Welcome Spring

As I sit here typing this post, the birds are singing a joyful tune just outside the window.  It's somewhat cool, a bit of snow is in the forecast, and the buds have yet to appear on the trees, but there is no doubt about.  Spring is definitely here.  This is one of my favorite holidays for the simple reason that I love Spring.  Although I do love autumn and winter (to a degree), I welcome Spring more than any season of the year.

The Spring Equinox signals the time of year when the days are getting longer, the growing season has begun, and animals give birth to their young. It has been an important time of the year for many cultures throughout history.  Daylight has continued to grow since the Winter Solstice.  Equinox literally means equal night; hence, the Spring Equinox is the time when the day and the night on the equator are of equal length. This is a blessed time of the year when the promise of fertility from Imbolc has burst forth into new life.  This is a time when the land is becoming rich, fertile, and green again as the days grow longer.  The fields and forests begin to fill with newly born creatures.  This was a very special time of the year for our ancient ancestors as the Earth warmed and fresh food became more abundant. 

In fact, the celebration of this time of year goes back many centuries.  Dating back to Assyrian times, it is named for Eostre (Eastern Star), the Teutonic goddess  of dawn and fertility who is similar Ishtar, Astarte, Asher, Inanna,  Aphrodite, and Venus.  The Anglo-Saxons saw it as the dawn of the year and honored the Goddess Eostre so deeply that their worship of her continued even during the burning times. The Christians, knowing that they could never destroy her,  incorporated her holy day as their own and renamed it  Easter.

There have been a few recurring symbols throughout history which represent this event. One of these is the egg. Eggs are an old symbol of birth and renewal and the potential of the new season. Many people celebrate this time by coloring eggs.  Another common symbol is the rabbit. Rabbits are very quick at reproducing and renewing themselves, so humans have always looked to them for fertility guidance. Finally, flowers have been a common motif throughout history. This is the time of the year when flowers finally begin to bloom after spending the winter dormant. The lily, appropriated as a Christian symbol of death, was a symbol of life in Pagan Greece and Rome where it adorned Ostara altars and temples.  

Spiritual traditions all over the planet celebrate the spring with hunts for eggs, rabbits, and other symbols of birth.  Welcome the nature spirits into your garden and charge the seeds you will soon be planting. Do a spring cleaning of your home, altar, and mind.   If you live in an area where the flowers have already begun to bloom at this time of the year, then a great way to celebrate is to go into the fields and pick a bunch of flowers.  Another great way to celebrate is by wearing the traditional colors of the Spring Equinox. These include pastel colors and green.