Wheel of the Year 101: Ostara

This is the second article in a yearlong series of pieces on practical approaches to Wiccan holidays. There’s so much more to the celebration than just saying some pretty words you found on a website and putting the right decorations on the altar. Sabbats are also points on the Wheel where we can mark our accomplishments and set our goals for the next few months. We can use the cycle of the seasons as a metaphor for our own personal development and spiritual growth. The first article focused on Imbolc, the second sabbat on the Wheel. This article will focus on Ostara, or the Spring Equinox, celebrated in mid-March. This year (2004) the Equinox will occur on March 20th. Astronomically speaking, the Equinoxes (there are two) are points where day and night are of equal length. Symbolically, Equinoxes are a celebration of balance because of this. Ostara is considered the true beginning of spring. Winter has passed on, and while the mornings may still be crisp with traces of frost on the grass, we’ve turned the corner towards warmer days. What began to waken at Imbolc is now fully aware and ready to go, as we start the build-up towards Beltane and it’s frenzy of fire and passion. Ostara could also be considered a fertility holiday; as nature begins to flower and birds begin to hatch. In the span of weeks between mid-March and early May, leaves will emerge, the spring flowers will bloom, and little goslings will be hatching in the grassy spaces around my office building. Think about all the secular customs of Easter: rabbits, dyed eggs, and egg hunts. All of these things are ancient fertility symbols, folk traditions carried in to our modern era. They remind us that with spring, the earth begins life anew. They also bring mirth into our ritual celebrations. After all, how serious can you be poking around in someone’s backyard looking for eggs, or chewing the ears off a chocolate rabbit? Ostara is a time to be merry, throwing off winter’s worries and cares to meet the coming warmth. At Imbolc, I talked of making plans to break a bad habit or to start a project you’ve always been meaning to start. I talked of my own plans to de-clutter my living space. Ostara is the time to put those plans into action… to plant those seeds and nurse them into life, so you can reap the harvests of your labors later in the year. I’ve taken many small steps towards my goals between Imbolc and today. I’ve even joined a gym, to work on my weight-loss problems. At Ostara, I will physically plant a few seeds to symbolize the changes I’m making in my life. Hopefully, the seeds will actually grow; I’m something of a brown thumb when it comes to plants! There are other ways you could symbolize the “planting” of your intentions, of course. You could even make a paper tree and add a leaf to it whenever you’ve done something towards your goals. Before I move on to the obligatory links section, a word about Ostara and Easter, the two holidays, while they have a few similar practices, are entirely different. The Christians didn’t “steal” Ostara from Pagans and rename it. At worst, a few secular folk traditions (bunnies and dyed egg hunts) were carried over into the celebrations of the Christian High Holiday. The date of Easter floats, as it is held on the Sunday after the first full moon following the Equinox. Easter is a culmination of Lent, and the celebration of Christ’s rebirth. Ostara is a celebration of balance and fertility. And now, those obligatory links: http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/xostara. a listing of five Ostara articles submitted to Witchvox. I’ve read the first linked article, by Peg Aloi, and found it to be entertaining, though not scholarly. Read the rest at your own risk. http://www.amysticalgrove.com/Celebrate_. the Ostara page from A Mystical Grove. While the information on this page is a little slim, there are links on the left-hand side to a few ritual outlines and poems. http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/she. Gingerbread Grandma’s Ostara. Scroll down a bit for a few crafts for Pagan kids. A few links on egg dyeing techniques: http://www.celestialseasonings.com/resea. from Celestial Seasonings tells you how to color you eggs with herbal teas, and http://www.mccormick.com/recipedetail.cf. from the McCormick spice company talking about how to dye with food colorings. “Happy” egg hunting this Ostara!