Ostara

Celebrated at the Spring Equinox. Usually near the end of March. Celebrated with colored eggs, symbols of fertility such as bunny rabbits or early spring flowers such as tulips. With decorations of green, yellow and pink.
Honoring the God and Goddess as natures balance returns to the world.

Ostara History

The Spring Equinox was not one of the original festivals honored in early Celtic days before and during the realm of the Druids. In that context it is a relatively new celebration honoring the rebirth of the all things as the God force is reborn to the world.

There is speculation that this holiday owes it's roots to the Roman invasion of Ireland. Ceaser being the God who returns to the maiden land of the Celts. However, this does not play out when one reviews Celtic mythology and history.

The holiday has been long associated with Nemetona, who is a Romano-Celtic Goddess of the magikal Grove. Nemetona means 'grove', and she holds special significance to the Celts. The woodlands are long thought to be magikal and sacred places. Her name is thought to be derived from Nemhedh who was (according to the Book of Invasions) the leader of the third invasion of Ireland.

Even in the cool wetness of the early spring, it is obvious to all that winter is over. The blooms and buds of the next growing season are pushing through their winter slumber. Perhaps this beauty of natures magik is why Nemetona and the grove of the wood is associated with this holiday.

The Purpose of Ostara

Balance. The longest day and longest night, not winter and not yet spring, the rebirth of nature and the God force who comes to join the Maiden bring new life and fertility to the coming growing seasons.

For pagans, this is a day of preparation. Reconsecrating magikal tools, balancing their energies for new work. Blessing seeds for the spring planting, or starting your garden by cleaning the area and tilling the soil. It's a good time for the lady to acquire a new broom and for the gentleman to craft a new staff.

It's also a time for introspection. Meditation and evaluation of the current events and attitudes in your life. Examine where you might be unbalanced and where you might need to let go of the past and prepare for a fertile future. If you've been working extra hard during the winter months, then now you should turn some attention to home and hearth. If you've secluded yourself from the world other than school and work, then now turn some attention to family and friends. Too much of a good thing, still has it's draw backs.

Ostara Celebration

On the eve of Ostara, when the sun has set, honor the fertility of the season by sorting seeds to be honored during a festival ritual. If you have children, of if you're a kid at heart, this is a good time to boil eggs and decorate them with beautiful colors and symbols.

As the night progresses, decorate your alter with simple symbols and conduct a simple ritual honoring the rebirth of the God and the coming of spring. Once your honoring has been completed, spend the rest of your evening on introspection. While the world is quiet and at peace, review your current life and take stock of your emotions toward yourself, others and events in your life. Try not to justify anger or sadness by placing the responsibility of what might be occurring in your life upon someone else. Rather step back without blame and take a look at how you and your actions have contributed to the events, good or bad, in your life. For those things that are working well, commend yourself. Give yourself some credit and think of something you can do as a celebration. For those things that have not been going well, take responsibility for your part in the event and forgive yourself of the actions, words or even thoughts that may have contributed to the event. Then think of way to turn things around.

On the day of Ostara, plan a walk through the park or arboretum. Hide the eggs you decorated, and help your children play games to find them. Work in your garden or flower beds and prepare them for the growing season. Spend the afternoon sharing in the preparation of a feast of celebration. A ham, vegetables, and potatoes are always a good sampling for the spring holiday. We like to add an ice cream cake decorated in the shape or symbology of a colorful egg to represent the fertility and warming trend of the season.

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Rituals & Ceremonies

A ritual is the observance of set forms or rites, as in public worship.

A ceremony is a formal act or set of formal acts established by custom or authority as proper to a special occasion.

Whether you're conducting a ritual for healing, special requests or a full ceremony to honor the Great Spirits during a Sabbat, the following outline can help you get started.

Keep in mind these are your celebrations. If there is something you want to leave out or add to this outline, please do so. If your practice is not comfortable to you, then the energy you create for honoring or requesting will also be uncomfortable. Remember what you create is what you put out.

A Simple Ritual Outline

These leadership roles can also be conducted by a Shaman, or coven Priest or Priestess. Or by a solitary practioner. If your a couple practicing together, you may decide to share the leadership roles. For those Sabbats that honor the Goddess, the lady of the house can conduct the leadership role. For those that honor the God, the gentleman of the house can perform this leadership position.

The Altar:

An altar is placed in the northern sphere of the circle.

You'll need:
A large center candle.
2 smaller candles (tapered candles are best).
The colors should be chosen to represent the ritual's purpose or the energy of the Sabbat. (You can see our Sabbat postings to find out more about the appropriate symbology for each High Holy Day.)
Candle holders, matches and a candle sniffer to extinguish the ritual candle.
A chalice.
A decanter with blessed wine or juice.
A platter with bread, muffins or cakes.
Small serving plates.
A masculine tool, such as a wand, or athame for rituals that request manifestation of material things, such as financial abundance, or a new job. Or for Sabbats that honor the God aspects of the Great Spirits. A feminine tool, such as a crystal ball or mirror for rituals that request manifestation of spiritual matters, such as healing, or spiritual knowledge.Or for Sabbats that honor the Goddess aspects of the Great Spirits.
A ceremonial broom
A rope made of natural fibers to define the ritual circle.
The rope should be able to encompass an areas 5-6 feet in diameter. Or larger if guests will be joining you inside the circle.

Create The Circle:

The ritual leader should cast the circle.
Fold the cotton rope in equal halves to find the center.
Stand outside the position of the circle, laying the center section on the ground and on the outside of the altar.
Moving in opposite directions, lay the remainder of the rope on the ground, until the circle is defined and the ends are aligned together in the south. A small opening should be left to allow entry into the circle.
If you want to make a circle big enough to also encompass any guests, family members or witnesses, you plan to include. Just make sure you have a large enough continuous rope. Otherwise, your guests can stand along the outside of the circle.

Enter The Circle:

Once the circle has been laid, the ritual leader stands before the entry way and states the intent of the gathering.
In the name of the God/Goddess, I "state your name", (and this gathering or my partner "state the partners name"), enter this sacred circle for the purpose of "state your purpose".
Enter the circle, if necessary, moving around the circle in a clockwise motion.
If any guests are to enter, now is the time for them to do so.
When everyone is inside, a designee places a ceremonial broom across the opening, closing the circle to set and protect the divine ritual space. If you have invited family to your ritual, include them in the ritual. For instance, laying the broom across the doorway is a perfect job for a mother or father. Mom's for feminine intents, and Dad's for masculine purposes.

Invoke the God/Goddess:

You can use the generic Maiden, Mother, Crone and God, or you can evoke a specific deity of your choosing. But the Great Spirits should be present for ritual purposes, but they must be present for Sabbat ceremonies honoring the God/Goddess.
Stand or kneel before the altar.
The summons might go something like this:
"Great Spirits, In this sacred space, I/we "state your magikal name", call upon "state the Diety's name" invoke your light and energy in this time and space. We ask for your presence and blessings, as I/we cast this circle for "state your purpose".
Light one of the small candles to represent the divine light you've summoned to your circle.

Create your purpose:

Whether your purpose is for honoring or request assistance, here is where you create the energy desired.
Stand or knee before your altar.
State the purpose of each step as you create the desired energy. Here's an example:

Protect yourself:

Close your eyes and imagine a flame being lit within your own body. Imagine your spiritual essence, lighting a flame in your solar plexus. This is your divine light, the spirit within you that will provide the energy to the wick of your candle.
With each breath you take, imagine a gold flame inside your being growing stronger and brighter. Until it fills your entire body.
Imagine a silver cord traveling from your solar plexus down your spine, going through the floor down into Earth's core. As the cord plugs into the core imagine the yellow light of the earth traveling up the cord and gently entering your body. Combining (but not mixing) with the gold light you created.
Next, imagine a second silver cord traveling from your solar plexus up your spine, going through the ceiling and up into Universe. As the cord travels out as far as you can see, imagine the white divine light of the universe traveling down the cord and gently entering your body. Combining (but not mixing) with the gold and yellow light within you.
Imagine the light growing even stronger, pushing outside the confines of your body and engulfing you, you're altar and your circle. Surrounding all things with protection from your spirit and Great Spirits around you.
Open your eyes, take the matches/lighter in hand and light the wick of your second candle.
Say something like:
Great Spirits,
I bring to light this guardian flame,
keeping all negativity outside from whence it came.

Cast Your Purpose for a working ritual:

If you're conducting a working ritual, you should have already defined how you plan on visualizing and stating your intent. If you plan on verbalizing your work through a spell, you should have that written or defined already. Raise the magikal tool you selected to represent the deity or energy you are invoking or honoring.

Visualize and verbalize your working intent. If your ritual is a request for financial abundance, you might chose a copper, brass or gold plated pentagram to represent coins or money.

Cast Your Purpose for Honoring:

If you're conducting a ceremony for honoring, you might decide to write out a prayer with 3 verses to be stated at this time. In some traditions, the versus are stated to each aspect of the triple Goddess. Others state a verse to God or Goddess of the Sabbat, a verse to the purpose or meaning of the Sabbat and the last verse to thank the God/Goddess for the blessings of the season of the Sabbat. If you'd like a Wiccan version of this kind of statement, we invite you to read one of our Wiccan Star's Sabbat Ceremonies.

Complete the Ritual/Ceremony:

Once your statements have been made, replace the tool upon the altar in front of the large center candle. Taking one of the already lit ritual candles, light the center candle and say something like:
"I ask and send many blessings to Thee, or "So Mote It Be!"

Thank The Spirits:

Before you conclude your ritual, you should formally thank the spirits, deities and God/Goddess for their assistance. Typically this is done through an offering of some type.
Bread and wine is a common offering. If you do not drink alcohol, use some type of fruit juice as a substitute. You can use muffins, cookies, or any type of baked item as a substitute for the bread. Be true to your heart and your emotion, and select an offering that will have the most meaning to you. Hold the decanter of wine or juice up to the Great Spirits and say something like:
I/we offer this wine {or whatever} to honor your nurturing ways and our gratitude for your unselfish gifts.
Pour the wine into your ritual goblets. Hold the goblets up to the sky and say:
"Blessings to the," and drink the wine.
Hold the platter of bread or cakes up to the Great Spirits and say something like:
I/we offer these cakes to honor your sustaining ways and our gratitude for your divine energy.
Offer the cakes to anyone present, or just remove a cake for yourself and say:
"Blessings to the," and have your cake.

Circle Closing:

Mentally and verbally close the circle. You don't want to leave the gateway between worlds open for several reasons. You could be inviting forces you don't necessarily want around you. You can also be maintaining a state of heightened perception. While this is great for ceremonies and ritual work, it isn't necessarily good for daily activities. If you find yourself saying "I feel out of it today", then you need to close your senses and get grounded. This is another reason for closing the circle.
Imagine the white and yellow light gently leaving your body and then the circle.
Imagine the gold light from your inner being, gently returning to your physical body.
Use the candle snuffer and extinguish the two ceremonial candles. Lift the ceremonial broom at the circle's entrance.
Standing in the doorway, turn back to the circle and state:
"Our thanks and gratitude to the forces that be present, to the Lord and Ladies, the guides and guardians. We close this sacred circle and return this space back to it's original state. Blessings be to all."
Step back from the circle, and state:
"Blessings to all".

The ceremony is now concluded, but you still have some clean up to do. The larger candle should be placed on a mantle or as a center piece on the dining room table for a small celebration meal. The candle should be allowed to burn for a minimum of 1 full hour. But do not leave the candle un-attended. When it's time to extinguish the flame, snuff it out with the candle snifter.

Clean up your ritual space and altar. Then join in a celebration of life and spirit.

Blessings be to you and yours.

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Ostara - The Spring Equinox

Ostara is the second of the Spring holidays that ring in the festivals for fertility. Not just fertility of self and body as many non-believers believe. But fertility of the earth for an abundant crop, and garden, a fertile mind for imagining new ideas and concepts; perhaps for work or home. Ostara occurs in mid-March and represents the warrior aspect of the God force.

This is the festival of balance. The day when the night and the day are equal in length. It is also the time when the God returns to life and balances the feminine energy of the universe with his masculine force. It is the season of courtship, when the God calls upon the Maiden Goddess and begins to win her heart. It is the season of love and learning.

On this festival a witch should review their life and find balance in it's events. If your expressions of living are unbalanced, then this is the time to ask the God force for help. If you're spending too much time at work and neglecting family or home; then pray for assistance and strength to balance your life.

Many witches also use this time to renew their tools and faith. As a courtship brings in new energy to ones life, so can this Sabbat bring new energy to your faith. When a female witch buys a new ritual broom, or a male witch purchases a new staff. Consecrate new tools, such as a new crystal ball, pendulum or even charge your favorite talisman. It's a good time for a new witch to conduct a naming ceremony, to acknowledge or request a ceremonial magik name.

