Ostara
Breathe it all in deeply - our fresh start is here! 🌱
Hello, my darling.
Are your green-witch senses tingling? Mine too!
If you’re feeling refreshed, bright-eyed and ready to rip into something new, you’re tuning into that beautiful Spring Equinox energy.
This year, the equinox falls at 14:46 on Friday 20th March, which also happens to be the first day after the new moon; this auspicious lunar phase really enhances those equinox themes of renewal and rebirth! In my last Ostara newsletter, I wrote about growing your garden using the moon cycles:
“New moon (waxing crescent). As the moon is reborn, its gravitational pull draws water upward in the soil, making this an ideal time for planting crops that produce above-ground yields. So, that’s leafy greens, annual flowers and herbs. It’s also a good time to start off seedlings indoors.”
I, for one, will be working with this week’s new moon to sow my sweet william, snapdragons and scabious, as well as my more traditionally magickal plants (sage and calendula). Read my post on re-starting your witchcraft practice if spring has re-awakened something in you too 💚 What are you growing on your witches’ plot this year?
The spring equinox, also known as Ostara in the Neo-Pagan world, is when the day and night fall equally (equi-nox = equal night) after the long dark of winter. We now have this opportunity to re-examine our lives and see where we can welcome in balance, or start something afresh. I’ve had a manic few weeks with the publication of my fifth book, Underwing, (see below) so I’m especially looking forward to the balance this equinox can bring.
On the latest episode of The Divine Void Podcast, Laura Derbyshire and I delve deep into Ostara: its energy, folktales and origins. This is also the FINAL episode of The Divine Void Series 1. We’ll be back soon though! We hope you enjoy our series finale: listen to our Ostara episode here >
In this Ostara edition of The Green Witch, I’ll be sharing:
how this author has spent the past few weeks!
ways to celebrate the equinox
my favourite Ostara lore
how to spell your seeds for extra growth
I hope the sun shines through your window today and the green heart inside of you unfurls. Bright blessings, dear reader.
Jennifer x
A huge THANK YOU to you!
Before we get into the chlorophylled juiciness of Ostara, I wanted to say the warmest of thank yous.
My fifth book, Underwing: A Story of Motherhood, Loss and Wild Intuition, came out 1 week ago today, and it’s already been such an emotional rollercoaster of a journey!
Thank you to everyone who has messaged me about the book and their personal experience with baby loss and stillbirth. I’m clasping your hand and giving you a huge hug. Thank you also to anyone who came to my launch events in Manchester last week 🩵 Despite the heart-wrenching topic, we had a blast - I even giggled so hard I snorted! It was good to be able to find light within the darkness of the theme - I really hope you enjoy this book.
Find one of my upcoming author events here >
It would mean the world to me if you left me an online review for Underwing on the site of your choice. It might seem like a super-small thing, but it really helps get the word out there. I hope you love the book, and thank you again from the bottom of my heart!
How to celebrate Ostara
Shake off the winter dust - it’s time to get moving (and frolicking through the fields)! This year, I’ll be celebrating this spoke of the Wheel by:
spring cleaning my altar. I’ve been especially looking forward to whipping out my green altar cloth, hare motifs and green candles for Ostara - it’s time to refresh that winter altar space! Add rose quartz and aventurine, as well as spring plants that you will be using in your green witchcraft, like cleavers, chickweed and nettle tips. This year, I’m focusing on growing plenty of beautiful flowers in the garden for the bees and for me! While I can’t wait to bring these inside and add them to my altar, I always remember my own golden rule: to only take 5-10% of a certain plant from nature, and leave the rest for the insects.
checking in with the goddess. I think it’s a lot easier to connect with the goddess on the four major fire festivals of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain, but the equinox deserves her thanks as well! We are still firmly in the realms of the maiden goddess - for me, this is the Celtic goddess Brigid (but you may choose another goddess that resonates with you) with her symbolism of sacred fire, fertility, healing, the written word and creativity. She holds sway over the spring months and we can give thanks to her by lighting candles, writing poetry about spring and tapping into the healing energy that’s all around us outside right now.
performing egg magick. Also known as oomancy. Eggs are THE symbol of Ostara and new life; we can use them to divine the future by asking a question, then pricking an uncooked egg and watching the egg white spool out into water. We can then interpret the shapes the egg white makes using a divination guide like this one. Speaking of eggs…
dying eggs. My husband said he did this every year growing up in rural Germany. It’s a shame it has become a lost tradition in the UK! This practice has been around for centuries and involves letting hard-boiled eggs sit in plant dye or cochineal. People would draw symbols onto the eggs with candle wax before they went in the pot, so the eggs would have a lovely pattern once they came out! Lucky red eggs were particularly popular and were given to young men by maidens wanting to catch their eye. See how to make yours here!
renewing my love of birdwatching. You know we love a bird over here on The Green Witch. Now in mating season, it’s wonderful to spot birds cartwheeling around each other, performing these elaborate courtship rituals. Lapwings - also known as peewits around these northern parts - can be seen across the moors and farmland feinting and twirling around one another, calling their distinctive cry. They are quite otherworldly as they tumble through the air. It really is something special to behold!
