Spring has sprung, busy witches! You know what that means. It’s Ostara time. Maybe you’re wondering, what is Ostara? Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place.
In today’s post, we’ll look at all the basics and correspondences of Ostara. When you’re done reading, you’ll be able to build your own magical Ostara celebration based on the themes that most strongly speak to you.
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Early pagans (and also just early humans, really) relied completely on the cycles of the seasons for survival. They had to know when the growing seasons started, peaked, and finished in order to grow enough food to make it through winter. Different cultures observed these cyclical changes in varying ways, but most ancient cultures did observe them in some form.
In modern times, most of us don’t worry about growing food for survival anymore, so we’ve become detached from the cycles of nature. Luckily, all us modern witches and pagans can still tap into these cycles by observing the Wheel of the Year – the eight Sabbats.
What are the origins of the Wheel of the Year?
The Wheel of the Year is Wicca’s answer to modern witches seeking communion with the cycles of nature. These festivals were created by Gerald Gardner, regarded as the founder of modern Wicca. I believe these are modern festivals, but he’ll tell you they’re rooted in ancient tradition. Far be it from me to argue with Gardner. I don’t personally think it matters whether they are ancient or modern.
What does matter to me, though, is knowing the origins of these celebrations. The 4 greater Sabbats (Imbolc, Beltane, Lammas/Lughnasadh, Samhain) are based in Celtic and western European origins, while the other 4 lesser Sabbats (Yule, Ostara, Litha, Mabon) mark the transitional times between the greater Sabbats.
Why is this important? Well, Britain and western Europe have a very specific annual cycle based on their climate. Spring often starts to peek its head out in February, and the growing season is done by the first of November. Winter is cold and snowy, and summer is one big, long growing season.
What If I Don't Live in Europe?
If you live in Texas, Northern Canada, Mexico, the entire Southern Hemisphere, or any number of other places in the world, your annual cycles look different. Your winter might start late like mine. You might not have a winter at all. Maybe you have growing dead zones in December and July. You might even need to observe those changes in the opposite order!
While the Wheel of the Year is well established as a tradition, your input as a witch matters. The best way to celebrate the Sabbats is to learn about them and modify them to be specific to your area. Trust your intuition, and trust your environment when determining what traditions are important to you and which ones you will leave behind. The Wheel of the Year, after all, is meant to help you connect to the cycles of nature.
But I'm Not Wiccan. Can I Still Celebrate?
I’ve never met a Wiccan who will tell you no, though I’m sure they exist. Pretty much everyone I’ve ever spoken to or read information from agrees that the Wheel of the Year is accessible to all of us. Even those of us who are not Wiccan. Modern witchcraft is so variable. There’s no rule book, and you get to make it your own. These celebrations bring us all together even when we are so different. What is witchcraft? Learn more here.
The Wheel of the Year includes associated deity, and the history centers on stories about the god and goddess. However, it’s up to you to decide if that speaks to you.
For many of us, myself included, The Wheel of the Year is simply a great way to reconnect with our environment and the natural cycles of all living things. For others, each Sabbat is a piece of the story that tells their faith.
I feel that as long as we all respect each other, the 8 Sabbats can totally serve both purposes!
The Wheel of the Year begins on November first and ends on October 31. The festivals alternate between solar observances and earth centered observances. Each Sabbat comes with its own themes, correspondences, and traditions that infuse your whole year with magic rooted in the shifts of your climate and seasonal patterns.
What is Ostara? The History
The origins of Ostara are a bit tricky to pinpoint, honestly. While many cultures, including the Celts, Mayans, and Hindus, marked the vernal equinox as an important time in the calendar, the actual celebration of Ostara is very modern. Like, invented by Gerald Gardner, modern.
Ostara might get its name from the germanic goddess Eostre, a goddess of fertility, spring, and the dawn. I say might because very little is actually known about this goddess, including whether she was actually worshipped by ancient pagans. There’s not really a historical footprint of her existence in texts prior to the 8th century, and we don’t have a concrete list of celebrations, correspondences, or practices of worship associated with her.
Even so, for many ancient cultures, the transition from winter to spring was an important time. We’ve got megalithic structures across the planet built to align with the sun at its peak on the day of the vernal equinox.