Sabbat Symbols:

Span the light shades of green, yellow and pink for your decorations. A basket of Spring flowers, colored eggs can be added to the alter as magikally charged symbols of balance and fertility. That familiar Easter bunny can also be a symbol of fertility for the festival season as well. So don't just discard that chocolate bunny your grandma gave you.

Lastly, we make small pouches as gifts for anyone who joins our circle. Inside we give seeds for the coming planting season, such as sunflowers, spring beans, potatoes and a variety of herbs.

Preparations:

Traditionally Sabbat festivals begin at sun set on the eve of the Holiday. You can use the daytime hours of this holiday eve to clean up your ritual area and set the alter. We like to use this day to bake cakes and prepare our ritual wines for the evening ceremonies. We like to symbolize the spirit of the festival in the offerings we prepare. On this holiday we bake twisted bread, cinnamon buns or sugar cookies to represent the sweetness of spring.

As for the alter, choose a special yellow candle as your center piece to represent the warrior God. Along side chose a light green candle to represent the early sprouts of the growing season. Around the circle we like to place light pink candles to represent the compassion and love of the spring season.

A yellow or green table cloth covered with a vanilla colored lace is also an attractive addition on you alter or celebration table. Some witches include crystals of Amethyst to represent the balancing of yin and yang energies. A piece of Fluorite to represent the balance of the human aspect with the spiritual aspect of self. Or add a piece of Garnet or peridot, which both promote balance and patience*. Gold or brass serving trays and goblets for ritual offerings are also placed on or around the alter for easy access. Along with the bridal flower arrangements you've chosen. * You can learn more about what crystals are best suited for a Sabbat ritual through Stone Energy. Ritual Preparation Gather the necessary tools Select a candle for your alter, in a shade of yellow. Select four additional candles for the elemental quarters. You can maintain the color scheme if you wish, or select a color that represents the energy of that quarter. For instance, you might chose a light shade of blue to represent the Water essence of the West quarter and a fiery red to represent the Fire essence of the South quarter. or find a set of light green candles to represent the rebirth of the God force. Choose your favorite ceremonial broom. You can find some inexpensive brass or silver serving trays and goblets at a variety of gift stores. Set aside your ceremonial cakes (for this holiday, we bake twisted cinnamon bread topped with a sugar glaze as an example of union between the God and Goddess) and wine on the serving trays. A special decanter to hold the wine. If you don't partake of wine, use your favorite grape juice or cider. Select a bell, you might want to add a decorative ribbon or wrap a vine of silk while colored flowers from your local craft store around the handle to coincide with the colors of the spring festival. Choose a gift for honoring the God/Goddess on this festival day. One of our favorite methods of gift giving on this Spring festival is to burn lavender incense. We select a few stalks of the herbs we collected from the Lughnasadh harvest, and wrap them into a special smudge stick. A decorative pillow or rug to lie or sit on for your meditation. Prepare ritual space Clean the area, not just energy wise but dust and vacuum your space. If your space is outside, you might clean any fallen branches, weeds or even clear any animal indications that may have been deposited in the area. The most important part is to clear and cleanse the space. Prepare body It's just as important to prepare yourself as it is your space. On the day of your ceremony take a shower or bubble bath. Make sure your ritual cloths (whether a robe or just jeans and a t-shirt) are clean. Take time to have a meditation to align your energies, prepare your energies for the spiritual work ahead and open your chakra centers. Open Circle Finding the compass points, directing the ritual and speaking the blessings is usually performed by a High Priest or Priestess within a coven. If you are a solitary witch, then you are the High Priest or Priestess. For our example we will simply refer to the director of this ceremony as The Priestess. The Priestess should find compass North, where the ritual will begin with calling in the quarters starting with the North. Set your circle according to the directions. If you are conducting the ceremony alone, you might chose to use a rope of natural fibers to outline your ceremonial circle. If you're performing the ceremony in a coven, mark the location of the quarters so everyone will know where to stand when the circle is drawn. The Priestess should guide everyone through the steps for setting up a Door Between the Worlds by raising the vibration of the group and/or area. Close your eyes and imagine a divine white light emerging from the solar plexus of each person and then raising up toward a center point over the circle. Many call this establishing a "cone of power". Imagine this light spinning clockwise rising your energies and awareness. If your a solitary witch, you will imagine the light beginning at your solar plexus and then moving out to fully encompass your ritual space. Each Quarter Master will then be directed