Author unknown
Ostara celebrates both the sun and the earth. It is a day to celebrate the balance of all things; female and male, the spiritual and the physical. The spiral you walked at Winter Solstice took you down inside yourself. Now is the time to follow that spiral of energy up into the light.

As Persephone re-emerges from the Underworld, animals return from their winter hibernation. One such creature is the snake, an ancient symbol of the Great Mother Goddess. Snakes dwell in both worlds: Ours and the Underworld. Because they live underground, they carry the power of Mother Earth. Into the time of ancient Greece the snake was a symbol of earthly powers especially for healing. Even today it is included in the symbol of the medical profession.

This ritual has been written to be performed during daytime to enjoy the warmth, light and greening earth.

Ritual Setup:

Items needed for this Ostara ritual include:

● Four green altar candles for the directions
● Two lavender or purple altar candles for the Goddess and God
● At least one cut flower for each participant in the group ritual. For solo ritual, have a minimum of four flowers to mark the cardinal directions or more to mark your circle on the floor. (You can allow space between the flowers)
● Flower seeds—daisies, if possible, as this flower is associated with spring, light and the sun
● A small flower pot or small paper cup filled with potting soil. You may want to decorate it with Pagan symbols such as a pentagram, spiral, or a circle with a dot in the center
● One or two long scarves
● Taped music or drumming with which to dance (optional).

The Ritual:

Lay the flowers on the floor as you cast your circle as you say:

Equal is the light and dark,
With these gifts my circle I mark.
As warm sunlight greens the earth,
The Maiden and Lord dance with mirth.

After calling each direction and deity light a candle on the altar and say: