As many gather to celebrate Easter weekend, I find myself remembering the origins of Easter and all its symbolism and questioning the bunny vs the resurrection story and always found it a bit stretch. This is my first Easter alone ever and so I am taking it as opportunity to get caught up on some of my important projects including reading and writing. I feel a resurgence emerging over the past few weeks and so a deeper look at this holiday has been a meaningful experience, ignited I am sure by the beautiful spring weather and watching flowers coming up very early for the north.

Ostara is the Goddess of Spring, of fertility, rebirth, and the moon.  Ostara represents a  point of perfect balance on the journey through the Wheel of the Year.  Night and day are of equal length and in perfect equilibrium – dark and light, masculine and feminine, inner and outer, in balance.  But the year is now waxing and at this moment light defeats the dark.  The natural world is coming alive, the Sun is gaining in strength and the days are becoming longer, brighter, and warmer.  The gentle whispered promise of Imbolc is fulfilled in the evident and abundant fertility of the Earth at Ostara.  It is time for the hopes of Imbolc (Feb 2 Festival of Lights to honour the returning sun) to become action.  The energy is expansive and exuberant.  It is the first day of Spring!  

Ostara takes its name after the Germanic goddess, Eastre/Eostre/Ostara, who was traditionally honoured in the month of April with festivals to celebrate fertility, renewal and re-birth.  It was from Eostre that the Christian celebration of Easter evolved, and also in the naming of the hormone Eostrogen, essential to a women’s fertility.

The Goddess Ostara has the shoulders and head of a hare. The Symbols of Ostara are: The Hare, The Egg, Hot Cross Buns, The serpent/the dragon, All Spring Flowers, particularly daffodils, primroses, violets, crocuses, celendine, catkins, pussy willows and Ostara colours are bright greens, yellows and purples. 

I found the story of the Hot Cross Buns most interesting as I had been told a different story growing up.

The Hot Cross Bun! 

Think of it as a Celtic Cross, the four equal armed cross of balance within the circle.  You have two Equinoxes crossed by the two Solstices, the four seasons, the four Sacred Directions of North, East, South and West and the five elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water with Spirit at the Centre.  The circumference represents the cycle of the year, the circle of life, with the still point of balance at its centre.  (From Glennie Kindred’s book of ‘Sacred Earth Celebrations‘).

So, whether you support Ostara, the Resurrection of Jesus or simply just enjoying a long weekend with family and friends, see it as a time of reawakening for the earth, for each other and for us all to feel more light in our lives.  Let us all choose to enjoy the times we have together regadless of belief systems! Happy Easter and Eastre too

Tons of love, Sharon and the angels xoxox
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