Ostara marks the joyous heralding of spring! The green of the land is returning and in some places, even at this somewhat early date, flowers are blooming in a fanfare of color. The Vernal Equinox is upon us! As nature begins to stir and growth and fertility is apparent all around us we are likely to notice during our increased time spent outdoors the living physical manifestation of one of the most iconic symbols of Ostara—the rabbit! The rabbit’s association with Ostara is so ingrained that it is one of the symbols carried over into even the more mainstream celebrations of this holiday. Subsequently, the rabbits of Ostara have found themselves celebrated in Christianity in addition to Paganism, manifesting as the much beloved Easter Bunny. However, the rabbit simply cannot be separated from its mystical associations; it is a creature of magick through and through.
The time in which many animals are giving birth usually coincides with the arrival of the Ostara season. The rabbit itself has a longstanding association with fertility, which makes its marriage as one of the quintessential symbols of spring, a time of celebrating the earth’s fertility, a perfect match. Rabbits and hares are closely tied to the Germanic goddess Eostre. Her festival coincides with the Spring Equinox and as the tale goes, a hare was among her followers. The hare desired to give a gift to the goddess to show both his appreciation and devotion. He settled upon gifting Eostre with an egg he had come into possession of, as the egg held great value in that it varied greatly from the normal diet for hares, which consisted merely of whatever vegetation they could graze upon. However, needing a way to make the gift a unique one, he painted and decorated the egg into an elegant masterpiece. As the tale goes, the gift was so well received that both the eggs and the legendary rabbits that allegedly deliver them at her festival time each year now bear her namesake as Eostre eggs and Eostre rabbits or bunnies. In what has become a pattern with many of the sabbats, Christianity began to integrate some of the Pagan practices of seasonal celebrations into its own religious traditions; both the rabbits and the ornamental eggs were inducted into the milieu of Easter customs.
The rabbit, however, is seen to not have simply a season of power but to hold magick for the whole year long. In fact, rabbits can often give birth to up to five litters per year! Chinese lore associates the rabbit with the power of the moon, and it is one of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. People of the Rabbit or Hare sign are seen to be perceptive, energy sensitive, emotional, and artistically talented. They are said to make wonderful friends, but are also extremely cautious—mirroring the traits of their animal counterpart. The association of rabbits with the moon in Chinese astrology is syncretic with the rabbit’s ties to the divine feminine as in the tale of Eostre and the hare—further affirming the associations of the rabbit with the qualities of intuition, sensitivity, and creativity. Furthermore, the Chinese also view the rabbit as an animal associated with witchcraft and alchemy and as the creator of an alleged elixir of immortality!
The “Charmed” Rabbit’s Foot?
However, not all rabbit magick is so pleasant for the rabbit—even if it has found its way into mainstream popular culture. One example is the lucky charm of the rabbit’s foot. Its actual history and origins are a bit murky. There are various (and often contradictory) accounts of what its original intent and use was, as well as what culture was its original creator. One popular origin story is that its genesis was as a protection against witchcraft in Britain. Ironically, it has become synonymous as a magickal charm; its use was widely adopted by African American conjure workers, and it remains a staple of modern conjure workers of diverse backgrounds through to the present. Who definitively had the concept in use first is up for debate. Some say the charm originated within the conjure traditions. However, we do know that it is used for myriad magickal goals, with the most common being general good luck, money, and success, and as a gambler’s charm. It has also been put to use—perhaps logically so given the rabbit’s ability for rapid proliferation—as a fertility charm.
Most of the modern rabbit’s foot charms available are mounted on a ring so that it can be used as a keychain or attached to a coat, purse, or perhaps a mojo bag. The majority of mass-produced rabbit’s foot charms today are made from the feet of rabbits bred en masse for the meat and fur industries. Also, if you choose to buy one, know that many are also made from completely synthetic materials. Some of them appear so similar to an actual foot that it is hard to decipher their synthetic or natural status while others are quite obvious. However, you will rarely find a label declaring which it is. For many individuals, the ethics revolving around buying the authentic severed foot of a deceased rabbit from such origins are questionable; many also feel there is little magickal value to the synthetic foot and opt for alternative charms.
One of the darker bits of lore associated with the rabbit’s foot charm draws upon the rabbit’s associations with witchcraft. Rabbits have long been held in magickal lore as one of the classic animals a witch could shapeshift into. This led to the theory that cutting off the foot of a rabbit could prevent it from shapeshifting back into a witch, effectively killing the alleged witch along with the rabbit. The charm served then not only as a protective talisman but additionally as a sort of trophy for murdering the alleged witch.
Luckily for both us and the rabbits, there are many other traditional ways to integrate a little rabbit magick into our lives. In keeping with the lore of a rabbit’s food being lucky, it also brings good luck to stroke and pet the foot of a live rabbit or hare as well! The hair of rabbits is considered to be a powerful magickal object. A rabbit hair added to a spell bag, bottle, or other magickal mixture is said to increase one’s ability for travel on the astral planes and to sharpen divination skills. It is also said in lore that to see live rabbits upon your land is a blessing from one of the various goddesses that rabbits are associated with, for abundance, fertility, or even protection. While you may feel at odds with the rabbits helping themselves to plants in your garden, with the insight of their blessings, perhaps it is best to find a nonviolent way to address that problem so that things end well for both you and your furry friends.
As you are enjoying the arrival of Ostara and all the beauty and magick that spring has to offer, don’t forget to add a little rabbit magick to your celebrations! After all, utilizing the energy of this classic creature could put your spellworking ahead by a hare!
Bibliography
Andrews, Ted. Animal Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1993.
Illes, Judika. The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World. Hammersmith, London: Harper Element, 2005.
McCoy, Edain. Ostara: Customs, Spells & Rituals for the Rites of Spring. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2003.
New World Encyclopedia. “Rabbit’s Foot,” accessed June 14, 2014, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rabbit’s_foot.
Wu, Shelly. Chinese Astrology: Exploring the Eastern Zodiac. Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books, 2005.
Yronwode, Catherine. HooDoo Herb and Root Magic: A Materia Magica of African-American Conjure. Forestville, CA: Lucky Mojo Curio Company, 2002.