Goddesses, Rabbits, and Eggs: Ostara Magic for Springtime Doers

A Spring Equinox guide for gentle beginnings and grounded wonder—Ostara magic for anyone finding their new earth-centered spiritual path.

Our Earth Goddess altar (featuring Danu) nestled beneath a sacred Cottonwood mother on our farm.

“Goddesses, Rabbits, and Eggs! Oh My!”

Come on, you know you were thinking it!

Except it’s more like, “Goddesses, Rabbits, and Eggs! Oh YES!”

Okay, I’m done. I promise!

Now, time to be a little more serious…

Because beneath the sparkle, I’ve been feeling a lot with this season shift.

I’m sitting here in the high desert of south-central Utah where the sun is shining potently (as it usually is). I look out over this vast, beautiful landscape dotted in Utah Juniper and piñon pine friends who are painted against a stunning canvas of sacred red rock towers and mesas. These ancient beings sit nestled beneath towering mountain grandparents topped with aspen groves, ponderosa pines, gigantic basalt boulders…and a disturbingly thin layer of snowpack…

Winter here in the Rocky Mountain region of the western United States has not been much of a winter at all. Record-high temperatures, coupled with little precipitation, have given way to tremendous alarm to those of us who call this desert home.

And yet, the great Wheel of the Year turns despite the climate grief I hold…

And as much as I keep hoping, praying, and yearning for more mountain snowfall before spring fully arrives, I know there is little else I will be able to do but to surrender to the Earth Mother’s wishes. (And also adjust how we live in accordance with the available resources).

Yes, my friends, Spring approaches!

And while winter has not carried the usual cold temperatures and snowfall where I live, I can still feel my body relishing in the shifting angle of the sun; the calls of various returning birds; the expanded daylight hours; the increased eggs our laying hens offer; and that inner stirring that Spring naturally brings with her.

Ostara and the Spring Equinox

I talk frequently here in this space how our ancient ancestors honored and moved with the Earth’s natural rhythms and cycles. And the Spring Equinox is one of those times that called for sacred celebration!

In recent, previous posts, I have written about Yule (the Winter Solstice), and Imbolc (February 1st). And now we get to move to the Spring Equinox—known as Ostara in the Pagan tradition.

Ostara is the formalized name for this sacred turn of the Wheel in some modern pagan communities. The formalization has come via neopagans and Wiccan traditions as a way to reclaim lost practices of the European pagan peoples—and various cultural groups had/have their own names for the Spring Equinox.

However, celebrating and honoring the Spring Equinox is as ancient as we homo-sapiens have graced the surface of our great Earth Mother.

Where Does Ostara Originate?

Ostara (1884) by Johannes Gehrts. Taken from Wikipedia, “Ēostre”

Ostara is the name of the Germanic goddess of spring, agriculture, and new dawns. And her name in Anglo-Saxon Britain was Ēostre (yes, an etymological ancestor to the Christian holiday name, Easter—go figure…).

And speaking of Easter, Germanic mythology weaves in teachings about Ostara and her connection to the hare (and colorful eggs). Rabbits are easy, commonsense symbols of spring because of their high reproduction rates and large spring litters. Yet, rabbits are also fast and difficult to hunt—quickly being able to disappear into the hedge or an underground tunnel. For this reason, rabbits also carry a mythology around shapeshifting.

In fact, old German folklore includes a story that some scholars believe holds genesis for the tradition of the Easter Bunny. In this tale, there once was a gorgeous bird who laid beautiful, colorful eggs. Then, one day, the goddess Ostara changed the bird into a hare to become her new, swift messenger. However, the rabbit still retained her ability to lay colorful eggs—which she would do every spring.

Hence, imagery of rabbits and colorful eggs became woven into the tradition of the Spring Equinox throughout Britain and Germanic Europe (which is why they’re now a part of Easter traditions).

So there’s your cute, colorful little history lesson!

