Blesses Ostara!

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Good Morning and Blessings Everyone!


Today let's talk about Ostara also known as Spring Equinox, the Rites of Spring. It usually falls between March 21st and 22nd and marks the first day of spring. Everything wakes up from a long winters nap. The Goddess blesses the earth with the new beginnings, trees in bloom, flowers growing, crops waking up in the field. She kisses the earth with fertility giving us what we need to be ready to survive another winter. This is also the start of longer days and shorter nights. It is a day when both day and night are in balance. It's when the sun over takes the darkness giving us more light to enjoy the beauty the Earth is giving birth too. It is a time for mating between the wild animals that roam the forest and now even the city streets.

Ostara is a time to beginning planting new things. Starting your garden, planting a new tree, perhaps even putting forth a spell for a new beginning. Many celebrate this day with a ritual of tending to their gardens. Some people like to get together for a group ritual feeling it gives more power and strength to the spell that is being cast for a good season, crop, even financial success. It is a time for fertility. To start things new. Spring cleaning getting rid of the old and in with the new.

Actually this is the day the Christians model Easter after. For both Ostara and Easter the tradition is painting of eggs, baskets of goodies for the children, a time to decorate the house with flowers. This is the time of year to clear things out, to banish it from you energy. It is also a time to cast a spell for find what you have lost or to ask what for what you may need. It is a time for romance and new beginnings for everyone.

In my house when I was growing up we didn't celebrate Ostara as I know it today. We did mark it as the first day of spring however. Spring the start of all the new and beautiful things about to come. Everything in bloom and Easter is on the way. Easter was celebrated with morning at church in our new spring clothes an Easter egg hunt, baskets from the bunny himself and of course being Italian, a huge Easter dinner. Never to lose the reason why we celebrated this day. It was the day that marked the rise of Jesus Christ. My parents and the nuns I loved to spend time with always reminded me to remember the real reason we celebrated such holidays. When I got older I realized that most of our Christian holidays center around ancient Pagan celebrations. That doesn't make them wrong it just points out that in all religions from Pagan times till now have their own reasons for celebrations around the same time as the Wheel of the year.

What I have always loved the most about this time of the year is watching everything come into bloom and for me it starts with the blooming of the Cherry Blossom Trees. These trees start blooming the end of March beginning of April depending on the weather. The sad part is they only last about two weeks once they bloom but the beauty they bring, the beautiful colors they fill the Earth with, mark the start of the spring season and the beginning of new life. I have always loved long walks in the park, as a young girl, this time of the year. When my children were small I used to take them for walks to see the trees as my parents had done for me. When they were all grown up it advanced to rides through the park because they didn't have time to sit with me in the park. My ex husband and I used to take the time to go and sit near the senior center and have lunch or an ice cream Sunday while admiring the view the park has to offer. Now I am back to drives through the park and walking around the area soaking up the beauty of it all. No matter how I do it I always find time to enjoy the first blossoms of the year! Below is a picture of these trees perhaps you will agree with me. http://www.ncas.rutgers.edu/cherry-blossoms-2013




                                                   

                                                                          Ostara

By Toni Gamarro

Ostara is the beginning of Spring!

New beginnings it will bring.

The blooming of multicolored flowers,

the beginning of longer daylight hours

means less time we are in the dark,

and the cherry blossoms bloom in the park.

The smell of spring is in the air

so plant your garden with care.

Watch as the blossoms begin to bloom

wiping away the winter gloom.

The first day of spring is a reason to rejoice.

Spring is my season of choice!

As the flowers begin to sprout

little buds popping out,

take the time to watch the Earth come alive

slowly as spring begins to arrive.

A little chilly it will be.

Cautious is the budding tree,

not to bloom too soon

for it will never see the full moon.

Slowly life begins to flourish.

This life the Earth will nourish.

As it welcomes in the spring,

new life it will bring,

to every garden, field and park,

warming up the trees bark.

So take the time to enjoy the view

grass of green and sky of blue.

Every color flower known to man.

Sit in a meadow and with your eyes scan

all the beauty Ostara has welcomed in.

Take a moment to blow a kiss with a happy grin,

and to Eostre the Goddess of Spring

take a bow and let your voice sing.

Thank her for the grass and the trees

for the flowers and the bees.

For giving us the crops we need

so our families we can feed.

Oh, Ostara is a remarkable time of year,

so take the time to shout out a cheer.

Welcome Ostara, Welcome Spring,

Thank you for all the beauty you bring!