March 20 or 21 - a Quarter day, Solar festival

Ostara marks the beginning of the growing period. The dark, cold days are giving way to light as the Sun returns. From this point until the Midsummer Solstice the hours of daylight gradually increase flooding the world with life energy. Now is the season of manifestation as unions of all kinds merge to create new life. This is the time when the energy of the universe transfers from Spirit into Matter bringing what is within to manifest without. For just as the sun is reborn at Yule, so is the earth reborn at Ostara.

“Almost every civilized race held feasts at the time of the Vernal Equinox, in honour of the Passover or Cross-over of the Sun,” writes John Denham Parsons in The Non-Christian Cross. Our modern national holiday is named after one of these ancient goddesses of Springtime. So it's not surprising that Easter symbols are the hare and egg.

According to the the Catholic Encyclopedia. "The term Easter relates to Estre, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring, which deity, however, is otherwise unknown, even in the Edda (Simrock, Mythol., 362) Anglo-Saxon, eâster, eâstron Old High German, ôstra, ôstrara, ôstrarûn German, Ostern . April was called easter-monadh . The plural eâstron is used, because the feast lasts seven days.”

Hold a Spring Observation

Depending upon where you live, different things are occurring as Nature’s tide floods with energy for growth. Winter may just be loosening its grip, ice melting in wet mud puddles, the crocuses rising in spots of color. The trees unfurling budding leaves as sap begins to run. Perhaps you live in a warmer climate and the ground is already green with new grass and brilliantly colored wildflowers. Step outside and observe. Go for a walk and mindfully witness this change of seasons. Let your spirit wake to the magick awakening in the Earth. Become a part of the celebration, a witness to the arrival of Spring as nature renews and recharges the world with life.

Shed the Restraints of Winter

The name equinox comes from Latin words aequus and nox which means ‘equal night’. This solar celebration marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator creating a day in which the hours of light and the hours of darkness are equal. The cold, hungry, darkness of winter is behind us, before us bounty, warmth, and light. Just after this point daylight lengthens to become longer than darkness and grows stronger by the day.

This is a time of awakening, a time for growth and renewal. Close your eyes and come to center. Turn your awareness to the energy of life all around you. Breathe deep and draw the energy in. Let it fuel the spark within. Feel the energy of your blood come alive. See yourself shedding your winter-cold habits as you step into the transformative energy of Spring. Embrace the energy of the season with a change in diet, shifting it from hearty fare to living foods. Choose vegetables, greens, and sprouts and seeds to refuel your energy and renew your life force with the flood of spring energy. Adopt a more active lifestyle. Work a form of daily exercise into your schedule.

Ostara Foods

Eggs are one of the oldest symbols of fertility. They are a living food. Eggs are good for you. They are loaded with high-quality proteins, vitamins, minerals, and good fats. They are symbols of spring, rebirth, and fertility. The egg is associated with the Goddess, the Sun, the Earth, Air, and Water. The egg symbolizes fertility, abundance, beginnings, and life itself.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts Frittata

12 ounces of sliced applewood smoked bacon

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1 onion chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sprigs of thyme leaves

2 cups of Brussels sprouts thinly sliced

8 eggs

3 Tablespoons whipping cream

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup of Brussels spout leaves

3 Tablespoons grated Smoked Gruyere

Heat oven to 475. In a cast iron skillet, fry the bacon. Remove bacon from the pan as it browns and set aside. When all of the bacon is cooked. Turn down the heat and add the onions into oil. Sauté until caramelized. (About 10 minutes) Add in sliced Brussels sprouts. Sauté for 5 more minutes. Chop bacon and add to pan with Brussels sprouts. Stir to mix. In a mixing bowl whisk together eggs, whipping cream, Parmesan, and pepper. Pour egg mixture into the middle of the skillet over the vegetables. When it has begun to set, top with Brussels Sprout leaves and Gruyere. Put skillet into hot oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and immediately transfer to serving dish.

Like the egg, the seed is a living food, each holding a tiny plant embryo waiting to grow. This life energy is power packed with nutrients good for the body, mind, and spirit. The seed draws in Earth, Air, Sun, and Water energy and uses it to grow. This energy can be used to bolster the start of a new project or any new beginning.

Power Sprouts

Sprouted seeds can be applied to any intention you wish to grow and used to add a nutritious boost to your meals.

Choose:

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), to increase fertility, harmony, or prosperity

Cress (Lepidium sativum), to aid transitions and for remembrance

Daikon radish (Raphanus sativus), to increase joy, to promote health, and protect home

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) to increase beauty or wealth

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale), to promote healing, inspire new opportunities, and to strengthen the mind.

Asparagus Tart

Garden Asparagus Asparagus is an early vegetable. The thin, delicate stalks shoot up and are ready for harvest between late March and early April. Asparagus season is short as the stalks soon become tough and the flavor grows stronger as it ages, but the plant will keep growing into a tall, feathery plant that will flower and fruit and die back at winter, to come back more abundantly each spring. Asparagus is a great source of vitamins A, C and B6, and potassium, thiamin, and folic acid. Magickally asparagus carries energy for desire, health, love, and virility.

You will need: 1 sheet frozen puff pastry

olive oil

2 cups gruyere cheese, shredded

1 1/2 pounds medium asparagus stalks

fresh lemon zest

Salt and pepper

Thaw puff pastry. Preheat oven to 400. Unfold the pastry dough to form a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Lightly score the edge of the pastry dough 1/8 inch from the edges to mark a rectangle. Fold over the edges of the pastry strips to the score mark and crimp with a fork to form a rim. Prick dough all over with a fork and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell and place one by one, in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with fresh lemon zest, salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.