Once upon a time there was a beautiful spring goddess, Ostara, who flies through the heavens with her beams of light to bring spring after the wintry cold. One year, she arrived a bit late. She was feeling extremely guilty as she rushed to bring the crisp spring dawn, making up for time lost. She came across a pitiful little bird; it’s wings frozen from the snow, it’s life force melting away. Lovingly, Ostara cradled the poor creature and restored his life. She then made the bird her pet (or lover in the x-rated version), and turned him into a snow hare since he could no longer fly. 

She also gave him the gift of being able to run with astonishing speed so he could easily evade all the hunters.  To honor his earlier form as a bird, she also gave him the ability to lay eggs (in all the colors of the rainbow, no less), but he was only allowed to lay eggs on one day out of each year.

Eventually Ostara lost her temper with Lepus (some say the raunchy rabbit was involved with another woman), and she flung him into the skies where he would remain for eternity as the constellation Lepus (The Hare), forever positioned under the feet of the constellation Orion (the Hunter).

But later, remembering all the good times they had once enjoyed, Ostara softened a bit and allowed the hare to return to earth once each year, but only to give away his eggs to the children attending the Ostara festivals that were held each spring.

~ Go to a field and pick wild flowers and random. [Thank the flowers for their sacrifice before picking them, and leave a small offering that can be water, a strand of your hair, or small pieces of food] Or buy some from a florist, taking one or two of those that appeal to you. Then bring them home and divine their magickal meanings by the use of books, your own intuition, a pendulum or by other means. The flowers you’ve chosen reveal your inner thoughts and emotions.

~ It is important at this time of renewed life to plan a walk (or a ride) through gardens, a park, woodlands, forest and other green places. This is not simply exercise, and you should be on no other mission. It isn’t even just an appreciation of nature. Make your walk celebratory, a ritual for nature itself. ~ Other traditional activities include planting seeds, working on magickal gardens and practicing all forms of herb work - magickal, medicinal, cosmetic, culinary and artistic.

~ You can make and/or wear new clothing, and clothing that consists of green, yellow, or light pink. Wearing new clothes is a way to celebrate and feel the renewal of our persona.

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Pronunciation: Oh - star - uh 

Other Names: Ostre, Oestre, Eostre, Rites of Spring, Eostra’s Day, First Day of Spring, Easter, Alban Eiler, Bacchanalia, Mean Earraigh, Pasch, Caisg, Pess

Lore: When sun enters Ares, usually around March 20-21st. It’s a time to celebrate the coming of spring; where light and darkness are balanced, but light will soon reign over the dark. It marks the end of winter, where the masculine and feminine energies are also balanced. The god comes of age and maturity and will soon be the goddess’ lover at Beltaine. 

Activities/rituals: coloring eggs, planting, making/wearing new clothing, rites of balance, fertility, welcoming spring, honoring the sun god, communication with faeries 

Essence: Strength, birthing, completion, power, love, sexuality, embodiment of spirit, fertility, opening, beginning

Stones & Gems: Jasper, Amethyst, aquamarine, red jasper, bloodstone, garnet, lapis lazuli, rose quartz, clear quartz, amazonite 

Incense: African violet, jasmine, rose, sage, lotus, magnolia, and strawberry

Herbs & Flowers: Honeysuckle, Iris, Peony, Irish Moss, Violet, Woodruff, Rose, Acorns, Gorse, Olive, Narcissus, Daffodils, Jonquils, Primrose, Pine Trees, tansy, ginger, Easter Lily, Dogwood, Spring Flowers

Foods/drinks: Hard-boiled eggs, honey cakes, fresh seasonal fruits, milk punch, leafy green vegetables, dairy foods, apples, nuts, flower dishes, sprouts, fish, maple sugar candies, hot cross buns, sweet breads, milk, punch, egg drinks, fruity red wines, beer

Colors: Green, Yellow, Pastels, Pale pink 

Symbols: Rabbit, baby animals, eggs, the sun, similar to Easter symbols. 

Deities: The Maiden & all love,fertility, and virgin goddesses, goddess and god in their youth; Astarte, Aurora, Eostre, Aphrodite, Oshun, Mithras, Venus, Dagda, Ishtar, Eos, Ostara, Kore, Persephone, Green Man, Ares, Mars, Attis, Adonis, Osiris, Flora, Dionysus, Narcissus, Hyacinth, Hercules, Pan, Cernunnos, The Muses, Odin, 

Animals and Mythical Beasts: Rabbits/Easter bunny, snakes, pegasus, unicorns, chicks, swallows, robins, merpeople, faerie folk

Decorations: Daffodils, tulips, violet, iris, narcissus, any spring flowers, eggs, butterflies, cocoons

Spell/Ritual Work: Garden/plant blessings, seed blessing, spellcrafting, balance, growth, communication, invention, new growth, new projects

Planetary Ruler: Mars

Tarot Card: The Fool 

Element: Air

Gender: Male

Threshold: Dawn