Ostara

Ostara is the festival Modern Pagans celebrate on the Spring Equinox. Spring equinox is a time of fertility and sowing seeds! Winter has gone and everyone (including plants and other animals) can now go out and enjoy the sunshine! At this time, Wiccans dress up in new clothing, light bonfires (especially at dawn), hold new beginnings rituals and thanksgiving rituals, and make offerings to the Spring Goddess or Ostara, the Germanic Goddess.

The Maiden Stage

Ostara is the time when the Goddess is at her maiden stage: full of potential, very fertile, open to growth and ready to be reborn. The Maiden phase of the Goddess represents the purity and the innocence of childhood that we all know. It is the time when a woman has dreams and desires that she wants to pursue.

The Maiden can be very self centered in the pursuit of her personal hopes and dreams that all her energy is focused on that and that alone. In the past, the Maiden’s self-absorption caused her to be late in arriving after a long, cold, and dark winter; and that nearly caused the death of a young bird. But she was able to save the bird by warming it up and turning it into a rabbit!

The Maiden reminds you to remember the magical child that lies within you. This is the time to be inspired by all the growth happening all around you! It’s time to revisit the dreams that you placed on the backburner and give you a chance to pursue them while at the same time asking you to look at whether your dreams and aspirations are purely selfish that you’ve stopped being considerate of other people. While it is good to pursue your dreams, make sure you’re not doing it at the expense of your loved ones’ feelings and safety.

Altar Decoration

To celebrate Ostara, you should decorate your altar with symbols of fertility and round and oval things like a basket of eggs on your altar, rabbits, lambs, chalice, and a cauldron. For colors, you use yellow, purple, pink, blues, green, white and pastels. For figurines, you can use a god and goddess statues or anything with sun and moon signs. For gemstones, you can use aquamarine, moonstone, and rose quartz.

The Wiccan Guide To Ostara from the Moonlight Post

Ostara is a time of new beginnings, renewal, and rebirth. So gather your friends around, light a bonfire, spend some time in your garden or go to the park. Walk in the grass and lie down in it. Celebrate the life around you–plants, flowers, insects, and birds. The Earth is coming alive!

How are you preparing for Ostara? Do you have interesting Ostara stories to tell? Please share in the comments section below. 🙂