Ostara - The Reawakening

Ostara is the Anglo-Saxon/Teutonic Goddess of spring, rebirth and fertility

Ostara is the quickening time.  We feel the anticipation of the growing light rise within us, just as the sap rises in the trees.  The wheel of the year turns again, and we are at Spring Equinox, as all of nature celebrates the mystery of Rebirth.  Buds are bursting from their casements; birds awaken us with their courting music; and there is an undeniable feeling of unfurling optimism deep within the very rhythm of life itself.

 Ostara is the Anglo-Saxon Teutonic Goddess of spring, rebirth, and the dawn; she is also a potent symbol of fertility in her aspect as the Maiden in the Triple Goddess. Although there is little archeological evidence left behind of Ostara, we do find her mentioned by the Venerable Saint Bede, (672-735 C.E.) in his 8th century work, De Temporum Ratione, where he describes feast days held in her honor.  And, in his extensive study of German mythology and folklore Jacob Grimm, of Grimm’s Fairy Tales fame also attests to a Germanic Goddess by the name Ēostre.  It surely does not require too much of a stretch to imagine where the origins of another festival of rebirth that is celebrated at this time of the year gets its name.

Red eggs are an ancient symbol of fertility

Etymology aside, it is certain that Spring Equinox has been celebrated in many cultures since time immemorial as a fertility festival and as the rebirth of all life.  In ancient Greece, it is the time that Persephone rises from her long dark winter as the Queen of Hades, and is restored to her mother Demeter once again as the perennial Maiden. In her joy at being reunited with her daughter, Demeter the Earth Mother restores fertility and abundance to the land causing crops to grow and babies of all kinds to be born. In ancient Sumer/Babylon, spring is the time when Inanna/Ishtar makes her ascent from the Underworld and takes back her life and reclaims her power in the topside world. And, in the West Country of England, Ostara is known as Lady Day, a celebration of the Goddess and the reawakening of the land. 

Because light and dark are equal at this time, in many ancient/modern Pagan traditions, Spring Equinox marks the time when the God and Goddess are equal in strength, with the God gaining ascendancy as the light grows. In all of nature there is a frenzy of activity, and magical mysterious fertility dances of all kinds can be seen.

Glastonbury Tor in Spring

Because all of life is interconnected, we too feel the resurgence of energy, the delicious exhale after the constriction of winter’s darkness. Now is the time to make new beginnings, to cast off any remaining hindrances that might be holding us back.  As all of nature is in the throes of new growth, now is the time to tap into and embrace the flow and make changes for our own personal growth as well.  This includes not only changes on a spiritual or inner level, but in the outer world as well.  Remember, spring is the time when Persephone and Ishtar rise from the Underworld to be fully manifested in the upper world in all their colorful glory. Imbolc was the time we planted the seeds within, nurturing them through the last of the winter.  Now the tiny shoots and buds are opening, dazzling us with their brilliant colors and myriad beauty.