Egg History & Rituals for Ostara + The Spring Equinox

Ostara, also known as the Spring or Vernal Equinox, is the dawn of the fertile season on the Wheel of the Year. Light and dark are in equal balance and moving forward, the light of the sun will outshine the dark of night, pushing nature into a flurry of growth and expansion. 

This season corresponds to growth, fertility, manifesting, and the maiden aspect of the Triple Goddess. The energy of this season calls you to begin taking concerted actions towards your desires. Eggs and hares are common symbols associated with this season, but their associations may not be as ancient as you thought.

I went down a bit of a rabbit hole, no pun intended, on this one! So, before we dive into egg rituals for you to practice, I want to share a bit about the history (we do know) of Ostara. If you don’t care, skip on through to the egg rituals, but personally, I find the history of our rituals not only interesting but important in crafting a meaningful practice.

Eggs and Ostara, Where’s the Connection?  

There are a couple of stories that link Ostara to eggs and hares. One being that a hare out foraging for food found an egg and gave it to Ostara an offering for Spring (read a more elaborate version of this story here.) The other story speaks of Ostara finding a bird with frozen wings that she turned into a hare to save. The hare retaining its ability to lay eggs, laid an egg for Ostara as a show of gratitude. You can find variations of stories passed down similar to these or possibly have some in your lineage. 

As with much of Pagan and spiritual practices from the Celts and Anglo-Saxons, these traditions were passed down orally. However, there’s actually no written pre-Christian evidence of the Goddess Ostara and her connection to hares and eggs. Ostara is first mentioned in a text by a Christian monk named Bede in 725 AD. 

This isn’t to say that it’s not possible that ancient Northern European folks honored hares, eggs, and maiden Goddesses like Ostara and Freya during this season. Still, there’s no written evidence supporting these stories. Here’s a great article that dives deeper into the history we know about Ostara and her connection to eggs and hares.

Card feature from the Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky.

When Christianity dominated these areas, the oral traditions were slowly extinguished, as well as many of the ancient practices associated with them. So the truth is, we may never know if Ostara and her connection to hares and eggs were real. You can view this as a hardship or an opportunity. I choose the latter. Not having a script for our ancestors' ancient ways offers you an opportunity to go within and form personal meaning with each season. 

Give this post a listen here:

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Symbolism of Eggs

Regardless of how the connection of eggs came to be associated with Ostara and this season, their connection to fertility, life, and union is found worldwide. Vedic texts reference the cosmic egg, the Orphic egg in Greece, and the Serpent’s Egg in Druidic practices, just to name a few, all of which deal with the beginnings of life and fertility. 

Many of the ancient mythologies surrounding eggs tell stories of life, balance, and creation, which are all energies undoubtedly linked to the energy of the Spring Equinox. For these reasons, regardless of the history of eggs and Ostara, the egg is still a beautiful and potent symbol to work with during this season, or really anytime you’re focusing on fertility and growth. 

Egg Rituals for Ostara

Here are a few simple ways to weave eggs into your Spring Equinox rituals. Vegan? No worries, use fake eggs. As with most magical practices, your intention is the most important part. Working with fake egg-shaped decorations is an ideal substitute for the real deal. You can purchase egg shapes in paper, plastic, and wood at most craft stores. For the rituals shown below, biodegradable eggs made from paper or wood are best. Please, don’t bury plastic eggs!

1. Eat them!: Obviously, if you’re vegan, you can skip over this one. But if you’re not, enjoy eggs in your favorite way or bake with them to connect with their energy of creation. Consider holding the egg in your hand and infusing it with your desires that you’d like to manifest over the coming months. 

2. Decorate: Place plain or decorated eggs on your altar or in your home as a symbol of fertility, balance, and growth. If you’re using real eggs, you can blow out the contents of the egg with a needle and a straw; otherwise, fake eggs will work fine as well (raw eggs shouldn’t be used if left out for more than two hours.) 

