Ostara’s Equinox: a Ritual for Spring

At this time, celebrate the festival of Ostara, the Saxon goddess who is the personification of the rising sun. Her totem is the rabbit. Legend has it that her rabbit brought forth the brightly colored eggs now associated with Easter. At this time the world is warming under the sun as spring approaches. Every plant, animal, man, and woman feels this growing fever for spring.

This ritual is intended for communities, so gather a group. Tell everyone to bring a “spring food” such as deviled eggs, salads with flowers in them, fresh broths, berries, mushrooms, fruits, pies, veggie casseroles, and quiches. Have the food table at the opposite side of the area away from the altar, but decorate it with flowers and pussy willow branches that are just beginning to bud. These are the harbingers of spring.

Essential elements for this ritual are an altar table; a cot; bay laurel leaves; bowls of water; multicolored crystals; candles; a jar of honey; fruits of yellow, red, white, and purple; musical instruments; and one bowl each of seeds, leaves, flowers, and fruit.

1. Create your own Ostara altar in the middle of the ritual area by covering the table with a cloth of color that represents spring to you. It could be a richly hued flowered cloth or a light green solid color. the cloth should represent new life. Scatter bay laurel leaves around the table. Place goddesses on the altar table, too, with Ostara at the center. Put colored eggs, chocolate rabbits, candles, and crystals around the goddesses. In the east, set a yellow candle and crystals of amber, gold, and yellow such as citrine or agate. Place yellow fruit such as pears or bananas in front of the candle as an offering to the energies of the east. In the south, set a red candle and red and orange stones such as garnet or the newly available “rough rubies,” which cost only a few cents each. Apples and pomegranates are excellent red food to place in front of the candle. In the west, set a purple candle with amethysts in front of it. Sweet plums are a perfect fruit to place in front of the candle. In the north, set a white candle and a clear quartz or white crystal. Honeydew melon is an appropriate selection for the fruit offering.
   
   
2. Choose four representatives to invoke the directions.

• East—Everyone faces east. The representative for the direction should weave a story and create a vision that can be shared by all that is characterized by new beginnings, such as the rising of the morning sun. Spring is the time for new beginnings and growth in nature. The speaker can, for example, take the bowl of seeds and tell the tale of the seeds sprouting in the dark moist soil of Mother Earth. Pass the bowl of seeds around to everyone and urge them to take some seeds home to plant.
• South—Everyone faces south. The speaker for this direction should invoke the power of the leaf. Leaves draw in the energy of the sun through photosynthesis and help keep an important cycle of life moving. Leaves grow throughout the summer season, drinking in the water of life and using the power of the sun for photosynthesis. Pass the bowl of leaves around the group.
• West—Everyone faces west. The speaker for this direction should invoke the power of flowers. Flowers bud and bloom. They follow the sun and are some of nature’s purest expressions of beauty. Flowers bring joy to people and many flowers become fruit. Pass the bowl of flowers to the group and urge everyone to take some.
• North—Everyone faces the north. The speaker for the north should invoke fruit and harvest time. Fruit is the result of nature’s generosity. Fruit also contains the seeds for our future. Pass the bowl of fruit around and suggest everyone take one and eat it, meditating on the glory and deep meaning it contains. If it is appropriate, you can also offer juice or wine as part of the fruit invocation. Wine is the glorious nectar of fruit. 

3. Now it’s time for the ritual enactment. Everyone takes a seat around the altar. Drummers should start to play a gentle rhythm. Chanting, singing, and ululating are also encouraged, however people feel comfortable expressing themselves.

4. Each speaker should in turn light a candle and invoke the ancestors of the group. Remembrances to people who have died in the past year are an important respect paid to the community at large.

5. Next is the honoring of the moon. Ask people to speak about the moon, reciting their favorite moon poems or moon memories.

6. Anointing the third eye blesses your insight for the coming year. Pass the bowls of water and laurel leaves around. Take a leaf and dip it in the water, then touch the wet leaf to your third eye. Pass the bowl on to the next person. When the bowl has made its way back to the ritual leader, sing and dance in celebration of spring. Everyone should get in a line and hold hands and dance around

   the circle like a plant moving and growing, flowering, and fruiting. When the four speakers feel that the energy has reached a climax, each one should clap and say in turn:

And now it is done; now it is spring! 