The official calendar start of spring is all about renewal, resurrection, and new beginnings. The days are starting to warm, trees and flowers are in bloom, and from this point on, the length of the daytime hours will be longer than the length of nighttime hours. Things that were dead through winter are coming back to life in spring. The sun isn’t at its peak yet, but we’re definitely in its energetic territory. Ostara also marks the beginning of Aries season, which is the fiery first sign of the zodiac.
Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar we use today, the Roman Julian calendar marked the start of the new year at March 25. For this reason, Ostara and the spring equinox can feel a lot like the start of the new year. I like to think of it as new year round 2.
Back in January, we were all establishing goals and setting resolutions for things we hoped to achieve through the year. But that was way back in the dead of winter. Let’s be real, by about January 21st, we were all back in survival mode just trying to stay warm and function while the sun set at 5pm.
But now it’s spring! It’s time to dust off all those lofty, long forgotten goals, and take action. If you’ve been following these posts through the last 5 months or so, you know that Yule was all about rest and quiet. During Imbolc, we started thinking about the seeds (both literal and metaphorical) that we hoped to sow when the time was right. Well, the time is now right. At Ostara, we finally take action on everything we’ve been planning through the winter months.
Ostara is also a celebration of balance thanks to the number of daylight and night hours being approximately equal on this day (almost perfectly equal near the equator, and less so near the poles). Remember, though, balance does not mean stillness. Finding balance is all about staying in motion and making little adjustments along the way to stay centered. Think about when you’re standing upright to stay balanced. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice your body firing off all sorts of fast twitch muscle responses to keep you from falling over. When seeking balance, be careful not to stay frozen. Flow and flexibility are necessary to stay in balance.
Spiritually, this is considered the time when the god, once a child, is now moving into maturity, and the goddess transitions into maidenhood.
Ostara Themes and Symbols
When I ask myself, “What is Ostara?”, the first place I go for inspiration is the themes of the season. This determines all my altar decor and many of my favorite celebrations. Consider what is going on in nature where you live. Then use these themes to figure out what kind of Samhain celebrations you want to have.
For example, if you’re already planting seeds and sitting on an incubator full of baby chicks, themes of growth, fertility, and abundance might speak to you. If you’re still under 6 inches of snow, perhaps the themes of potential and transition work better!
Themes of Ostara
These are some of the common themes of Ostara, but don’t feel confined by this list. First and foremost, you should always listen to your intuition and defer to the cycle of the seasons in your area to honor these changes. March in England is very different from March in North Texas where I live. For this reason, I pay careful attention to seasonal cycles relevant to North Texas when trying to determine, just what is Ostara?
- balance – as the length of day and night become equal, take stock of how balanced (or not) you might be.
- potential -seeds, eggs, and baby animals all represent what could be in just a few short months.
- cleansing – there’s a reason it’s called spring cleaning!
- taking action – over the past few months, we’ve spent a lot of time looking inward, reflecting, and setting goals. It’s now time to take action.
- new beginnings – warmth and sunlight bring new growth and life to once dormant plants and animals. It’s a great time for starting fresh.
- transformation and transition – the landscape is starting to look a lot different than it did just a few short weeks ago. As we enter spring, you can observe big changes in the world around you.
- resurrection and renewal – the once dormant landscape is springing back to life (see what I did there?), making this a perfect time to reflect on things you might want to reawaken in yourself that have been dormant.
- fertility – abundant new plant growth is all around, and rabbits are multiplying like, well, rabbits…
- passion and new love – it is mating and blooming season, after all…
Symbols of the Season
Think about the symbols of Easter, and you’re on the right track. The symbols of Easter and Ostara have a lot in common. Think pastels, flowers, new growth, eggs, and baby animals.
- brooms and besoms – cleansing.
- bees – symbols of health, abundance, growth, and fertility.
- butterflies – symbols of transition, change, and transformation, butterflies start as caterpillars, turn to goo in their cocoons, completely rebuild themselves from the goo, and emerge wholly new.
- cauldrons – feminine energy and transformation.
- chicks (and baby animals in general) – symbols of birth, potential, and growth.
- budding tree branches – not yet fully bloomed, these tiny buds represent potential just waiting to burst forth.
