Classic Scott Cunningham Ostara ritual, lovely in its simplicity! Sometimes, I like to go back to these simple ones and use them for an outline for ones that I want to do.
Flowers should be laid on the altar, 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 altar.
- Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the Circle of Stones.
- Recite the Blessing chant.
- Invoke the goddess and god in whatever words please you.
Stand before the altar and gaze upon the plant as you say:
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. Travel inside its leaves and stems through your visualization - 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 walk the earth in friendship, not in dominance.
Mother Goddess and Father god, instill within me
Through this plant a warmth for all living things.
Teach me to revere the Earth and all its treasures.
May I never forget.
Meditate upon the changing of the seasons. Feel the rousing of energies around you in the Earth.
Works of magic if necessary, may follow.
Celebrate the simple Feast.
The Circle is released.