The Druids also know the Spring or Vernal Equinox as Eostre, Ostara or Alban Eilir, meaning ‘the light of the earth’. This marks the true beginning of spring, when we honour the first greening of the land. It is a festival of balance, when light and dark are briefly of equal length, before the light increases and the days grow longer than the nights. This is as true for the balance of daylight and night as it is for the corresponding areas of ‘light’ and ‘darkness’ within our psyches. The inner darkness of the subconscious, as well as the underworld known as Annwn in the Celtic tradition, holds our potential for the year ahead, gestating plans and ideas. Just like the seeds and bulbs beneath the soil, all this new growth is now ready to burst forth into the light and warmth of spring, within and without.
Key Themes
Equinox
balance
equal nights and days
Celebrating and honouring
blossoming
dawn
tipping point
potential
lightness and darkness
exuberance
refreshment
joy
fertility
inspiration
Many ancient sacred sites around the world have been built with alignments to mark sunrise and sunset at the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. These alignments are the same at both equinoxes, as the position of the equinoctial sunrise on the eastern horizon occurs at the midpoint between the positions of the Summer and Winter Solstice sunrises; and similarly equinoctial sunset on the western horizon is at the midpoint between the positions of the two solstice sunsets.
In Britain several long barrows – Neolithic burial mounds – are aligned to both equinoxes, most famously West Kennet Longbarrow in the Avebury complex, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With a history of ceremonial, possibly shamanic use going back millennia, its alignment to the equinoxes most likely marked for Neolithic farmers the time of seed sowing and new life at the Spring Equinox, as well as the descent of the spirits of life and fertility into the earth at the Autumn Equinox. At West Kennet Longbarrow, during the equinox and the days just before and after, the rising sun penetrates the inner chamber, whereas at other barrows with narrower entrances, such as at Loughcrew in Ireland, the alignment is even more precise and the sunrise illuminates only specific carvings on the back walls. Other sites with equinoctial alignments include the Mayan temple of the Seven Dolls at Dzibilchaltún in Mexico, the central tower of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and the Great Sphinx at Giza in Egypt.
Tradition holds that Eostre was the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and it was she who gave her name to Easter in the Christian calendar. The meaning of Eostre may come from austron, meaning ‘dawn’ in Old Teutonic, from the Proto-Indo-European root aus, meaning ‘to shine’. Eostre is likely to be connected to the Greek goddess of the dawn Eos, although at the Spring Equinox she is associated with the dawn of the fertile season, not of the day, and she may have become interchangeable with one of several now-forgotten Celtic goddesses of the rising sap, such as Blodeuwedd (see page 55), who were likely honoured and celebrated at this time.
Eostre, goddess of spring
Eostre is traditionally considered to be a goddess of the moon, her lunar qualities connecting her to fertility and women’s menses. Her sacred symbols are the egg and the hare, giving rise to the tradition of decorating eggs and the original Easter bunny. Today, little is known about the worship of Eostre, but enough remains to make her associations clear. In the seventh century the Christian scholar Bede recorded that the month of April was named ‘Eostre-monath … once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month’. As Christian scholars were critical of any surviving pagan traditions, we have little need to doubt Eostre’s existence, despite Bede’s reticence to record further details of her worship. Other evidence suggests that Eostre’s main celebrations were at the full moon nearest the equinox.
Blodeuwedd
Another goddess of the spring is the Welsh flower maiden Blodeuwedd, whose name literally means ‘flower face’. Created magically from wildflowers and the foam of the sea to provide a bride for the hero Llew Llaw Gyffes by the divine magicians Gwydion and Math ap Mathonwy, she was turned into an owl after betraying her husband with her lover Gronw. The story serves to remind us of the fiercer side of nature, which cannot be owned or tamed and abides by its own laws, not ours. Flower maidens like Blodeuwedd also remind us to honour and respect the beauty of the natural world, and to rediscover the wilder parts of ourselves, which bring renewal and blossoming to our lives as winter turns to the new life of spring.
Anyone can call upon the goddess of spring to bless their lives and those around them, and to encourage fertility and growth, whether in the form of a baby, a romantic connection or a new project. Try this invocation on a fine spring morning, if possible while you’re out in nature. Gather some fresh or bottled spring water in a bowl and place a few of the first flowers of the year, especially primroses, on its surface. Close your eyes, take three deep breaths and feel the new growth all around you. If the weather is harsh and spring is late, visualize it in your mind’s eye as a green wave of light, sweeping across the earth.
Hold the bowl of water in your hands up to the sky, and call to Eostre, or Bloddeuwedd, with all your heart:
‘Gracious queen of the spring, fair maiden of the dew,
Come to me, I pray.
Send me your blessings and your beauty.
May new life surround me!
In your name, fair lady,
Blessed be!’
