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OSTARA – sow seeds of creativity at the spring equinox.

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Tulips and daffodils

“The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also”.

Harriet Ann Jacobs

Shards of sunlight.

The return of the light is palpable. It started as a trickle and then began to pour, like golden runny honey from a spilt jar, into my living room, lingering on surfaces and scattering pale shards of sunlight into dancing shapes around the room.

Spring light at home
Spring light in the living room at the back of our home

The year rolls forward in a slow-motion somersault. The sunbeams eagerly offer warmth and the natural world starts to stir, drawn towards the light. The gentle inward promises of Imbolc become fulfilled in the first signs of outward abundance at Ostara. A watercolour wash of colour emerges from obliging branches and the spring blooms that are pushing through the earth.

Buds on the Chocolate Vine
Buds on the Chocolate Vine in the garden
Celestial bodies – the balance of light.
This week holds a great potency as we reach the spring equinox (or Celtic cross-quarter festival Ostara), which this year coincides with the New moon in Aries and the dawning of the new astrological year, also ignited by the illuminating torch of Aries season. 
 
These celestial events are bound together by a balance of light. At the equinox, night meets day in eggshell equilibrium of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness everywhere in the world, before here in the UK, yielding to the growing strength of solar power.
 
In contrast, the moon is in darkness, a time for quietly planting seeds and setting new intentions for the lunar month (and perhaps with extra equinox potency, the season) ahead. Both are kindled by the flames of Aries, as the sun moves into the fire sign for the next month of the zodiac.
A quiet moment to mark the new moon in Pisces
A quiet moment to mark the new moon in Pisces
Light up from the inside out.
This year, the spring equinox seems to be for me, aligned with the beginnings of a resurgence in creativity.
 
It feels as though my body and energy have been deeply devoted to the act of mothering, i.e. creating, growing, carrying and nurturing two babies over the past few years. From the early days of pregnancy, I craved stillness (possibly because my body was silently getting on and doing so much on the inside), meaning that only very faint embers of creativity remained.
 
The huge physical and emotional effort I have found to be needed moment-to-moment in the early years of mothering (alongside the reality that any handfuls of time can be interrupted at any point, without warning), does not leave the space needed to get into the flow state required for thinking, dreaming and making.
Moses basket and daffodils
A quiet moment whilst Max slept in the Moses basket
In some ways, early motherhood has felt like a hibernation to me; with two winter babies, a commitment to cocooning in a new-ish home and numerous ‘lockdowns’ along the way setting the tone.
 
But inch by inch, as both children grow and turn their faces outwards to the strengthening sunlight, I carve out pockets of quiet where I can be alone in my thoughts, my dreams and my desire to create.
 
In the coming days, weeks and months I hope to nurture the seeds and stoke the fire of creativity inside me.
Coffee and daffodils
Coffee and daffodils
Ostara – goddess of spring.
As well as the name of the spring equinox festival, Ostara is also the name of the goddess of fertility and springtime. Sometimes called ‘Eostre’ from where the words ‘East’ and ‘Easter’ are derived, in reference to dawn and the sun rising in the East, Ostara has a warm, dynamic and nourishing energy.
Spring equinox ritual ideas…

* Set up a spring altar in your home, including seasonal spring flowers, candles  and sage or Palo Santo for spring cleaning/clearing your space

* Eat seasonal food, such as purple sprouting broccoli, Swiss chard, rocket, asparagus, wild garlic, spring onions and rhubarb. See The Almanac – A Seasonal Guide to 2023 by Lia Leendertz and the accompanying As the Season Turns podcast in partnership with Ffern for the ultimate seasonal living toolkit

* Eat eggs (chocolate or otherwise!) to symbolise rebirth and new life 

* Set an equinox/new moon intention and use renewed energy to embark on a new project

Waxflowers and hyacinths
Waxflowers and hyacinths in our entrance feel fresh and seasonal
Have you seen any signs of spring?
Do you feel refreshed going into spring? Or exhausted?!

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