Ostara
The Spring Equinox approaches!
At last the celebrations of hopeful renewal are about to begin.
Many celebrate Ostara as a time to honor the beginning of spring, new life, rebirth, love and fertility. At Ostara we take notice of the things that may have shifted out of balance and revisit our priorities.
In perfect balance, light and dark hang above the budding and as the Vernal Equinox ushers in the official start of spring. On its way to its highest position in our sky, the Sun journeys across the celestial equator – the spere of stares and heavenly bodies whose midline intersects with the terrestrial equator. It is during this time of the year that day and night are of equal length. For approximately twelve hours, your region of the Earth will face the Sun squarely, receiving all its splendor and warmth, until it turns away for the night and immerses itself in its own shadow.
Ostara is a wiccan holiday and one of their eight Sabbats. Ostara celebrates the spring equinox. The word Ostara comes from the Anglo-Saxon goddess name, Eostre. Eostre represented spring and new beginnings.
The story of the goddess Ostara, or Eostre, begins with a medieval monk named Bede. She isn’t documented in any pagan sources and is only known through oral traditions and linguistic theories.
To modern pagans, the goddess Ostara is a goddess of the dawn, spring, and fertility. Her legends involve typical Easter symbols like rabbits, eggs, fairies, and flowers.
While Ostara’s known myths are not ancient, they are older than you might think.
They also tie into common themes around the Vernal Equinox, with resurrection taking the foreground as it has become the Christian holiday of Easter.
In astrology the Spring Equinox marks the beginning of the year and the season of Aries. However, on the Wheel of the Year, it is considered the midway point between the solstices at Midwinter and Midsummer. No matter the timing, the equinox brings with it the gentle breeze and budding plants of the first official day of spring for many of the northern regions. Mayans referred t this time as the “return of the sun serpent,” because the Sun appeared to slither down the steps of the pyramid at Chichen Itza.
Modern pagan celebrations center around the ancient traditions associated with Ostara and celebrate the Sun on its journey toward greater illumination. Although there is no clear sightline of the rising equinox Sun through the stones of Stonehenge, it is a popular place for neo-Druids and pagans to celebrate the equinox as the Sun rises over the stones. There, they welcome the growth of the season, knowing that darkness is a necessary adversary of light. The equinox helps us to find balance between the illuminated self that the shadow self, and it is the opportune time to seek out the hidden self so that we may forge a new path through the darkness.
This is the time of Persephone’s return to her mother Demeter’s warm and loving embrace.
Asase Yaa (Ashanti)
This earth goddess prepares to bring forth new life in the spring, and the Ashanti people of Ghana honor her at the festival of Durbar, alongside her husband Nyame, the sky god who brings rain to the fields. As a fertility goddess, she is often associated with the planting of early crops during the rainy season. In some parts of Africa, she is honored during an annual (or often bi-annual) festival called the Awuru Odo. This is a large gathering of extended family and kinship groups, and a great deal of food and feasting.
In some Ghanaian folktales, Asase Yaa appears as the mother of Anansi, the trickster god, whose legends followed many West Africans to the New World during the centuries of the slave trade.
Interestingly, there do not appear to be any formalized temples to Asase Yaa – instead, she is honored in the fields where the crops grown, and in the homes where she is celebrated as a goddess of fertility and the womb. Farmers may opt to ask her permission before they begin working the soil. Even though she is associated with the hard labor of tilling the fields and planting seeds, her followers take a day off on Thursday, which is her sacred day.
THE ELEMENT OF EARTH
THE ELEMENT OF EARTH AND THE PATH OF SOVEREIGNTY
This month we return to our roots and baseline structuring with the element of Earth.
Earth is an elemental energy representing the diversity of forms and physical existence. Earth energy also aids our awareness of practicality, physical pleasure and resources. Earth rules the sense of touch, of simply being present in our bodies and sustaining them.
It is called grounding when we tap into Elemental Earth to soothe our subtle bodies. It is an especially useful practice when we are feeling out of balance or experiencing anxiety, agitation, or absentmindedness. Elemental earth energy is our way of linking with our natural environment as a par of the ecosystem.