Feel the blossoming powers of spring filling you, the sap rising and surrounding you. When you are ready, take a sip from the water and, as it fills you, see it giving you blessings, healing and renewal throughout your whole body, mind and spirit.
Finally, thank the lady and give the remaining water to the earth.
Lady Day
In the Christian faith, 25 March is Lady Day and marks when the archangel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary to announce that she would be the mother of Christ. In various magical paths, including esoteric Christianity, Gabriel is the angel of the moon, representing the watery realms of intuition, imagination and feminine energies, the female fertilizing and nurturing womb space. Here we see the great goddess in Christian form, birthing divine spirit into physical matter, much as Eostre can be said to birth the spring. Lady Day is thus a good day to honour the divine feminine in any form, as life giver, as pregnant mother of the world.
Associated with magic, shape-shifting and rebirth, the hare was deeply sacred to the Celts and killing it was strictly forbidden, so much so that this taboo remained until Victorian times, when rabbits but not hares could be eaten. This ban was, however, lifted at the Spring Equinox, when hares could be eaten to share in their fertility and magical power. They were once thought to lay eggs, hence their sacredness to Eostre. The hare is linked to rebirth and intuition, gifts of the underworld that make themselves apparent in the world above at this time.
In folk tales, many witches are supposed to be able to turn into hares. Running madly about the countryside and prone to playing tricks on people and stealing milk, these magical beings have much in common with the faery folk. It was said that only a silver bullet could kill witches of this kind. The hare, milk and silver are all potent symbols at this time due to their associations with the moon and fertility, and these figures may be traces of the old goddess lore still surviving in folk memory.
The hare has male associations, too, with its speed and agility connecting it to the messenger gods and light bringers, such as the ancient gods Thoth, Mercury and Hermes, as well as those slain and risen, such as Osiris. Hermes is often equated with Merlin, or Myrddin in the Celtic tradition, especially during his phase as a ‘wondrous youth’ full of magical potential.
Look out for hares near the equinox: the sight of them ‘boxing’ and running across the fields is a sure sign that spring is here, and a good omen that your coming year will be fertile and fruitful.
A fith fath, meaning ‘deer aspect’, is an ancient term that refers to shape-shifting. In numerous Celtic ballads and folkloric tales it is a protection and empowerment charm allowing someone to change into animal form (not necessarily a deer). For the reasons given above, changing into a hare was especially preferred by medieval witches and the testament of Isobel Gowdie, tried for witchcraft in Scotland in 1662, contains a fine example of a fith fath focusing especially upon shape-shifting in this way.
Isobel would change her form by chanting thus:
‘I shall go into a hare,
With sorrow and sych and meikle care,
And I shall go in the devil’s name,
Aye till I come home again.’
To change back she would then recite:
‘Hare, hare, God send thee care,
I am in a hare’s likeness now,
But I shall be in a woman’s likeness even now.’
The magical hare
Isobel Gowdie claimed to have received her abilities from the Queen of Elphame, the queen of the faeries, who was said to have also favoured several other witches at that time. This story can be understood as a thread of the old pagan faith lingering in the modern era; faeries and other beings are part of the wider Celtic spirit nations and integral to a magical practice perhaps going back millennia, and continuing to this day. In this instance the lord of the faeries is the ‘devil’, in the eyes of Christianity, while the Queen of Elphame is, in many respects, another folkloric version of the old Celtic goddesses.
Shape-shifting, whether physical or spiritual, recalls ancient shamanic and magical practices in which the spirits of nature are emulated as a source of power and healing. In Isobel Gowdie’s time there was a blurring of many Christian and pagan practices and beliefs, which coexisted and created hybrid forms all across the remoter parts of the British Isles. Isobel Gowdie is said to have been executed after giving her testimony – in Scotland, especially, those accused of being witches were often burned at the stake.
The Spring Equinox is an excellent time to consider ‘shape-shifting’ in our own lives, remembering that we can always change, make a fresh start and become who, or whatever, we choose. This might be as simple as beginning a new fitness regime, or becoming conscious of and changing patterns of behaviour or beliefs that are limiting you, or even something like starting your own business. By listening to our bodies and seeing our animal natures in a more positive light, we can also ‘return to the wild’ and reclaim a more authentic way of being that allows us to really enjoy our lives, and set ourselves free from ideas and constraints that no longer serve our hearts and potential.
Songs offered to the spirits of the land are a great way of raising energy and power. The idea is to go into a sacred space and a meditative state of mind, and improvise or call the tune to you moment by moment. It’s easier than it sounds and can be helpful when setting new intentions to help you draw fresh inspiration into your life.
First, create a sacred space (see page 14) and begin by intoning the sound Awen a few times, ‘Ahhhoooowennnn’. Awen is Welsh for ‘inspiration’ and a powerful magical word, used by the Druids and Celtic seers to call in the wisdom of the gods and divine prophecy.
