The Universe speaks to us in symbols. So isn't it lovely to speak the same language in return?
If you have a favorite spring equinox ritual (or symbol), I’d love if you shared it with me!
🥚🐰
Deb
Comentários