- eggs – symbols of potential, birth, and blessings. Chickens stop laying in winter, so seeing eggs in the nesting boxes is a sign that spring has arrived.
- flowers – abundance and growth.
- hibernating animals such as bees and bears – these animals awaken with the start of spring looking for food and mates.
- phoenix – symbols of transformation, resurrection, and rising from the ashes what once was.
- rabbits – symbols of growth and fertility on account of their 6 week gestational period and tendency toward multiple cute, baby bunnies in each litter.
- rams – representative of Aries season and the start of a new zodiac calendar.
- robin – one of the first symbols of spring.
- scales – symbols of balance.
- seeds – symbols of potential and possibilities.
- snakes – symbols of power, grace, protection, and transformation.
- suns and sun symbolism – represents the official transition into the light half of the year.
Ostara Colors, Herbs, and Crystals
You can use these correspondences to bring Ostara flair to your decorations, foods, altar, and spell work.
Ostara Colors
When choosing Ostara colors, look to nature for inspiration. Consider which plants and flowers are in bloom and the color scheme of the world outside your door. Think budding flowers, pretty pastels, and freshly sprouted grass! Here are some of the most common colors of the season.
- yellow – joy, vitality, and creativity.
- light/pastel greens – abundance, fertility, new beginnings, growth, health, and prosperity.
- light/pastel blues – peace, calm, and tranquility.
- light/pastel pinks – self love, affection, harmony love, and spiritual healing.
- orange – solar energy, warmth, and transformation.
- violet – spiritual strength, psychic activity, and intuition.
- brown – nature, the Earth, fresh compost, and healthy soil.
- white – cleansing, purification, healing, peace, and protection.
Herbs, Plants, and Oils of Ostara
These seasonal herbs, plants, and oils can be infused into your spells, meals, and even decor to add some herbal inspiration to your Ostara season. I am not a master herbalist or doctor. As with all medicines, treat carefully, and do your research. Don’t take unnecessary risks.
- bergamot – joy, optimism, happiness, helps break the cycle of the winter SADs.
- daffodils – fertility, early sign of spring.
- daisy – love and luck.
- dandelion – wishing, luck, spirit communication, abundance.
- high John root – love, luck, prosperity, strength.
- honeysuckle – prosperity.
- jasmine – love, lust, peace
- lavender – peace, calm, beauty, deepening spiritual connections, dream recall and sleep.
- lemongrass – removes obstacles, clears blocked pathways.
- lilac – beauty, purification, past life recall.
- local wildflowers – rebirth, new beginnings, connects you to the energy of your local environment.
- nettle – cleansing, healing, protection, courage in times of fear.
- moss – luck, money, abundance, perseverance, and manifesting something from nothing.
- rosemary – healing, protection, supports mental and psychic power.
- shamrocks and clovers – good luck and good fortune.
- thyme – courage, strength, and power.
- tulips – happiness and purification.
- violets – love, luck, peace, wishes, healing.
Ostara Crystals and Stones
These crystals and stones are perfect for home and altar decor. They’re also great for infusing your spell work and your day with the energy of Ostara. I don’t recommend putting any crystals directly in water. If you choose to use crystals in baths or elixers, I suggest using an indirect infusion method. Please do your research.
- amethyst – supports third eye and intuition.
- aquamarine – courage with new beginnings, peace, purification
- bloodstone – healing, strength, supports ancestral connection.
- carnelian – healing, protection, motivation, creative potential.
- chrysocolla – helps review goals and tap into unconscious wisdom.
- citrine – joy, luck, success, and solar energy.
- labradorite – a stone of transformation and magic.
- moss agate – fertility, growth, and abundance. A super supportive stone for plants!
- serpentine – helps with the transition into spring, encourages confidence and trust in self.
- sunstone – inner power, abundance.
- rhodochrosite – supports emotional balance and eases stress.
- rhyolite – helps you to connect past, present, and future, supports healing trauma and helps you find your true path, aids in positive transformation.
- smoky quartz – protection, supports transformation, helps you stay open to messages from the universe.
Flavors of Ostara
Any seasonal foods and drinks this time of year make the perfect addition to your Ostara celebration. These are some of the most common suggestions as well as a few of my favorites.
- asparagus – cold hardy early spring veggie.