The Magic Behind the Spring Equinox

As the Wheel shifts in the Northern Hemisphere and the Spring Equinox (or Ostara) arrives, so does new energy within the Earth vessel.

Spring, associated with the Eastern direction and the element of Air in many traditions, ushers in her sacred new beginnings and the stirrings of growth. Ostara also aligns with the Zodiac sign of Aries, a cardinal fire sign that bursts forth with newness, vigor, and thrust. (And if Zodiac language isn’t your thing, feel free to just take in the felt energetics: new beginnings and forward motion.)

THIS is the time to really fire up your creative engines. This is the time to weave together all the careful planning and dreaming you’ve been doing over the winter months. This is where our plans can now shift into thoughtful and intentional actions.

In a previous piece about New Years Resolutions, I invited you (and myself) to press pause on the (misguided and capitalist-driven) cultural pressure to burst into January with bold actions of new goals and “productive”-laden objectives. Why? Well, because the energy just isn’t there to support you in January. But now, however, things are different! NOW the inner fires are being lit and stoked. Fires that will support us in our creative endeavors over the course of the next six months or so before the Wheel says, “Okay, girl. Time to slow down again.”

BUT, even though we’re firing up the engines, it’s not quite time for our proverbial rubber to hit our proverbial roads!

While spring carries so much new-beginning energy, Nature still takes Her time to call all of Her beautiful beings back to life. Rather, it’s not until the next turn of the Wheel (at Beltane) that the fullness of the Earth’s fiery vigor is ready to emerge like an eager Olympic sprinter awaiting the firing of the “GO” signal!

So, if Beltane is “GO!”, Ostara is the pre-race time to stretch off to side, jog in place, wave our arms back and forth, sit with the anxious jitters, etc. Whereas winter was literally the pre-race rest. Envisioning a win, eating nourishing foods, and allowing the body to fully replenish itself before a new burst of energy.

Weaving Together Vision, Intention & Action

Ostara calls us to move. Yes, action, but, like I said, not a full-on pedal-to-the-metal…yet!

Instead, we honor the fact that our bodies and minds are just shifting out of a state of deep rest and we allow ourselves to begin moving at a pace that mirrors the energy that is presently available in the Earth. If we move too quick, too fast, we will run out of gas before we arrive at the finish line at Samhain (October 31st).

We begin building the frameworks and foundations of our dreams and our plans, and we lace them with spells of sacred intention. And this is the part I LOVE!

We bring our clarified visions and well-tended plans to our altars and invite our Ancestors, Spirit Guides, and relevant deities to bless our creations as we ritually birth them into the physical realm.

Then, those blessings, woven in with our sacred vision, intentions, and actions, will nurture, support, and sustain our growing creations as they mature with waxing Wheel energy!

Ostara Magick Practices

There are a number of ways to celebrate Ostara, and I encourage you to find even small ways to honor this sacred time and the re-kindling of your inner fire. Especially if you’re new to Wheel of the Year practice, it’s really lovely to just adopt one or two small little ways you can cultivate an appreciation for this shift in the Earth’s natural rhythm.

Here are some small, simple ways you can celebrate Ostara:

• Take a walk (or hike) out in Nature, and do this without headphones. Allow yourself to really take this journey with an intention on being present with the natural world and all of the non-human relatives.

• Decorate an altar. If you have an ancestor altar or an altar for other spiritual practices, decorate it with fun spring flowers, colorful items, and spring-related figurines.

• Start seeds for planting.

• Dye or decorate eggs. But with a new Wheel-of-the-Year, Goddess Ostara perspective!

• Engage in some spring cleaning. Decluttering your home and shifting energy by clearing out things that no longer serve you is a powerful way to step into the Ostara energy!

• Make Spell Jars. These are fun ways to breathe magick into intentions. I won’t go into too many details here, but there is a great article HERE on crafting spell jars. (And my next ritual idea can be done with a spell jar if you want to go that route).