3. Egg manifesting ritual: Write wishes, draw Runes or a Sigil on an egg (raw, hard-boiled, or a fake egg) in alignment with your desires. Bury your egg in the ground to let the fertile energy of the earth help it manifest. Amplify this ritual by burying your egg alongside some seeds. As your plants grow, they will serve as a reminder of your desires being manifested. 

4. Egg offering: Hard boil one or more eggs and leave them as an offering out in nature to give thanks for the season's fertility and growth. 

Now you can work with eggs this season and have a better idea of what we do know about their history in regards to Ostara. Remember, even though we don’t have written history, it doesn’t mean that Ostara wasn’t honored. In the end, this season is a time to work with the energy of fertility and growth, and if honoring Ostara, the hare, and eggs is a way that helps you do that, I encourage you to do so! Continue creating a practice that’s meaningful to you. 

Check out our past blog posts about Ostara here.

5 Samhain Rituals + Samhain Correspondences & Card Spread

The ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced sow-in), celebrated on October 31st and November 1st, marks the end of our seasonal cycle on the Wheel of the Year. This is why it's often referred to as the witch's New Year. Seasonally speaking, Samhain is the third and final harvest of the season or the last rally to store and prepare for the coming Winter season.

This sacred celebration reaches much farther than harvests and is also a time when the veil between the physical and spirit world is at its thinnest. The Celtic people believed that spirits walked among them during this time, so Samhain is accepted as an ideal time to communicate and connect with the spirit realm. Here's a fun drawing I created with ritual suggestions for Samhain. Keep scrolling to learn more about each one. 

Time to pull out all of your favorite intuitive and protective tools! Let's dig into four different ways to connect with this season through ritual. I'll also share correspondences for Samhain and a card spread to use with your favorite tarot or oracle card deck. 

1. Create a Samhain Altar + Samhain Correspondences 

Switching up your altar or sacred space for the seasons is an easy way to bring in each celebration's energy on the Wheel of The Year. Get a quick look at how I do this in this video I shared on Instagram for Mabon. 

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When it comes to changing out your altar, understanding the correspondences (items that carry the similar energy) of Samhain will be helpful. Here's a list of tools and symbols that correspond with Samhain. 

Samhain Correspondences:

• Themes: Releasing, cleansing, divination, protection, the underworld, offerings for ancestors

• Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon

• Crystals: Labradorite, obsidian, onyx, garnet, hematite, amethyst

• Candle Colors: Purple, black, orange, silver

• Tools: Besom (broom), cauldron, any kind of divination tool

• Plants and Scents: Mugwort, cinnamon, clove, patchouli

• Foods: Apples, pomegranate, pumpkins, nuts, meat

• Runes: Algiz, Daggaz, Ansuz, Perthro, Othalo

• Gods and Goddesses: Persephone, all crone Goddesses, Callieach, Cerridwen, and Hecate

To create your altar, select items and symbols from the list above and anything else that personally connects you to this season. Clear and cleanse (both physically and energetically) your altar space, then place your altar items with care and intention. I like to end my altar creation by lighting a candle and saying a prayer for the altar's intention. It could be something like this, but feel free to tailor it to your liking. 

With this altar, I welcome the final harvest season and the thinning of the veil. I remember my loved ones crossed over and all ancestors before them and share this offering as a sign of my gratitude. Myself and my space are protected from any beings that do not have my highest good in mind. So it is. 

2. Sweep away negative energy with a besom

With the thinning of the veil between spirit and physical, it's essential to clear out and protect your space from unwanted energies. I shared a thorough post a few years ago with steps to perform a Samhain house cleansing and blessing; check it out here. Because I already wrote all about performing a house cleansing, I'd like to dive a little deeper into using a besom for Samhain. 

A besom, or broom, is a tool used by witches to cleanse a space energetically. Though your besom can clean physically, it doesn't touch the ground when used as an energy cleansing tool. Simply open a door in your house, sweep right above the floor, and visualize negative energy leaving your space. 

You can make your besom or find them for purchase at certain stores. I usually get mine from Trader Joe's and like to add my own decorations to it. 

