Now that Spring has sprung, it's time for the Spring Equinox which is also known as Ostara to Neo-Pagans. Whatever name it is called, this is the second of the three Spring festivals. This is when darkness is giving way to the growing strength of light but they are equal at this time.
This is the perfect time to sow the seeds of change because the seasons are still balanced between two parts of the year. It's also a good time to think about new beginnings while looking for balance in life as we step from the dark into the light.
Ostara marks the beginning of Spring as the season of fertility and growth, usually symbolised with spring flowers, eggs and rabbits/hares. This is the time of year when we start to think about our garden areas, looking after them, planting seeds and other plants - does anyone find it strange that as much as we have a modern life with technology and so much more than our ancestors of 2000+ years ago, we are still living by the seasons? (Also, in the Druid tradition, eggs were protected by a hare which leads to a possible origin story of the easter bunny.)
So I attended a Spring Equinox ritual hosted by Emily of Wise Woman Witchery. Admittedly, I didn't attend at the time of the actual Equinox but with all the energies of that time, maybe it wasn't right that I did it then. But it was still a really interesting ritual to do.
It started with a meditation journey to a tree that was so big there was no way I could have hugged it on my own. It was so big and so old, that it gave off a truly majestic presence, like I would never understand its mysteries. But there was a door within this tree that was only visible to me as I walked closer to it along a forest path. As I grew closer, I could see that the door was not locked and when I touched it, it opened easily for me. It led to a small flight of stairs but I could not see what was at the bottom.
As I walked down, I felt like I was being enveloped by the tree and the earth. But there was another door at the bottom of the stairs that led into a beautiful country garden. This garden felt familiar to me but I couldn't remember having visited it in my waking life so it had to be an area I had been to in a previous meditation. This bountiful garden was full of beds, some with plants growing in some, and other beds waiting for something to be planted there. I wandered through the garden, marvelling at all the life and potential it was full of, until I reached an empty bed that was ready and waiting for something to be planted. I reached my hands forward and gently pushed my fingers into the soil, which was moist but not wet, and in a place that got both shade and sunlight - the perfect conditions to grow!
While my hands were in the soil, Emily posed three questions which were meant to be asked of this particular bed, but I didn't feel that the answers I received within the garden were clear so I chose to do a reading about these questions and I'll go through each question and the card I received for each one.
What is ready to be planted here?
Wheel of Fortune - Fate
This card is interesting because I've been working on something that could see me step into a teacher/mentor role. I did think of teaching as a career but mainstream schools just didn't feel like the right place for me. I know that as the Wheel turns, it is not by my own designs - it is Fate at work. The work that I'm doing is not easy but it's necessary to understand just what goes into the preparation of any kind of school lesson - life lessons are not prepared by me but by Fate so it's not something I control. I can control the work I do to prepare to step into this new role because I love to share information and help others to learn more about what they can achieve, so perhaps it is Fate that I am working towards stepping into this role.
What do I need to support the growth of this?
Footprints - Direction
I know that if I truly want to step into this new role then I need to know exactly where I want this to go. At the same time, this card could also be encouraging me to put in the work and do all the preparation for this path that I have chosen. I have to accept that I don't lack the knowledge or experience to teach others because I can still learn as I go. I have to go in the direction that will feed my soul, deepen my soul's knowing. Since the day this project was first inspired, it has filled me with nothing but passion, joy and excitement - this is the direction that I need to listen to and follow. This card could also be indicating that I need to get clarity on the direction I want this project to go in so that it can actually grow it into the potential it has.
What will nourish this thing ready to grow?
Geomancy - Patience
This card surprised me and I honestly felt called out by just the keyword of "Patience". I know that sometimes I just want to rush ahead into the unknown but this isn't always the best thing to do. I've rushed into relationships without thinking and regretted doing that, so I do need this reminder to have patience and wait for Divine timing. I have to go through all the stages before I can reach my potential and I have work to do in order to do that. I do have to remember to not give up, that just because something hasn't happened yet, it doesn't mean that it won't ever happen. I have to trust in Divine timing as I step into the unknown towards my Fate. The Wheel of Fortune has to turn and I have to be patient as it does so.
From these cards, the messages seem pretty clear to me and they are definitely relevant to what I want to grow in my life. I did this reading because when I asked the first question of the soil, I wasn't sure if it was my ego getting in the way and distracting me from the actual message I needed to receive. I did feel that it was relating to this new role I'm working towards but I wanted to be sure that this was definitely what it was about. I wanted to ensure that I was receiving the right message and that's okay. Sometimes we have to do that. Asking for a sign of some form is absolutely fine to do but not if you've received several signs already that you're either not paying attention to or not believing.
As well as this, there was another part to this ritual: charging seeds with an intention based on the answers to the questions and creating sigils from them. I used the keywords for this and charged some cat-grass seeds with Fate, Direction and Patience. Then I crafted three sigils, one for each card and keyword, and drew them on the outside of the pot I placed the seeds in. The method used for the sigils was one that I've used before, but I'd also like to keep my sigils private so that they can work their magick in the background.
This was a really interesting ritual to do and it affirms that I'm on the right path, I need to be clear on what I want to achieve, and have patience that it will happen when it's meant to rather than through my control.
I hope this inspired you to think about what you could do for next Ostara, as well as what the season of Spring is all about.
Peace and love to all!!!
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