Merry Meet dear friends. I hope you’ve all had a wonderful weekend. I know I did. We have enjoyed a few days of seeing the Sun shining! It’s been wonderful after several gloomy ones. Though it’s cold out, the Sun makes me feel all warm inside. I’m sitting by a warm fire, stocking feet up on an ottoman, laptop on lap and glass of Baileys by my side. I’m listening to my Ipod, hubby is snoozing in his chair next to me, and my daughter went on to her room for the night. It’s peaceful and quiet and my mind turned to the next Sabbat…Ostara…so I decided to write a post.
First, feel free to do a search here on my blog for Ostara…that will bring up all the previous posts I’ve written over the last 2 years. That way you can find the correspondences, recipes, pics of altars, rituals etc again. I don’t want to keep repeating myself every time I write on the same subject 🙂 As we all know, Ostara is the first day of Spring! The days are longer and starting to get warmer. Depending on where you live, you may see grass starting to green, spring flowers starting to shoot up from the ground, critters and birds getting more active, and people getting out a bit more, shedding their heavy winter coats. Garden Centers are filling up with seed packets, spring bulbs and flowers, patio pots, and all the goodies us garden Witches love. The stores are filling up with Easter candy, stuffed rabbits, and Spring clothing. Everybody’s mood gets just a bit lighter and a bit more energetic..a Spring in their step so to speak LOL.
It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want –
oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want,
but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!
~Mark Twain
Now here in Ohio…March can often have us with snow on the ground still. But sometimes, we see balmy weather and an early Spring too. Either way, I can still feel Spring coming in my soul….and it feels great! As much as I love Winter, Spring is a wonderful time of year too. My mind turns to cooking lighter, planning out my gardens and herb pots, finishing up any Spring cleaning that didn’t get done (I always save carpet cleaning and window cleaning for this time of year) and planning some outdoor fun. Taking nature walks this time of year is so wonderful! While on a walk, pay attention to what you see around you. The trees may be budding, spring ground cover blooming, mushrooms may be growing and you might see some baby critters too. Take a big old sniff of the air and the dirt….you can smell Mother Earth waking up, stretching, blooming…..ahhhhhh! If it’s really warm, take off your shoes and walk in the grass and dirt…or sit up against a tree, Sun shining on your face and feel the Earth’s vibrations..you can literally feel Her humming….vibrating….coming alive! Let the energy surge thru you….feel the quickening in your heart and soul. It’s magick!!
Right around Ostara is when I start picking up the things I need to start my herb seedlings. I buy the organic pots, organic soil and good seeds. I like to get them planted and growing right around the first day of Spring. I bless them with a magickal spell (you’ll find it in last years post here) and keep a close eye on them for the next 6 weeks. I love doing that..watching them sprout and grow. Some seeds do better then others…but I try every year to see how they do. Then right around Mother’s day…into the ground and/or pots they go! I love the whole process..it makes me happy!
My family celebrates Easter as well with members of our extended family who are Christian. So we do the family ham dinner, dye eggs and hide them for the grandkids, dress up in pastels etc. There are bunnies and tulips and colored eggs on my pastel- colored altars too. Yes, Easter is a nod to our Ostara, though Pagans don’t celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ….a Christian belief. Ostara…… is more about recognizing the lengthening days, the awakening of our Mother Earth, the work to come in our gardens, and the long dark spell of Winter being over! It is the turning of the Wheel…then end of one season and the start of the next. I still like to have beautiful meal of good food with my family for Ostara too. Being outdoors is a must and I like to do a ritual to welcome Persephone back from the Underworld..bringing Spring with her! As a Mother, I can imagine the joy Demeter must feel everytime her beloved daughter comes back. Think of that joy and find it yourself in your celebration of this beautiful Sabbat.
In the next week or two..I’ll be posting a few recipes, pics of my altar, and I’ll post pics of Mother Earth coming to life around me. Don’t forget if you want to…to look for my posts from last year and the year before for MORE recipes and more information. We have about a month until Ostara…I’m sure we will have more Winter weather in the meantime. But now….you can start thinking about what you’ll be doing when this next month or so is over and Spring has arrived. A wonderful way to while away the cold Winter days that are left 🙂 It won’t be long til you’ll see this……:)
And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Sensitive Plant
Blessings and Love, Autumn
*Sources..my own writing, all pics from the internet.
My Moonlit Path..... 