It’s a new moon. A good time to make room for what we want, let go of what we don’t, declutter. And Ostara – the spring festival – is nearly here, so spring cleaning is a thing right now. So is deciding what we want to plant this year.
Being a complicated, messy business, life demands resourcefulness and intention. We all have to find our way, emphasis wherever it feels right.
For me, it’s always been the craft. With a graduate degree in comparative religious studies that, not surprisingly omitted the craft, I have proven to myself over and over that this is the road I travel, the practice that calls and supports me. Studying the history of religion was a valuable way to rationalize it – my reasoning mind demanded it. As a young woman whose family are strict christians of the Lutheran variety, I had to give myself permission.
And so here I am, about 25 years in. It’s Ostara – happens to be my mother’s birthday. She’s a perfect Ostara baby – fresh, open, whimsical. She has the unique capacity to start fresh whenever she needs to and find joy in a new direction with no remorse or misgivings. Think eggs, seeds, crocus, and all that is beautiful and promising in spring – endlessly.
She drives me crazy, as mothers do, but I respect her nature and her gifts.
While she recognizes the challenges of a given situation she frequently chooses to look past them to what she wants – and to frame things accordingly. For a practical, earthy Scorpio type it’s hard to deal with sometimes, but I see the beauty and value of it.
Related to this, I have found that witchcraft demands a keen eye and the capacity to deeply understand a situation, its causes and effects. Why? Because spell work can backfire. Banish something you don’t want and other things – things you cherish – can go with it. Or it leaves a void that makes room for something you’d rather not have in your life. Call an experience to you and likewise you trade it for something else, or it travels with something you didn’t expect (yes, this is an experienced witch talking). In other words: be careful what you wish for. Be thoughtful, be in the flow, and know how you got to where you are. Since none of us *really* knows what we’ll find when we get to wherever we are going, a little faith in ourselves, the universe, and its mysteries is important, too…
Even with the wind still blowing and the snow still protecting the ground, I am breathing a relieved welcome to spring, because that’s how winter lets go in the Northeast and makes room for the light. Notice the birds singing more and the first buds on trees. It’s subtle, but it’s here.
In that spirit, if you need to let go of something in your life be sure to fill that space with something lovely — balance your intentions and your spells — cover what you are calling in when working to move things out. Thetravelingwitch.com has some fun suggestions and methods for the curious.
And to my sister and brother witches in the craft – cheers! May you fill your Ostara eggs with love, joy, and a good dose of fun this coming season.
xoxoxo
Backyard Botanics@Miller Hill Farm 