• Vision-Birthing Ritual. This is something I have done for myself and offer the basic ritual outline below for you to work with. And PLEASE, weave in your own magic and ideas into it to really personalize it!

Below is a step-by-step guide to the Vision-Birthing Ritual I mentioned above. But before I leave you to that, I wish you a most joyous, vibrant, and colorful Ostara as you step across the threshold into the re-kindled fire of Spring.

May your wise, loving ancestors and spirit guides hold and nourish you in these times of great uncertainty, change, and transition.

In Sacred Magick,

Joseph

And before I sign off, here is the ritual I mentioned previously. Please adapt it in ways that feel fun and nourishing to where you are in your journey!

Vision-Birthing Ritual

The intent for this ritual is to declare to the Divine (and your other spirit guides and allies) that you are officially setting forth to create and manifest the thing(s) you wish to create. And you are calling forth support as you more actively work towards bringing your creation from the imaginary, liminal realm into the physical one.

Basic recommended items: Paper, writing instrument, candle.

1. Find and/or create a sacred space where you can tend to this ritual (whether it’s somewhere in your home or out in nature).

2. Set up the space in a way that is conducive to ritual work; such as quietude, having candles, incense, flowers, crystals, sacred figurines and ritual tools…whatever you feel called to include in your space. At minimum, I encourage having at least a candle.

3. Take deep breaths to move yourself into a calm, embodied space; then, light your candle.

4. Invite a trusted higher power or spirit guide/ally to present with you.

5. When you feel they have arrived, invite them to clear your ritual space of anything unhelpful or unsupportive for your work.

6. Invite your trusted guide to then create a layer of protection around your space (or cast a circle with their help if you’re into that practice).

   1. NOTE: If you don’t feel connection with a trusted spirit guide or ally, you can also use the fire energy in the candle flame as a way to call in energy of fire and the sun to create a protective layer around your space (and imagine this forming around you with bright, warm, rich, golden light).

7. Now in your ritual space, take time to really reflect on your goal(s), your vision(s) and dream(s). What has been stirring within you to be birthed as your creation? Really clarify and marinate in the deliciousness of this vision. Again, rely on supportive spirit guides, allies, and ancestors for guidance and insight here.

8. As you feel ready, take your paper and craft a written intention for your creation. You can make it short and poetic, or longer and more elaborate—you choose! Weave in beauty and emotionality around how it will feel to nurture this creation into its fully-manifested form!

   1. NOTE: I like to include some kind of spell-ish language that declares with boldness my vision, and to call in [name-my-supportive-power(s)] to assist me in manifesting [x, y, z] so I can [name the deeper reason I really wish to manifest this vision/creation]. But let your intuition be a guiding light for you as you wordsmith your offering.

9. After writing out your vision, read it out-loud and speak it towards the flame (or even into it if you wish). You can even repeat it multiple times if that feels nourishing to you—building intensity into each reading.

10. Once your reading feels complete, you can do one of several things:

    1. Take your paper, fold it up and burn it in the flame—symbolically giving it to the Divine and your trusted powers.

    2. Bury your paper in the earth to symbolically “plant” your intention. (And if you write your paper on a brown paper-bag, you can even plant this in a pot with a seed to literally add symbolic fuel to the spell)!

    3. Use the paper for a spell jar. And here is your basic-bitch (affectionate) spell jar: Take a small jar (one that has a lid or cork cap), place a small amount of salt into it followed by your written intention). With ritual intention, place the lid on and “seal” it with fervor and devotion as a final completion kiss. (You can even add hot melted wax onto the lid to add color and a fun “seal” twist). After that you, can bury the jar, hang it from a special tree, or place it on your altar for the duration of the season until Samhain time (October 31st) when the Wheel shifts back into rest/winter mode.

11. Finally take a moment to thank your guides/powers for witnessing you and holding space; un-cast your ritual circle if you did that; and bring your ritual to a close by either snuffing or blowing out your candle.

12. Now go forth in nurturing your newly-birth creation and bring your magic beauty into the world!