Blessed Ostara

Hello everyone! It’s just a few days until Ostara 2017, and I’ve decided to compile a post about the Sabbat itself! I have been a practicing witch now for 6 years, and I have a bit of useful information that I think could benefit some new witches on the scene, so lets get started!

Ostara, also known as the Spring/Vernal Equinox, is a day celebrating new beginnings, passion, fertility, change, renewal, abundance, and light. It is the first day of the year where the day as well as the night have the exact same measure of time. Pagans and Wiccans celebrate this Sabbat on, or around March 20, and it is very much like the Christian Easter. On this day, the Goddess Eostre is honored by many, and rituals designed around receiving abundance, gaining fertility, undergoing change, and obtaining balance throughout all areas of life are carried out. This is a time to embrace the sun and the good weather ahead.

There are so many different ways that you can celebrate Ostara, and I’d like to start with a few suggestions. You can also find many Ostara resources in countless places online if you would like to seek more information about the traditions and recipes normally used during this time.

A very fun family activity that you can do during this time is making cascarones. This tradition, thought of to be of Mexican origin, is a wonderful way to involve your kids in your beliefs if they are interested in learning about Ostara. Making cascarones is quite a difficult process, but would look lovely on an altar. To make a cascarone, you need to take a raw egg, and poke two holes in it. One in the top of the egg, and one in the bottom. Make sure to be very gentle, so you do not shatter the eggshell while doing this. Then, over a bin you press your lips against the egg, and blow out the yolk and egg whites. This can be a very challenging, and even a painful process. Once the egg is clear inside, you need to cleanse it with warm water. Make sure to thoroughly clean the inside of the egg so that it won’t end up causing an odor in a day or two. Once this step is completed, you need to allow to egg to dry out for a considerable amount of time. There are ways to quicken this process, and you can find those ideas online, however making cascarones can be quite an elaborative process. Once they are dried, you can fill the cascarones with crushed herbs that signify abundance, blessings, and anything else you wish to attract to your life. Then, they can be placed in a sacred space. You can also paint them as well if you like, and add sigils or runes. You can get extremely creative with cascarones.

Next, I’d like to indulge in a bit of divination. Personally, I am a very big fan of tarot, and anyone that knows me knows this very well, however I wanted to do some research and find something more traditional. I came across Oomancy. This is an age-old form of divination that involves the whites of an egg and hot, boiling water. First, boil a pot of water. Make sure it comes to a rolling boil, and then what you do is quickly remove it from the heating element. Then, crack an egg and separate the yolk from the egg whites. Pour the egg whites right into the hot water, and watch as they quickly harden into a white, gelatinous substance. Study the formation of the egg whites, and keep an open mind, don’t just see what you want to see. You can interpret the egg whites anyway you like, and be sure to hone in on your intuition when doing so.

Finally, I would like to also go over a few Ostara correspondences that I believe will help you prepare for the upcoming sabbat. Here is a list of different witchy items that you can use for Ostara:

Colors: Green (abundance, calming, fertility, growth, health, new beginnings, prosperity.) Light Blue (calmness, patience, tranquility, understanding.) Pink (affection, contentment, harmony, friendship, love, spiritual healing, virtue.) Silver (The Goddess, intuition, psychic abilities.) Violet (healing, intuition, self-improvement, spiritual awareness.) White (cleansing, purification, innocence, divination, healing.) Yellow (attraction, energy, creativity, communication, joy, the sun, vitality.)

Herbs: High John Root, Irish Moss, Lemon Grass, Broom

Crystals: Agate, Aquamarine, and Bloodstone

Animal Totems: Bees, boar, butterflies, chicks, hedgehog, horse, phoenix

Oils: Apple blossom, daffodil, crocus, daisy, honeysuckle, jasmine, lilac, rose, orange blossom, honey

Foods: Asparagus, dill, eggs, honey, lamb, lettuce, radishes, seafood, spring onions

I hope this article has been helpful, and I hope you have a bright, and blessed Ostara!

Some of these ideas has been taken from Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials: Ostara