3. Connect with your ancestors and give offerings to loved ones in spirit. 

There are cultures worldwide who believe that our loved ones come back at certain times to walk among us. We see this in the Dia de Los Muertos in Mexico, Hungry Ghosts day in China, and in Samhain (to name a few.) 

Samhain offers us a special time to connect with, honor, and remember all those who have come before us. You can do this in various ways, including by connecting with your ancestors for guidance through your intuition, remembering loved ones and ancestors passed on, or giving loved ones in spirit an offering. 

Your altar is a great place to give an offering to any loved ones who've crossed over. An offering to your ancestors could be pictures of them or favorite foods and drinks. You can also connect with ancestors in spirit through meditation and breathwork. Check out this past blog post for steps to work with your ancestors through meditation and breathwork.

Find a guided journey to your ancestors here.

4. Protect yourself!

The thinning veil is a double-edged sword for Samhain. Yes, it is lovely to connect with spirit so easily, but it also leaves you more susceptible to all energies, which may not have your highest good in mind. Because the veil is so thin during this time, take care to protect yourself and your space from any unwelcome energy. 

The featured oracle card deck is The Ritual Deck.

A protection tool that works exceptionally well during Samhain is burning dried mugwort. I shared all about this plant here. Some other favorites are salt for banishing, black candles, and the Rune Algiz. Find even more protection tools and rituals in a previous post here. 

5. Pull out your intuitive tools + Samhain Card Spread

If you want to connect with spirit, set the wheels in motion for a new desire, or want to learn more about yourself from a higher perspective, now's the time to pull out all the stops and dive deep into your intuitive practice. With the thinning veil between spirit and physical, the doors are wide open for profound intuitive growth, shadow work, and spiritual connections. 

Here's a suggested card spread to try out with your favorite tarot or oracle card deck. Samhain tarot or oracle card spread.

1. In what areas of my life do I need more protection?

2. What bonds do I need to break free of in my life?

3. What areas of my life are seeking renewal?

4. In what areas of my life do I need to allow grieving?

5. What messages do my ancestors have for me?

There are endless options for performing intuitive work, but some of my favorites for Samhain are candle spells, scrying, oracle and tarot card readings, and journey work.

Samhain is a truly magical time, and I hope you can feel how special it is with everything I've shared here. Remember, there's nothing to fear. At our core, we are spiritual beings too. This unique time offers us the opportunity to connect with a realm we already know so well, even if we've temporarily forgotten. Samhain blessings, dear one!

3 Rituals for Mabon

Mabon, also known as the fall equinox, is the holiday on the Wheel of the Year that descends us into autumn. On this day, as with both equinoxes, light and dark find balance — we hover, suspended, at an even keel before tipping into more darkness.

When we fear darkness, this descent may feel scary. But intentionally working with the seasons and the Wheel of the Year can teach us the inherent goodness in every season, and the necessity of each point in the year. Without the fall and winter dying season, there can be no space for growth in spring and summer.

Without the pruning and reevaluating of the dying season, the growth season brings overwhelm and lack of focus. Without the shadow work fall and winter invite in, spring and summer feel shallow — love and light with no substance. Working with ritual is a beautiful way to honor this sabbat. Scroll down to explore some rituals to inspire your practice for this sacred day and season. 

Gratitude Ritual

Often referred to as the Witches’ Thanksgiving, Mabon is thought of by some as a second harvest time. A time to reap what you have sowed, and enjoy the fruits of your energy with those you love. 

This gratitude ritual is inspired by this aspect of Mabon. All you’ll need is a candle in a color that connects you to gratitude, a piece of paper and a pen. You can make this fancier if you’d like by rolling your candle in oil and herbs (here are a few gratitude herbs shared by Yoga International to check out), but it’s definitely not a requirement.

Ground yourself and spend some time reflecting on the question: what are you grateful for? Think back throughout this whole year, perhaps since the last fall equinox, and free-write everything you can think of on your paper. 

