It’s finally happening! On the 22nd of March, spring will officially arrive and with it the celebration of Ostara. The witchy, pagan celebration of the Vernal Equinox welcomes the fresh new life of spring and celebrates the awakening of the earth after the death and slumber of winter. We’ve gone into the darkness, honored the dead, faced our shadows, and now it is time for the lighter, more bountiful part of the year.
Traditionally, Ostara would have been a time for planting seeds — perhaps even ones you sprouted at Imbolc — and would have encouraged and celebrated fertility. From an agrarian point of view, this would have been the time when baby animals would start to be born, eggs and dairy would be plentiful, and you could start to pair up and marry off humans as well! While the spring and summer months may be more social and lead to more human coupling even in a modern context, contemporary witches often use this time as a less-literal celebration of new life. Instead of planting actual seeds – although plenty of green witches do that too – we focus on putting into action the visions and plans we made at Imbolc.
The dark months lend themselves very nicely to introspection, shadow work, and tending to our hearths and homes. But the light months, beginning with Ostara, are all about reconnecting with the earth and tending to our gardens. Now, this does not mean that you need to have a sprawling Instagram-ready garden! In fact, you don’t need a garden at all. I simply mean that the energies this time of year correlate with the work of clearing away “the dead”, releasing muck left over from the past, and cultivating new life the way one would in a garden.
If our hearth and home represent our internal lives, our gardens represent our external selves and accomplishments. Along with this video on Youtube, I have a few ideas below to help you tend to your garden and harness the energies of spring.
You can absolutely do this in an outdoor garden, a balcony garden, or even a few pots in your kitchen window. You can plant your seeds with intention and use the tending of these plants as a meditative practice. Be sure to research which plants go best together, what kind of environment and care they need, and magickal correspondences that will support your intentions. Much like candle magick in the winter, simply planting and watering your seeds will not miraculously manifest your deepest desires. But careful tending of your magickally infused plants will help rewire your brain toward the necessary work of achieving your goals.
If you simply do not have a green thumb, or lack the space for a physical garden, there are plenty of actions you can take to harness the energies of spring and tend to your metaphorical garden.
Much like you would clear away dried brush, harmful weeds, and any garbage that has made its way into a garden, you can use springtime to clear out and refresh your life! Spring cleaning isn’t just a cute name, after all. If you have the time, clear away and donate all the clutter that is bogging you down, throw away things that can no longer be salvaged, and focus on creating systems that support your desired outcomes.
If you are working on actualizing a painting you have dreamed of for months, clear a space for your artist’s studio and use last year’s remaining herb bundles to cleanse and bless the space.
Go through your spice and herb cabinet — yes, even you, my kitchen witches — and compost any that have gone bad, clumped, or are no longer useful for whatever reason. With the first fresh herbs of spring just around the corner, you’ll be able to restock your stores in no time.
Clear, cleanse, and redecorate your altar spaces. Be sure to incorporate the fresh elements of the spring to make these spaces more meaningful and powerful for your magickal life.
The bottom line is, take this time to tackle any external circumstances that are holding you back, making manifesting more difficult, or have simply become a pretty good excuse to not get started. Spring is the time of renewed life, fresh energy, and light both internal and external. By banishing the old, stagnant energies and clearing away what is no longer needed, you’ll make space for the energies of new life and before you know it your garden — real or metaphorical – will be lush and blossoming before your eyes.
The energies this time of year are rife with new life, possibility, and the promise of prosperity to come. Take advantage of them and see what abundance you receive this year!