In Elemental Fusion Dance – Earth 2:
we will dig deep into the grounding, structural essentials of Earth as part 2 of the Earth series. Prepping with Earth 1 anytime beforehand is highly recommended!
JANUARY ASTROLOGICAL FORECAST
March 2023 delivers some of the biggest and most significant cosmic events of the year including the move of Saturn into Pisces and Pluto into Aquarius. It also brings the Spring Equinox, which heralds the start of the ASTROLOGICAL NEW YEAR.
March 7-8: Virgo Full Moon
The Virgo Full Moon comes at the beginning of an incredibly busy energetic month, giving us a dose of whatever medicine is needed. It carries a healing vibration, guiding us to seek out the elixir that will be most beneficial to us right now. This is a time when self-care is paramount. The more we can show up for ourselves and take care of our own needs, the more we will move in harmony with this Full Moon. We may also feel the desire to clear away the clutter, tidy up our spaces, and make them a stronger reflection of the person we are becoming. Creating a safe space that fuels your creativity and productivity is a powerful way to use this Full Moon energy. With Saturn moving into Pisces shortly after this Full Moon peaks, we may also find ourselves wrapping up and releasing those karmic ties and Saturnian lessons for good.
March 7-8: Saturn in Pisces
Less than an hour after the Virgo Full Moon, Saturn moves into Pisces. This is one of the biggest cosmic events of 2023. Saturn has been touring Aquarius since December 2020 but is now making its way into Pisces, where it will remain until February 14, 2026. Saturn is known as the Lord of Karma, so as it travels around the zodiac, it tends to stir karmic lessons we need to learn, mature, and grow from. As Saturn prepares to leave one sign of the zodiac for the next, it always leaves a little karmic reward, so look out for this in the days leading up to its move into Pisces! Saturn moving into Pisces is going to set us up for a new journey of karmic lessons. We can expect to experience themes around our spirituality, artistic expression, relationship with boundaries, and mental health.
March 9-15- Jupiter Conjunct Chiron
A portal of healing energy is unlocked as Jupiter and Chiron align in Aries. This healing energy carries a fiery tone, helping us to push forward and leave the past in the past. We may abruptly experience an awakening of sorts, or we may finally decide we no longer wish to hold onto past pains and troubles. We can’t always escape our pains, but under this energy, we may finally surrender to the idea that we have to move on by honoring our pain and allowing it to guide us forward into a brighter future. Jupiter’s presence can help us to focus on the silver linings, and to make the most of our circumstances, no matter what traumas or tragedies have found us.
March 11- Venus Conjunct Eris
Eris is a dwarf planet known as the sister of Mars. She carries bold, fiery, and courageous energy, helping to unlock the full power of the female spirit. At her core, Eris is a fearless, protective, and radical energy that can help to inspire revolutions. As Eris and Venus come together, we have a strengthening of Goddess energy. We may feel a boost to our feminine expression. We may feel more intuitive and more determined to make a stand with something. As Venus meets Eris in Aries in conjunction, the desire for victory or winning others over is strong and will become a force to be reckoned with throughout this new synodic cycle. It is a charged time for taking the initiative and seek to arrange for things in such way that they suit our needs and wants.
March 15-16: Triple Conjunction- Sun + Neptune + Mercury
The Sun, Neptune, and Mercury will all align in Pisces, creating a triple conjunction. This brings a rise of Piscean energy, and with that, perhaps some Pisces fog! This strong Piscean energy can create some indecision or confusion around the best choice of action to take. It can also lead to a dissolving of boundaries, leaving us susceptible to the energies of others. On the flip side, this triple conjunction can be fantastic for spiritual exploration and can bring a creative boost. There is also a power to be found in going with the flow and allowing our imaginations to wander. Exploring our imagination is the key to our intuition and our psychic senses, but it stimulates a sense of joy and purpose. Exercise your imaginative skills around this time by journaling, drawing, or thinking about what your dream life would look like. You may like to try the journal prompt – “If nothing was impossible or limited; if I could do anything, I would…”
March 17- Mars in Gemini Leaves Shadow Phase
Finally, we are done with the Mars Retrograde energies! It’s been a long journey, but since October we have been working with the red planet to overcome issues surrounding our energy levels, our motivation, and our fears. We may have had to face up to some fears, or had to question what we were choosing to give our energy to, but at this stage of our journey, we are hopefully all the better off for it.