to call the Watchtowers or Elemental Quarters it's usually the choice of The Priestess, but each person should call upon the same force. Some witches call Angels, Spirit Guides, or just the elements. It's up to you or your coven. Just as which direction to start with is up the individuals. Many witches begin with the North, where others begin with the east. Your prayer to summon the directions can be stated in a variety of ways. From old English to a modern statement, simple and to the point or elaborate and flowery. Here's an example of our summons: Facing North the 1st QuarterMaster states: To the Maiden Goddess of the Spring, the Watchtowers of the North and the elements of Earth, we call upon your wisdom, summon your energy and love to witness this celebration of divine balance and renewal of compassion toward one another. Light the Northern candle and ring the bell once. If you are a solitary, turn to the East, or if in a coven the 2nd QuarterMaster faces East and states: To the Warrioress of the Spring, the Watchtowers of the East and the elements of Air, we call upon your wisdom and summon your energy for clear communications to the spiritual being within ourselves. We ask for guidance in using compassion and understanding in all our unions with others. Light the Eastern candle and ring the bell once. Turn to the South and state: To the God of the Spring, the Watchtowers of the South and the elements of Fire, we call upon your wisdom and summon your energy for accepting the balance of others, and all aspects of our life. Light the Southern candle and ring the bell once. Turn to the West and state: To the Warrior of the Spring, the Watchtowers of the West and the elements of Water, we call upon your wisdom to bring daily sight into our lives so that we might see our imperfections. We ask for your strength to adjust our behavior and increase or enlightenment of spirit. Light the Western candle and ring the bell once. Invocation to Spirit The Priestess should guide everyone through the steps to: Call your personal Spirit Guide and solicit their assistance during the ritual. Your personal guide can assist you to maintain focus and concentration during the ritual as well as, aid in your tasks within the circle. You might call upon them like this: (State your guides' name), I call upon your guidance and love to assist me during this spiritual celebration. To help me maintain my focus, energy and alignment for divine purpose and work. Light a candle for your guide and ring the bell twice. Call your deity and solicit their assistance aligning yourself with the deity. In most covens the High Priest/Priestess will summon the deity. In other covens each person will call upon their chosen deity and align their energies (this is the method we prefer most. It empowers each individual instead of setting one person above the rest). Which ever you prefer light a candle for each deity you summon upon the alter and ring the bell three times for each deity. I believe in the spiritual existence of myself as a perfect image of (deitys' name). In this reflection that is my physical embodiment, I align myself and my faith in the supreme guidance of my soul with the ancient powers and wisdom of (state the deitys' name once more). State Your Purpose The Priestess should state the intent of the gathering. For a Sabbat you'll state your purpose of honoring the Spring, as well as, the aspects of the God. You'll continue by blessing the cakes and wine for the ceremony. You might say something like: I/we have come to honor the nature kingdom, the balance of spirit and the Warrior within. We/I honor the God and give thanks to the season of renewal and honor the many blessings yet to come. Honor The God/Goddess The Priestess should preside over the steps to Honor and Dedicate the items for the festival. Perform manual and visionary tasks by pulling in images of the Warrior. You should state your honor and gratitude as well, something like this: We send thanks and gratitude to each of you for this spring season. We honor you all as the world renews it flowering beauty once more. Light the candle you chose to represent the spring festival and ring the bell seven times. Dedicate offerings. Whether you're conducting a ritual of honor or for work, you should present an offering that is commiserate with the event. We like to make an offering of energy through a fragrant bouquet. We light the smudge stick we prepared and allow the lavender herbs to blaze for a few moments. We say part of our prayer, then blow out the flames and allow the incense to continue to smolder. Then we complete the prayer and place the incense in a special holder, we like to use a brass bowl shaped in the fashion of a miniature cauldron. Finally, because this festival is one of springs new beginnings, we like to add a bowl or several bowls of seeds that we will use to plant in the spring. We've done this in many of the harvest festivals, and with each blessing we add new seed to the alter. Keeping these special ceremonial seeds separate from the rest. By the time we're ready to plant our garden, all the seed we harvested, will have been blessed within the ritual of a Sabbat. To bless the seed, we say something like this: (Hold the smudge stick in your left hand and light it with the right. Then hold up the burning stick to the God with both hands.) We offer this gift as a symbol of our love and thanks to the Warrior; We honor each aspect of the God, within ourselves, within the world and