All About Rituals for The Spring Equinox
We are just a few days away from the Vernal or Spring Equinox. This time is also known as Ostara. Ostara is a Wiccan holiday and celebrates the Spring Equinox and the word Ostara comes from the Anglo-Saxon goddess named, Eostre.
Eostre represented Spring and new beginnings. However, the celebration of Spring is practiced in many ancient customs, not just in Wiccan tradition.
You can make this practice your own and bask in the rays of love, light, and renewal. This is when we begin to awaken from nesting and hibernation during Winter while Spring is arriving to bring all that is new.
This is our return to life and for some, it will be a rebirth of sorts.
The energy around balance, growth, and expansion will be at the forefront as even the word vernal means fresh and new.
This time is reminding us, as we did during the darker Fall Equinox/Winter Solstice, the light always returns.
The rest of Winter was so important, and now our life force and creative energy are returning to a renewed and vibrant homeostasis. If there is anything you need to let go of, do so now, a fresh, new, and beautiful timeline is waiting for you.
I've put together my favorite Spring Equinox rituals for you to usher in some much deserved and oh so gorgeous vibration into your heart, field, home, and beyond.
- Plant seeds of intentions. You will need a journal/paper, terracotta pot, small stones, dirt, seeds of your choice. Take a journal and spend some time free writing about what you are wanting to do or to bring in more of this year. Once you have opened your thoughts and heart, take 3 small strips of paper and choose and write 3 intentions, one on each strip of paper, from what you wrote you are ready to “plant” at this moment. Take your terracotta pot (if possible), and place a couple of rocks or stones in the bottom. Then place your 3 strips of paper on top of the stones. Pile in the dirt, and plant some seeds in the soil. As you water it gently, picture life giving white light pouring in upon you just as you are pouring life giving water on your seeds of intentions. Place your hands on the sides of the pot and send it love. Find a space where it will receive the light of the Sun as needed. Tend to it daily, speaking kindness and giving care as you are growing not only your plant, but your life as well.
- Write down your top 10 core values or beliefs. This next one is about Spring cleaning our core beliefs. If you need help thinking of some, google “core values/beliefs” and lists upon lists will pop up. After you have your list of 10, narrow it to 5, and then to 3. As you move through the week, think about these values and act upon them. At the end of the week, look back at them, at your list of 5, and of 10. How do you feel about them at this moment? Do you want to carry them through this next week as well, or change one out for another? You are absolutely allowed to at any time. This is a beautiful practice to implement weekly, monthly, or yearly depending on how you feel. Again, there is no wrong way. You do you, my friend.
Creative & Artistic
- Paint a watercolor, or draw with crayons or colored pencils. Freely capture the colors and essence of something beautiful you see whether in real life or in your mind’s eye. Colors hold an energy of healing and magic, and when we allow ourselves to use them freely, we often see what is in our heart. Pay attention to what you are drawn to, as this could signify the chakra systems that may be begging for some clearing or simply some self-love.
- Write a Haiku about Spring. This Japanese form of poetry consists of 3 lines: 5 syllables in the 1st line, 7 syllables in the 2nd line, and 5 again in the 3rd line. Smile when you read it. Write another, and another if you so choose. Or simply stick with just the one. This was my favorite thing to do in grade school and it really helps me connect to my inner child, which is an aspect of this season we discussed in our last newsletter.
- Play music. Put on some headphones, or turn up the speaker in your home or car, and play your music - YOUR frequencies. Feel the beat and sing and hum and dance if you so feel inclined. Move your body how you did when you were young. Just feeling and BEING in this moment.
Nature & Outdoors
- Lay on the earth. Find a moment today, or this week, to go outside and lay on the earth. If you want to take a blanket or rather simply lay on the ground itself, it is up to you. Lay down, place your left hand on your heart, and place your right hand on top of your left. Box breathe…inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat this breathing for several rounds, and feel as your body starts to relax into Gaia. Soak up the warm Sun, or maybe it is the cool breeze you feel on your skin. Tap into your senses: allow yourself to listen, to smell, to taste, to see, and to feel all that you are experiencing in this moment. Without judgment, sink a little deeper and feel your body held. Receive this holding, and send out gratitude for our Earth, acknowledging all that She does for us, seen and unseen, and give thanks from your heart space.
- Watch the sunset, if you are able, especially on the 19th. It sets faster on Equinoxes, so grab a blanket, get cozy, and sit back and enjoy the view. You could even watercolor or draw this sunset if you so choose!
- Have a bonfire, if you are in an area where it is safe to do so. Bonfires bring light and symbolize rebirth, as we burn away the old, and bring in the new. The Spring Equinox is a perfect time for brushing out the dusty corners of our lives, and allowing the “breath of fresh air” to blow in and ignite what we might have lost or forgotten during the darker months.
- People watch. Go somewhere, and sit. Look around quietly and take it all in. See what comes up in you. Is it a peaceful feeling? Anger? Happiness? Sadness? Whatever it is, radically accept it and allow yourself to sit with it. This is information for how you yourself want to live and either continue to do things as you have been (so good) or pivot and make some changes (also, awesome).
For Your Home or Space
- Spring cleaning. This task isn't just for your home, it also means clearing out your devices. Get rid of duplicate contacts and photos, as well as maybe even clearing out photos and apps that you no longer need or want. And if you are feeling open to it, cleaning up your following/followers list on the socials. It takes some time, so grab a cozy drink and take some deep breaths, and get started. If this becomes triggering to you, take a pause, and come back later or ask someone to sit with you if you desire. You know when the time is right for you or if it is “too much”, so always listen to that over “pushing through."