Maybe there’s even enough time and space from some of the harder things of the past year to find some gratitude in them (or maybe not, and maybe there never will be, and all of that is okay, too!). 

When you feel complete with your list, light your candle and start reading aloud everything you’re grateful for. Take a breath and pause with each item to really feel the gratitude move through your body, to consciously connect with this energy. Depending on how long your list is and how you’re feeling, you might read your list a few times.

Then, raise energy in a way that feels joyful to you - it could be dancing, shaking your whole body, laughing, or anything else that feels good to you! Let gratitude soak into your cells. Let it infuse your body with love. When you’ve felt the energy shift, burn your gratitude list on your candle and offer up a little gratitude prayer that feels good to you — I like something simple like, “thank you, more please!” to share my gratitude and offer to the Universe that I’m open to receiving more things to be grateful for. 

Let your candle burn out, or burn it for the next few days and sit in a short gratitude meditation each day while you do. 

Make an Altar

Making a seasonal altar is a lovely and tactile way to honor any season. To make your altar, ask yourself: what textures, scents, images, archetypes, symbols, and items evoke a feeling of autumn for you?

Check out this video from our Instagram page for tips on resetting your altar for the seasons.

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Here are some suggestions to inspire your practice, but I highly recommend letting your altar creation be intuitive:

• Sticks and/or leaves from the land near you 

• The High Priestess tarot card, symbolizing Persephone’s descent into the underworld 

• Local seasonal fruits and vegetables like apples, grains, and squash as offerings for ancestors 

• Autumnal colored candles — brown, red, orange, and/or yellow 

• Pomegranates, which also symbolize descent into the underworld 

Try to be as present as possible while creating your altar to really sink into the space you’re creating. After you’ve set up your altar, try spending a few moments meditating on the themes of Mabon and intention of this holiday.

Ritual to Descend into Darkness

This ritual is to be done outside at sunset (if that’s possible for you, if not, you could change it to be inside and view the sunset through a window) on the fall equinox.

Set yourself up for a pleasurable and safe sunset viewing experience, whatever that means to you! If it’s chilly, maybe you need a sweater and thick socks. Maybe you like to have yummy snacks and a drink, or a journal to write a poem about the sunset beside you. It’s up to you!

Watch the sunset and try to be as present as possible. Notice how the sun’s energy makes you feel, and how that might shift as the sun continues to sink lower and the colors change across the sky. As the sun sets, offer gratitude to the sun for its life-giving energy.

Sink into the darkness, and try to be as present as possible with it, too. Notice how your energy and the sensations and feelings in your body shift with the darkness. Ask yourself: what are the gifts of this darkness? What’s the medicine, the magic? Notice what you hear, smell, see - maybe it’s bugs singing, the stars in the sky, a smoky scent of someone’s backyard fire pit.

Speak words of love and praise aloud to the darkness. Share what you love about it. What you’re ready for. What calls to you about the darkness. If you feel called, leave an intuitive offering out for the darkness — food, a poem, a painting, a flower, anything that feels good to you.

Close your ritual with a few deep breaths, and spend some time journaling after to process your experience.

Happy Mabon! Sending you lots of love and wishes for a nourishing fall season from team Cassie Uhl. Find more rituals for Marbon here. 

5 Rituals for Lammas & Lughnasadh

Lammas, or Lughnasadh, is one of the four cross-quarter days on the Celtic Wheel of the Year. This holiday, celebrated by ancient European pagans, marks the beginning of the harvest season. 

The name Lughnasadh comes from “Lunasa,” which means August in Gaelic. Lammas is the English word for this harvest festival, which is Anglo-Saxon for “loaf mass.” I tend to use both names, as I have both Irish and English ancestry. 

At the beginning of the harvest season, the themes of this holiday are abundance, gratitude, harvest, and honoring the fruits of our labors and intentions throughout the year thus far. 

Honoring the sabbats with ritual is a beautiful way to tune yourself into nature and connect with Mother Earth. Scroll down for 5 Lammas rituals to help you celebrate this day! 

