15/04/2022
Ostara - a time of renewal
Whether you celebrate Easter as the Christians do, the more pagan Ostara or just want to enjoy a long bank holiday weekend and eat lots of chocolate, this weekend represents a chance for a good rest: it is a time of renewal.
The word Easter is derived from theAnglo-Saxon goddess of fertility, Eostre or Ostara. It is popularly regarded as a time for eggs (either the chocolate variety or painted eggs), and for hares and rabbits (sacred to the fertility goddess, and is a time for prepare for planting.
The egg symbolises the rebirth of nature and is a symbol of life and of promise, and it is a time to bring to fruition all of the plans and intentions that have been brewing and incubating inside you over the autumn and winter months. The egg looks beautiful and perfect as it is but only when it is either broken or the heat put under it, or when it is fertilised and brings forth new life, can something come of it. An egg that never knows heat or pressure would just be a sterile object.
Out in nature it hopefully has not escaped your notice that the days are longer and warmer, the trees have blossom and catkins on them, spring flowers have appeared, lambs are being born and everywhere in nature things are coming to life. It is a time of rain as well as sunshine, particularly for those of us in England, as well as for winds and high tides. But these things are important in both nature and our personal lives, for how can plants grow without both sunshine and rain?
How can we develop and mature as people if we do not experience both trying times and times of ease. In the same way as the mixture of sunshine and rain help the seed to grow, trials and tribulations of life, as well as times of joy and celebration, help us to grow as people.
I am writing this blog on Friday 15th April - Good Friday - and as I sit at my bureau the sun is streaming through the window, the sky is blue and the world looks beautiful. The tree outside my window is full of little budding leaves and the gardens are full of flowers. It does not seem possible looking out at such tranquility that the world knows so many troubles, not least the people of Ukraine, who are in all of our thoughts and prayers.
As you enjoy your Easter break (those of us who are able to and who are not working), why not take a little time for yourself to enjoy the beauties of the natural world. Take a walk by the river, lake or sea, through the woods or fields, through the mountains or on the beaches, depending where you find yourself, and just enjoy a moment of being rather than doing. It is so easy to get caught up with doing things, arranging things, in chores and the trials and tribulations of every day life that it is very easy to forget to take a breath and enjoy the beauty of the world around us. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not yet arrived and we have only today … don’t forget to enjoy the moment you are in.
As the Easter weekend passes, and with a full moon due tomorrow, what would you like to bring to fruition? What seeds are you planting for your year to come?
As you crack open your chocolate egg on Easter morning, why not state your intentions for the season to come, and that way start to bring them to life. What will the next season, year or month bring to your life. In addition to enjoying this weekend for its own sake, what would you like to give life and pour energy into?
Happy Easter, Ostara Blessings, and a joyful bank holiday weekend to you all.