Then open the circle by saying together:

It is spring in the East, it is spring in the South, it is spring in the West, and it is spring in the North!

Moon Mojo: Clear A Space and Make It Yours (Waning Moon is Optimal)

To purify your space with as much of your own personal energy as possible, a broom you have crafted by hand is best. You don’t have to wait  until  you  are  holding  a  circle  or  performing  spellcraft;  it can be after a squabble with a loved one, to rid yourself of a bout of  the blues,  or  any  upset  you  need  to  sweep  right  out  of  your home. Many a kitchen witch begins the day with this simple ritual of  a  clean sweep  to  freshen  surroundings  and  to  make  room  for good energy in your life. This is, of course, not a white glove-type cleaning;  it  is  a symbolic  act  that  is  effective  in  maintaining  your home as a personal sanctuary.

You  can  make  your  own  purification  broom  from  straw  bound  together and attached to a fallen tree branch, or you can add mojo to a store-bought broom. Wrap copper wire around the bottom of your broom handle and also use it to bind straw to a sturdy stick or branch for the DIY kind. Venus-ruled copper lends an aura of beauty  and  keeps negativity  at  bay.  Attach  crystals  to  the  handle with glue to boost your broom’s power. Recommended crystal for space clearing and purification are as follows:

• Amber for good cheer

• Blue Lace Agate for tranquility and a peaceful home

• Coral for wellbeing

• Jet absorbs bad energy

• Onyx is a stone of protection

• Petrified Wood for security

• Tiger’s  Eye  will  protect  you  from  energy-draining  situations or  people

• Turquoise creates calm and relaxation

Spring Full Moon: Invocation of the Flower Moon

This  dazzling  spring  Flower  Moon  is  an  optimal  opportunity  to  strive for the new, to initiate a phase of transformation that will last long after the Full Moon has waxed into darkness. This invocation honors the season, planting seeds of positive change in your life to bloom for years to come. Start by gathering red and green apples, candles of the same colors, and seed corn from a gardening store, along with three stalks of lavender and three long strands of night-blooming jasmine. Leave these offerings on your altar all day. 

When the Full Moon of May reaches the highest point in the night sky, light one red and one green candle on your kitchen altar. Wind the jasmine  and  lavender  into  a  crown  for  the  top  of  your  head,  breathing in the lovely scent the flowers produce. Holding an apple in each  hand,  speak  this  spell  while  circling  the  altar  clockwise three times.

Moon of Flowers; light the way to change tonight,

Through the power of Earth and Air, Water and Fire.

As I bite this fruit of knowledge, I am thus inspired.

All possibilities are before me. And so it is.

Eat  from  both  apples  until  you  are  fully  satisfied,  and  then  bury  twelve  corn  seeds  and  the  cores  in  the  rightmost  corner  of  your  garden.  With  the  spring  rains  and  summer  sun,  your  intentions will flower into being. By the fall full moon, you will harvest the bounty of change from this spell, with great gratitude.

The Ties That Bind: Your Friendship Altar

Friends are some of the great loves of our lives.

 

To prepare the way for letting new friends enter your life or to focus your attention on existing friendships, set up an altar where you can concentrate your energy and clarify your intentions. If you already have an altar in place, incorporate some if the following elements to enhance your relationships with others as well with yourself. The more you use your altar, the more powerful your spells will be.

Your altar can be a low table, the top of a shelf, or even a shelf. First, purify the space with the smoke of a lit sage bundle. This is called “smudging” and is an essential part of witchcraft. You can use wild sage or purchase it in any herb store. Once you have smudged the space, cover your friendship altar with a  pink-colored scarf or cloth, and place pink and white candles in each of the four corners. (Pink is the color of affection and White represents purity.) Place rose quartz and calming fluorite stones around a vase of fresh flowers often with poppies, daisies, whatever connotes fun and friendship to you.

As a centerpiece, place on the altar a photograph of your friends or an image that represents companionship in your life.

Light the candles, kneel before your newly created altar, and say:

I light the fire of loyalty

The heat of heart and the flame of friendship.

Brightest blessing, Great Goddess bring,

The spirit of friendship will surely sing.

As the fates do dance, I welcome the chance

To share my love and my life.

So mote it be.

