by Conscious Reminder
Spring is the season of rebirth and rejuvenation. And it is presided over by Ostara. For those of you who may not know about her, she is the patron deity of the spring season.
She is also associated with the rabbit, which is more than just the mascot for Easter. It is considered her totem spirit. Together they will renew the land for a new cycle and shed away the last of the winter’s frost. Winter, the season when nature and its denizens go into hibernation and we retreat ourselves for rest, is now over.
Now is the time to breathe life into the ideas we have been working on while we were in this retreat. After the introspection and solitude of the cold months, we are now ready for a new life.
Ostara arrives in sync with the vernal equinox. That is the day when the day and the night are of exact equal length. This is the time when the equator is crossed by the sun and days start lengthening again.
This happens just two times in the entire year and thus the event is very important for its symbolic as well as practical value. This marks the time when you get rid of the old and start with the new.
The History Of The Spring Traditions And Ostara
In northern Europe, before the advent of Christianity, the Germanic tribes used to worship the spring goddess, Ostara. She was also known by the name Eostre by old Britain’s tribes such as the Saxons.
It is also said that this is where the Christian festival of Easter is derived from. Right in sync with the celebration of modern day Easter, her feast was celebrated on the New Moon immediately following the Vernal Equinox.
She is also the goddess of fertility and light and thus she is responsible for bringing dawn and new life to Earth.
Since she is associated with fertility, eggs are very important to Ostara. They are both the symbol of harvest as well as the cycle of life. The Easter eggs too are nothing but the symbol of rebirth and fertility.
Even in Persian tradition, their new year which starts with the Nowruz festival has the practice of painting eggs, for a minimum of 1500 years at least.
Even in ancient Roman tradition, the goddess Cybele is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox. It is said that her dead paramour was resurrected on this very day.
Even the Mayans designed their famed pyramid El Castillo so that it is completely illuminated by the light of the setting sun on the day of the equinox. This day is celebrated across people and cultures from the ancient times.
Intentions
No matter how advanced we get with our lifestyle, we cannot ignore our roots which lay in nature. Just like our ancestors who celebrated and worshipped her and her many seasons, we will do well too when we are mindful of equinoxes and other such important events.
This day is very important not just for the seasons and the world outside, but for your own reformation as well. This is the time for the new beginning, so make sure you are prepared. This is the best opportunity for you to cleanse yourself of the old and concentrate on the new.
Don’t miss the sunlight on the day of the equinox. The balancing of the day and night outside will also help you in harmonizing your inner energies. Noon is the peak of the Sun so be sure that you catch some light.
Light a candle as a symbol of new light that is flooding the planet and with it visualize your aim and ambitions for this new journey.
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