1. Meditate to connect with Lugh. This holiday is associated with the sun god Lugh (which you can see in the name Lughnasadh). Lugh is a warrior deity in Celtic mythology known for being skilled in many things, including fighting, building, and the arts. 

For this ritual, sit in meditation (ideally, outside under the sun if that’s possible for you) and ask to connect with the energy of Lugh. In my practice, I like to work with deities energetically as archetypes that are already within myself, but please, do whatever works for you! You can ask Lugh to share a message with you, ask him to share his skills in a specific area you need help with, simply offer him gratitude, or bring forward another question specific to you.

Bask in Lugh’s energy until you feel complete, offer gratitude, and close your meditation with a few deep belly breaths.

You can find a meditation for Lughnasadh here to help you harvest the fruits of your labor over the previous year and tune into the energy of pride.

2. Explore what you are harvesting in your life at this time. Try this tarot or oracle card spread for deeper clarity around the abundance in your life right now. 

• What I am harvesting at this time 

• The roots of this harvest (aka, what happened to make this harvest possible internally and externally?)

• How to step into the energy of gratitude 

• How to continue to create abundance in my life 

Spend some time meditating with your cards or journaling about their meanings to go deeper. 

3. Support local farmers. I love when ritual becomes tangible and infused with life, and this is one of those rituals! Ask yourself how you can support local farmers in your life. Perhaps you’d like to commit to doing a CSA next year or buying some portion of your food locally. Perhaps you can go to the farmer’s market, purchase some things and get to know your local farmers. Get creative and support those who make our physical harvest possible every day. 

4. Bake a loaf of bread. Associated with grains, this is the perfect day to bake a fresh loaf of bread. Do this with loved ones if you’d like for a more collaborative process, and infuse intentions of gratitude and abundance into the baking process. Share the bread with your loved ones afterward, and talk about what the themes of this holiday mean to you.  

5. Make an altar. Making an altar is a beautiful way to honor any sabbat. Get creative and make it your own! To inspire your own creativity, here are some ideas of things you might like to put on your altar:

• Bread or grains 

• Yellow, orange, red, or brown candles

• Local, seasonal fresh vegetables 

• Your tarot cards from the spread above

• The 8 of Pentacles, 10 of Pentacles, or any other cards that represent harvest, abundance, and gratitude to you 

• An ear of corn 

• Sunflowers

• Citrine, pyrite, or tiger eye

To learn more about the different sabbats on the wheel of the year (plus, get a free printable), click here. Learn more about the intersection of the first harvest season, Leo season, and Lughnasadh and the history of the Celtic God Lugh here. 

Three Rituals for Beltane

Beltane is a cross-quarter holiday on the Wheel of the Year that honors the return of summer, the return of the fertility of the Earth, and the element of fire. It’s a nature-based holiday that many of our ancestors celebrated for a long time, and now we get to carry that tradition forward. 

Like Samhain, Beltane is a time when the veil is thin. This holiday is a particularly beautiful time to connect with nature spirits, as well as any other beings you’re wanting to create a connection with. 

At Beltane, we honor the goddess as part of us. We honor the body, pleasure, sensuality, and sexuality. We bask in the fiery energy of the sun and the fertile energy that’s present. 

In this blog, I'm sharing three rituals and suggested tools for Beltane that you can work with to honor this sacred holiday. Keep scrolling to watch a video and read more!

Page featured from the Goddess Discovery Book V2

OPTIONAL RITUAL TOOLS FOR BELTANE

Feel free to add any of the symbols and tools outlined below to your Beltane rituals or altar. They each correspond with the energy of Beltane. They are not necessary and should be viewed as optional layered energy in your rituals.

Cards featured from The Ritual Deck. 

