Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction: The Rites of Spring . . . xi
1: Eggs-actly Ostara . . . 1
2: Sacred Sex and the Spring Fling . . . 19
3: The Birds and the Bees (and Bunnies and Butterflies) . . . 35
4: More Symbols, Spells, and Recipes . . . 55
5: The God of the Greening Earth . . . 81
6: The Goddess of the Awakening Earth . . . 97
7: Rituals for Ostara . . . 127
8: Spring Weather Spells and Other Ostara Magick . . . 147
Appendix A: Spring Festivals . . . 165
Appendix B: Resources . . . 169
Appendix C: FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) . . . 175
References . . . 185
Index of Rituals, Recipes, and Spells . . . 191
General Index . . . 195
Read an Excerpt
The not-so-humble egg is inarguably the most pervasive symbol of the world' spring festivals, Ostara included. Within its shell is contained all the archetypical connections humanity has ever held with life, death, and life renewed. This eternal cycle of rebirth at spring is a major theme in the spring holidays of virtually every one of the world' religions, from the most ancient Pagan expressions of spirituality to the most modern sects of Christianity.
How did the egg-particularly the chicken egg-get appointed to this lofty position of symbolizing a universe full of new life? Like many of our modern holiday customs, the egg' place in spring spiritual rites is derived from the way our ancestors observed the natural world around them and honored their deities through these natural occurrences. With modern refrigeration, factory farming, and a fast-moving global marketplace making a variety of food abundant to us year round, it' hard for us to fully comprehend that food was once a seasonal commodity that was impossible to obtain when the natural conditions allowing it to be produced were unavailable.
The eyes of a laying hen and the amount of light she receives are the components responsible for her ability to produce eggs. A hen lays eggs when the retina, the part of the eye that captures light and images, is stimulated for periods of twelve hours or more by sunlight. When that light stimulation ends, so does her laying cycle. Because fire, the only source of light for our ancestors, was not a strong enough light to fool the hen's retina, there were no fresh eggs for a full six months out of every year.
Though the scientific connection between light stimulation and laying cycles would be not known for many more centuries, their laying pattern was still reliable. Hens could be counted on to begin producing fresh eggs at the spring equinox and cease producing them around the autumnal equinox, a holiday period associated with dying and death and imagery opposite that of Ostara. As the world bloomed and greened anew each Ostara, the abundance of fresh eggs made them a natural symbol of new life.
In Asia, red-colored eggs are on occasion offered at funerals and births to symbolize the natural cycles of life, death, and rebirth. In the Ukraine, eggs called krashanka-sometimes dyed in shades of bright yellow-are eaten to celebrate the rebirth of the sun. More elaborate eggs, called pysanky, are decorated to use as talismans of fertility, prosperity, and protection. In places as diverse as west-central Africa and the southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States, eggs are buried near cemeteries to encourage reincarnation.
Rebirthing Spell
Gently place one egg in a pan that is half-filled with boiling water. As you watch the egg boil in the steaming pot, concentrate on something you feel is gone from your life that you wish to have manifest back into it. Conceptualize this desire as living within the egg, a need that will be birthed into being with the egg' assistance. Visualize this miracle happening with as much clarity and detailas you are able. Do this for at least five minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool.
When the egg is able to be handled, take crayons or felt markers in any color or colors you feel best represents your desire and draw a symbol or some other representation of your wish on the egg.
Bury the egg near your front door, as deep as is reasonable. Each time you walk past the place where the egg is buried, be sure to remind yourself of its purpose by restating to yourself an affirmation of your desire.
In a short time the egg will break down, the shell cracking open and the yolk decomposing. This symbolic life, death, and rebirth of your wishing egg is linked by magick to your life, and it will help your desire to be rebirthed soon.
Eostre's Eggs and the Legend of the Easter Bunny
The Anglo-Saxons hailed Eostre as the Goddess of Spring, the Greening Earth, and Fertility. Her name means "loving with the waxing sun." Around the time of her festival, on the day when light and dark are equal, the local animals began giving birth or going into their sexually receptive cycles, named "strus periods"after the goddess. From the fiercest to the most humble, the woodland animals-who also worshipped and loved Eostre-would play in the warmth of spring light and feast on the new vegetation Eostre provided.
One of Eostre's devotees was a small hare who wished very much to give a gift to his goddess, but he didn' know what he could possibly offer that would be of any value to her. Then one day while foraging, the hare came across a fresh egg, a very prized commodity indeed. The little hare wanted very badly to eat the egg, as it had been a long time since he's feasted on anything finer than dry grasses. Before he could take a bite of his prize, he realized this egg might make the perfect gift for Eostre. But, he pondered, Eostre could have all the eggs she wanted, anytime she wanted them. She was a goddess, a creator, the embodiment of Life itself. Giving her just any egg would never do. How, he wondered, could he make this egg a fit offering for his goddess?
The little hare took the egg home and pondered how to make it as beautiful and new as Eostre made the world each spring. He began to decorate the egg. He painted it in the hues of Eostre' spring woods and placed upon the shell symbols sacred to Eostre. When he felt he could not make the egg any more beautiful, he took it to Eostre and offered it to her.
(Continues)
loading...