With each deep breath and sound, call the spirits to assist you, whether in the form of your gods, your allies, your angels or the goddess of spring. Then allow spontaneity to enter into your intoning, varying the notes and durations, and then expand upon the sounds you make.
It’s fine to use noises and sounds rather than specific words. Just experiment and see how it comes out, letting the tune build with simple phrases and repetitions. The aim is to let the spirits guide what you are doing, to hand a certain amount of control over to them, and be their voice – not in any deep mediumistic way, just lightly. Let them inspire you.
This practice can be very healing, as well as empowering. Bringing voice to your intentions can help loosen blocked or stagnant energy, especially in your throat chakra and your chest, and so help attract new ideas into your consciousness, as well as new circumstances into your life. A perfect exercise to perform at the Spring Equinox!
The language of birds
Look out for birds during this season and be open to their behaviour as a sign from the spirit world. The Druids, witches and wisewomen of the British Isles have always taken great care to notice the language and flight of birds, so when one appears in your path, or behaves in a way that suddenly draws your attention to it, take note of where you were going at the time. What were you thinking or feeling?
Many birds have magical associations that can give us clues to their meaning in our lives. The blackbird represents new beginnings and the doorway between the worlds and between the seasons. The owl represents wisdom and the lunar qualities of magic, dreaming and intuition. The wren represents cunning, cleverness and skill, while the raven and the crow have associations with fate and destiny. Most birds of prey, such as hawks and eagles, are seen as messengers of the gods and as being connected to the upper world and a wider, higher perspective.
Eggs are fertility symbols in many cultures and in pagan societies they are associated, like the hare, with the full moon, as well as with the festival of Eostre. The full moon is known to affect fertility, as well as embodying a ‘cosmic egg’ in the sky.
The significance of the egg during the Spring Equinox reminds us of the new life breaking into creation at this time. We are surrounded by potential, by creativity, by the young and the new and it is possible to ride this fertile current, to ‘break out of our shells’ into a more vibrant life. Enthused and refreshed by the power of nature, we can let go of things that no longer serve us and step onto a new path of our choosing. The year ahead is vivified, full of possibilities, and so are we.
Another animal prevalent in Celtic fertility symbolism is the snake or serpent (sometimes thought of as a dragon). Often associated with male phallic energy, snakes were also connected to the earth’s fertility and the primal life force of creation. The Iron Age Druids had a secret object known as the serpent’s egg, which, according to the Roman writer Pliny, was a ball of twisted snakes used for occult purposes. In fact the Druids’ serpent’s egg was most likely a special stone of some kind, used as a powerful magical tool. The serpent’s egg is likely to be related in some way esoterically with the Orphic or cosmic egg, from which the universe is said to be created, and symbolizes the limitless potential and grandeur of both the cosmos and ourselves. Complete within itself, it is a symbol of initiation, as it is twice born – laid and, later, hatched. It is therefore not only a symbol of physical fertility, but also of spiritual fertility – our higher selves emerging into incarnation.
That the world itself is hatched from an egg is an ancient, almost universal idea. In Hindu lore, for example, the egg was laid by a divine bird on the primordial waters, and from it sprang Brahma and the heaven and earth. In Egypt, Ra the sun god comes from a cosmic tree that grew from an egg produced from the mouth of the serpent Kneph.
The Spring Equinox is a good time to consider balance in our lives, not only of happiness and sadness, but also of the areas in which we are active and passive, successful and falling short, giving and taking. Use this exercise to help you reflect on your deeper needs and gifts, as well as on things you may wish to change and transform at this fertile time of the year.
Stand upright and take three deep breaths. With each breath visualize yourself pulling energy up from the earth and into your body, like warm golden light, until your whole being is glowing. Then stretch out your arms to your sides at shoulder height. Feel the balance, or imbalance, in your body.
Turn to your left side and focus on your left hand. This is where you receive from the world. With every in-breath, you draw in new life and energy. In your mind’s eye objects and symbols appear in your hand. What do you see? What do you feel?
These objects and symbols represent what comes to you from the world, what you receive, what you draw in. This would be a good time to ask yourself if what you see corresponds to what you need – to what you desire from the world. Do you receive what is good for you and your whole wellbeing?
Now turn to your right and focus on your right hand. Again objects and symbols appear, and here you see what you give out, what you express or send out to the world. With every out-breath you give back to creation. What do you offer the world? What do you give back to life?
When you are ready and with your hands still out to either side of you, draw your attention to your centre, to your heart. Do you feel a balance between what you give and what you receive? Do you receive energies or objects you do not need and can give away? What do you attract? What can you release?
Spend some time here in quiet reflection, feeling with every in-breath and every out-breath the balance within you.
When you feel it is time to end this exercise, place your hands over your heart for a moment to close down your energy. You may choose to make some notes in a journal and record your insights. In this way you can become more conscious of how you negotiate your way through life, and make more empowered decisions, attract and call in what you need, and let go of what does not serve you or what you can give freely to all creation.
