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(March 21)

This is the Spring Equinox and marks the first day of true spring. The hours of the day and night are equal. Light is overtaking darkness; the Goddess and God impel the wild creatures of the Earth to reproduce. This is the time of beginnings, of action, of planting spells for future gains, and tending ritual gardens.

Flowers should b laid on the alter, placed around the circle and strewn on the ground. The cauldron can be filled with spring water and flowers, and buds and blossoms may be worn as well. A small potted plant should be placed on the alter.

Arrange the alter, light the candles and incense, and cast the Circle. Invoke the four corners and the Goddess and God.

Stand before the alter and gaze upon the plant as you say the following or similar words:

O Great Goddess, you have freed yourself from the icy prison of
winter. Now is the greening, when the fragrance of flowers drifts
on the breeze. This is the beginning. Life renews itself by Your
magic, Earth Goddess. The God stretches and rises, eager in His
youth, and bursting with the promise of summer.

Touch the plant. Connect with its energies and, through it, all nature. Trace inside its leaves and stems through your visualization-from the center of your consciousness out through your arm and fingers and into the plant itself. Explore its inner nature; sense the miraculous processes of life at work within it. After a time, still touching the plant say:

I / we walk the Earth in friendship, not in dominance.
Mother Goddess and Father God, instill within me / us
through this plant a warmth for all living things.
Teach me / us to revere the Earth and all its treasures.
May I / we never forget.

Meditate upon the changing of the seasons. Feel the rousing of energies around you in the Earth. Works of magic, if necesarry, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. Release the Circle.

A tradition of Ostara is to go to a field and randomly collect wildflowers to put on the altar or to use to mark the Circle. It is important at this time of renewed life to plan a walk through gardens, a park, woodlands, forest and/or other green places. This is not simply exercise, and you should be on no other mission. It isn't even just an appreciation of nature. Make your walk a ritual for nature itself.

Traditional foods for Ostara include those made of seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds, as well as pine nuts. Sprouts are equally appropriate, as are leafy green vegetables.

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