Ostara
Maid tied to no man,
Chased through Spring Wood
Hunted by Herne the Horned,
But evading His lust
A playful smile, a lure
Fresh life is yours Maiden
Lambs blossom and budding roses
Inspirer of poets first Fuse
Waxing moon growing
Potential life, love
Maiden you are the start
Of all that comes after
Without out life grows stale
The cycle cannot progress
We cannot go on
Maiden of the Greenwood
Snowdrops on fresh snow
Spring rain and lightwinds
Fresh air in wooded glen
Loving nature blooms.
~Talesin
At Vernal Equinox (Spring Equinox, Ostara-on or about March 21), we celebrate the balance of light and dark, rebirth and reunion, as well as the "emergence" of Goddess. We might begin to see the first "bud" of what we implemented at Yule. Growth and change are awakening, becoming more obvious. Buds begin to push their way through the Earth and into the nurturing Sun's light. Among many species of animals, breeding takes place, including, some would say, humans "In Spring a young persons fancy turns to". Nature shifts from the cold sleep of Winter, to the growth and joyous activity of Spring. It is a time of new beginnings, of letting go of the old and making room for the new.
At this time we think of renewing ourselves. We renew our thoughts, our dreams, and our aspirations. We think of renewing our relationships. This is an excellent time of year to begin anything new or to completely revitalize something. This is also an excellent month for prosperity Rituals, or for Rituals that have anything to do with growth.
This Sabbat is named for Eostra (Ostara), the Goddess of the Dawn, "the Saxon Goddess who heralds the triumphant rebirth of the Sun and the return of the greening season". Other names for this Sabbat are Oestara, Eostre's Day, Rite of Eostre, Alban Eilir, Festival of the Trees, and Lady Day. Another tradition celebrates the return of Persephone to Her Mother Demeter, from Hades, God of the Underworld. Some traditions see this as the time of "courtship" between the God and the Goddess, which will be consummated at Belteinne. This is the time when the great Mother Goddess, again a virgin at Candlemas, welcomes the young Sun God unto her and conceives a child of this divine union and the child, is born nine months later, at Yule.
While Imbolc is considered by some to be the beginning of Spring, the Festival is about anticipating the return of life. It is at Ostara that spring really begins to flood the land with rebirth, growth and new beginnings. Ostara is celebrated on the Vernal Equinox, a day of balance of light and dark, yet the light grows stronger day by day. This is the day that Goddess emerges from her rest and renewal to Bless the land with rebirth. In some traditions, on this day a growing and maturing God is envisioned exploring the newly reborn Earth.
Many cultures see this Goddess, not only as the Goddess of Fertility, but also a Goddess of Grain. Special breads and cakes would be baked and brought to Her in offering. This tradition remains, and Easter breads and cakes are baked even today. Other foods of the season can include; seeds, and pine nuts, green leafy vegetables and sprouts, all are appropriate.
Ancient customs such as the lighting fires at dawn for health, rebirth and renewal, and protection of the crops still survive in some parts of the world.
The Aztecs celebrated the greatest festival of the God Xipe Totec at the Vernal Equinox. In the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in Mexico, is the Templo Mayor, a pyramid surmounted by two symmetrical temples. The pyramid is an astronomical observatory, and is aligned with the equinoctial sunrise. It's main function, to announce the Equinoxes.
The Equinoxes coincide with the start of the rainy seasons in the Amazon, - one in March, the other in September. To the Desana and Barasana Indians, connections between all that happens on Earth, especially the availability of game animals and fish, with what they see happening in the sky. To them, the night sky is seen as a great brain, and its two hemispheres are divided by the Milky Way. At each Equinox, with theSun is directly overhead, an upright staff casts no shadow, these people believe that Sunrays are penetrating the Earth, making the world fertile and new. In their myths, on the First Day the Sun Father fertilized Earth by creating a vertical rod inserted to it's center, and from this spot the first people emerged. This center is said to be theEarths equator.
Symbols of the Festival include eggs, rabbits, and flowers of all kinds. Rabbits or hares were companions of the Goddess (Eostra), and she is often envisioned with a hare by Her side or at Her feet. Because of their ability to reproduce, they are perfect symbols for the beginning of a season of fertility.
Some modern activities such as the dying of Easter Eggs are "leftovers" of ancient traditions. The Saxons painted eggs with their hopes and dreams and presented them as a gift to the Goddess Eostre. These eggs were then buried, so that the Goddess would know minds of the people, in hopes that She would help them bring about their desires. In those days, eggs gathered were used to make "talismans" and eaten in Ritual. The gathering of eggs of all different colors from bird nests is still somewhat observed today in the Easter egg hunt. It is said the tradition of using a basket to collect and keep the eggs is reminiscent of those nests.
To celebrate this day decorate your home and altars with spring flowers, potted plants, and colored and decorated eggs. This is also a time to bless seeds and plants, to take action and start anew. The Vernal Equinox is a time of action, of planting seeds for future grains, and of clearing out and tending our gardens our homes and ourselves. "Spring cleaning" is much more than physical work. It can be seen as an ideal time to cleanse your home of the problems and negativity of the past months, and prepare for the coming Spring and Summer. And the same can be applied Within as well.
May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee,
O Mother, O Woman Eternal
who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters
between the hands upon Her Heart
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
We swear by Peace and Love to stand,
Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand.
Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
confirming this, our Sacred Vow.
~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
