Ostara; Emus, eggs and moving back toward the light.

Ostara is the spring equinox, where the hours of light and dark are equal.  In the southern hemisphere, the traditional date for Ostara is September 21.  It is a time of balance, the tipping point between summer and winter.  The light begins to dominate the dark, and the Sun King will grow in strength with the coming summer.  The Goddess wakens from her winter sleep, blanketing the earth with new life.  We feel the warmth of the sun and with this increasing warmth animal and plant life mates and blossoms. Love is in the air and the attraction between the Goddess and the Sun King grows.  Soon it will be Beltane and they will consummate their love. 

For our northern hemisphere brethren, Ostara was a time of joy, a celebration that they had survived the long, cold winter.  In Australia, the winters are generally mild, with snow only falling in the alpine regions.  The water courses begin to dry up and we are already seeing the devastating effects of drought.  This is the time to prepare the land for the coming summer.  Fire becomes a real threat as the land dries and burn off measures are put in place to reduce bushfire risk.  Seeds are sown.  Bottlebrush is flowering, a reminder to clean out what we no longer require during the annual ‘spring clean’.  With the increasing warmth, snakes become more active.  The magpie breeding season has begun with territorial birds protecting their young.  Daffodils and tulips are in bloom.  It is a time of growth and blossoming.  Chickens hatch and rabbits breed. 

There is of course another festival that celebrates life and eggs and bunnies – Easter.  It is thought to be named after an ancient goddess (either the Gallic sun goddess Ostara or the Teutonic goddess Eoster).  These goddesses can still be found in our language today as the root of the word estrogen; the female sex hormone which plays a vital role in the release of a woman’s eggs and her reproductive system.  The egg is a symbol of life and renewal, of awakening from the darkness.  I will leave it to you to decide if Easter is something you wish to celebrate.  I firmly believe that when we walk this path, we take what is happening around us and apply that to our life.  We can copy the traditions of Easter, or we can create our own traditions for this great southern land. 

I find the Emu to be a perfect representation for this time of year.  The striped feathers of Emu perfectly represent the balance between light and dark that occurs at the equinox.  They also exhibit shared parenting, with the female laying the eggs and the male raising the chicks.  Emu is a perfect symbol of balance and grounding, being a large flightless bird.  As the Sun King grows towards his peak, so too do the chicks raised by the male Emu.  He is a symbol of masculinity and endurance, lending his strength to any parent who is doing it on their own.  You can call on the energy of Emu to lend you strength and endurance to achieve your goals and dreams. 

This is a time of beginnings.  We can sow and seed our intentions for the year ahead and take action to achieve the future we want to create.  It is time to tend your garden.  Spring cleaning is a time to clear things out and to move forward with more space, feeling free and airy.  Incorporate magick into your cleaning by using lemon peel or oil in your floor wash to add zest to your life.  Basil floor wash can clean away negative attachments to money and call in prosperity.  Orange and clove oil cleaners can be used for protection.  Go about your work with intent.  Now is the time to make the necessary changes to bring your plans to fruition.  Decorate your altar with black and white candles to represent balance. You could also include eggs as a symbol of growth, fertility, new life and beginnings.  Welcome the sun’s vital energy back into your life by opening up your home and eating fresh seasonal produce like berries, mango, avocado, cucumber and the physical representation of the sun – starfruit. 

You could also do a growth ritual planting sprouts or beans into hollow egg shells or in your cauldron (the symbol of the womb of new beginnings).  Get creative and draw sigils or symbols onto the eggs to signify your intent.  Call in the power of air for intuition and wisdom.  A candle can represent fire and the growing warmth of the season.  As the seeds grow in earth, water them regularly, singing to them and repeating your intentions to them.  Write down your dreams and desires and burn them over the seeds, letting the ash fall onto the earth, releasing your intent to the universe.  Imbue them with your energy.  Everything we have to create magick is within us, you don’t need special or expensive tools.  You could add your life force to these seeds by incorporating your bodily fluids if you’re so inclined or simply use your finger to direct energy into the seeds.  We are a part of nature, not apart from it.  Allow these seeds to continue to grow as you put practical plans into place to make your dreams a reality. 

This is your time to begin anew.  As the light increases, we cast off the darkness of winter and look forward to what life will bring us in the future.  Like the egg, it is time for you to come out of your shell, to come out of the darkness and to embrace life.