This is a series of articles dedicated to earth based spiritual practices, aimed for people that are healers, or are working with high frequency energies to reconnect was the earth, nature, and thus grounding themselves to the cycles that mother earth goes through the year, hoping these practices can assist them in balancing out the sometimes taxing high vibrational work they’re engaged with, with the calm energies of nature observance.

In the Neopagan circles, Ostara is a holiday based on the Wheel of the Year and it’s observed around the Spring Equinox around the 21^st and 22^nd of March each year.

Spring equinox is that time of the year where the duration of the day is equal to that of the night, signifying the idea of balance between the light and the dark.

It is also that time where spring has become clear around us (for us living in the northern hemisphere) something that has been anticipated since the winter solstice.

Spring equinox is that time of the year where the duration of the day is equal to that of the night, signifying the idea of balance between the light and the dark.

There are many ways to observe the spring equinox or Ostara and in this article we are going to discuss ways to observe and honor this day in a nourishing and deep, soulful manner.

So, let’s begin.

A Preview of Some Easy Ways You’ll Discover Later on how to Honor the Season

Cultivating Energetic Balance Through Ritual and Symbolism

As with all Neopagan holidays, symbolic gestures and simple rituals are the way to go when you want to attune yourself with the day.

Since a lot of time is going to be dedicated to communal or family celebrations, you can prepare yourself for the day by making a list of what activities you would like to enjoy with your friends or family (if your family is open to spiritual or Neopagan practices). Such activities may include having picnics outdoors, visit parks, or preparing a feast dedicated to the day.

As with all Neopagan holidays, symbolic gestures and simple rituals are the way to go when you want to attune yourself with the day.

In this way, you can reinforce the idea of new beginnings, first starts, and new life that the spring equinox brings with it as nature has really woken up from its winter slumber.

Deepening Your Connection with Nature’s Cycles

Another important aspect of honoring Neopagan holidays is to get attuned with nature’s cycles.

Ostara is the time of year where you can observe the arrival of spring all around you.

The blooming of flowers, the fresh green leaves that come out of the tree branches and plants, and the songs of the birds that are returning to build their nests either on trees or bushes, is something to witness as a life affirming reminder that nature has truly woken up and life starts to “bloom” all around you.

Ostara is the time of year where you can observe the arrival of spring all around you.

Being aware of this renewal reminds me of reflecting on my sense of renewal that nature is calling forth from within myself.

5 Easy Ways to Honor the Season’s Natural Rhythms Inspired by Ostara History

1. Update Your Journal to Align with the Spring Equinox

Keeping a journal for various spiritual practices has become a habit for me for many years now.

I have a bookshelf full of them, since I really enjoy reflecting on every important signpost I come across along my spiritual journey, so I keep one dedicated the Wheel of the Year.

So, what do I write about Ostara?

Spring equinox, for me represents many things and since I’m eclectic and the way I approach this Neopagan holiday (along the other seven) is to be aware of the non-Pagan customs that surround the day, like the Christian Easter that falls around the time.

Keeping a journal for various spiritual practices has become a habit for me for many years now.

During Easter, what is prominent is the theme of the resurrection of Jesus, a theme that can be seen as a reflection of the resurrection of life all around us at this time of the year.

Also, since spring equinox is traditionally speaking the first day of spring, I also note what I want to accomplish during the seasonal quarter to come.

These are mere suggestions about what you can reflect on and write in your own journal. You can take from there and reflect on the things that matter to you in terms of Ostara, and how it applies to your own connection with the circles of nature and the dance between the light and the dark.

2. Create a Nature-Inspired Intention Ritual Using Found Objects

There are many ways in the Neopagan tradition to honor a holiday, for instance, decorating your home, setting up an altar with themes around the holiday, or getting involved into a specific ritual that may either serve a purpose of general manifesting or just attuning with the energies of the holiday.

You could enrich these practices by going outside, now that the weather permits it, and with intention gather items you can bring back to your home either for decoration, altar setting, or manifesting rituals.

These items can be stones, fallen leaves, feathers, or small tweaks you may find on the ground under trees.

You don’t have to think about it before you go out to acquire these items. You just need to say a brief prayer before leaving your home, setting your intention to find the appropriate objects. This prayer can be in the lines of “I ask that in the spirit of Ostara and intending to honor it, to be guided in finding the tools that I need to attune myself and my home with the energies that are present on this day”.

3. Reconnect with Nature Through Gardening and Giving Back

Since spring equinox is it good time for you to attend your garden, you can use this activity to become a co-creator with the life force energy that brings the vegetation to life.

But if you don’t have a garden, attending to small pots or even several ones with indoor plant, is a good way to practice your role as a co-creator with nature.

Along with honoring the day by participating in the renewal of life through gardening you can also engage in acts of giving back to nature, an act that reflects your gratitude for being alive witnessing once again the earth preparing itself to become fertile and offer food for many species that depend on it and to you too.

But if you don’t have a garden, attending to small pots or even several ones with indoor plant, is a good way to practice your role as a co-creator with nature.

This abundant gesture of the earth to all life, is something that you shouldn’t take for granted, and by giving back to the earth either through a small prayer of gratitude or even by spreading in the wilderness, or a space that you know that wildlife (or animals in the city) can appreciate leftovers of your celebratory feast (if the food is appropriate for the animals to enjoy it).

4. Ground Your Energy with Forest Bathing and Nature Immersion

Another way to use your exposure to nature, now that the weather permits, is to take intentional walks at parks, or places of nature that are near to your home.

By doing so, and with the intention of opening to the energies of the trees, flora and fauna of your region, you’re grounding yourself and aligning your energy field with the harmony of these natural settings.

5. Create Personal Rituals of Symbolism and Intention Setting

As I talked about above, one way to honor a Neopagan holiday is to engage in small rituals in order either to align yourself with the theme of the holiday, or even rituals of manifesting goals.

A ritual can be solitary or in a group setting. Usually, Neopagans are either aligned with a particular tradition (like Wicca, Heathenry, Druidry etc.) or approach their practice in an eclectic way, borrowing elements from many traditions to build their own unique practice.

As I talked about above, one way to honor a Neopagan holiday is to engage in small rituals in order either to align yourself with the theme of the holiday, or even rituals of manifesting goals.

Within these traditions, there are certain formal rituals that someone can engage in. But for people that come from a background that is more aligned with the contemporary spiritual framework that stems from that of the Theosophical Society, you can honor the day with the rituals that can vary from just meditating in front of an altar (that you have set to align energetically with the holiday), to engaging in yoga, Tai chi, Qi Gong in nature settings to align with the renewal energies of spring.

If you’re interested in learning how to do a more Neopagan flavored ritual, there are many resources online like you can draw inspiration from in order for you to be more in line with an earth-based approach of celebrating Ostara.

Conclusion

As with all the Neopagan holidays I have already discussed, you don’t have to engage in elaborate practices during Ostara to attune yourself with the cycles of nature, and the idea of balance between the dark and the light along with the arrival of spring.

What matters is that you listen to your intuition and reflect on what Ostara and the spring equinox mean to you and follow your insights. I hope Ostara will bring you the blessing of renewal, life affirming energy and courage to move towards seeing your life spout or blooming in the months to come.

Till next time, take care.