Ostara
Day and night in perfect balance, with light about to overtake dark. Eostre's festival—goddess of spring and dawn whose symbols (eggs, hares) became Easter imagery. The god and goddess are young. Seeds planted now will grow. The time for planning is over—now we act.
Bede (8th c.) is the sole primary attestation of the goddess Eostre, as the namesake of Eosturmonath; the egg-and-hare symbolism and its derivation from her cult are modern reconstructions (19th c. onward), not primary evidence.
Correspondences
Offerings
- Offerings
- EggsSeedsSpring flowersHoneyFresh greensMilkFirst plantingsDecorated eggs
Sacred timing
- Sacred Timing
- BeginsSunset before equinoxPeakDawn equinoxEndsSunset equinoxMoon phase idealFirst quarterPlanetary hourMars or venus
Symbols and forms
- Alternate Names
- Spring EquinoxVernal EquinoxEostreAlban EilirLady Day
- Symbols
- EggRabbitHareSeedsSpring flowersButterflyBasket
Practice
- Invocation Approach
- ToneJoyful activation of new lifeAddress toSpring maidenEostreYoung godGreen manRelationshipCo creator of new growthWarningBalance action with groundednessResonanceThose ready to begin and act
- Modern Practice
Plant literal and metaphorical seeds. Begin projects planned at Imbolc. Decorate eggs as symbols of potential. Balance rituals acknowledging dark and light within self. Spring cleaning completing Imbolc purification. This is the green light—go.
Nature and meaning
- Mythology Summary
Day and night in perfect balance, with light about to overtake dark. Eostre's festival—goddess of spring and dawn whose symbols (eggs, hares) became Easter imagery. The god and goddess are young. Seeds planted now will grow. The time for planning is over—now we act.
Details
- Pronunciation
- Oh-STAR-ah
- Wheel Position
- Spring equinox
- Order
- 4
- Dates
- Northern hemispherePrimaryMarch 21RangeMarch 20 to march 23AstronomicalSpring equinox sun enters ariesSouthern hemispherePrimarySeptember 21RangeSeptember 20 to september 23
- Themes
- BalanceNew beginningsFertilityResurrectionAction nowEqual day and nightSpring maidenPlanting seedsEmergence
- Secondary Elements
- Fire
- Zodiac Position
- Aries ingress
- Correspondences
- ColorsPastelsYellowGreenPinkRobin egg blueScentsJasmineRoseVioletStrawberryFloralsAnimalsRabbitHareChickLambSnakeButterfly
- Ritual Focus
- PrimaryNew beginningsPlanting intentionsBalance workWorkingsFertility magicAttraction magicAction initiationSeed blessingBalance ritualsAvoidBanishingEndingShadow workVeil workThreshold between dark and light halves
- Preceded by
- Imbolc
- Followed by
- Beltane
- Opposite Sabbat
- Mabon
- Wheel Teaching
Balance precedes growth. From equilibrium, expansion. What you plant now grows through summer. The fool steps forward. Action is no longer premature—it is required.
One of 3,120 entries in the Grimoire — the whole library, every cross-reference, is free to take. Take the whole thing Is it wrong somewhere?
Referenced by 120
Every entry that names Ostara, grouped by the system it comes from.
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