within the divine universe. (Lower the smudge and blow out the flames, allow the stick to smolder. Again with both hands hold the stick up to the God) We share the fragrance of this offering with the God and Goddess, as we pray for a fertile year and blessed union of our physical lives with our spiritual desires. Set the smudge in the bowl and retrieve a bowl of seed, holding it up to the Goddess; We give thanks the Maiden Goddess for the compassion and patience with ourselves and with those in our lives as we all move forward to enlightenment. Replace the seeds on the alter and raise the bell. We give great homage the courtship of the Warrior and Warrioress. We honor the love spirit and the balance of all things within our daily lives as well as our spiritual journey. Ring the bell nine times, in groups of three to honor each aspect of the Goddess. For Honoring Partake of cakes and wine that you have set upon a platter. Some covens like to serve the cakes upon small dishes, while others prefer to hold the cakes in their hand. Which ever you chose, the cakes should start on a platter for the dedication. The wine starts in a special decanter and is poured into ceremonial goblets. Once again different covens have different rituals. Some provide individual cups, much like silver shot glasses, while others insist each witch bring their own goblet. To dedicate your cakes and wine, you might say something like: Hold the plate of cakes up using both hands and say: On this eve of Ostara we come to honor the Warrior God and share in the fertility and rebirth of the divine universe. We offer these cinnamon bread sticks {or whatever} and this wine made of grapes {again whatever wine you've chosen} as our thank you for all you have given and all you are about to provide. Ring the festival bell three times, then walk up to each person in the circle and allow them to take a cake from the tray with the right hand. Make sure there's one or two cakes left for the God and Goddess. When everyone has received a cake, hold it in both hands and raise it up to the Goddesses; then say: With the partaking of this bread I take into my body the essence of Ostara, the Goddess of renewal. I align my spirit and soul with the physical well being of my body and mind; As the Goddess is the teacher and bridge builder between the earthly and divine worlds. Each person eats their cake. With your right hand grasp the neck of the decanter. With your left hand hold your chalice and pour the wine. When everyone has their share of wine, each person raises their goblet to the God and says: With the partaking of this wine I take into my body the essence of the God, I align my soul with the balance and rebirth of our spiritual family. Each person drinks half their wine, then holds the goblet up again. We ask the Goddess of light to accept this wine as our offering of honor and thanksgiving on this the festival of Ostara. Some people like to pour the remaining wine from the goblets into a large cauldron. As a symbolic gesture that we are all one and all part of the divine. Some covens go a step farther and light the wine allowing it evaporate into the ethers through the flames. And others add to the ceremony and pour the wine onto the ground, making a circle and pentagram with the liquid. Meditation The Priestess should guide everyone through a brief meditation. No matter what your ceremony is for, we believe you should add a moment of meditation to the event. In this altered state a witch can contact the God/Goddess and engage them in a private ritual. You can use this time to thank them for the knowledge and wisdom they brought you last year and how you might use that this year. Whether it be in planting your garden, creating a financial plan or starting a family. In our view, the Sabbat ceremonies are not the time to ask for something for yourself. This is a time of honoring what the God/Goddess has already given you. You might ask for clarity of vision or better understanding of the messages they provided you with the growth and the tasks you were given to move forward this year. Conclude your meditation by closing your chakra centers. Thank the Deities & Spirits The Priestess should guide everyone through a statement of thanks. This is one of the more important steps to any ritual. You spent a good deal of time asking for their assistance, calling the quarters, your personal spirit guide and the deities, so be polite and spend time thanking them as well. Here's a simple example: Stand facing the alter, hold your hands together as if you are praying, only open the top slightly at the thumbs as if you're making a bowl with your hands. Then state: I, (state your magik name), thank the Warrior God and the Maiden Goddesses, Divine Spirits and the WatchTowers of the Four Corners for watching over this ceremony of Ostara. By the light and love of All that Is, we honor the blessings we have received on this day. We thank you for your guidance, your wisdom and your strength as we embark on this new year. We send many blessings to each and all as we walk along the path of enlightenment forever. Close the Circle The Priestess should guide everyone through a process of closing the circle. Mentally and verbally close the circle. You don't want to leave the gateway between worlds open for several reasons. You could be inviting forces you don't necessarily want around you. You can also be maintaining a state of heightened perception. While this is great for ceremonies and ritual