Ostara Garden

img_1276Happy Spring Equinox for those in the Southern hemisphere!  And ‘Fall’ Equinox for those to the North!

This seasonal festival, or sabbat, was also know as Ostara, named after the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people of Northern Europe.  You might hear the connection to the word ‘Easter’ there, and, of course, in Northern Hemisphere, Spring corresponds with that religious festival, but over here.

In Australia, Spring heralds the run-up to the busyness of Christmas, holidays and an abundant garden!  October and November pass in a blur – this is our inbreath before the pace picks up…

Astronomically, this Equinox occurs on the 23rd September for the east coast of Australia and NZ, and the 22nd of September for the rest of the world.  Here’s that map again, overlaying various cycles.  By paying attention to the tasks of each season, we optimise our growth and flow more easily with what’s arising.

cycles handdrawn no words
Sabbat: Ostara, Spring Equinox
Energy:
Yang
Direction: East
Diurnal cycle: Morning, 6am, the day is starting, our plans are fresh and vibrant!
Lunar phase: First Quarter Moon
Archetypal Season: mid-Spring
Indigenous Season: Guling, Orchid Season

  • Guling (Orchids) are flowering
  • Ae-noke (Common brown butterfly caterpillars) feed on grasses at night
  • Gurrborra (Koalas) begin mating
  • Muyan (Silver wattles) flowering
  • Cold weather is coming to an end
  • The star Arcturus is seen on the north-western horizons after sunset. (source)

Life season: Maiden/Youth, 12-13 years old, on the cusp of puberty
Fertility cycle: oestrogen building, follicle developing
Themes: transformation, change, hatching, budding, resurrection, balance, awakening, new life, growth, energy, fertility, renewal, resurgence, fulcum point.
Garden: bulbs blooming or fading, trees blossoming or branches still bare, grass growing lushly, peas/asparagus/greens going for it!, grevillea flowering.

The Lunar-Solar Journal asks these questions:
What do I need to grow in order to bring balance to my life?
What seeds do I wish to encourage?  What ideas need “thinning”?

We are in the fullness of Spring, the year has tipped towards warmth, the Light is Ascending…

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