Happy Ostara

Ostara is my favorite Sabbat.  And I am certainly not the only one (even though my basic practice is rooted in Celtic beliefs with an overlay of Bast).  Like many pagans my practice is somewhat eclectic but I still honor the strong traditions that allowed the Sabbats to survive.

 Ostara has survived through the ages.  The goddess' name Eostre evolved into Easter to suit the Christian movement through the world, but the importance of a spring celebration never changes.  The symbols of spring that are sacred to Eostre, the hare and the egg are still symbols of this celebration even if most Christian celebrants to not realize their origins or meaning. 
Symbols and rituals handed down through the ages have survived to be enjoyed in modern times in our re-establishment of old beliefs.  

Enjoy and celebrate as Eostre drags spring back into our lives.
Open all the windows and smudge and sweep all the trapped negativity out into the world to disperse and disappear.   Find early spring food to enjoy, try a light wine, wine cooler, wine punch.  Or fresh citrus drinks.  Celebrate the new in your life. 
Make an altar or a wreath to honor Eostre and make it the center of your celebration.
I made this wreath a few years ago and have not felt the urge to replace it since.  It will hang in the house today and after today I will hang it on the front door to welcome the season. 

Welcome Eostre and Welcome Spring

March Full Moon, Chaste Moon

The March Moon is the Moon of innocence and new beginnings.  It heralds the arrival of spring and is the Full Moon preceding Ostara.  Celebrate the coming of spring.  Plan your herbal garden, bless the seeds of the herbs you are about to plant.  Other new beginnings should be looked for.... a new relationship, a new job, new energy, a new pet, new travel.  All are new beginnings and fit into a celebration of spring.  Pick something 'new' that you anticipate or need in your life and build your Full Moon ritual around it.  Ask the Elements for help in creating this new beginning.
Ostara is March 20.