The Wheel of the Year: How to Celebrate Ostara

The Spring Equinox is a powerful time of the year for many of the Wiccan faith. Though an Ostara ritual is probably the most common way to mark this occasion, there are many other ways to celebrate the Vernal Equinox.

Decorating and Crafting for the Spring Equinox

Since Ostara falls so near to Easter, and its symbols are similar, you can usually find suitable decorations quite easily. The lore of Ostara speaks of fertility, resurrection, and love. It is also said to be a good time of year to tackle new projects. So decorations associated with new beginnings are the most appropriate.

Look for items in the colors commonly associated with fertility and birth, such as pastel blue, green, or pink. Silver is also a good color for the Vernal Equinox. These same colors can be used to decorate your home and temple, or simply purchase candles and flowers in these colors. Scatter them around your space and you’ll have a festive ambiance.

Eggs are a powerful symbol of fertility. They also make a wonderful spring craft and can also be used for decorating. Dye and decorate hard-boiled eggs. If you want your eggs to last for several years, poke a small hole in both ends of a raw egg. Rinse well and decorate. Be sure to store these carefully so they do not break.

Masks can be fun to make. Consider the season and choose a theme based on spring or fertility. Try making fairy or leprechaun masks. You can also create animal masks, such as chicks or rabbits. These masks can be worn or simply used to decorate the ritual space.

Making Merry at the Vernal Equinox

Some Wiccan groups select a Spring Queen and Spring King for the Sabbat of Ostara. These people preside over the celebration, holding a place of honor. They may be elected or selected at random. After the celebration, the Spring Queen takes home all flowers used in decorating the ritual area.

Bless baskets of spring treats during ritual. Choose decorated eggs, chocolate bunnies, or any other treat you like. Distribute these filled baskets to friends and family.

You can also make special divination eggs. Take hard-boiled eggs and draw mystical symbols on them with a white crayon. Use runes, ogham, or even alchemical sighs. Place these eggs in a basket and allow your friends and family to choose one at random. Place these in a natural dye to reveal the symbols; then, help each other to interpret the messages revealed. Alternatively, you can use eggs for egg spells.

Consider building an Ostara fire. Collect three pieces of nine different woods, if possible. Dance wildly around this fire, either skyclad (nude) or robed, celebrating the pure love of the Vernal Equinox. You could also organize a trip to the beach, if it's warm enough. This is the perfect spot for some beach magick.

Mundane Actions to Celebrate the Sabbat of Ostara

The Spring Equinox is a time of new beginnings. Launching new projects or committing to those things that can be completed in the fall are both appropriate actions for Ostara.

Start your seasonal garden, planting those crops that can be harvested in the fall. If it’s too cold in your region to plant outdoors, start your crops inside, transplanting them when the conditions are right.

There are many creative ways to celebrate Ostara. This is a period of whimsy, a time to cast off the inhibitions of winter. Any activity that embodies these qualities is perfect for the Vernal Equinox.

The Wheel of the Year: The Vernal Equinox and Its Lore

The Vernal Equinox, also called the Spring Equinox, Ostara, Eostre, and Eostar, is celebrated around March 21st. Its exact date can be found on many calendars, often marked as the ‘first day of spring.’ It is on of the two days of the year when light and dark are equal, and so it is a time of balance.

The Themes and Practices of the Spring Equinox

This festival takes its most common Wiccan name, Ostara, from the Saxon goddess Eostre. She is the goddess of desire and of love, both the morning and the evening star. She searches for her lost lover, ready to do battle to secure his return.

Many Wiccans set aside some time at dawn on this day. This time is usually reserved for the contemplation of the return of spring and all that this means for the world. Fertility of animals, crops, and humans is celebrated. The balance of darkness and light, and so female and male, is acknowledged. It is also a time when the mother-daughter bond is at its height, as illustrated by the myth of Persephone and her mother Demeter.

The Christian holy day of Easter is based upon the festival of Ostara, and is observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Vernal Equinox.

As a part of the Wheel of the Year, the Spring Equinox is the time when the God begins to leave His childhood behind as He moves toward adulthood. At the same time, the Goddess senses that Her lover draws near, and begins to seek Him out. This is the root of the sexual nature of Ostara.

Some symbols associated with Ostara include:

• Colored eggs;
• Baskets;
• Rabbits and hares; and
• Brightly colored ribbons.

