Practical Magic: A Beginner's Guide to Crystals, Horoscopes, Psychics, and Spells - Nikki Van De Car 2017

Ostara
Pagan Holidays
Magic for the weekend Wiccan

Pronounced OH-star-ah. Celebrates the balance of night and day at the midpoint of spring. Sacred to Eostre, the lunar goddess of fertility. Falls on the spring equinox.

Eostre (pronounced EHS-truh) is not the only deity honored on Ostara, but she is the one that has had the most pronounced influence on our culture. Eggs and rabbits are her symbols… so that’s where the Easter Bunny comes from. Eostre is also at the root of estrogen, which is a nice image to have for an occasionally annoying hormone.

Ostara also honors the Green Man, that mysterious figure permeating so many different cultures around the world, dating back for thousands of years. Every year, he dies and is reborn, symbolizing the rebirth that we experience every year with spring. More than anything, Ostara is about birthing, sprouting, and growth. At this time spring has begun in earnest, and it is apparent in the yellow-green leaves and the delicate blossoms surrounding us.

COLORS: green and yellow

STONES: jasper and emerald

HERBS: early spring flowers in general

WAYS TO CELEBRATE:

Coloring eggs is technically celebrating Ostara, so carry on.

Spend the day working in the garden—if you don’t have one, volunteer at your neighborhood park.

Go for a long hike in the woods, assisting new growth wherever you can.

Make a Green Man by either fashioning a head out of straw or purchasing a foam form from a craft store and covering it with vegetation.