The night sky in spring is very much in transition. In the western sky of the northern hemisphere, Orion is now descending closer to the horizon, and will soon be gone for the summer months, while the constellation of Leo the Lion with his warm sunny energy is now high and bright, ushering in the return of summer still ahead. Prominent in the sky is the Great Bear Goddess, or Ursa Major, also known as the Big Dipper, and by following the Bear’s tail we soon come to a bright orange star, Arcturus, in the constellation of Boötes the Herdsman, which is only 36 light years away and one of the brightest in the night skies.
The herdsman is a recurring sacred figure in Celtic lore and goes by many names, including the Green Man and the Woodwose as well as those of the hunter gods, Herne, Cernunnos and Gwyn (see page 229). As a wild man he lives close to nature and is often a prophet or a visionary seer, subject to divine inspiration by his immersion in the wild. Boötes doesn’t resemble a human form very clearly, but rather looks like a large kite with Arcturus being its bottom point. To the upper left of this kite is the Corona Borealis, or Northern Crown. In Greek mythology it is the crown given by the god Dionysus to his bride Ariadne, but in Celtic Welsh mythology it is Caer Arianrhod, ‘castle of the silver wheel’. This is the home of the goddess Arianrhod, who oversees the turning stars and the web of fate, hinting at the unfolding promise of the year ahead.
Returning to Arcturus: a little further down the arc begun by the Bear’s tail is the constellation of Virgo, the maiden spring goddess in stellar form. This is low on the southeastern horizon during spring evenings and is recognizable from the curved bowl of its upper section tipping in the opposite direction to Boötes. The brightest star in Virgo is Spica, at the end of the lower stem of the constellation.
Mars, identified by being brighter than the stars, with its distinctive reddish hue, may commonly be seen now travelling along the elliptic (the apparent path of the sun across the sky). This planet is a harbinger of the fierce, vibrant energy of spring and the virile god of the greenwood, who will wed the goddess at Beltane in May as spring turns to summer.
This meditation takes us to explore Caer Arianrhod, the Corona Borealis which can be understood in the Celtic tradition as the hub of the stellar wheel, in order to gain greater perspective on our lives and seek a higher, more inspired viewpoint. Arianrhod means ‘silver wheel’, referring to the stars’ journey across the heavens, and she is an excellent guide to the wheel of time as well as to the stellar realms.
Sitting comfortably, close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Let your eyes relax gently behind your closed lids and allow your imagination to sink into the darkness. Let your breathing deepen and slow naturally, then expand your awareness to imagine that you are walking along a sandy shore, under a moonlit sky.
The air is cool and still and to your left the sea hushes and rolls lazily upon the shingle, as you breathe slowly in and out, your breaths falling into a rhythm with the sea. You are in a wide bay, and the sky is bright with a white full moon above the ocean and a million brilliant stars.
You feel your bare feet upon the sand as you walk a line between the sea and the shore, the water reaching up and rippling around your toes – cleansing and refreshing you. You lift your head and gaze upon the moon and, as you do so, you see that it casts a path of light upon the waves, and your vision shifts and blurs. The path of silvery light becomes a staircase, rising up into the sky and forming into a slender, silver tower, impossibly high above the earth, crowned with the moon upon its summit. As soon as your gaze reaches the moon again, you feel yourself pulled gently along, out across the water, gliding and rising as easily as a breath of wind upon the waves, higher and higher upon the silvery stair.
As you rise you look up at the heavens and the shimmering stars, and realize that the stair twists and spirals as you ascend, and the stars turn and spin above you, but the tower itself remains still as the hub of a wheel, holding you to it steady and sure.
You come to halt at a tall, arched doorway. It is made of a curious substance – stone or white wood that glimmers like the moonlight – and upon it is a majestic silver wheel with eight spokes, and many tiny details inscribed and filigreed all over it. As you look closer you see flowers and trees and staring eyes, woven in among animals and strange signs; then the images shift and you see star patterns and astrological signs; and then they shift again and the images vanish, and the pattern is only a million reflections of light and shade upon its silvery beaten surface.
The air is still and silent, but the sanctity of this place is palpable, and you feel a great and ancient presence all around.
The door slowly opens and you step into a wide, circular chamber with a large window in each of the four cardinal directions: north, east, south and west. Everything seems strangely simple and calm after your great spiralling ascent. There are many books on shelves all around and a spinning wheel in the centre of the floor. Sitting at the wheel is a woman. She is straight-backed and slender, working silently with a look of rapt concentration upon her pale beautiful face, a thin smooth thread between her slim fingers.
This is Arianrhod, mistress of the wheel, keeper of the secrets of the stars, and she has much wisdom. ‘Why have you come?’ she asks, in a smooth, cool voice. And you must answer her honestly.