The Feast of Ostara

Traditional foods at this time include meats such as hare or rabbit, and possibly ham or fish. Seasonal vegetables can also be served, including sprouts, shoots, and a variety of early spring greens. Eggs and cheese are also common.

Some feasting suggestions for this holiday include:

• Hot crossed buns;
• Chili eggs;
• Tender baked white fish;
• Spring sprout salad;
• Baked sandwiches;
• Pasta with goat cheese;
• Omelets;
• Gammon ham; and
• Egg and artichoke pie.

Beverages For the Vernal Equinox

There are several beverages suitable to Ostara. Red wine, symbolizing blood, is very common. Milk, eggnog, or Honey Mead are also appropriate. Mint wines also make a lovely addition to an Ostara feast.

Celebrating Ostara

There are many ways to celebrate the Spring Equinox. Since Ostara is, in many ways, an ancient version of Easter, you can use many of the same traditions, perhaps modified only slightly. Consider holding an ‘Egg Hunt.’ Dye some eggs red to symbolize fertility and resurrection and hide them well, indoors or out. Have your family and friends hunt for these eggs, anointing a winner at the end. The winner is the Spring Queen/King for the day.

Children usually love crafts. Have them create ‘Wheel Charms’ to represent balance. You can also choose to celebrate this Sabbat with an Ostara Ritual. Magick would typically not be worked during this ritual, as Sabbats are celebratory in nature.

Dressing for the Vernal Equinox

Fancy dress can be a wonderful way to experience the magick of Ostara. You may wish to wear ritual robes, or you might prefer something simpler. Either way, try to wear something special, perhaps in the traditional Ostara colors of silver, green, or lavender.

The Vernal Equinox, which is celebrated in many forms around the world, is a time of celebration and balance for Wiccans around the world. It is a time of merriment and a chance to welcome warmth back to the Earth.

Foundations of Magick: A Magickal Connection

To really work true magick, a practitioner must form a connection between the three aspects of self – the conscious self, the subconscious self, and the Higher Self. Forging this magickal connection and discovering the magick within takes patience and discipline.

Creating the Connection Between the Conscious Self and the Subconscious Self

For the most part, the subconscious self is ignored by the conscious self. There are different reasons for this. Many people are uncomfortable wit the idea of this more sensual or emotional self. Some feel that the subconscious self is simply too childish to be bothered with. Either attitude can interfere with the process of forging a connection between the subconscious and conscious minds.

Reconnecting with the subconscious self is an incredibly simple process. It's believed that one need only be open to what the subconscious has to say. Listen to it, talk to it, and pay attention to what it has to offer. Remember that the subconscious is very like a small child or an animal. After being neglected for so long, it will not trust easily. The subconscious must be courted, gentled, and taught to trust. This takes time and patience.

A good method for building a relationship with the subconscious self is to use meditation. While in a meditative state, ask the subconscious self to reveal itself in the form of an animal. It may still be shy, and may not appear, and if it does, it may not be in its true animal form. If the animal spirit runs or hides, then it is not yet ready to reveal itself. With patience, the subconscious self will reveal its true animal form, and when it does, valuable insights can be gained into its personality.

There are other things that can be done to strengthen the bond with the subconscious self. This element of the mind is usually sensual, playful, and child-like, and thus, it will typically respond when these aspects of the self are explored and indulged. In time, the sensuality, spontaneity, and energy of the subconscious self will be added to the maturity, thoughtfulness, and intelligence of the conscious self.

Forging a Link Between the Subconscious Self and the Higher Self

The subconscious self has spent a great amount of time storing up old memories and emotions. Not all of these are positive. The negative memories and emotions are a block to any sort of connection to the Higher Self. Overcoming this is not always easy.

The negative emotions and memories must be identified and truly released. This can be done through meditation, hypnosis and divination, perhaps with the use of different tools, such as the Tarot. Some practitioners also find that simply discussing these things with a trusted friend helps to release them. Still others decide that professional therapy may be of assistance. Everyone will find different ways of doing this.

The idea here is to find balance that might have been lost. This means not just identifying the negative emotions that are blocking access to the Higher Self, but mending them. This is probably the most difficult part of connecting the subconscious self to the Higher Self. One a mundane level, this might mean making amends for some harm that you have done others, or offering forgiveness to those who have caused harm to you.

