20 WAYS TO WELCOME SPRING

Simple Witchery for the Equinox

I have to be honest, Spring Equinox, or Ostara, is one of my favorite observances in the wheel of the year; today I know that spring is finally springing forth — despite the fact that snowflakes are falling as I write this and there’s still quite a bit of snow on the ground in my realm.

First patch of bare ground on the pathway to my garden.

It has been thawing, and sometime today, I’ll get my baby blue Volkswagen Beatle (Blucy) out of the garage and go in search of puddles to race through — blasting a CD of (what else?) the Beatles’ Here Comes The Sun . Singing along at the top of my lungs while road salt and water sprays every inch of Blucy from top to bottom is good magic.

My husband will not require any “Splainin” from Blucy nor me. He’ll just remind me again that the road salt isn’t a good thing for vehicle longevity and he’ll take Blucy to the carwash. But I know better. Road salt has the same chemical makeup as table salt. My little Blucy will be well cleansed and protected.

Weather varies across the hemisphere (northern or southern), sometimes making it hard to relate to the timing of the wheel. Simple witchery means establishing rituals and rites that fit your seasons—you do you.

Like I said, my realm is still covered in snow, but maybe yours is covered with spring flowers in full bloom, or maybe the flowers are already fading back. Whether you’re living in the burbs or an urban witch rocking the concrete, look for the signs of spring where you live.

20 Creative Rites to Welcome Spring and Celebrate Ostara

1. Bless seed packets, leave on your altar until planting time
2. Starts seeds indoors in biodegradable paper pots
3. Bring home a new house plant
4. Start new houseplants from cuttings, or separate and repot crowded plants—share with friends
5. Plan your garden plots and/or flower beds.
6. Cut up your seed catalogs—make a vision board or garden journal
7. Plant a windowsill herb garden
8. Plant early garden crops and flowers outdoors where weather permits
9. Stir up a pot of pea or bean soup, or make lentils and rice, black eyed peas, hummus, or brew a cup of fennel tea — it’s all seeds, baby
10. String seed beads to make a bracelet or necklace
11. Play bean bag toss with the kids
12. Make a peanut butter and seed ball for the returning birds
13. Pop corn — Jiffy Pop is its own magic!
14. Make pastel popcorn balls (easy with marshmallows, no corn syrup, no candy thermometer needed)
15. Color eggs
16. Stand an egg on end
17. Can’t stand the egg up, try this
18. Fly a kite—write your goals for the next three months on slips of paper and tie them to the tail
19. Take a walk—take pictures of the signs of spring in your realm
20. Welcome the sun

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