Growing Joy: Your Herbal Healing Garden

Here are a few of my favorite  herbs and,  as springtime suggests, now is the time to plant!

Basil is beloved because it’s so delectable and versatile. It is easily grown in pots. Take care to remove the growing tip when the plants are 15cm high for bushier growth. Plant out in the garden when the weather gets warmer. Basil prefers full sun and a sheltered spot.

Chives come from the onion family and have slim, pointed leaves. You should sow seeds directly in the ground in early spring, late March or April. Chives grow best in a sunny spot with rich soil, so keep the plants watered. Chives produce pretty purple or pink and perfectly round flowers. Gorgeous in the garden and palatable on the plate Sage is a marvelous cooking herb and is truly easy to grow.

Coriander is a very versatile herb for the kitchen and grows well in the garden or in pots. Seeds can take weeks to germinate and the plants are fairly short-lived, so sow seeds every few weeks to get you through the season. Coriander is a bit fussy and can “bolt” when stressed, which means it produces flowers and seeds and not enough of the flavorful leaves. You need to make sure it is well watered and reap regularly before it goes to seed.

Mint is a marvel. It spreads beautifully once it has really taken root. If space is a concern, plant your mint in pots to contain the roots and stop it taking over. Keep it in full sun or partial shade and pinch out any flower buds to encourage more leaf growth.

Witchy Feng Shui for Love

Of all the rooms in your home, the bedroom must be the real refuge, a place where you relax, refresh and restore. It should be a center of self-care and also where you pursue pleasures, whether it is reading a beloved novel undisturbed and also a sacred center for your romantic relationship. Ideally, your bedroom is where you unplug and recharge. You need to feel safest here and where you can “let down your hair” and be utterly yourself and utterly comfortable. There are days when you should stay in your jammies and slippers, nurture your every desire and do self-care spells. Let’s face it, we all face a lot of demands, day in and day out\, making it all the more important for your bedroom to be your personal retreat. Take care to make sure it is beautiful to your eye as well as peaceful and deeply comfortable. Clutter will add a note of chaos to your bedroom so make sure to keep the stacks of magazines and piles of sweaters under control to maintain the feeling of safe haven. Every room  should look and feel good to you but your bedroom is the beating heart of your home. Keep it beautiful to your eye and pleasing to all your senses as well as those of your romantic partner. Make this the place where you can sleep, dream, meditate, read, convalesce, share your affection and craft love magic.

 Witchy Feng Shui for Love:

 Surely one of the main reasons for clearing space in your home and bedroom is to make room for a happy love life. Before you attempt to enhance your prospects for love, you need to improve the flow of chi, or life energy, in the environment where you express your love. Try any of all of the following to help you improve the chi:

•   Remove all pictures of yourself where you are alone.

•   Remove all empty cups, jars, vases, and bottles.

•   Remove all photographs of past lovers, or at least relegate them to another room.

•   Make sure that decorative accessories are in even numbers, not in odds or in triplets. This pertains to candles, frames, pillows, and lamps.

•   Display special feng shui love symbols, such as an open red fan, a pair of crystal lovebirds, and two red hearts. On your bed, you should use rich, silky, and extremely comfortable fabrics and colors. Also be extravagant when it comes to pillows—the more the merrier. But remember to have even numbers, not odd ones, which disrupt your “love chi.”

Celebrate the Rebirth of Nature: Create a Spring Altar:

One of the most vital ways pagans can keep in touch with nature is through the creation of seasonal altars. Your altar helps you to maintain balance in your life and deepen your spiritual connection to the world around you. A seasonal altar is your tool for ceremonies to honor Mother Nature and receive the deep wisdom of the earth by blending the energies of shells, feathers, leaves, flowers, herbs and all of the gifts of the season. Your calendric altars are the middle ground between earth and sky, the meeting point of the four elements. Creating these altars is very life-affirming.

You can create a wonderful outdoor altar for spring by planning two seasons ahead and planting floral bulbs, flowers that are the very harbingers of spring such as tulips and lily-of-the-valley. When the bulbs begin to grow and bud, place an image or statue in the center of your altar, which could be a stone bench, the top of a rock wall.  It could be a bust of a mythological youth to represent Hyacinth, immortalized in myth and in the gorgeous flower itself. Throughout the spring, you can stand inside your circle and pray and chant for the rebirth of nature that is spring.