In a more magickal sense, this process might involve spiritual cleansing. Ritual baths, self blessings, aura cleansings, and smudging are just some ideas on how this might be accomplished. Over time, and with patience, the negative emotions and memories can be cleared, if not totally forgotten. Once this has happened, there can be a free exchange of energy between the subconscious self and the Higher Self.

Clearing a Path From the Conscious Self to the Higher Self

Once the Higher Self and the subconscious self are ready and able to communicate effectively, there is only one last path of communication left that must be established — the conscious self to the Higher Self. If this pathway can be forged, the Higher Self will shower the conscious self with wisdom, love, and power.

The one real block in establishing this communication is the conscious self. If it (and you) cannot be made to accept that all the gifts that flow from the Higher Self are both well-deserved and highly possible, then the path will remain blocked. It can be opened by a sense of faith and belief that the Higher Self exists and that anything is possible. But just as important is a high-regard for oneself. Not ego, but a healthy respect.

The Higher Self is much wiser than the conscious mind. When it comes to the working of magick, it will grant that which is asked for in its own way. Sometimes, this will be subtle, almost unnoticeable.

To fully explore the intricacies of magick, one has to be open to the messages that the Higher Self will reveal. This requires a level of awareness that can only be developed over time, and only by those who are determined to do so.

Foundations of Magick: The Magick Within

One of the greatest secrets of magick is the way in which the three aspects of the self — the conscious mind, the subconscious mind, and the Higher Self — connect, communicate, and cooperate to facilitate the practice of magick.

The Conscious Mind and its Place in Magick

It's believed that the conscious mind is where much of the personality and rational thought reside. It is the waking self, the part that reasons and functions in the mundane world. The conscious mind thinks, decides, and judges. It is the embodiment of mind and will; it may recognize some emotions, but it is not the source of the deepest feelings. Though this part of the self controls conscious movement, it has little direct control over the more subconscious actions of the body – breathing, circulation, the nervous system, etc.

Many people tend to act as if the conscious mind is all that there is. These people sail blissfully through life, unaware of just how dependent they are upon what they cannot readily observe.

The Subconscious Mind and Its Place in Magick

The subconscious mind is mostly ignored by the conscious mind, and yet it can be a powerful ally. The subconscious mind controls memory, sensation, and emotion. Everything that is felt, remembered, or physically experienced comes from the subconscious mind. It is the part of the self that is involved in love and sex, or anytime heightened emotions come into play. The subconscious mind also controls the involuntary responses of the body, such as breathing and circulation.

The subconscious can channel a great deal of psychic energy, but in order to use this energy effectively, it usually requires the guidance of the conscious mind. The subconscious mind is childlike, reacting based on instinct and intuition, and searching for immediate gratification. Though powerful, the subconscious mind requires the rational thought of the conscious mind to be useful.

The Higher Self and Its Place in Magick

The Higher Self is the part of the self that connects to the divine, the spiritual self. It is the deepest level of consciousness, the source of wisdom and compassion. This is the part of the self that can harness the divine powers of creation and transformation, allowing the working of greater magicks.

The Higher Self cannot, however, connect directly to the conscious mind, for the conscious mind is not fully aware of the spiritual self. The Higher Self requires a bridge to communicate with the conscious mind. This bridge is one part of the self that can communicate effectively with both the Higher Self and the conscious mind – the subconscious mind.

How the Conscious Mind, the Higher Self, and the Subconscious Mind Work Together

In order to work magick effectively, the three aspects of the self must learn to work together in harmony. Many potential magicians fail in their quest to work magick because they attempt to connect to the Higher Self directly, bypassing the subconscious mind. Others think that they can ignore the Higher Self completely, working magick with the power of the intellect alone. Both ideas are doomed to failure.

True magick, magick that will work and work reliably, has a specific pattern. First, the conscious mind must decide on plan and purpose for magick. This should be well thought out, and adhere to the principles of magick. The conscious mind must then communicate this intent to the subconscious mind. This triggers an emotional response, and begins to raise the power necessary to effectively work magick.

This power is channeled by the subconscious mind to the Higher Self. This power also brings with it the will of the conscious mind. For this process to work, there must be a free flow of trust, love, communication, and power.

Creating and sustaining a relationship between all three aspects of self is not an easy task to manage. How quickly a magickal connection occurs depends entirely on the discipline and desire of the practitioner.