Ostara is coming!

Chat about pagan and Wiccan holidays.
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Firebird
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Ostara is coming!

Post by Firebird »

My very favorite time of the year! smileydance ...all the green growing things are budding out, seeds are being planted, bulb flowers are blooming, the grasses are soft and tender, chicks will be popping out of their colorful pastel eggs, and the baby bunnies are hopping around. Ahhhh,.... everything stands in balance for a moment and all is right with the world.
Other than the traditional egg hunt...what does everyone have in mind for celebrations this year?

here's a great song that brings the energy of spring in!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSGaTEdWjbs
Blessings, Firebird
“There are things known and things unknown and in between are the Doors.”
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“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”
― RWEmerson
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Holdasown
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by Holdasown »

I am thinking up a cermony to honor Frigga, Freya, Holda, Nerthus and Ostara. I also need to do my butzemann or scarecrow. Not sure of the detail but a nice dinner will be had too.
raynelae
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Re: Ostara is comming!

Post by raynelae »

It's my favorite time of year too! Can't wait to plant my herb garden! Oh...the magick of Spring! The Lady's return...new life to all! Welcome the Spring Maiden within your heart :)
Peace cannot be kept by force but can only be achieved through understanding (Albert Einstein) ~coexist~
raynelae
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by raynelae »

Ostara Activities and Ideas

You can also consider Ostara as a time of balance between light and dark. Night and day equally divide the 24 hours now; the dark half of the year gives way to the light. You can perform rituals to ask for balance in your life, and to honor both dark and light.

Go out and collect wild flowers if they are out in you area.

Take a walk and look for signs of emerging life in the forests and fields or in a local park.

Plant early seeds such as peas, lettuce, cabbage family. Start others indoors

Plan your magickal garden to plant after Beltane

Pick up litter at your favorite park or beach. Help the earth rejuvenate by getting rid of the mess. Even an hour of cleanup can make a big difference.

Do a spring cleaning rites/ritual and cleanse your home of negativity and any energies that might prevent you from taking advantage of prosperity in your life.

Perform oomancy (divination by eggs). To perform the most common form of egg-divination, separate egg whites and yolks. You then drop the white into hot water and divine from the shapes it assumes.

Celebrate Nawruz, the Persian New Year, which falls on the spring equinox by fixing a special dinner of seven food dishes that begin with ‘S.’ Either look up the names of the Arabic foods that you will want to use or use English words and eat salad, salami, soup, squash, etc. Decorate the table with a mirror, a bowl of water with one freshly-picked green leaf floating in it, a candelabra containing a candle for every child in the house, a copy of the Koran (or other sacred text), rose water, sweets, fruit, a fish, yogurt and colored eggs.

Draw sprouting leaves on an egg and bury it in your garden to help stimulate your plants.

Perform magick by planting a seed to grow with your spell. You can use the energy of this time of year to fuel any new project or goal. Think of how you wish to change and grow while planting the seed and watch it flourish as you do.

Make hot cross buns

Light pairs of white and black candles, symbolizing dark and light, in different areas of your home. Each time you pass a pair of candles, you can honor the balance of light and dark we find this time of year, and the balance of light and dark within yourself.

Dye eggs with natural dyes and try decorating them with magickal or other symbols. Ideas for thos you can use include runes, astrological symbols, elemental symbols, the Theban alphabet, zodiac/planetarysymbols, Ogham writing, Native American pictographs, lunar & solar symbols,stars, pentacles, Egyptian hieroglyphs, God/Goddess symbols, the triscale and more!