- cruciferous veggies like broccoli, kale, and brussels sprouts – if you overwintered these tasty veggies, it’s time to wrap up the harvest before they bolt in the heat of spring.
- edible flowers – super pretty and coming into season now.
- eggs – potential and rebirth.
- fish and seafood – as frozen water bodies start to thaw, fish become available again. Fish is also associated with Lent, which happens around this time.
- honey – because of its association with the reawakening of bees in spring.
- lamb – represents sacrifice as well as rebirth.
- lavender lemonade – a sweet and refreshing way to harness the energy of the sun and spring florals.
- lettuces – another cool hardy and represents the newness and green of early spring growth.
- onions – ready for harvest after a long winter.
- radishes – another cold hardly veggie that grows quickly and handles the cold of early spring well.
- seeds – associated with potential, growth, and renewal.
- sweet peas and snap peas– one of the first seeds you can put in the ground for spring harvest.
- Research and learn about pysanky eggs, cascarones, or rain sticks to honor the traditions and cultures of the season.
What is Ostara? Activities to Bring Magic to Your Ostara Season
Mundane Ways to Celebrate Ostara
Maybe you’re short of time or looking to get skeptical family members involved in Ostara. Perhaps you’re just not super into the witchy aesthetic, or spiritual stuff makes you uncomfortable. These fun activities are just the ticket for helping you reconnect with the cycles of the season without the pressure to include actual spell work.
- Go on a nature walk. If you’ve got kids, let them pick up sticks, leaves, flowers, and acorns. You can bring them home and set up a simple science investigation to help your little witchlings learn about the changing season. My oldest loves looking at everything under a magnifying glass, while the baby loves crunching and squishing whatever she can get her hands on!
- Decorate eggs or make cascarones with the kids for a bit of spring time fun.
- Make seed paper or seed bombs with wildflower seeds.
- Wear the colors of the season. Go simple with painted nails or a tie. Alternately, go full out with a head to toe Ostara inspired outfit.
- Get prepared. Ensure that your home and emergency supplies are in order for winter. Wrap up home renovation projects and restock your supplies.
- Take action on the goals you set for the year. If there’s something you hope to accomplish this year, take steps toward accomplishing that goal now.
- Physically clean your home. Make one final push to get rid of dust, grime, and clutter. Open up the doors and windows to let in the energy and flow of spring into your home. Unless that mountain cedar is trying to kill you…
- Start your spring garden. Flowers or veggies! Roll up your sleeves, get outside, and dig in the dirt. Clean up weeds, debris, old brush, and dead plants from the winter. Add compost to your garden, and get it ready for planting. No space? Gram some pots and potting mix and work on a container garden.
- Visit your local botanical garden, and get in touch with your local flora.
- Get active outside. We’ve been cooped up for months. It’s finally time to get outside and play! Go for a walk or jog. Throw the ball around with the kids. Take the dog for a nice long stroll at the park. Feed the ducks. Just get outside.
- Take care of the environment by gathering trash that appears as the final snow melts away.
- Support your local community by collecting donations of food, clothing, and toiletries for homeless shelters or battered women’s shelters.
- Make garden stones to decorate your outdoor space.
- Create egg shell plant pots for seed starting.
Witchy Ways to Celebrate Ostara
If you want to infuse some magic into your season, these activities are perfect for all you witches at heart.
- Set up your Ostara altar. Include the colors, foods and symbols you have learned about here!
- Create a vision board to manifest something new into your life.
- Start a manifestation journal for spring, and learn about scripting to manifest your desires.
- Build an outdoor altar space, and take advantage of the rising temperatures and lengthening days.
- Dye and decorate eggs to place around your home and on your altar.
- Learn how to make natural egg dye, so your Ostara festivities (and Easter ones, if you celebrate) will be more eco-friendly.
- Perform a garden blessing, and bless your garden space before planting.
- Plan a witchy herb garden. You can create a variety of themed garden beds. A healing herbal garden, a baneful herb garden, a goth garden filled with black plants and flowers, a magical spell garden filled with your favorite herbs and plants, a culinary kitchen witch garden, a god or goddess offering garden with plants associated with your deity, a correspondence garden filled with plants for love, prosperity, health, power… The options are limitless!