• Crystals: Rose quartz, garnet, pink tourmaline, rhodochrosite, emerald, malachite, and moonstone

• Scents and plants: Sandalwood, ylang-ylang, lilac, angelica, jasmine, and rose

• Candle colors: Pink, orange, and red

• Element: Fire

• Tarot: Empress

• Rune: Berakno

• Goddess: Venus/Freya

• Tools and Symbols: Cowry shell, flowers, and anything that represents pleasure and creativity to you

Learn more about these rituals for Beltane with Eryn by clicking the video below.

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PLEASURE RITUAL FOR BELTANE

This is one of my favorite pleasure-based rituals, and there’s no time like Beltane for it! You’ll need:

• An oil that you’re comfortable using on your skin, like coconut oil or sunflower seed oil (feel free to mix in any essential oils that intuitively feel good to you as well! Ylang Ylang, rose, and sandalwood are great options.)

• Music (optional)

• A journal (optional)

If you’re using music, take some time to create an intentional, sensual playlist. What songs make you feel really juicy and embodied?

When you’re ready, get yourself into a cozy space, turn your music on if you’re using it, and start to anoint yourself with the oil. Take your time to gently massage the oil into your skin. Keep your breath deep and full, giving yourself sensual touch and really letting yourself receive it.

As you breathe and anoint yourself with the oil, really tune in to the sensation of this touch. Try to stay present and tap into feeling good. We are generally so touch-starved in our lives, and giving ourselves loving touch can be really special.

At some point, this ritual might move into some organic, embodied movement. Or it may not! Feel free to follow whatever feels right here, but keep tuning into your senses and breathing deeply. Some mantras or affirmations might arise organically that you’d like to offer yourself, or perhaps you start to just rest with your hands on your belly and heart. 

Close this ritual with a few loving breaths, reach for your journal and hold some space for yourself to process your experience and think about your relationship with pleasure. 

SELF-LOVE RITUAL FOR BELTANE

Traditionally, folks would jump over fires at Beltane to strengthen a bond, increase fertility, and/or attract a partner. Any and all of those intentions are beautiful, but I’m most interested in connecting with our own love for ourselves at this time. For this ritual, you’ll need:

• A mirror

• A candle with a very stable base (rather than a traditional spell candle, try to use a votive or a short candle in a glass container. You’ll understand why as you keep reading!)

When you’re ready, soften into a cozy, ritual space. Place your hands somewhere on your body to ground and open your circle, and find your breath. Drop into meditation, and start to breathe into a simple phrase: “I love you.”

Notice what starts to happen in your body as you keep telling yourself this (silently or out loud). You may find yourself entering a trance. You may feel a rush of loving energy, a flood of shame, feelings of inauthenticity, or something completely different. Just notice, with compassion, how your internal world shifts as you continue to meditate on this phrase. If another phrase around love comes up for you, you can start to work with that as well. 

Follow your intuition and follow the threads. Perhaps a specific version of you or a part of yourself you feel ashamed of arises to the surface. Can you give that part of your self love, too? Perhaps a critical voice comes up, judging you and your practice. Can you be with that part of yourself, too, and give it love?

Stay with yourself, breathing into love, until at some point you feel ready to open your eyes and gaze into your mirror. Look into your own eyes. Drink yourself in. Tell yourself what you need to hear, what whichever parts of your shadow and self have come up during this ritual need to hear - that you love them regardless. That they could never do anything to lose your love. That you’ll never abandon yourself. Speak the words out loud and feel their power.

When you feel complete, close your ritual by lighting your candle and taking a sacred moment to jump over it (staying safe, of course! If you don’t have a safe candle to do this with, you can place something else there like a candle oracle card from the Ritual Deck and jump over that). As you jump, feel these promises of love solidified. Feel more love move into your body. Feel your declarations of love rise into the Universe. 

And so it is. 

EMPRESS RITUAL FOR BELTANE

The Empress, ruled by Venus, is an archetype of love, creativity, pleasure, and receptivity. This card speaks to the fertility aspect of this holiday, reminding us of our capacity to birth - whether that’s babies, a new world, art, a creative project, purposeful work in the world, or something else. Birth can be so many things beyond and outside of the birthing of humans, although of course, you can work with that here as well! 