If you are lucky Arianrhod may help you understand the stars or the workings of fate. She may show you how to keep your centre when change is all around you, or she may show you how to change when all is too still. Take this time to be in the presence of the great lady, here in the magnificent temple of the stars.
When you are ready, take a look out of each window in turn, into the vastness of the sky. Here, at the centre, let your senses expand to contemplate the wheeling heavens and the immense arcs of time the earth has known, and the even greater spans of the stars, and then let your awareness turn to your own life, and see the rhythms and the cycles that exist there also.
Here, at the Spring Equinox, the wheel spins from darkness to light and from cold to warmth, and the heavens turn too, with new stellar companions to guide the way. Feel this moment, this shift, from your position of stillness at the axis of the stars, and let the subtle change it brings fill your awareness for a while. Let your perspective be broadened and calmed.
After a while you sense that it is time to return to the everyday world. Give thanks to Arianrhod for all she has shown you, and pass back through the shimmering door. Beyond, the staircase leads you downward with ease, across the dark ocean beneath the stars and back to the beach and the path between the water and the sand. Continue on your way, till your footsteps shift from sand to your everyday home and you feel yourself back in your body, easily and gently.
Hold for a moment the memory of what you have seen and felt, and know it is yours, always, before wriggling your fingers and toes, and opening your eyes as you return to the everyday world.
You may need to ground yourself carefully after this exercise by eating and drinking and taking your time to feel yourself back into your body.
Many flower, herb and vegetable seeds can be sown now, either indoors or directly into the soil if it is warm enough. It is also time to sow summer bulbs, as well as to cut back foliage and shrubs for colourful stems next winter. Rosemary, mint, marjoram and thyme plants will all begin to show fresh growth and can now be cut for cooking. You may also see the first shoots of vervain, useful for love and protection spells (see page 135), as well as for lustral water (see page 70), for cleansing and blessing yourself or sacred spaces and objects.
Sacred spring flowers
The primrose (primula vulgaris) is sacred to the Norse goddess Freya and to various ‘flower maiden’ goddesses of the British Isles, such as Blodeuwedd (see page 55), as well as to the faeries. It is also edible, making it a beautiful garnish for spring salads and Easter or Eostre cookies (see page 76).
Sowing seeds now will give you abundant new plants in the coming summer. If space is limited, try salads, calendula or nasturtium plants, which can be grown in small pots on a window ledge. Experiment and have fun awaiting the seedlings that will spring into life.
You can add extra magic to seed sowing by blessing the seeds, infusing them with your energy. First, hold the seeds in your hands and take three deep breaths. Close your eyes and visualize the new life that will come, seeing them as big, healthy plants. If there is something you would like to attract, such as love, health or abundance, see that also coming strongly into your life in the coming months. Visualize your dreams with as much detail as possible. Then, in your mind’s eye, see the light of the sun go down into the seeds, until they glow golden, full of magic and life force. At the same time set your intention for what you want to achieve. This is powerful sympathetic magic.
Now take a pot filled with soil or compost and sow the seeds thinly upon the surface, before covering with a fine layer of soil or grit. Then water gently. If the pot has holes underneath for drainage, stand it in some water for a while so the soil can draw the water up from underneath.
Take another three deep breaths and, focusing your intention again, see in your mind’s eye the plants growing strong and beautiful, and your desires coming into fruition as they grow. Place your hands gently upon the soil and send the seeds your love and energy, whispering any prayers for your desire into the soil. Thank them for the new life they will bring.
Tend to the plants gently and carefully, see they get the right amount of sunlight and water, and watch them grow, while also taking practical steps in your own life as well, to draw what you wish for toward you. Over the next three months, as the plants come to maturity, so shall your desires. See that these are for the good of all and harm none. Blessed be!
Lustral or holy water has been used for thousands of years for energetic as well as physical cleansing and blessing, transcending cultures and religions. Taking a ritual lustral bath (see page 36), or cleansing spaces and objects, clears negativity away and is a useful precursor to any spiritual practice, preparing both the mind and the body.
Spring Equinox is, like Imbolc, a good time to make your own lustral water. You will need some fresh or bottled spring water and some fresh herbs. Vervain is especially good, but rosemary, lavender or mint are also suitable for energetic cleansing, as are new silver birch leaves.
Pour the water into a pretty bowl or glass and sprinkle on the herbs or leaves. Leave in bright sunlight for an hour to infuse with the sun’s energy, or hold the bowl up to the sun and say this simple prayer:
‘Good spirits of the spring, and of all growth and blessings, charge and consecrate this water. Blessed be!’
Use lustral water to bathe your face or sprinkle it around your body or home for a simple energetic cleansing and blessing ceremony, the perfect magical accompaniment to spring cleaning or to draw fresh energy into your life.