- Spring cleaning, but for your crystals and gridding. Pull out all the crystals you have, or at least the ones you are drawn to at this moment. Cleanse and clear them as you will. Next, spread them out before you, and give gratitude for them. I talk a lot about this as it really is so important to show how thankful you are to have the means to purchase them, and also to have them. Now think of the spaces in your home, and choose the crystals that “go” into each of these spaces. Shelves, tables, window sills, wherever you feel drawn to place them, do so. You can follow a gridding map, or tap into your own intuition.
- Light some candles. While they can be any color, I recommend white or light colored ones. The light reminds us of the Sun's light returning this time of year after many months of darker days. As you light each one, however few or many you want, think of the warmth and beauty that fire and light bring to our lives.
- Get a little witchy, if you are in that kind of mood. Gather rosemary from your garden or your store, and place it in a pot with some water covering it with several inches of water. Bring your water to a boil. Allow the water with rosemary to simmer for 16 minutes (if you need to reduce the heat or flame, please do so), covered so as to keep all the water droplets inside. Then turn off the flame, and let it stand for 6 more minutes. Then open the lid, and allow the fragrance to fill your home, and clear out all the stagnant and any negative energy. And while rosemary is truly best, if it is really not your jam or you are allergic to it, you can use lavender instead.
- Put together a Spring time simmer pot. As we are cleaning out and getting rid of things, we want to bring in the fresh smells, along with the newness and positivity, of spring. Grab a larger pot, add fruits and herbs that you have in your garden or kitchen. Take your citrus peel (after you have eaten or juiced the delicious fruit), and add a couple sprigs of mint, rosemary, lavender, or thyme. You can add rose petals or juniper, or cinnamon, ginger, star anise, peppercorns, or cloves. After you have added your bounty, add water to cover so that it all floats (4-6 cups). Turn the heat on low, and simmer for up to 2 hours. There is no wrong way to do this, and it is so lovely to try different combinations on different days or weeks. Mix and match, and keep notes of the ones you love.
Culinary & Nourishment Through Food
- Create a rainbow plate from foods from the Earth. Include each color, think fruits and vegetables both in all hues of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and violets. If you choose, feel free to include eggs and honey (if you can eat those foods) as they symbolize rebirth and newness and healing. Intentionally prepare all of these radiant items, giving gratitude for each and for the means you have to buy or grow them. Drink colorful tea if you like, such as hibiscus or rooibos or green tea if you prefer, either iced or hot. You can choose to sit in your solitude as you partake in the bounty or choose to break bread with others if you like.
- Eat a root based meal. Gathering, preparing, and consuming root vegetables is often associated with Fall and Winter months, and yet as we move into the warmer months, we want to remember the importance of these vegetables. Whether you roast, mash, air fry, grill, or bake them, add them to a salad or make a hash of sorts, the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals found in them are so nourishing to our bodies, along with helping with digestion and supplying our body with energy. Options included and yet are not limited to: sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, rutabagas, turnips, garlic, onions, celery roots).
- Treat yourself to a treat! Whether it be ice cream on a Tuesday night, chocolates and coffee in bed on a Saturday morning, or popcorn at the movies when you don't usually do it. It can be salty, sweet, sour or savory, choose what sounds good to YOU, and enjoy it. You are worth it.
Showing Love to Yourself & Others
- Spring cleaning, but for your own body. It's not just for your home, it's also for YOU. Spend time in the morning or evening doing an “everything” shower or bath. Light a candle. Include dry brushing, scrubs, face and hair masks, luxurious shaving cream, red light therapy, oils and lotions, whatever this means to you, take your time and do it all.
- Connect with someone who you love. Choose a partner, kid, friend, family, it doesn't matter who. Just step outside of hibernation, and reach out and ask. Put away the phones (okay, maybe after a fun selfie together), and talk, laugh, play, eat and drink, or hike and skip. Connection is so important for our hearts, for growth both together and as individuals.
- Grab a copy of your favorite childhood or young teenage book. I know this one might sound a little funny, yet stay with me here. Take that book and read it again. My go-to books were Sweet Valley High and anything by Judy Blume. Remember your love for this book and why. You don’t need to share it with anyone, yet you can if you like. This is just for little you, and therefore absolutely for present you at this moment as well.
- Give. We all know how beautiful it feels to receive, and giving feels just as wonderful. Give however you feel drawn to give. Donate to a charity of your choice. Drop a little treat or gift or bouquet to a neighbor or friend. Pay for the coffee of the person behind you. Donate your time, or donate items from your spring cleaning that are still in good condition, if that feels more aligned. Just give freely and with a thankful heart.
- Buy yourself flowers. I say this often, and there is a reason. Showing this intentional thoughtfulness to yourself speaks and heals parts of us we sometimes ignore. The flowers themselves are from Gaia Herself, and we are bringing the beautiful piece of Her inside our homes. You can buy a ready-made arrangement or buy loose flowers which can spark your own inner artist as you place them in a glass or vase. It can bring a smile to our faces, and joy to our hearts. These small joys add up. It is at an extra cost, but there is a range of prices out there (shout out to Trader Joe’s!) for absolutely the loveliest flowers and greenery. Spending the money shows you are worth it, because bestie you really truly are.
- Use those flowers you bought for yourself in a little ritual. They are beautiful to look at, you can also use them another way. Choose one flower with a lot of petals. While you pluck each petal, instead of saying “they love me, they love me not”, allow yourself to alternate between calling in an intention or desire and letting go of something that is no longer yours to keep. Once you have finished, gather your petals and you can save them, or bathe in them (make sure they are safe), or even bury them in the earth.
And remember, this is your renewal and your rebirth, there is no wrong way to commemorate this time of year.
You're amazing and I can't wait to hear about what the next six weeks brings.