For this ritual, you’ll connect with your inner Empress and embody her energetically. All you will need is your Empress tarot card and your journal! If you’d like to add any crystal allies to this practice rose quartz, emerald, moonstone, or rhodochrosite. 

Empress Card from The Starchild Tarot

Create a soft and cozy ritual space for yourself. Spend some time gazing upon your Empress card. Take this archetype in. How does it land in your heart, your body? Notice how you feel and any thoughts, ideas, or associations that come up (feel free to jot these down in your journal if that feels good). What is your unique connection to the Empress? 

When you feel complete, close your eyes and enter into meditation. Invite in the version of you that is the Empress. See them appear in front of you in your mind’s eye as the most embodied, Venusian version of you.

Take this version of you in and ask them any questions you have for them. You might ask them what you’re ready to birth at this time, what you need to release to step into this version of you or anything else that lands on your heart. Take your time and be in connection with the Empress - which is already inside of you.

As you feel complete, thank this version of you and close with a few deep breaths. Open your eyes, and take some time to process your experience in your journal. What will you take away from this ritual? What are you going to change, release, embody, step into? Write it all down!

Which ritual will you be working with for Beltane this year? Let us know over on Instagram! Check out the Wheel of The Year Guided Meditation Bundle here and more rituals for Beltane here.

Three Rituals for Ostara

The spring equinox, also called Ostara, takes place around March 20th each year. This sabbat marks the day when dark and light are in equal balance. After Ostara, we have more light each day and less darkness as we build up to the peak of the sun at the summer solstice. These rituals are great to perform anytime between the Ostara and Beltane.

The Earth is beginning to get warmer and more fertile each day. Associated with the maiden aspect of the triple goddess, Ostara is a time of new life, fertility, balance and harmony, birth, manifestation, and innocent, child-like wonder. 

In this post, I’ll be sharing 3 rituals for Ostara. Keep scrolling for all three rituals and check out the video below.

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CREATE AN OSTARA ALTAR

Creating an altar is a beautiful way to honor any nature-based holiday. I’m a huge fan of letting altar creation be intuitive - what does Ostara mean to you, and what symbols can you place on your altar to represent that personal meaning? Learn more about altars here. 

With that being said, here are some altar item suggestions to inspire your creativity: 

• Fresh flowers

• Eggs

• Pastel-colored candles

• Fertility goddess drawings or photos (remember, fertility isn’t just about birthing babies but about the energy of creation - which we can channel into so many different creations!)

• A photo of your child self 

• Sprouts 

• Images of rabbits 

• The Sun card, Lovers card, or other tarot cards you associate with this time 

• Crystals associated with fertility, renewal, or balance like sunstone, green aventurine, moss agate, or peach moonstone

You can ritualize your altar creation by gathering your items mindfully and taking some time to meditate before putting your altar together. As you place each item on your altar, feel the energy of Ostara moving through your body and your space, bringing you renewal, fertility, and harmony.  

CHILDLIKE WONDER RITUAL

One of my favorite rituals for Ostara is simply doing an activity you loved as a child. Maybe you loved to play in the forest, paint with your hands, swim in the ocean, or sing. Carve out intentional time to do that activity again today, and notice how your inner child responds. My guess is that she’ll love it!

As you play, see if you can suspend any skeptical or critical voices that may pop up inside, saying that what you’re doing is silly or stupid or doesn’t matter. Can you access the sense of pure wonder, curiosity, and play you once felt every day? 

Spend some time journaling afterward to process your experience and dig into the ways you’d like to bring more childlike wonder into your daily life. 

BALANCE RITUAL

For this ritual, you’ll need:

• 2 spell candles of different colors 

• Moss agate (optional)

This ritual connects to the balance aspect of this holiday. Remember, on any equinox (spring or fall), light and darkness come into balance. It’s a powerful time to find more balance in our lives, too. 