Photo by Daniil Komov on Unsplash
cleansing my house. Spring cleaning is GO. Yes, I’m cleaning out a cupboard a day right now and whacking everything on Vinted (of course), but I’m also airing my home to let out any stagnant, winter energy and welcoming in that fresh spring air. Read my ways to cleanse your home here and find out how to make a smoke cleansing stick. I’m also using a bell to dingle into all the corners of each room and shake up stuck energy and get it out of there. Make your own witch’s bells to cleanse and protect your space here >
planting for pollinators. My garden has become wilder and wilder since we moved in 5 years ago. Last year, we took the initiative to plant as much lavender as Lidl's middle aisle could provide! We swarmed the front garden with lavender, meaning - come May/June - it is actually alive with hoverflies, bees and butterflies. Foxgloves, cornflowers and borage work just as well (but lavender is also great in sleep and dream magick if you want it to have this dual purpose).
wearing green. We are just coming out of a very unlucky period: that pesky Mercury Retrograde. Now, as Mercury stations direct tomorrow, we can start to refocus our efforts on welcoming luck back into our lives. Wearing green - whether that’s some trusty lime-green flares or a peridot necklace - can encourage and attract good luck and fresh opportunities into our lives. You may also like to read my post on creating charms and talismans if you are really set on changing your luck around.
performing this Ostara egg meditation. Enjoy!
My favourite Ostara lore
I’ve been catching up on my witchy reading recently and just love the new book Ostara: Traditional Magick, Recipes and Tales for the Spring Equinox from Wyrd Books. I’ve followed their fantastic Wheel of the Year series closely as I particularly enjoy learning all about the wonderful and definitely weird traditions associated with the eight Pagan festivals.
In my book, The Wheel, I look closely at goddesses and magickal witchcraft practices at the different sabbats. Ostara looks more at the long-lost traditions of rural life and the practical crafts and recipes our ancestors would have relied on. It is well worth adding to your collection!
Here is some of my favourite Spring Equinox lore I’ve discovered in this book:
Finding two yolks in your Easter egg speaks of wealth and a large fortune coming your way.
In North Germany, egg shells must be broken after eating the contents “lest the witches should sail out to sea in them”.
Under the influence of the harmonising and balancing equinox moon, animals that are natural enemies were said to play together or pass by without conflict. When the moon’s influence tips back into unbalance, conflict will resume.
A hare crossing the path of a traveller is a sign of bad fortune. A white hare, however, is regarded as a good sign. And if a hare crosses your path on a Saturday morning, it promises happy days, riches and pleasure!
There are many farmers’ wives who would never dream of allowing eggs to be brought into the house or taken out after dark - this is deemed extremely unlucky.
What are your favourite Ostara traditions?
How to spell your seeds for extra growth
Even the most green-fingered amongst us can do with a boost in our gardens (says I, whose sweetpeas last year were a disaster)!
In this Ostara spell section, we’ll be focusing on using magick to create some stout and robust shoots - but did you know you can also spell your seeds and seedlings to be more magickally potent? This spell below ensures your garden, balcony or windowbox is buzzing with the power to bring your spellwork to fruition.
While I don’t specify which seeds you might like to sow as part of this spell (that one’s up to you), think about what you might like to use in your craft during the year ahead. For me, I’ll be working with calendula and cornflowers, but you can add extra energy to the particular plants that will be handiest to you!
You’ll need:
a small bowl of seeds to sow
a pinch of stinging nettle
a pinch of rosemary
a pinch of crushed eggshell
a small cup of water
1 green candle
matches
fresh soil
a plant pot, seed tray, or patch of earth prepared for sowing
[optional] a garden trowel (I tend to use my hands when planting!)
On Ostara morning, or any morning leading up to the next full moon (2nd April), prepare the area you’ll be gardening in.
Sit on the ground and breathe deeply, feeling the earth beneath you - even if you are indoors. Say out loud, “Blessed Ostara to all - today I honour the turning of the wheel and the fertile promise of new life to help these seeds grow.”
Light your candle and sit with its flame for a few moments, imagining the returning sun warming the soil and waking the seeds beneath it. This is to focus your mindset and to “put some fire” under your spell.
Place your seeds into a small bowl. Add the nettle and rosemary, and the crushed eggshell. Now, dip your fingertips into the water and lightly sprinkle a few drops over the seeds. Gently mix them all together into a slightly muddy paste with your fingers in a clockwise (deosil) direction, saying as you go:
“Seed of earth, so small, so wise,
Wake beneath the springtime skies.
Root down deep and rise up strong,
Grow with light where you belong.
Stem to leaf, and bud to flower,
You are filled with life and gentle power.
Growth and potent magick flow through you.
As I will it, so shall it be.”Hold the bowl in your hands for a moment and visualise the seeds growing to their full height, vibrating with magickal potency. Spend as long as you like visualising this.
Sow your seeds into the soil. As you press each one into the earth, do so with care and intention, thinking about what you want from this spell.
Once all your seeds are sown, place your hands over the soil and focus on your intention once more, feeling your energy sinking into the soil to encompass each seed, giving them a further boost of light.
Snuff your candle. Over the next few weeks into April, tend to your seeds as you normally would, but take a moment each time you water them to remember this spell, whispering your intentions again to each plant as the first shoots appear.
I'll see you on the next turn of the Wheel: Beltane (my numero uno) will be here on Friday 1st May 2026. Watch out for your newsletter a few days before. See you then!
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