The Spring Equinox and Ostara

A Celebration of Life, Balance, Growth and Renewal

I’m one of those people where it’s always been hard to pick a “favorite” of something… and it’s no different when it comes to seasonal celebrations. Each one offers us an opportunity to pause, witness and embrace the season changing around us, and an opportunity to reflect the lessons in our own lives.

However, The Spring Equinox (also known as Ostara) will always hold a special place in my heart because it’s the day we were married. It’s symbolism a perfect representation of beginning a new life together, of possibility and opportunity.

The Spring Equinox, falling on March 20th this year, marks a moment of perfect balance of light and dark, rest and action, stillness and movement. It’s a threshold if you will… a turning point where we step fully into the season of renewal. In the Celtic world, this time was deeply significant, woven into both myth and daily life, honoring the rhythms of nature and the agricultural cycles that sustained communities.

The Natural Shift: Balance Before Growth

The equinox is a time of equilibrium. The day and night stand in perfect harmony before the light takes the lead, carrying us toward the longer days of summer. It’s a moment to acknowledge the necessity of both shadow and illumination. Where winter’s introspection gives way to action, but not without its lessons.

Nature mirrors this transition to us. Buds swell on trees, animals emerge from hibernation, the first true warmth of the sun touches the land (friendly reminder to wear your SPF again!). The energy is fresh, it’s hopeful, and it’s charged with the promise of possibility… even, maybe especially, in the state of our current world. In agricultural traditions, this was a time of preparing fields, blessing seeds, and ensuring the fertility of crops and livestock for the coming year. In our modern world, it’s a time of spring cleaning, planting seeds, and feeling a reinvigoration of life after the colder days of winter.

This seasonal celebration aligns with Aries season, the astrological new year, which carries also themes of renewal, bold beginnings, and forward momentum. Just as the earth reawakens, Aries fiery energy and bold instigation encourages us to embrace new growth with courage and determination.

Daffodils are commonly associated with the Spring Equinox and Ostara. Photo credit via Unsplash

Symbols of the Season

Seasonal celebrations are often woven with symbols found in the natural world as gentle reminders of the shifting energy and the deeper rhythms at play. The Spring Equinox is no different, carrying with it signs of fertility, renewal, and the earth’s awakening.

The hare, an animal deeply linked to fertility and the cycles of nature, was a sacred symbol across many ancient cultures, including the Celts. Seen as messengers of seasonal change, hares were closely observed for their behaviors, which signaled the shifts in the land’s rhythms. Their presence at this time of year, darting through fields in their wild courtship displays, made them a natural emblem of spring’s fertility.

Eggs, too, hold ancient significance. They represent potential, birth, and the unseen energy of life ready to emerge. In many early agrarian societies, eggs were used in springtime rituals to bless the land, encourage abundance, and symbolize renewal. Long before Christian Easter traditions, painted eggs were exchanged as tokens of prosperity and the returning light.

Flowers, of course, also serve as markers of the season’s arrival. Daffodils, crocuses, and primroses are among the first to bloom, breaking through the cold earth with bright, delicate resilience. These early blossoms were seen as harbingers of warmth and new beginnings, their appearance celebrated as a sign that winter’s hold had truly begun to loosen and in many traditions, bringing these flowers into the home or placing them on altars was a way to welcome the energy of growth and renewal.

These older customs eventually intertwined with later religious traditions, shaping many of the seasonal practices still recognized today.

A friendly face and symbol of the equinox and Ostara: the hare. Photo credit: @kris_ricepees via Unsplash

Honoring the Spring Equinox: Simple Ways to Connect

This season invites us to step outside, breathe deeply, and witness the shift happening all around us. And if that is all you’re able to do, then know that it is enough just to witness the change around you. However, if you want to take things a bit further and be a bit more intentional, here are a few simple ways to honor the equinox:

• Welcome the Light: Watch the sunrise or light a candle at dawn, honoring the return of longer days.

• Plant Seeds: Whether in a garden or a symbolic act, planting seeds is a powerful way to align with the season’s energy of growth.

• Balance & Release: Reflect on what’s ready to shift in your life. Write down what you’re leaving behind and what you’re calling in, then burn (safely) or bury the paper as a symbolic gesture.

• Egg Magic: Decorate eggs with symbols of renewal, intention, or protection, a nod to ancient traditions.

• Connect with the Land: Walk in nature, noticing the stirrings of life—new buds, nesting birds, the scent of earth waking up.

As the wheel turns, the Spring Equinox reminds us that we, too, are part of nature’s cycles. It’s a time to embrace change, honor both light and shadow, and step forward with intention. The land is waking up, ready to emerge with new energy, new intention and new actions… are you ready to grow with it?

Eggs have been a symbol of the equniox and Ostara for thousands of year, later being adapted into Easter celebrations as well. Photo via Katrin Bolovtsova Pexels