Start by grounding yourself with a few deep breaths or using another grounding practice you enjoy. Take some time to get clear on where you need more balance in your life. If you’re using moss agate, a naturally balancing crystal, you could hold it at this time. You might like to meditate, do breathwork, free write, or pull cards to get clarity on the balance your heart is craving.

Once you feel clear, take a few deep breaths to return to center and speak aloud where you are craving more balance in your life. Light your candles as you say, “As I light these candles, I call in more balance between ______.”

As your candles burn, visualize yourself having this balance in your life. How does it feel? Who do you become? Really take your time to luxuriate in this energy as you let your candles burn all the way down. 

Take a moment to ground yourself again, and close your ritual with a moment of gratitude.

Which ritual will you be doing for Ostara? We’d love to hear on Instagram! You can find more rituals for Ostara here and meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.

6 Ways to Align Yourself with the Energy of Imbolc

Imbolc is a sabbat on the Wheel of the Year that happens on February 1st.

At Imbolc, the Earth is beginning to wake up and we celebrate the approaching return of spring. We are through the hardest and darkest part of the winter, and we begin to prepare ourselves to direct our energy outwards again in the lighter part of the year to come.

The word Imbolc means “in the belly” - offering us the promise of hope, renewal, of the awakening of the Earth again. 

Imbolc is also deeply associated with the Celtic triple goddess Brigid and her sacred flame. Brigid was one of the most powerful and most loved goddesses in Ireland, and she is the goddess of healing, poetry, and smithcraft. She is associated with the hearth, fire, the home, and water. At Imbolc, as the Earth reawakens, Brigid is said to be in her maiden aspect. 

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing some ways to align yourself with the sacred energy of Imbolc. Keep scrolling to read them!Page featured from The Goddess Discovery Book V2.

Page featured from The Goddess Discovery Book V2.

1. SPRING CLEANING

Imbolc is a beautiful time to clear some space for the new beginnings to come - physically, emotionally, and energetically. This could mean literally cleaning your home and donating things you no longer use, or it could be about letting go of an unhealthy pattern, belief system, or even identity. Whatever it is for you, it’s time to clear space in order to plant seeds for spring.

2. HONOR BRIGHID 

Honor the goddess Brigid in whatever ways feel good to you. Writing poetry, reading poetry, and making something with your hands are all beautiful, tangible ways to honor Brigid. You could also sit in meditation and ask Brigid to come to visit you and share messages with you.You can read more about Brigid in this blog post.

3. CONNECT WITH FIRE

As I mentioned above, this sabbat is deeply associated with fire, the sun, and the sacred flame that burns within. You might connect with fire by going outside during the day and sitting in the sun, lighting candles or burning a fire in your fireplace, meditating on the sacred flame within, or doing a fiery movement practice to open your solar plexus. Find a journey to fire here. 

Card featured from The Ritual Deck. 

4. CREATE AN ALTAR

Create a fresh altar with items and symbols that invoke new beginnings, hope, fire, and awakening. Some suggestions:

• Seeds 

• A Brighid cross (click here to learn how to make one)

• Fertility symbolism 

• Blackberry

• Tiger’s eye, citrine, or carnelian crystals 

• An image of Brigid - print one out or use her card from a goddess oracle deck if you have one 

• White and red candles

• Frankincense or dragon’s blood incense 

• A bowl of water 

As always with building altars, get creative and use your intuition!

5. TAP INTO YOUR INNER MAIDEN

Brighid is said to be in her maiden aspect at Imbolc, so we’re all invited to tap into our inner maiden. Connect with the young part of you that is playful, that believes in magic, that has a vivid imagination. Let yourself embody creation, pleasure, and desire - whatever that means to you.

6. PREPARE FOR SPRING

If you haven’t been resting through winter and really sinking into the winter invitation of sacred solitude, this is your last opportunity to connect with this energy. If you have been resting and feel excited about spring, preparing for spring could mean starting to plan, organize, and align yourself to set some strong foundations for spring growth.

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A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Wishing you a beautiful Imbolc, goddesses! You can find more rituals for Imbolc here and meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.