- Take up a yoga or meditation practice, and work on your inner balance and flow.
- Carry the crystals of the season with you. Choose one stone per week over the 6 or so weeks of the Ostara season. Then, make sure to pay attention to what you notice, and journal about your experience. Perhaps you’ll find a new favorite.
- Cleanse your home using your favorite methods.
- Collect various types dirt for spells. Research and learn about what types of soil work well in different spells. For example, dirt collected near a bank is good for money magic. Make sure you’re familiar with local laws surrounding dirt collection, though. Don’t get cited or arrested over a jar of dirt.
- Leave offerings to the spirits of your garden or property, so they might bring you abundance, protection, and prosperity.
- Collect storm water from springtime thunderstorms to use in spell work.
- Learn how to perform an egg cleansing on yourself.
- Harness the cleansing power of the wind by going outside and allowing it to blow away your troubles.
- Alternately, use the wind to cleanse your home. Spray a bit of diluted essential oil or plant infused water onto your curtains. Open up the windows, and allow the wind to sweep the cleansing energy of the oil or infusion through your home. Sandalwood, sage, rosemary, or citrus would work well.
Divination for the Season
Pretty much any of your favorite forms of divination are fair game any time of year. However, these are some of my favorites that I feel truly embrace the themes of the season.
- Practice oomancy. Perform an egg cleansing, and read the egg for clues.
- Pull out your favorite tarot or oracle deck.
- Learn about and practice divination by reading the signs present in weather and animal behavior.
- Practice dendromancy by connecting with the spirit of the Oak tree the way the druids used to.
- Try out floriography by focusing on a question and plucking flower petals with an alternating yes-no answer. Yes, this is basically like playing “he loves me, he loves me not” like we did as kids.
Ostara Spell Ideas for Seasonal Magic
Whether you have loads of time for an elaborate ritual, or you’re a busy witch with no spare time, you’ll find spell ideas here to perfectly suit your needs and bring in the themes of Ostara.
- Garden and Seed Spells
- Ostara Garden Blessing
- Seed Paper Spells
- Seed Bomb Spells
- Fertility Magic
- Abundance and Prosperity Workings
- Vision Boards and Manifestation Journals
- Release Rituals
- Home Cleansing and Blessings
- Home Protection Spells
- Make a Floral Witch’s Ladder
- Egg Spells
- Weather Magic
- Spells for Change and Transformation
Spirits and Deities of Ostara
Ostara is the time of year for maiden goddesses, Earth mother goddesses, and young gods associated with rebirth and resurrection. Here are a few examples to guide your research if deity work interests you. This list is NOT exhaustive and really only scratches the surface.
Maiden goddesses
- Aphrodite – Greek goddess of
- Venus – Roman goddess of
- Persephone – Greek goddess of spring who goes to the Underworld in the fall and returns to her mother, Demeter, in spring.
- Flora – Roman goddess of flowers and spring.
- Artemis – Greek goddess of the hunt and protector of children and young girls.
- Saraswati – Hindu spring goddess of the arts, learning, and wisdom.
- Blodeuwedd – Welsh spring goddess of female empowerment.
Earth Mother Goddesses
- Gaia – Greek primordial mother of all life.
- Spider Grandmother – Native American creator goddess with mythology in several different tribes and cultures, but generally considered to be the one who wove the world into existance.
- Freya – Norse fertility goddess
Gods of Rebirth and Resurrection
- Osiris – ancient Egyptian god of agriculture who dies and is reborn.
- The Horned God – the male deity in Wiccan traditions who dies and goes to the underworld during this time
- Janus – the Roman god of beginnings and endings
- Cernunnos – ancient Celtic god of nature, flora, fauna, and fertility, often represented with antlers or horns similar to the Horned God.
- Jarylo – Slavic god of spring.
- Ra – Egyptian sun god.
- Pooka – a half human-half rabbit creature from Celtic legend
How Do You Celebrate Ostara?
As you can see, Ostara can mean so many different things to each of us. You have a lot of options to make your Ostara magical! It all just depends on what rings true and what lines up with our surroundings.
What is your favorite way to celebrate Ostara? Do you have any traditions I didn’t mention here? I’d love to hear about them!
So, what is Ostara to you?
