I am so excited to welcome the first day of Spring today. We have the first Spring Peepers starting up at night and I know it will be so soon that we can open our windows at night and listen to the chorus of them as we fall asleep. Then come the crickets and firefly season!!! Ok I know I’m getting ahead of myself a bit. We’ve been lucky enough to already have a few days here where we can open the windows in the house getting that fresh air in. The kitties always get so excited as they reclaim their favorite windows. I can’t wait until it’s warm enough to have them open every day. There’s nothing quite like a house with fresh air. We have so many birds back already as well! I love waking up to the birds singing outside my window. Many of my favorites have returned and I get to watch them on the bird feeder while I’m at work. The crocus flowers and snowdrops are up in the yard and the shoots from some of the many other bulbs that we have planted are coming up. Soon we will have the return of the baby bunnies! I can’t wait!
Today we are turning that Wheel of the Year and welcoming the energy of Spring and new beginnings back into our life. It’s a wonderful day to celebrate the return of our Sun God as he makes his presence known bringing us longer days of light and the new life that is waking up all around us as we see the gifts that Mother Earth is bringing us. The Spring Equinox is the beginning of Spring but it is also a day of equal light and darkness. After today we will find that our days get longer and the nights a bit shorter as we welcome the power of the sun to change the world around us. This is always a special time of year here in New England and I know in just a few short weeks the world will be turning back into the beautiful emerald green that I love the most. New England is absolutely magickal during the Summer months. The colors are just so vivid and bright and everything smells amazing. If you look at places where the sun has been generous lately you can already see the grass starting to turn green again and the buds starting on a lot of the trees. We are already collecting seeds for the plants that we want to have in our deck garden this year.
We also celebrate the Goddess Eostre today who some of you may know as the Goddess of Ostara. She is the beautiful Germanic Goddess of Spring and of the Dawn. Bunnies are sacred to the Goddess Ostara and depending on the tradition you may have heard stories of her being able to turn herself into one. I have also heard an old story about her saving a bird by turning it into a rabbit. She had arrived late for Spring that particular year and found a bird freezing to death in the snow. She warmed him back up saving his life. She was sad that his wings were unable to be repaired though so she turned him into a beautiful white rabbit named Lepus the Hare. As he had spent so much of his life he was still able to lay eggs. Being touched by the Goddess though, he laid those eggs in a variety of colors. The children were quite fond of these brightly colored eggs and Ostara would often give them to children as gifts. In time the people put out brightly colored eggs as a gift to Ostara in return for her bringing back Spring. This is just one of the many stories that I have been told.
If you are performing your own ritual tonight fresh flowers such as violets, lily of the valley, daffodils and other early spring flowers are perfect. You can also use fresh herbs such as lemon balm, and lavender. If you live in a climate like mine this may not be possible as we don’t have a lot of flowers and herbs yet. Still, I am incredibly excited as I know they are coming. As an alternative, you can get fresh herbs at the store, or just decorate with beautiful spring-colored eggs. In addition, you can use light green, lavender, or purple candles on your altar, and burn an incense-like jasmine or patchouli.
Making a special Ostara dinner? Choose fresh green leafy vegetables and sprinkle seeds upon the top of your dish. You can serve special Ostara bread to go with your salad. For the main course think about dishes involving eggs, or maybe a nice quiche, be sure not to forget cakes for dessert! You can also add things like fresh fruits, sprouts, and flower dishes.
Much Love and Many Blessings,
Jasmeine Moonsong
P.S. The Spring Equinox and Ostara readings will close tonight for orders as well as almost all of the Limited Edition readings with the exception of the March Full Moon Reading and the Eclipse Season Tarot Journey. Book Your Readings Now!
Blessings of Ostara and the Spring Equinox!
