{"id":3014,"date":"2017-03-10T02:40:17","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T02:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifereader.com\/articles\/?p=3014"},"modified":"2017-03-10T04:32:59","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T04:32:59","slug":"the-spring-equinox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifereader.com\/articles\/the-spring-equinox\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spring Equinox"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kaitlin:<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span> Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes new life, and new opportunities. This year, the Spring Equinox is on the 20th of March. In the Pagan calendar, the celebration is given the name of Ostara (sounds like Easter, doesn\u2019t it?). Ostara, or Eostre, is a Germanic goddess of Spring; with her comes the dawn. She and her sister goddess of ancient Babylon, Ishtar (sound similar?) are both deities of fertility, love, and beauty. Ishtar is also a goddess of war, which as we all know, fits with love all too well. Chaos, passion, fire\u2026 All equally productive and destructive, if left unchecked and feral.<\/p>\n

Ostara\u2019s name means East, for that is where the light is born. Her symbols are rabbits, birds and eggs, all well known as omens of fertility and new life.<\/p>\n

\"kaitlin3\"<\/a> Fertility means more than just literal birth-giving. Fertile land will yield the best crops; a fertile job market will offer great financial opportunities. Spring, and especially Ostara, is one of the best times of year to manifest dreams and goals into reality. Here is a simple way to do this, while also honouring Ostara for Her gifts of light, love, and joy.<\/p>\n

All you will need is an egg and a crayon, or multiple crayons, in the colours of your choice. I suggest hard-boiling the egg beforehand, to avoid any unnecessary mess. Focus on what you want to come to you this year- whether it is love, a baby, a job. Especially try to look towards new opportunities for growth in your life- use this as an opportunity to let go of your past at the same time. When you know what it is you want to manifest, write it on your egg. Be as specific as you like, but remember to leave room for change and growth! If you have a lot that you want to achieve, you may need more than one egg, but try not to get greedy. Only sign up for what you know you can handle, or you will find yourself overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

The egg symbolizes the barrier between life and what comes before it. Our very existence starts in an egg, and within that egg, all things are possible. The egg is potential itself, able to offer a whole life to some, and even nourishment to others. In this we see life, death, and life again. Think about this transition, and what it means to you. Are you prepared to let go of the old to make room for the new? To do some spring cleaning, physically and spiritually? Ostara, as benevolent as She is, will only give you what you are prepared to receive. If there is too much clutter, there is not enough room for Her blessing.<\/p>\n

Once you have considered this, and now you know what you want, and what you are willing to sacrifice to get it, take your egg outside. Go for a walk in a garden, or a park. Somewhere with a lot of green, where you can see the shoots peeking through the grass, or buds on the trees, where you can hear the birds singing to Spring to come warm the air. Observe how the frost has bit at the leaves, and how they are starting to come back. From death comes life, and here you can see it. At Imbolc, we sat on the precipice and saw both aspects in balance; now you can really see life taking hold.<\/p>\n

Once you have observed, and begun to recognize Ostara\u2019s return, place your egg somewhere among nature. In a flower bed, in a tree, rolled down a hill into a thicket of blackberries. Thank Her for Her gift of new life, and ask for Her blessing in helping to grow the seeds you are planting in the Garden of the Universe. Remember, be polite! Gods always notice manners.<\/p>\n

Over the next few weeks, try to think about what it is you want, and try to figure out how to get it. Write affirmations for yourself picturing the situation you want to be in. Make sure to write them in the present tense, as though they are already happening. \u201cI am in a fulfilling, stable, enjoyable career.\u201d \u201cI am in love with someone who returns my feelings and makes me feel precious and cared for.\u201d \u201cI am excelling at my studies and getting better grades than I ever have.\u201d By visualizing these things as present, they will make themselves present. Remember, planting the seed isn\u2019t enough. You must tend to the garden, pull the weeds, and nourish what you want to see grow, or it will be wild, unpredictable, and probably not what you wanted in the first place.<\/p>\n

Spring brings change. Be fluid and adaptable, and allow these winds of change to carry you to where you need to be.<\/p>\n

\"kaitlin2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Blessed Be, Love and Light,<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Kaitlin Rhiannon<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kaitlin: Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes new life, and new opportunities. This year, the Spring Equinox is on the 20th of March. In the Pagan calendar, the celebration is given the name of Ostara (sounds like Easter, doesn\u2019t it?). Ostara, or Eostre, is a Germanic goddess of Spring; with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":3016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,1],"tags":[401,399,400],"class_list":["post-3014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-superstition","category-uncategorized","tag-ostara","tag-spring","tag-spring-equinox"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t