How to Celebrate Ostara: A Step-by-Step Ritual

Tools and Symbols

• Candles: Use pastel colors like green, yellow, or pink to symbolize growth, light, and renewal.
• Crystals: Amethyst, clear quartz, and citrine work wonderfully for balance, clarity, and abundance.
• Tarot or Oracle Cards: For guidance on your intentions for the season.
• Herbs and Incense: A spring-inspired blend like lavender, chamomile, or mint for cleansing and renewal.
• Seasonal Foods: Eggs, honey, seeds, bread, and fresh greens for grounding and honoring the season’s abundance.
• Decorative Symbols: Flowers, rabbits, and eggs as representations of fertility and new life.

Preparing your Ritual Space

Begin by thoroughly cleansing your sacred space with a smoke cleansing ritual using your chosen herbal bundle or incense. Move deliberately around the room, allowing the smoke to reach all corners and crevices. As you do this, deeply visualize the old, stagnant winter energy dissolving and leaving your space, making way for the fresh, vibrant, and rejuvenating energy of spring to flow in abundantly.

The Ostara Ritual

1. Create an Altar: Arrange your altar with thoughtfully selected spring-themed decorations, such as fresh flowers, budding branches, and symbols of fertility. Position your candles, crystals, and seasonal foods in a balanced and aesthetically pleasing manner. Place a bowl of clear water or a small pot of rich soil in the center to represent the perfect balance of elements that Ostara embodies.
2. Light the Candles: Mindfully light each of your candles in a clockwise direction while focusing intently on the themes of growth, balance, and renewal that Ostara brings. Connect with the growing light of the season as the flame takes hold on each wick. As you complete the circle of light, stand before your altar and say this blessing aloud with conviction:

   “I welcome the light and warmth of spring, the perfect balance of day and night, and the beautiful renewal of life all around me. As these candles burn, so does my spirit awaken.”

    

3. Set Intentions: Take your journal or a piece of special paper and thoughtfully write down your intentions for this spring season. Reflect deeply on these questions: What areas of your life are calling for renewal or growth? What dreams have been dormant during winter that now seek expression? What seeds do you wish to carefully plant and nurture for the months ahead? Be specific and heartfelt in your intentions.
4. Tarot or Oracle Card Reading: Center yourself with three deep breaths before pulling one or more cards from your chosen deck to gain deeper insight into your intentions and the path unfolding before you. Take time to truly contemplate each card’s imagery and message. Reflect thoughtfully on how these messages align with your current journey and the seasonal energies of growth and possibility.
5. Symbolic Planting: If possible, mindfully plant an actual seed in nutrient-rich soil as a powerful symbolic act of nurturing your goals and dreams. As you cover the seed with earth, visualize your intentions taking root. If planting isn’t practical, hold a crystal, egg, or another object that meaningfully represents your intentions and carefully infuse it with your energy and purpose through focused meditation.
6. Seasonal Feast: Conclude your ritual by sharing or enjoying a mindful meal featuring seasonal foods that connect you to the earth’s current offerings. Consider dishes with eggs, spring greens, honey, and seeds. As you savor each bite, express heartfelt gratitude for the abundance surrounding you and the countless opportunities for growth that this new season brings forth.
7. Closing the Ritual: When you feel the ritual has reached its natural completion, gently blow out the candles in a counterclockwise direction, thanking the elements, energies, spirits, or deities you’ve worked with during your celebration. Leave your altar in place if possible, serving as a beautiful reminder of your intentions throughout the season and allowing the energy of your ritual to continue radiating throughout your space.

Post-Ritual Activities

• Clean up your altar or leave it in place to preserve the energy of the ritual in your space. Replace wilted flowers with fresh ones or renew decorations if necessary.
• Write a list of things you are grateful for to amplify the energy of abundance and growth.
• Enjoy a relaxing activity such as a bath with essential oils, meditation, or a walk in nature to deepen the connection to yourself and the environment.