In the Celtic tradition, the Spring Equinox is associated with the winds and the element of air, which bring with them inspiration, refreshment and change. This is a great time to try making your own incense or burning some as an offering to the spirits of spring. Burning incense is a potent magical act in its own right and one that can have many purposes, such as to cleanse and bless the home, to honour the gods and to accompany prayers for health and healing. The magically empowered incense ingredients, corresponding to the practitioner’s goals, are transmuted via the fire into smoke, which carried by the air spirits permeates the environment and rises up to the heavens, touching everything in its path, and helping to give new life to your intentions.
Many herbs, gums, resins, oils and even crushed crystals can be used in incense blends, whether for their magical correspondences or for their scents or colours. Frankincense, sage and sandalwood are the most popular as they are magically powerful, smell good and don’t need to be mixed with other ingredients. There are also many ready-made incense blends available, some of which have been created with a specific seasonal celebration in mind. Whenever you use incense, always give thanks to the spirits of the incense, the fire and the air, to make it extra magical.
The spirit of incense
For simple, cleansing incense for Spring Equinox combine equal quantities of frankincense, pine needles and rosemary in a pestle and mortar, or crush with a knife on a chopping board. Then add a few drops of violet, hyacinth or lemon oil to the dry ingredients, until you feel the scent is attractive and well balanced. Bless the incense by holding it up to the sun and asking in your own words that the spirits of all the trees and herbs included add their magic to your blend. Thank the spirits, before storing the incense in an airtight container.
Burn the incense safely on a charcoal disc in a censer or other heatproof container, wafting the smoke around the house for a simple energetic cleansing and blessing. Pay special attention to the four directions – north, south, east and west – as well as to the doors and windows.
In the Celtic calendar, the Spring Equinox is a time of fresh energy, inspiration and hope, when the entire world seems to be new again. Making a flower mandala is a wonderful meditative practice that encourages gratitude for nature’s beauty, while prayer flags are a simple way to send positive intentions across the world with the wind.
Try celebrating the Spring Equinox by making a simple mandala out of flowers and greenery, or with candles, to place in your garden, at the centre of your sacred space or on a table or an altar.
A good basis for the design is the equal-armed cross, or a sun wheel (a four-quartered circle), because these symbols invoke balance as well as representing the turn of the year. Alternatively, you could make a pentacle or five-pointed star, vesica piscis or triskelion shape. As you create the mandala, remember that every action in its construction is a prayer and an act of honouring and blessing.
The creative possibilities are endless. Begin with four large petals or flowerheads, such as daffodil or primrose petals or anemone heads, and place them in a simple cross shape. Then, using smaller petals or leaves, fill in the spaces between the arms of the cross. Use another type of flowers or leaves to make a circle around the cross, laying them down in a deiseil (clockwise) direction to attract blessings.
You can continue creating new layers, following a design of your choosing, with flowers and leaves that add different colours and textures. If your mandala is to be used on an altar or as a table centrepiece, you might also choose to add a candle to its centre, which you could light as part of your Spring Equinox ceremony.
Flags can be used, like Tibetan prayer flags, to send prayers out on the wind, and also to invoke vision and energy, welcoming in the blessings of the air and the upper world, which is especially suitable during the Spring Equinox. These flags can be made very easily by cutting triangles of cloth or paper and then attaching them to sticks or long pieces of string. Choose bright spring colours, like yellow and green, to symbolize the sun and the greening of spring.
Symbols to decorate your flags might include dragons, standing for the return of life force to the world; spirals, representing the turn of the seasons; as well as flowers, triple moons, the sun and sun wheels. Write prayers and messages of hope on them, so that these intentions can be set free upon the spring air.
You can choose to hang your flags from windows or trees to catch the wind, or use them to decorate a sacred space, or even to carry them in procession to a Spring Equinox ceremony. Flags attached to hazel sticks can be stuck into the ground, and you can also use flags as part of a dance. Have fun as you make these sacred offerings to the season, full of the joy of spring.
For the Spring Equinox you might like to decorate your space with a green or yellow cloth and spring flowers, especially spring bulbs (which can be grown indoors). Pictures of hares and full moons, and, of course, decorated eggs are all attractive and sacred objects suitable for this time, as are simple mandalas of flowers and green shoots, and pots of soil within which you can sow seeds with magical intentions. Make space perhaps for incense or an oil burner, which can scent your sacred space with the aromas of spring, such as hyacinth or narcissus.
The Spring Equinox is a wonderful opportunity to have some fun and seek inspiration in the kitchen. Fresh seasonal produce abounds and there is sense of optimism in the air. Now is a great time to delight your senses and create some delicious treats and healthful herbal tisanes, such as nettle tea to refresh and renew you, body and soul. The better weather can encourage you to visit farmers’ markets or to spend more time exploring the garden, where the herb patch will be springing into life. Look out for what is fresh and available locally to really align with the season. For example, you could seek out locally laid eggs for traditional painted-egg decorations for an equinox feast and to make Eostre cookies for a sweet treat.