Create an effigy of the dark half of the year and imbue it with the things of winter you’d like to leave behind. You can then either burn it in a bonfire or drop it in the nearest watercourse
In ancient Italy in the spring, women planted Gardens of Adonis. They filled urns with grain seeds, kept the in the dark and watered them every two days until they sprouted. You can do this yourself with grass seed in baskets.You can then put your decorated eggs on the altar, etc. in your grass filled baskets. Talk about how this custom persists today in Sicily, where women plant seeds of grains–lentils, fennel, lettuce or flowers–in baskets and pots. When they sprout, the stalks are tied with red ribbons and the “gardens” are placed along roads on the Christian Good Friday. They are meant symbolize the triumph of life over death.

Have each member of your family/coven select a seed or bulb that they wish to plant. Bless them and visualize your plants in full bloom. Then you may wish to invoke each of the four elements necessary for the plants’ growth. You may either plant your items outside, or if it is too cold place them in a pot of soil and pat down the earth (element earth), poured water on it (element water), breath on it (element air) and then hold the pot over a candle (or up to the sun, if you are outside) (for fire).

Give a potted plant to friends or family for their garden or window sill

Take time to notice what birds have returned from their winter homes. Place feeders and/or a bird bath out for them.
Make a growth charm out of a hard-boiled egg — decorate it with symbols, write on it the quality you would like to manifest more fully within yourself, energize it, and then eat it.

Create ritual garment. Try our easy robe pattern. Embellish it with trims, embroidery, bells, stones, sequins or anything else that strikes your fancy. Save it to wear until Ostara as it was considered bad luck to wear it before then in ancient times.

Connect with plant energies. Choose a plant and spend time exploring the leaves and stem in great detail, being careful not to harm it. Use a magnifying glass. Feel the textures and inhale the scent of the plant.

Let the whole family create a dance depicting the rising of new shoots from the earth to greet the sun. Create your own music with drums, rattles and whistles, or choose music that reminds you of spring. Bundle up, spread out a blanket, and watch the sunrise. Eat honey cakes and eggs for breakfast.

Do a spring rite Take walks in parks, woods or other green areas. Make the walking a ritual in itself. Wear flowers in your hair, or as a necklace, and strew them around and on your alter. Toss crushed eggshells into the garden and say: For fairy, for flowers, for herbs in the bowers, The shells pass fertility with springtime showers.

from: Green Witchcraft by Anna Moura (Aoumiel)
Peace cannot be kept by force but can only be achieved through understanding (Albert Einstein) ~coexist~
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Zili
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by Zili »

Not sure what we'll be doing but I've decided to become a student again under one of my old friends I'm also her employee at the moment for a small Renaissance faire and we'll all be celebrating the weekend before, I know the day of there's a huge masquerade ball the faire is putting on but I have normal week job to tend to as well.
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Firebird
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by Firebird »

Yeah!!!!!!! Ren Faire is coming!!! Hey Zili!, that sounds like fun :D . smiley_dance I know it can be a bummer when the mundane work week gets into the way of life. The original Ren Faire here in Cali, will be starting April 06 -May 19. I think I will be working in the Guild of St. Helena.

Also For ritual...we will go out to the site where the Faire really took off in 1968.... and do a sunrise ritual. It kinda cracks me up, because every year everyone always moans and complains about getting up well before dawn to get to the site, but once you are there and circling on the hill when the sun rises ....Pure Magic loveface
The Rite usually consists of a set of tire chains draped across your shoulders, this represents the remaining turmoil that chains you to the past year, you sit with this for awhile and ponder the issues that hold you back and keep you from progressing into the new cycle, then...when the time is right....and you feel you can break free...AWAY go the chains.... and I have seen everything from folks easily sliding away from the chains, to a forceful fling :shock: So, we tend to give the person chained plenty of room!!!
The beauty of the site, coming into the first light of dawn is truly a wonder to behold. If the rains have been good, then the poppies surround us. The bunnies are running around and we have seen deer, coyotes, skunks, snakes and hawks. I look forward to this Rite very much.
BB, Firebird
“There are things known and things unknown and in between are the Doors.”
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“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”
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raynelae
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by raynelae »

Firebird, that ritual sounds amazing! I never complain about sunrise rituals...they're my favorites. I probabaly won't get to celebrate the day of Ostara but instead the following weekend.
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Zili
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by Zili »

Never done a sunrise ritual but I naturally wake up at that time anyhow during faire ^_^ I suspect we'll do something pretty awesome my bosses are also my teachers and the husband of the couple is a high priest.
raynelae
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by raynelae »

This is my very favorite ritual and is so beautiful...I hope you all enjoy it as much as me! I found it on paganwiccan.about.com :D happy 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.

