Category Archives: Ostara

March 13, 2013 · 12:25 pm

Ostara Gardens

Merry Meet All,

This post is about two different topics. One, I want to encourage all of that if you are starting seedlings to grow in your garden, to buy a new bag of seedling soil. I say this because I started with regular dried out potting soil and that won’t help your plants to grow. I tossed out the soil and recycled the egg carton. Now I have a new bag of proper soil for seeds, a tray, and I have turned it into a mini-greenhouse. The soil you choose to use does make a difference on whether you grow anything. The jiffy pots can be purchased at a thrift or dollar store and are so easy to use because you plant them in the soil with the seedling. You want healthy tomatoes or lavender, right? It will hopefully not be expensive but make a huge difference in helping your seedlings to grow.

Now is the perfect time to plan a magical garden. A truly, bewitching and enticing garden that is pleasing to the eye, day and night. I always let my perennials claim their spots before moving in new plants. Some suggestions for a lunar garden are

dusty millers
silver lamb ears
moonflower
silver thyme
mugwort.

Flowers with lunar connections are

Camphor
Eucalyptus
Gardenia
Jasmine
Moonwort
Sandalwood
Willow
Sleepwort

I planted silver lambs ears beneath my Echinacea. It was a beautiful and bewitching sight. You can always arrange plants to enhance other plants. Once you have grown your Moon Garden plants, dry them to use in talismans and charms, or to dress a Moon candle or as part of a purification bath. Use them in herbal blends to enhance your dreams, intuition, and wisdom.

I hope this encourages you to design and dream about your own gardens. May the energy of the Goddess be with you.

Blessed Be,
Lady Spiderwitch

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Filed under blessings, fertile, garden, Goddess, magic, Ostara, power of spring, seeds

March 11, 2013 · 1:14 pm

Ostara Seed packet cards

Merry Meet All,

Spring is a time to think of renewal and rebirth. The earth shows us signs of rebirth, when the snow claws back and the muddy fresh earth emerges. Buds grow on the trees and baby animals spring up everywhere. Yup spring is in the air.

Here is a Ostara craft that you can try. You will need the following:

Card-stock, or bristleboard
Envelopes
Seed packets
Glue,
Pens, markers and other craft supplies

Select a packet of seeds for each greeting card. Use the glue to attach the card to the front of the card. A hot glue gun can damage the seeds inside. It is best to use regular craft glue.

Use your pens or markers or glitter pens to write an inspiring message inside. Try:

Wishing you a blooms and abundance at Ostara!

Give the cards to friends during the Ostara season.

Blessed Be,
Lady Spiderwitch

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Filed under earth, gifts, greeting card, Ostara, packets, rebirth, renewal, seed, Snow, soil

March 9, 2013 · 2:12 pm

Ostara Eggs

Merry Meet All,

Ostara is all about fertility and rebirth. This post shows you how to dye eggs naturally. The photo above shows how eggs look after they have been dyed. I took this photo of the Ostara eggs I made last year.

Try this on three to four eggs at a time. This gives the eggs room to bob around in the pot. Prick the egg with a needle or small pin first. That keeps them from cracking as they boil.

Start your water boiling. Use enough water to cover the eggs an inch over the tops of the eggs. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add three to four eggs using a slotted spoon. Do not just drop the eggs in the water. Now you can add the colouring material.

To colour the eggs, add one of the following items. You can experiment to get different shades of colour. Once you add the colouring, allow to simmer for twenty minutes.

Red/ pink: paprika
Purple: grapes or grape juice
Yellow onion skins
Gold: curry powder or tumac
Beige: coffee grounds
Light green: chopped spinach
Blue: frozen blueberries

After the eggs have boiled, remove them from the pot with your slotted soon and leave on a paper towel to dry. If you want them darker, let them sit overnight in the pots, but that can weaken the shells. Dab on some vegtable oil to polish the eggs and give them shine.