These lightly spiced, sweet cookies, decorated with colourful icing, are often a favourite with small children but can be given a more grown-up flavour and appearance with little effort. The following recipe makes 15–30 cookies, depending on size, and is based on a traditional recipe.
You will need
• 225g/8oz/1 cup softened butter
• 225g/8oz/1 cup caster sugar
• 2 large free-range egg yolks
• 400g/14oz/2¾ cups plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon to taste
• 2–4 tbsp milk
For the topping
• 250g/9oz/1¾ cups icing (confectioner’s) sugar
• 1–2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp water
To make the cookie dough, place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and slowly combine until the mixture forms a stiff dough.
If you are using a cutter, the mixture can then be rolled out on a board dusted with icing (confectioner’s) sugar and cut into shapes, such as rabbits, eggs or flowers. Alternatively, cut the dough into equal-sized parts, roll into balls and flatten to create simple circular cookies. Place the cookies on a greased baking sheet and bake at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 10–15 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool.
To make the topping, place the icing (confectioner’s) sugar in a bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Add the water, a drop at a time, until the mixture forms soft peaks. Pipe on, or spread over the cooled cookies using a palette knife (metal spatula).
Decorate the cookies with candied flowers or draw designs, such as spring flowers or stars, into the topping while it is still soft.
Nettles are highly nutritious and detoxifying, and have been used as a general tonic for centuries. One of the highest sources of iron available, nettles are also a gentle diuretic, capable of flushing toxins from the liver and kidneys, so great for a gentle spring cleanse that supports the whole system. The new nettle shoots should now be out in abundance and will brighten your hair and eyes, clear up skin complaints, relieve heartburn and digestive disorders, as well as easing aches and pains.
To make a nettle tisane or tea, simply add 1 teaspoon of dried herbs, or one fresh nettle shoot, per cup of boiling water and leave to brew for 5 minutes.
Fresh nettles can also be gathered, washed and cooked like spinach, which they also resemble in taste. Once they are wilted in hot water or over an open fire they lose their sting. Herbal tisanes can be given added magical energy by stirring deiseil (clockwise) with a silver spoon, three or nine times, or any multiple thereof. Draw up energy from the earth and pass some of it through your hand into the pan or mug, using the spoon like a magic wand to direct it into the water.
As you work, try asking for healing and cleansing for your spirit as well as for your body, and imagine yourself really shining and blossoming with health and vigour. Clearly visualize light and blessings going into the brew, and remember to thank the plant spirits of the herbs used for their gift.
You might to try reciting these words as you stir or use your own:
‘Nettle tisane, nettle tea, lend your spirit to this spell for me, bring me healing, clear my sight, bring me vigour and beauty bright.’
Boiled eggs can be decorated, painted and then eaten as part of a Spring Equinox feast. There is a whole host of lore concerning eggs across Europe, and many traditional regional designs for decorating them, which you might like to research.
You might choose to start by dying the eggs – superb colours can be achieved from various natural ingredients. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Then add the natural colour of your choice (see below) and stir well until you’ve achieved the desired colour. The more of an ingredient you add, the stronger the colour. Then remove the pan from the heat and add as many hardboiled eggs as will fit in your pan.
• Orange – add 12 onion skins and soak the eggs for 30 minutes
• Blue – add half a chopped red cabbage and remove the eggs when the desired shade is achieved
• Pink – add four chopped beetroots and soak the eggs for 30 minutes
• Yellow – add 3 tablespoons of turmeric and soak the eggs for 30 minutes
Paint, ink or food colouring can also be used to decorate the eggshells, perhaps with flowers, sun wheels, hares, serpents, flowers, goddesses or pentacles. Alternatively, glue string, glitter or other items onto the eggshells, or cover them in wax and gently scrape off designs using a sharp craft knife.
March often begins cold and stormy in Britain and Ireland with frequent rain, but by the end of the month gentler weather becomes more common. By the equinox the first signs of spring begin to show in abundance in the south, while the north may take a few weeks longer to start to warm, with the greening of the hedgerows only just beginning. At this time, when the earth is cloaking herself in greenery and spring flowers once again, it’s worth spending time in reflection and consider what is budding in our lives, what is waiting underneath the surface to be reborn and what skills and talents are ready to bloom.
This guided journey to meet the goddess of spring can help you tune into the turn of the season and seize the opportunity to make a fresh start, whether that be renewing your plans and vigour or, if a clean slate is required, blessing a new beginning in your life.
Visualize before you a simple oak door. You pass through the door into the soft blue light that comes before dawn. The path leads you onward and upward through a deep forest between huge trees, dark and tall sentinels upon either side of you, yet the pale stone of the path glimmers. Eventually you come out into a wide-open expanse. Slowly it is getting lighter, and a silvery mist covers the world all around you.
