Marching with Intention!

This coming March 20th marks the Spring Equinox of 2021. It is one of 2 equinoxes of the year, when day and night are equal and the moment in time when the sun stands directly above the equator, which officially marks Winter’s end and the beginning of Spring. We have been preparing for this time through Imbolc gathering our creative energies and prepping the seed to be sowed.

Many pagans call this time Ostara/Eostre, when we feel the Earth pause for a moment, day and night are of equal length and in perfect equilibrium, we can feel the balance of all things. Our ancestors were not bound by time and clocks as we are, and so we celebrate this time across a few days from the 20th to the 23rd March. The gentle stirrings and promise that we felt at Imbolc. We see abundance and growth bursting forth from winter cool calm and even chaotic days. It is time for our workings during Imbolc to come to action and the energy is evident everywhere you look.

Ostara is named after the Germanic Goddess Ostara /Eostre, who was traditionally honored in the month of April with festivals celebrating new life, rebirth, fertility and growth. It was from Eostre that the Christian celebration of Easter evolved. The symbols of Ostara can be decorated eggs, abundance of seeds germinating and the hare rabbit, which symbolize new life. In many cultures the egg is the symbol for the whole Universe/creation and is decorated to celebrate this throughout different cultures.

The Hare is also one of the symbols of Ostara because of the exceptional fertility of rabbits. In Celtic tradition, the hare was revered, and associated with the moon, being a nocturnal creature, and connected with the lunar Goddesses, such as Artemis, Freya, Hecate, but particularly Ostara. Because the hare was associated with the moon, our ancestors believed it had supernatural powers, like the moon, it died every morning, and was reborn at night. So, it represents rebirth and is a symbol of immortality. Also, because the hare can conceive whilst pregnant, it is also seen as a symbol for fertility and abundance.

The Spring Equinox is the time to plant and nurture what we want to manifest and grow in our lives. On Imbolc our seeds were germinating in the dark earth… At Ostara, the days are lengthening, the sun is warming, and the ideas we sat and nurtured in the darkness are coming to life.

During this challenging year and some change, we have all been inside, and spent more time alone with ourselves than probably most of us ever have. It is time to look for the positives that have come out of this. I see we are not the same people that we were a year ago, nor should we be. It is time to emerge from the dark and nurture ourselves like the beautiful Spring bulbs of daffodils, tulips, snowdrops, bluebells to grow stronger, to turn our faces to the sun and revel in the warmth.

This is not over by a long shot, yet I have faith we can continue on this journey together through unconditional love, we will get through this by honoring ourselves and the passage of time with intent for the future. Celebrate and take a breath...you got this!