.png)
Our Ostara Alter
What is Ostara
Ostara (pronounced Oh-STAR-uh) is one of our eight sabbats (holidays) on the wheel of the year. It is celebrated on the Spring Equinox when the season changes and we now have the same amount of day light as we do night darkness. We focus on fertility, new growth, and balance during this time.
Fertility:
Ostara is when the Goddess is at the peak of fertility and is ready to conceive with the Sun God. Nine months from now, she will move into her next life cycle and become a mother.
Ostara is believed to get it's name from the Saxon Lunar Goddess of Fertility, Eostre (this is where we get the word estrogen from) whose symbols are eggs, flowers, and rabbits because they are linked to fertility. This is a day that is sacred to her.
New Growth:
Snow should have now melted away leaving bulbs blooming, baby animals frolicking, trees starting to get new leaves and fresh ground ready for seeds to be planted.
Many people celebrate this holiday by planting a new garden, spending time eating a Ostara feast with friends and family, and focusing on embracing nature by spending time outside and witnessing new growth.
Balance:
Since this is a time when we have equality and balance with our day/night, this is a time when we get to focus on balancing and refreshing ourselves and where we live. We can focus on doing health cleanses internally and externally. Opening up our windows to let in fresh air and do some spring cleaning. We want to focus right now on getting ourselves renewed both mentally and physically so that we have enough energy to work and play during the long upcoming summer days.
Making A Ostara Alter:
There are a few things that you can do to celebrate and get the most out of Ostara. First, I'd consider setting up a little Ostara alter for yourself. You don't have to go all out, it can even be some flowers and a candle. The best flowers to pick would be spring flowers, but especially daffodils and tulips. Your candles should be pastel in color. If you have any figurines of chicks, rabbits, eggs, you can put them on your alter. Pastel crystals are also a great benefit to your alter. Just let your heart guide you on what you want your alter to look like to celebrate Ostara. Here is a close up of what ours currently looks like:
Wishing Egg Spell
One of my favorite things to make for Ostara is a wishing egg. It's incredibly simple but an awesome spell that gets results! Even children can participate and enjoy making these, so it might be a fun project for the family if you want to introduce your children to magick.
You will put corresponding herbs, crystals, trinkets, and a paper with all your wishes for that specific spell into the egg, you then will close it up and decoupage it to seal it shut (and plant your spell to grow) and decorate it with ribbons, stickers, beads or anything else you can think of. You hang it up or keep it close to you and focus nightly on your wish till it comes true. Once your wish comes true, you can keep the egg somewhere safe.
What you'll need:
Plastic eggs
Tissue paper, old book pages, or newspaper
Elmers glue
Ribbon
Tape
Pen or marker
Craft gemstones, glitter, paint, stickers, and anything else to decorate your egg.
Herbs, trinkets, crystals, and anything else you want to put into your egg.
1. Gather all your materials.
2. Put your herbs, crystals, trinkets, pictures, and anything else you feel drawn to, into your egg.
3. Write two lists of your wishes that correspond to your type of egg. Fold one and put it in your egg, put the other list aside right now.
3. Close your egg up and tape a looped ribbon to your egg.
4. Decoupage your egg with white glue mixed with a little water. You can use old book pages, tissue paper, or news paper. Let it dry completely. I find hanging them up in front of a fan really helps dry them faster.
5. Decorate your egg(s) with glitter, mini gems, feathers, paint, glitter, anything that you want. Make it look pretty and like something you are ok being hung up around your home or in your car.
6. After you are done decorating your egg and everything is dry, you can do a simple spell while holding your egg:
Light a candle (green for wealth, orange or blue for health, and pink for love)
Start your spell by saying
"Goddess Eostre, hear my plea
please grant me these wishes I ask of thee...
(say your wishes)
I promise to be patient so that my wishes will grow
But please make them happen before the next snow
The seed has now been planted with love, faith and hope"
You can say this spell with your wishes each night while you hold your egg till they come true.
Here is some decorating ideas and ideas on what to fill your eggs with:
Wealth Wish Egg
Fill with any of these:
Coins, paper money, shredded money and trinkets that symbolize wealth, your picture, a clip of your hair.
Herbs: Basil, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Clove, Comfrey, Dill, Ginger, Honeysuckle, Iris, Jasmine, Marigold, Nutmeg, Patchouli, Periwinkle, Poppy, Sage.
Crystals: Aventurine, Bloodstone, Citrine, Copper, Emerald, Green Jasper, Malachite, Moss Agate, Peridot, Pyrite, Tigers Eye.
Try to use a green pen/marker to write your wishes with and use a green egg.
Here is our finished wealth wish egg:
Love Wish Egg
Fill with any of these:
Trinkets that represent love, a piece of a love letter or something personal from your lover, a picture of them, a clip of their hair or anything else you might have from them if possible.
Herbs: Anise, Basil (for reconciliation), Cardamom, Carnation (for deep love), Clove, Cinnamon, Catnip (for attraction), Cumin, Daffodil (for unrequited love), Daisy, Dill, Ginger, Fern, Hibiscus (for attraction), Honeysuckle (for devotion), Jasmine (for attraction), Lavander, Lilac, Marigold, Marjoram, Mugwort, Poppy, Rose, Sage, Spearmint, Thyme, Violet.
Crystals: Amazonite, Amethyst (for manifestation), Aventurine (for influence), Desert Rose, Emerald (to secure love), Garnet, Labradorite, Lepidolite, Malachite, Moonstone, Opal, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, Rose Quartz.
Try to use a pink or red pen to write your wishes with and use a pink egg.
Here is our finished love wish egg:
Health Wish Egg
Fill with any of these:
Pictures of you as well as trinkets or words and pictures from magazines that make you think of health.
Herbs: Allspice, Cardamom, Cedar, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Clove, Clover, Comfrey, Coriander, Daisy, Dandelion, Fennel, Flax, Garlic, Ginger, Holly, Jasmine, Juniper, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Marigold, Marjoram, Mugwort, Mustard, Olive, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage, Spearmint, Thyme, Valerian.
Crystals: Agate, Amber, Amethyst, Apatite, Aquamarine, Aventurine, Bloodstone, Blue Lace Agate, Carnelian, Celestite, Citrine, Emerald, Hematite, Malachite, Moonstone, Moss Agate, Petrified Wood, Quartz (clear and rose), Sodalite, Sunstone, Tiger's Eye, Tourmaline
Try to use a orange, blue, or lavender pen and egg.
Here is our finished health wish egg:
Audra used tissue paper on it to give it a really neat tie dye look:
Please let me know how your wish eggs turn out. I'd love to see pictures of them. Now go out, play in the sun, pick some daffodils, make some deviled eggs, and enjoy Ostara! :-)