The ground rises and you climb up and up until you find you are high on a mountain. A cool breeze blows in your face, ruffling your hair. There are other shapes around you, men and women of all ages, silent and wrapped tightly against the cold. Out to the east, to the right of you, the mountain drops away, and the sky is a vast, silvery blue expanse above the shadowed green of the hillside. Take your time here and breathe into the silence, the spaciousness of the dawn, full of power and possibility for the life that lies ahead.
After some time you feel the crowd around you seeming to hold its breath, and you hear the chiming of bells and distant singing, as soaring angelic voices travel upon the wind. Your heart beats faster and tears spring into your eyes. From far out in the east a being approaches. The sun is rising bright behind her. As the light grows, the distant singing becomes clearer. The figure draws nearer and it seems that everything around you is springing into life.
You are struck by the great power and sanctity of this moment, as Spring herself comes close, beautiful beyond imagining, dressed in flowers and rosy hues, her hair golden in the sunlight. Spend a moment now in contemplation and communion with this holy being.
The birds begin to sing and flowers bloom all over the earth. Everything is touched by freshness and new life. A warm glow of youth and vigour rises up your legs and hips, into your belly, into your chest, rising like the light of a new sun up your spine and shining out from your eyes, glowing from your heart. You feel yourself renewed and reborn.
After a time it will be appropriate to return home. Retrace your steps back through the forest, now green and golden in the light of a new day, along the path to the oak door – open it and step through. Take your time as you let yourself return to your body once more. Feel yourself back in the here and now, and wiggle your fingers and toes before moving about. Remember to ground yourself well afterwards by eating and drinking and perhaps recording your experiences in a journal.
This is a wonderful time for exploring the woods or a local park and looking for signs of spring to cheer the spirit and encourage us on through to the next turn of the wheel.
Celebrating with friends, family and/or the wider community
You might like to invite friends and family to join together in a pilgrimage to a local hill or a place where you can enjoy the wide expansive views. Such places have often been held sacred and you may even find a beacon or holy hill near you, where fires were once lit for all the surrounding area to see at sacred times.
When you reach the summit or your chosen spot, share some nettle tea (see page 77) and Eostre cookies (see page 76) to restore your spirits after your trek. You might like to start your ceremony by joining together to make prayers for rejuvenation and inspiration and burn incense (see page 71) to send your wishes to the heavens. You might also like to ask each person to bring some leaves and flowers to make a spring mandala (see page 73), or you could sing songs or read poetry to the land itself, and to the wide skies, as an act of simple and inspirational devotion to fill your heart with the wonder of nature once again. You might also like to fly kites or wave prayer flags (see page 74) covered with words of gratitude and hope for the coming year.
Before you leave your special site, be sure to leave a few Eostre cookies as a gift to the land. When you have returned from your pilgrimage, you may like to gather together and enjoy a feast of seasonal local produce, especially spring lamb and green salads, as well decorated hardboiled eggs and other seasonal treats.
Celebrating alone
In the days leading up to the equinox, you may choose to embark on some magical gardening (see page 69) or make your own incense and prayer flags in preparation. Gather fresh flowers, especially those growing in pots and seek out some beautiful music to add atmosphere. Prepare some food for a special seasonal feast and create an altar as a focus for your activities (see page 75).
A Spring Equinox altar
When it is time to begin, create a sacred space by calling in the four directions (see page 14), followed perhaps by calling in the spirits of your ancestors or any other chosen gods. Here would be a good place to invoke the goddess Eostre to ask for her blessings and for fresh energy, to seek inspiration and renewal, and to make your life fertile. Invoke her in the way described earlier (see page 56), in any way that feels right to you, or you might say:
‘Goddess of the spring, lady of new life, we ask you to join us and ask for your blessings at this, the turn of the year. May you bring renewal and hope to all you touch at this sacred time.’
Give thanks to the goddess of spring and the spirits of the returning green, of the new shoots and of all new life that begins now. Take a moment to feel the joy and anticipation of the growing light and the summer that will come, and make an offering to the spirits of the land, especially if you have a garden to tend, or live in a built-up area, where spirits of the land are often disrespected. Next would be a good time to perform the Spring Equinox guided visualization or stellar meditation (see pages 63 and 66), or make a mandala (see page 73) as a meditation, focusing on what you would like to draw to you, or ask for the earth itself to be blessed, for peace or environmental healing.
Whether you are celebrating with friends and family or alone, finally, take a moment to give thanks and gratitude to each direction and element, as well as to any gods or ancestors for their help in your ceremony and their presence in your life. Give thanks for all the blessings of every kind that have come to you over the last year. This makes us conscious of the bond we have with all creation, and the interconnectedness of all things, which helps us grow into greater harmony with life.
The Spring Equinox can be celebrated in so many ways, so feel free to mark it in a way that feels true to you. Allow yourself to be inspired by nature and discover your own methods of honouring the spring. Initiate your own traditions as well as remembering the old ways. Open the windows, step outside and take a little time to feel the fresh air on your face … spring has come!
Blessed be!