work, it isn't necessarily good for daily activities. If you find yourself saying "I feel out of it today", then you need to close your senses and get grounded. This is another reason for closing the circle. Imagine the "cone of power" you established at the beginning of the ritual, slowly coming down and dissipating back within the solar plexus of each person. Move to the center of the circle, holding a ceremonial sword or knife. Starting in the North, turn counter-clockwise and state: We give thanks to the God and Goddesses once more. We honor each other in this state of divine experience. And we close this circle that binds us to spirit, and can never be broken. Snuff out the candles (don't blow them out). We like to leave the two ritual candles burning during the night until they burn out by themselves. If they last, we will also use these two on the next day of the festival as we continue our honor of the Maiden Goddess. We prepare a special meal and invite family or friends to join us. These two candles are placed as the center-piece of the table. If the original candles have extinguished before the meal, we will light another candle from the flame of the original; allowing all candles to burn as long as they can. Physically close the circle by exiting over the broom. Pick up the broom and sweep away any energy that may have been left over. Clean your working area and prepare your offerings, gifts and candles for burial. If there are any cakes left over from the ritual, set them outside for the animals and spirit folk. Pour out any left over wine on the ground. Once again some people like to pour out the drink in the shape of a pentacle. Wash all dishes and clean all tools. Ritual Is Concluded Finally, some people like to share their experiences during the ritual. Some even carry the festival on and hold a party to share in some of the fruits, vegetables and breads they labored over. For the solitary, now is a good time to record the events and make notes about what you felt, what you did and didn't do that you might like to do next time. http://www.paganspath.com/magik/celtic/ostara.htm I'd like to add a few short comments to clarify what was presented. The holiday originates from the old Anglo-Saxon/Germanic springtide holiday. At one point it was suggested that this holiday was named after the goddess "Ostara" (spellings vary), but some scholars now believe that this was the name of the holiday itself. The little direct evidence of either such a goddess or her followers is basically limited to one sentence in chapter 13 of Bede's "De temporum ratione", and the works of Jacob Grimm in his "Deutsche Mythologie" (1835). Bede (673?-735) states that the Anglo-Saxons called the third and fourth months "Rhedmonath" and "Esturmonath" after their goddesses "Rehda" and "Eostra", respectively. Grimm supports Bede by stating that April is called "Ostara's month" in Anglo-Saxon, Old High German, and some modern German dialects. According to Clark Hall (1960), this is Eastermonað in Normalized West Saxon - which matches the Eostremonað given by Bede. It should be noted that the goddess Rehda is found nowhere historically outside of Bede's work. In either case, the name Ostara is associated with the words east (dawn or morning light), and shining. In opposition to those believing that Ostara was only the name of the holiday, Grimm maintains that Ostara was the goddess of the growing light of spring. Since there is no historical fact associated with the latter, I'll leave any speculation up to group members. Grimm describes one of the rites of Ostara as the gathering of holy water by the white maiden of Osterrode, in the form of dew or from brooks. Bathing or washing in it would restore youth. He states that the association of holy water and the color white symbolized the purity of the season. I think that any association between Nemetona and the holiday of Ostara would be unlikely. Nemetoma of Celtic Gaul was a war-goddess, cognate with the Irish Nemon and Cathubodua, identical with the war-goddess Badb-catha (scald crow) who tore the bodies of the slain on a battlefield. Ostara is an Anglo-Saxon event. We find Nemetona only on a few alters on the Continent, and on one in Britian at Bath, Avon - which reads: PEREGRINVS SECVNDI FIL CIVIS TREVER LOVCETIO MARTI ET NEMETONA VSLM ("Peregrinus, son of Secundus, citizen of the Treveri, for Loucetius Mars and Nemetona, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow." ) We also find her associated with Loucetius Mars on an alter in Mainz, Germany. It's not uncommon to find a Celtic goddess as a consort of a Roman god during the occupation of Celtic areas by Romans. She is also recorded separately on an altar at Eltripp, near Speyer, Germany. The association of Nemetona as a goddess of sacred groves is based on the condition that her name is derived from "nemeton" - a Gallo-Brittonic word which is used for a shrine or sanctuary in a sense that implies a clearing in a grove of woods (rather than the grove itself). However, if we look at the etymology of nemeton we find that it suits both Nemetona and Nemon (Nemain) in that the root word means heaven, or heavenly. This description fits both as a sky war goddess, and matches her cognates. Nemetona is the feminine equivalent of the Irish Nemed (Heaven), husband of Macha. This latter also supports her being chosen as the consort of Mars in a Roman-Gallic context. In any event, for those of you who observe Ostara - have fun! Deep peace, Dafydd