March 17- Venus in Aries Square Pluto in Capricorn
This is one of the last alignments Pluto will make as it nears the end of its decades-long journey through Capricorn. Pluto and Venus will trigger relationship issues, perhaps highlighting where there are power struggles. Pluto and Venus were also very active at the start of 2023, so if you noticed issues in your relationships brewing at that time, you may find that this alignment brings some closure or perhaps a deepening of the story. Whenever Pluto’s energy is involved, it is always calling us to dig deeper and look at our subconscious behaviors. Can you objectively look within to see where your subconscious behaviors or learned behaviors may be showing up with whatever is going on in your life? Can you find a way to rebirth how you are operating? Pluto aligning with Venus will guide all transformations of the heart.
March 20- Equinox + Sun in Aries + Start of Astrological New Year!
Happy Astrological New Year! As the Sun enters Aries we begin the astrological new year. This is a fantastic time for fresh starts and new beginnings. If you haven’t gotten around to setting those new year’s resolutions, this energy is a great time to start! Today also brings the Equinox, a time when we honor balance and harmony. It is also the start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. This shift in the seasons for Mother Earth is something we can feel mirrored in our own being. We may find ourselves naturally balancing and aligning where we need to shed and where we need to bloom.
March 21- Aries New Moon
A New Moon follows the Equinox and the start of the astrological new year, amplifying its energy! This is a power New Moon for new beginnings and manifestation work. Use this magical energy to call in what you desire and wish to create for yourself moving forward. The energies are highly magnetic, so stay open to receiving! This New Moon is part of a trend of New Moons that have all been peaking at 1 degree of their respective zodiac sign. This is the last New Moon to fall at 1 degree, so whatever new beginnings have been in the works are likely to take shape now. This is also one of two Aries New Moons. The next New Moon in April will be a Solar Eclipse in Aries, so pay attention to the themes brewing around this time as you may get more insights as the Eclipse peaks.
March 23- Pluto in Aquarius
One of the biggest cosmic events of the year! Pluto will just dip its toes into Aquarius for a few months, but this is the entrance to a brand new cycle that we will be working with for the next two decades! As Pluto gets ready to enter Aquarius, it is wrapping up its lessons and journey in Capricorn where it has been since 2008. If you can remember that far back, think about what themes have been brewing in your life since this time around death and rebirth. What have you had to release? What have you had to transform? Pluto’s energy is like the phoenix, rising from the ashes, and as it journeyed through Capricorn it would have been helping us to transform from the inside out in areas relating to our boundaries, our feelings of stability and security, with our finances, and whom and what we choose to give our power to. Now, as Pluto enters Aquarius, this rebirth energy shifts to our community, our independence, and all things relating to technology.
March 25- Mars in Cancer
Mars finally moves out of Gemini where it has been since August 2022. This has been a very, very long time for Mars to stay in one sign, so we have really been feeling the Mars-Gemini lessons. If you need a refresher on what these were, check out this article here. Now that Mars is moving into Cancer, we are done with these lessons and ready to move on! Reflect on how your life has changed since August in regard to your feelings of motivation, your energy levels, and how you approach your fears.
March 30- Venus Conjunct Uranus in Taurus
We end the month with Venus and Uranus coming together in the sign of Taurus. This is the signature of radical love! How can you take this energy and fuel some radical self-love? Look after yourself, nurture yourself, and stay open to the possibilities of the heart. Love can be found in the most surprising and unlikely places under this placement, so keep an open mind.