Keep your eggs refrigerated once you have dyed them. Never eat eggs that have been sitting at room temperature for more than two hours.

Consider using stencils or patterns from herbs onto your dyed eggs. I hope you have fun with this project. Do not leave the boiling eggs unattended.

Blessed Be,
Lady Spiderwitch

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Filed under early frosts of spring, eggs, fertility, Ostara, rebirth

March 6, 2013 · 12:30 pm

Energies of the Earth

Merry Meet All,

Crocuses and snowdrops are in bloom. The maple buds on the trees are bursting with ripeness. Ostara is a time when the light and dark are in balance. It is the ideal time to celebrate the rebirth and renewal that spring affords.

Decorate your altar by focusing on what spring is about. Use the bright colours of spring, such as yellows, purples, blues and pinks. Use a pale green altar cloth or light purple. Add yellow and pink candles to complete the effect.

Ostara is about balance. Try using symbols to reflect that. Use a god and goddess statue, a white candle and a black one, a sun and moon symbol, or a yin/ yang symbol.

Use baskets of eggs, a chalice of milk or honey, rabbits, calves, and potted plants of crocuses, daffodils, lilies, and tulips.

Once you have completed dressing your altar, step outside with a bowl of milk and honey. Stand in your garden-if you have one, and feel the stirring of the energies of the earth. Know the wheel of the year is turning. Pour the libation on the ground. Say a blessing for the earth and return inside. Don’t worry, the faeries will thank you for it. Write the ritual down in your Book of Shadows.

Enjoy the coming blessings of Spring.
Blessed be,
Lady Spiderwitch )O(

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Filed under blessing. earth, blessings, energies, Ostara, spring

March 5, 2013 · 2:03 pm

History of Ostara

Merry Meet All,

Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth. Ostara is almost here. It lands on March 21st in the Northern Hemisphere. The word Ostara originated from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring. Spring is the time for fertility and sowing seeds. In medieval society, the March hare was regarded as a fertility symbol. There were lots of bunnies everywhere in spring. The female hare can be pregnant even while still pregnant with a first litter.

According to Venerable Bede, Eostre was the Saxon version of the Germanic goddess Ostara. Her feast day was celebrated on the full moon following vernal equinox. The legend is that Eostre found a wounded bird on the ground in late winter. To save the bird’s life, she transformed into a hare. The bird retained the ability to lay eggs. The hare decorated the eggs and left them as offerings to Eostre.

Now is the time to start your seedlings. I have started Brandywine tomatoes and dill plants in an eggshell tray. I also bought potted thyme. I watch the earth of my garden every day, waiting for a sign. Celebrate the balance of light and dark and the return of daylight savings time. The return of new growth is near.

Go for hikes in the forest and seek signs of early spring. Meditate on the turn in the Wheel of the Year and celebrate the return of spring.

Blessed Be,
Lady Spiderwitch )O(

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Filed under History, introduction, Ostara, rebirth, renewal, spring

March 19, 2012 · 12:49 pm

Spring is here!!

Merry Meet All,

Last night I was delighted to discover a small white bud where I planted my crocuses and snowdrops last fall. It is a sure sign of spring/ Ostara and is what I am going to talk about today. Vernal equinox begins on March 20th, which is tomorrow, in the Northern Hemisphere.

Ostara is the second spring festival. The hours of day and night are equal. An important symbol of Ostara is eggs. Eggs represent fertility and abundance so you can plant seeds as symbols of what you want to grow and reap for the coming year. The Goddess awakens from her deep slumber. The Crone changes to the Maiden. The God arises to stir forth new green life.

Set up an altar in your kitchen to honor Ostara. Listen to the birds’ songs, celebrate the return of the light half of the year and look for new buds and growth. Spring is upon us!! The photos above are of my Ostara altar and the first flower bud of the season in my garden!!

Blessings,
Lady Spiderwitch

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