Spring Equinox
Around March 21st
Also known as Ostra or Easter
The March equinox or northward equinox is the equinox on the Earth when the subsolar point appears to leave the Southern Hemisphere and cross the celestial equator, heading northward as seen from Earth. -Wikipedia
The equinox represents a balance to the world. This day is dedicated to the Bright Maiden, Kore. Kore is the young Bright Maiden spring Greek Goddess, daughter to Demeter the Earth Mother Goddess, and the other aspect of the Goddess Persephone. Kore represents Spring and during the Autumn Equinox Kore descends to the underworld to become Queen Persephone and in turn, Persephone comes back to the Earth during the Spring to become Kore.
This is a time of earthly regeneration and spring rebirth. The arrival of spring and the beginning of life thriving and growing.
The modern holiday of Easter was born from the celebrations of Ostra and the Spring Equinox. In fact, Easter has a movable date because it falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the Spring Equinox! As such a lot of the themes of Easter are also present. Rabbits are a major symbol of fertility, as well as eggs.
Themes of balance, earthly regeneration, and birth/rebirth are common.
This is the time where we shake off winter's hold and emerge free and energized becoming into our own. This is a new phase of our life and we feel this energized rush of excitement and yet it is also balanced by the confusion and unknown of what we will become and wanting to still hold on to childhood. Think about being a tween/young teen, beginning to step away from our childhood toys and carefree silliness and our parents and yet not yet really being mature or knowing who we are or our place in the world. We still have a lot of growing and maturing to do still but we are embracing it!
We had set goals during the winter solstice, we poured the fuel and nourished them during Imbolc, now it's time they took root. This is a very earthy feel (reflected by the Earth-Goddess energy of spring), it's solid and becoming real vs just an idea. The shifting balance of concept to reality.
As the wheel turns...
At the beginning of Samhain, we saw our potential ahead of us as we left the past behind. At Winter's Solstice, we hoped and trusted in the spark of light that we wished to grow into. At Imbolc, the little spark is growing and being nourished with life. Now at the spring equinox, roots are taking hold.
Women's Mystery:
Youth. The age where you are no longer a child but not yet a woman. Right before the onset of menstruation.
Ways to celebrate:
Have a ritual at sunrise
Decorate eggs
Do an egg divination- if you are on tiktok you know this has been quite popular lately
Plant seeds/garden if you live where the weather allows yet
Buy indoor plants or start a kitchen garden
If the weather allows, enjoy the shifting change and walk or meditate in nature
Have a tea party with different herbal teas and spring cakes and honey
Feed birds
Create a butterfly feeder
Start an herb journal and/or begin to learn about herbs
Volunteer with animals- kitten season will be starting soon and they can always use foster homes or donations!
Dance!
Bake sugar cookies in shapes and decorate them
Colors:
Spring colors! Light pinks, greens, blues, purples
Foods:
tea, cakes, seeds, honey,
How to celebrate as a Dianic...
I like to decorate my altar with rabbits, flowers, and crystals in the shape of eggs. I love rabbits (I own 3!) and around Easter time there is a ton of bunny decor which is so fun to incorporate. I bought a fun decorative jar with a bunny lid from Walmart that I keep on my altar filled with crystals.
I get fresh flowers for my altar and its even better if you can get planted flowers. I love getting new orchids for my altar during this time.
I like to do a spring cleaning of my home during this time. At Imbolc, I did a spring cleaning of my altar but its nice to ritually cleanse your whole home at this time. Clean out the old things and clutter and bring out new spring themed items. Cleanse your home using sage, incense, water, or a bell.
I like to decorate eggs and enjoy some chocolate or cakes/cookies with some herbal teas!
I take my goals I set in December and recheck in on them and begin to put real physical/active energy into making them be born and take form!