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Wiccan, Witch, Wicca and Pagan Pagan Calendar for ritual times and instructions. Ritual and Spell Working, Love, Magic, Money, Witchcraft Spells. |
Celebrating Ostara
Before beginning your ritual, read this page. It will provide you with a method of casting a circle and consecrating your sacred
space. It will also list the different items you need for your altar and how to end the ritual with the cakes and wine ceremony.
Being a solitary, these recommendations for celebrating Sabbats have been altered to suit me and my immediate family. I have written these pages as much
for myself as for you so that I have a quick reference when planning my Sabbats. But, these are only recommendations. You
can add or subtract from them to create your own unique and special way of giving thanks and celebrating the turning of the wheel.
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Ostara is the Spring equinox, the day that daylight and dark are equal. Normally celebrated on March 21st, it
can in actuality vary by a day or two. You can celebrate on the 21st or figure out when the equinox is. Some calendars will list the actual dates of such events.
Ostara (sometimes spelled Estra) was adopted by Christianity and it became Easter, the rabbit and the eggs becoming the symbol of fertility and
rebirth. For most people, the real meaning of the celebration has been lost of time.
Decorate your altar, table and home with things like juniper branches and spring flowers such as daffodils, crocus and narcissus. Candles can
be traditional white but include some green and yellow to represent the colors of spring. Have a pot on the altar filled with some potting soil and
have some seeds or a small seedling plant.
Cast your circle and welcome your Deities. Acknowledge the return of Spring verbally and give thanks to your Deities for the turning of the
wheel and another opportunity to receive the bounty of Mother Earth. Take up the seeds or the seedling and plant it in the readied pot. Ask
your Deities to watch over your plant and to provide the Sun and rain necessary, for this and all things, to be nourished and to grow.
Now is the time to sing, dance, chant or meditate, as you see fit.
End with the cakes and *wine ceremony and proceed to your feasting table, filled with the young fruits and vegetables of early spring
along with some of the remaining root vegetable dishes from the Fall harvest.
*A wonderful wine to use for the cakes and wine ceremony at this festival is juniper berry wine. Add 5 tablespoons
of dried juniper berries to a liter of red wine (not too dry). Let it sit at room temperature for 7-10 days and strain out the berries. You can buy
juniper berries in bottles as a kitchen spice in some stores. If you pick your own, make sure you know that the plant has not been treated with
pesticides or other chemicals.
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