Begin by taking a moment to focus on the air around you. Inhale deeply, and see if you can smell the change in the seasons. Depending on where you live, the air may have an earthy aroma, or a rainy one, or even smell like green grass. Sense the shift in energy as the Wheel of the Year has turned. Light the green candle, to symbolize the blossoming earth. As you light it, say:

The Wheel of the Year turns once more,
and the vernal equinox arrives.
Light and dark are equal,
and the soil begins to change.
The earth awakes from its slumber,
and new life springs forth once more.

Next, light the yellow candle, representing the sun. As you do so, say:

The sun draws ever closer to us,
greeting the earth with its welcoming rays.
Light and dark are equal,
and the sky fills with light and warmth.
The sun warms the land beneath our feet,
and gives life to all in its path.

Finally, light the purple candle. This one represents the Divine in our lives -- whether you call it a god or a goddess, whether you identify it by name or simply as a universal life force, this is the candle which stands for all the things we do not know, all those things we cannot understand, but that are the sacred in our daily lives. As you light this candle, focus on the Divine around and within you. Say:

Spring has come! For this, we are thankful!
The Divine is present all around,
in the cool fall of a rain storm,
in the tiny buds of a flower,
in the down of a newborn chick,
in the fertile fields waiting to be planted,
in the sky above us,
and in the earth below us.
We thank the universe* for all it has to offer us,
and are so blessed to be alive on this day.
Welcome, life! Welcome, light! Welcome, spring!

Take a moment and meditate on the three flames before you and what they symbolize. Consider your own place within these three things -- the earth, the sun, and the Divine. How do you fit into the grand scheme of things? How do you find balance between light and dark in your own life?

Finally, blend the milk and honey together, mixing gently. Pour it onto the ground around your altar space as an offering to the earth**. As you do, you may wish to say something like:

I make this offering to the earth,
As thanks for the many blessings I have received,
And those I shall some day receive.

Once you have made your offering, stand for a minute facing your altar. Feel the cool earth beneath your feet, and the sun on your face. Take in every sensation of this moment, and know that you are in a perfect place of balance between light and dark, winter and summer, warmth and cold -- a time of polarity and harmony.

When you are ready, end the ritual.

Tips:

* Instead of "the Universe", feel free to insert the name of your patron deity or the gods of your tradition here.
** If you're doing this rite indoors, take your bowl of milk and honey and pour it in your garden, or around your yard.
Peace cannot be kept by force but can only be achieved through understanding (Albert Einstein) ~coexist~
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by raynelae »

Garden Blessing (oh thank you Goddess....fresh Herbs...fresh life!!! So excited!)

The earth is cool and dark,
and far below, new life begins.
May the soil be blessed with fertility and abundance,
with rains of life-giving water,
with the heat of the sun,
with the energy of the raw earth.
May the soil be blessed
as the womb of the land becomes full and fruitful
to bring forth the garden anew.


Supposed to be a Children's Ostara Chant...but I like it no matter what lol


Welcome, welcome, warm fresh earth!
Today we celebrate rebirth!
Blowing wind, rising sun,
Bringing the spring to everyone!
Rabbits hopping, chicks in the nest,
Spring is the season we love the best!
Celebrate the green of the earth with me -
Happy Ostara, and blessed be!

