Ostara

 

The Spring Equinox, March 20 – 22 (depending on the fall of the Vernal Equinox astronomically).  This is a time of fertility, courtship and new life budding forth.  The Sun Lord has reached maturity and begins to court the Maiden Goddess.  I decorate my altar with bright Spring flowers and cloths of yellow and pale green.  I place a crystal hare on my altar to invoke the blessings of fertility, fruitfulness and growth in the coming year.    You can also place a dish of seeds on your altar as representation of new beginnings, ideas or future plans.  Part of your Ostara ritual might include the planting of three seeds, each representing one new goal for the coming year as I have done over the years.  Again, this comes from my own experience of early practice; and as you nurture each new little shoot, watching it grow into a strong plant so to you nurture your plans and watch them come to fruition.  Some practitioners perform the seed planting at Imbolg, and again, I say do whatever works for you.  For me Ostara is the ideal time for planting and nurturing as it is a festival of new life as represented by the inclusion of eggs; and the association with eggs is obvious; conception and life.