Chocolate Bunny Ostara Ritual For Children

For this ritual, you'll need the following:

• A bag of jellybeans
• Marshmallow Peeps -- chicks, bunnies, etc.
• A chocolate rabbit for each particpant
• A glass of milk for each participant

Arrange your ritual supplies on your altar so they look pretty. Kids can do this -- typically the chocolate rabbits end up in the center, surrounded by an army of Peeps and several rings of jellybeans. A quick note -- you might want to perform this ritual well in advance of mealtime, or all the kids will be too full of candy to eat a real dinner....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Chocolate Bunny Ostara Ritual For Children

Oestara

It is no coincidence that the name for this sabbat sounds similar to the word 'Easter'. Eostre, or Ostara, is an Anglo-Saxon Dawn Goddess whose symbols are the egg and the hare. She, in turn, is the European version of the Goddess Ishtar or Astarte, whose worship dates back thousands of years and is certainly pre-Christian. Eostre also lives on in our medical language in the words 'oestrous' (the sexual impulse in female animals) and 'oestrogen' (a female hormone). Today, Oestara is celebrated as a spring festival....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and can be found on my new website, The Pagan Calendar, here: Ostara

Personal Housekeeping For Oestara

We live in an age where guilt is more often encouraged then pride, where we are encouraged to dwell upon our 'negative' points and habits. This is not the way of the Witch. As Witches we must learn to be as honest about our plus points as society would like us to be about our minuses.

Advertising, probably the most pervasive kind of propaganda, encourages us to think of ourselves as 'less than perfect' unless we look and dress like the people in the adverts and possess all the things that the advertisers would like us to spend money on....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Personal Housekeeping For Oestara

About Ostara

Oestre, Easter, the Spring Equinox, Vernal (Spring) Equinox, Alban Eiler (Caledonii).

March 20 - 23 Northern Hemisphere

September 20 - 23 Southern Hemisphere

This is the official return of the young Goddess after her Winter hibernation. Traditionally celebrated on March 21st

The Simple Facts

The Spring Equinox is the point of equilibrium - when light and darkness are in balance but the light is growing stronger. The balance is suspended just before spring bursts forth from winter....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Ostara

An Oestara Ritual

The main points of Oestara are those of balance and of spring.

This ritual is best performed outdoors. In advance you will need to collect a small handful of old leaves and write on each something that you would like to be rid of. Also take a small number of seeds or seedlings (if these seedlings come from the seeds you planted at Imbolg, so much the better), one for each new thing that you wish to attain.

Silently ask the elements, the Goddess and the God to be with you, then when you are ready, dig a hole large enough to give space to the seedlings...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: An Oestara Ritual

A Ritual for Ostara

For this ritual, you'll want to decorate your altar with symbols of the season. Think about all the colors you see in nature at this time of year -- bright daffodils, crocuses, plump tulips, green shoots -- and incorporate them into your altar. This is also a time of fertility in the natural world -- the egg is the perfect representation of this aspect of the season. Symbols of young animals such as lambs, chicks, and calves are also great altar adornments for Ostara.

In addition, you'll need the following:

• Three candles -- one yellow, one green, and one purple
• A bowl of milk
• A small bowl of honey or sugar

Perform this ritual outside if at all possible, in the early morning as the sun rises. It's spring, so it may be a bit chilly, but it's a good time to reconnect with the earth. If your tradition normally requires you to cast a circle, do so now....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: A Ritual for Ostara

Fairy Dust

This is one of the easiest projects, and was created by our 8-year-old, Willow. Take colored eggshells (she was partial to blue), and grind to a fine powder. Toss in a pinch of rose petals, and you have ...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Magickal Apothecary, and can be found in its entirety here: Fairy Dust

Mean Earraigh - Vernal Equinox

And frosts are slain and flowers begotten, 

And in green underworld and cover 
blossom by blossom the spring begins. 

~Algernon Charles Swinburne

Méan Earraigh marks the spring (or vernal) equinox, when night and day are of equal length and spring officially begins. Birds begin their nesting and egg-laying, and eggs--symbolic of rebirth, fertility, and immortality--are tossed into fresh furrows or eaten by ploughmen. They are also carried by those engaged in spring planting....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here:  Méan Earraigh - Vernal Equinox

Egg Charms:

Eggs are an ancient symbol of fertility, new life, and the cycle of birth, death and rebirth of the Universe. As such, they make terrific charms for fertility, pregnancy, new endeavors, and similar types of magick. These types of charms are fairly easy, and very versatile.

Start with raw eggs. My favorite tool to pierce the shell is a small nail ~ for some reason, I've never had good luck piercing the shells with needles.

Pierce the narrow end of the shell with a tiny hole. At the wider end of the egg, use the nail to pierce a wider hole. This is the trickiest part of the operation, but I've been lucky and only lost a few eggs. Just handle the eggs gently, and once you make the hole in the wider end, use the tip of the nail to gently enlarge the hole.

Then, for those of you who have never done this before, simply place your lips over the smaller hole and blow. (No, you don't want to know what it looks like! LOL)...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Egg Charms

Magickal Colors for Ostara Eggs

• Black - Absorb and dispel negative influences, Mystery, Rememberance, Eternity, Constancy
• Blue - Healing, Peace, Astral projection, Fidelity, Sleep, Unity
• Brown - Animals, Helps connect to the rythms and energies of the Earth
• Gold - Activity, Money, The God, The Sun...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Magickal Ingredients, and can be found in its entirety here: Magickal Colors for Ostara Eggs

An Altar To Ostara

Here are some ideas for what you might want to include in an Altar to Ostara.

Ostara, the ancient German Virgin Goddess of Spring, loves bright colors. The light pastels of spring are perfect offerings for Ostara. To represent earth on your altar, choose bright or pastel colored stones like Rose Quartz, Amethyst, or any of the Calcites (blue, red, yellow, or green). If you have some Citrine, be sure to include it. Citrine has long been an aid for mental clarity....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and can be found at my new website, The Pagan Calendar, here: Méan Earraigh - Vernal Equinox

It's the Vernal Equinox

A traditional Vernal Equinox pastime is to go to a field and randomly collect wildflowers (thank the flowers for their sacrifice before picking them). Or, buy some from a florist, taking one or two of those that appeal to you. Then bring them home and divine their Magickal meanings. The flowers you've chosen reveal your inner thoughts and emotions....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and can be found on my new website, The Pagan Calendar, here: Méan Earraigh - Vernal Equinox