Spring Goddess
Hail, and welcome!
Green life returns to the earth
blooming and blossoming
once more from the soil.
We welcome you,
goddesses of spring,
Eostre, Persephone, Flora, Cybele,
in the trees,
in the soil,
in the flowers,
in the rains,
and we are grateful
for your presence.
Peace cannot be kept by force but can only be achieved through understanding (Albert Einstein) ~coexist~
raynelae
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by raynelae »

Spring Flower Magick...I'm finding this very useful...flowers are popping up more and more each day...beautiful!

Crocus: This flower is one of the first you'll see in the spring, and it's often associated with newly blooming love. The crocus is also known to enhance visions and bring about intuitive dreams.

Daffodil: The bright petals of the daffodil are typically found in shades of white, yellow or even pale orange. This flower is associated with love and fertility -- place fresh ones in your home to bring about abundance. Wear this flower close to your heart to draw love and luck.

Dandelion: The leaf of the dandelion is used for healing, purificaiton, and ritual cleansing. To bring positive change about, plant dandelions in the northwest corner of your property. The bright yellow flowers can be used in divination, or placed in a sachet to draw good energy your way.

Echinacea: Also called purple coneflower, this garden mainstay adds a little bit of magical "oomph" to charmes and sachets. Use it for prosperity related workings. Burn the dried flowers in incense, and use on your altar during ritual as an offering to deities.

Goldenseal: This sunny yellow flower is often found growing in the wild, alongside roads and in fields. Use it in money spells, or for business dealings. Work it into charms connected to matters of financial gain or legal issues.

Hibiscus: This lusty flower incites passion -- use it to attract love or lust, or for prophetic dreams about your lover. Burn in incense, or carry in a sachet to bring love your way.

Hyacinth: This flower was named for Hyakinthos, a Greek divine hero who was beloved by Apollo, so it's sometimes considered the patron herb of homosexual men. Hyacinth is also known to promote peaceful sleep, and guards against nightmares. Carry in an amulet to help heal a broken heart or to ease grief when a loved one dies.

Lily: The Easter lily or Tiger lily is associated with all kinds of Spring connections -- fertility, rebirth, renewal and abundance.

Narcissus: Named for another Greek figure, the Narcissus helps promote polarity and harmony. Its calming vibrations bring about tranquility and inner peace.

Tulip: The tulip appears in many different colors and varieties, but is typically connected to prosperity. You can use the different colored variations in color magic -- use a dark strain such as Queen of the Night for full moon rituals, or bright red flowers for love magic.

Violet: In Roman myth, the first violet sprung from the spilled blood of the god Attis, who killed himself for Cybele, the mother goddess. However, today the violet is associated with tranquility and peace. The leaf offers protection from evil, and can be sewn into a pillow or sachet for a new baby. Carry the petals with you to bring about luck and enhance nighttime magic.
Peace cannot be kept by force but can only be achieved through understanding (Albert Einstein) ~coexist~
raynelae
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by raynelae »

Well...crazy cooling weather in the forecast here in east TN. Looks like my Ostara will be celebrated in a week or so!
Peace cannot be kept by force but can only be achieved through understanding (Albert Einstein) ~coexist~
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Firebird
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by Firebird »

Image
image from wikipedia
Merry Ostara Everyone!!
may the blessings of the season renew you in every way
(sorry 'bout the snow you Eastern folks, pretty weird weather huh?)
Love, love, love, Firebird!
“There are things known and things unknown and in between are the Doors.”
― Jim Morrison
“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”
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ladywhitewolf
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by ladywhitewolf »

Have a wonderful Ostara everyone! I am not sure what I plan to do for the holiday yet. Maybe I will do a small ritual and light some candles and incense.
Jessica [aka Whitewolf]
raynelae
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Re: Ostara is coming!

Post by raynelae »

Well Happy Ostara...but ya...snow! Ugh...guess I'll be waiting a while lol.
Peace cannot be kept by force but can only be achieved through understanding (Albert Einstein) ~coexist~
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