Ostara = “dawn” & “to shine”
Spring Equinox, Oestre, Eostre, Eostar & Easter

Equal Day & Equal Night
Quarter Day between Imbolc and Summer Solstice
March 20th 2022

A point of perfect balance on the journey through the Wheel of the Year. Night and day are of equal length and in perfect equilibrium – dark and light, masculine and feminine, inner and outer, in balance. The year is now waxing, growing, swelling and at this moment, light defeats the dark. The natural world is coming alive, the Sun is gaining strength, the days are becoming longer and warmer. The gently whispered promise of Imbolc is fulfilled in the Earth’s evident and abundant fertility at Ostara. It is time for the hopes of Imbolc to become action. The energy is expansive and exuberant. It is the first day of Spring!

Who am I becoming?
What am I awakening within myself?
What wisdom am I bringing with me from the dark winter?

Ostara takes its name after the Germanic Goddess, Eostre/Ostara, traditionally honoured in April with festivals to celebrate fertility, renewal and rebirth. From Eostre, the Christian celebration of Easter evolved, and indeed the naming of the hormone Estrogen, essential to women’s fertility. The Goddess Ostara has the shoulders and head of a hare.

The Symbols of Ostara are, in Celtic tradition, the Hare is sacred to the Goddess and is the totem animal of lunar goddesses such as Hecate, Freyja and Holda – the Hare is a symbol for the moon. The Goddess most closely associated with the Hare is Eostre or Ostara. The phase of the moon determines the date of the Christian Easter. The nocturnal Hare, so closely associated with the moon that dies every morning and is resurrected every evening, also represents nature’s rebirth in Spring. Both the moon and the Hare were believed to die daily to be reborn – thus, the Hare is a symbol of immortality. It is also a major symbol of fertility and abundance as the Hare can conceive while pregnant.

This festival celebrates the balance of day and night.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the Autumn Equinox is celebrated at this time.

It’s a day of balance to look within and invoke harmony in the different areas of life. Ask where you have harmony in your life and where you wish to call in greater balance. Prepare your Spirit for the wild dance about, to begin with, the rise of the mating season and the call of your dreams. All of life is bursting with fertile energy: birds singing, eggs hatching, spring flowers blossoming, and Spirit ready to run free again after the contractions of the colder months.

Consider how you are cracking open out of your shell and ready to spread your wings into new territory. Be prepared for a bold leap and actively co-create with the Universe to bring your dreams manifest. Unite the opposites, especially Fire & Water, the fusion of Spirit & Fertility. Ostara initiates a time of empowerment where you are encouraged to take more risks, bewilder, believe in your dreams, and make things happen with your wild freedom and complete abandon.

How will you celebrate Ostara, the Spring Equinox?
What does equal night and day mean to you metaphorically?
What are the symbols of fertility in your life for your dreams and visions?

The egg and seeds contain ‘all potential’, full of promise and new life. It symbolises the rebirth of nature, the fertility of the Earth and all creation. In many traditions, the egg is a symbol for the whole Universe. The ‘cosmic’ egg contains a balance of male and female, light and dark, in the egg yolk and egg white. The golden orb of the yolk represents the Sun God enfolded by the White Goddess, perfect balance, so it is particularly appropriate to Ostara and the Spring Equinox when all is in balance for just a moment. However, the underlying energy is one of growth and expansion. You may wish to design your own altar to celebrate this Spring Goddess. Decorations could include spring flowers, pictures or statues of hares, painted eggs and offerings of seeds.

Where am I ready to expand?

I hold the Universe within me … I am the force of ever-expanding love …