Welcome Spring – Happy Ostara

The Spring Equinox came on Monday, March 20th at approximately 4:24pm (for the northern hemisphere – for those in the southern hemisphere, this time marks the beginning of their fall). From the perspectives of astronomy, physics, at the like, this is a time when the axial tilt of the earth is perpendicular to the sun. It is marked by days and nights of an equal 12 hour length; it marks the time when the length of the day will slowly become longer and longer, and the length of the night will reciprocally decrease.

Because the northern hemisphere is now moving closer to the sun, and the length of time this hemisphere is exposed to the sun increases, likewise, so do the temperatures. The snow begins to melt and the temperatures rise above freezing. And, in the ground, the seeds will soon begin to germinate. The sap will once again begin to flow through the trees and plants, and green leaves will return. With the warming temperatures, and the return of the flora, the animals too will begin to return to activity.

From a spiritual perspective, similar changes take place in our own personal worlds. Our winter world is one of more dormancy in the long nights. And we spend much of our time indoors, removed from the cold. Though holidays and celebrations will mark the season, much of it is spent internal. It is a time of introspection and tending to matters in the house.

However, with the coming spring, we are drawn out, once more, into the world to engage. The warmer temperatures lift a burden off of our shoulders and the world becomes more welcoming. It isn’t that we move from a negative state into a positive state. Rather, we transition from a state with one purpose and a certain set of benefits and liabilities, to another state with a different purpose and different benefits and liabilities. Both are needed; however, as one grows old, it is time to shift our gears and move into the other.

Welcome Spring!

Beneath the springtime sun’s warm glow
The Wiccan Ostara begins to flow
The earth awakens, the flowers grow
As new life sprouts from winter’s snow

The goddess and the god unite
To bring forth the season of light
Fertility reigns, the air feels right
As we celebrate the day and the night

With eggs dyed in every hue
We honor the rebirth of life anew
The sacred hare hops into view
As we embrace the cycle, old and true

Let us dance and sing and play
And welcome the return of the day
May we honor the growth in every way
And cherish the blessings of Ostara’s sway

Poem by Chat GPT