Spring Blessings + A Brief History of Ostara
It's the first day of spring, also known as the vernal or spring equinox, or Ostara. I put on my comfiest yoga pants and spent the morning in the fresh air with a cup of coffee. I went for a walk to look at the flowers, watered a few plants, watched two white ibises and the mated Sandhill cranes pick their way along the pond shore with their chicks, and breastfed my daughter on the porch. I have a duckling book to give my daughter (she loves ducks!). Around this time two years ago I stood beneath the bright golden blossoms of a flowering yellow trumpet in full bloom, with her wiggling in my womb as a 16 week fetus, and felt at one with the earth and all things that grow. But I've felt that many times before and since. One doesn't have to have a child to create life or to feel in tune with Gaia, it was simply a moment of peace and harmony with nature for me.
I love the earth in every season, and although autumn is my favorite, I've always liked to mark the vernal equinox. It is a day of balance--equal parts light and darkness--and of rebirth, when things begin to grow, bloom, awaken from winter's sleep, and mate. It's no mistake that the women in my books are nature enthusiasts. I can never keep that out of my writing. My first heroine, Landra, is like me and identifies with the coolness of autumn. Serious, blunt, mystical, and touched by death, there's a bit of darkness around her edges. The second, Adeline, is warm and innocent, but lusty, with golden hair and green eyes. She fits quite well in spring.
The annual celebration of spring (and Easter) goes back to ancient times, long before the birth of Christ. It is celebrated in many cultures, and Easter itself, including the idea of a resurrected god and the symbolism of rabbits and eggs, is rooted in Paganism: "In ancient Rome, the followers of Cybele believed their goddess had a consort who was born via a virgin birth. His name was Attis, and he died and was resurrected each year during the time of the vernal equinox on the Julian Calendar (between March 22 and March 25). Around the same time, the Germanic tribes honored a lunar goddess known as Ostara, who mated with a fertility god around this time of year, and then gave birth nine months later – at Yule."
Here's a helpful infographic:
So if you celebrate Easter (Which this year falls on April 16th) with bunnies and decorative eggs, just know that you are echoing the ancient Pagans! ;-)
I plan on making a simple dinner of rotisserie chicken, spring mix salad, and deviled eggs, with lemon pie for dessert. (Send me good vibes, my desserts are often hit or miss!) Below are some other recipe ideas for Ostara. I loooove carrot cake, but it's high in calories and cholesterol, so the recipe I included is super healthy. However, you can opt to use a boxed spice cake, canned cream cheese frosting, and grated carrots like my grandma used to do, and it'll be amazing (just not healthy).
Love the earth and yourself, today and every day. Blessed be!
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