HelloGiggles contributor Gabriela Herstik gives us a spring equinox ritual from her first book, “Craft”
Below is an excerpt of CRAFT by Gabriela Herstik, published by Ebury Press, part of Penguin Random House. Available to buy now.
Ostara, or the Spring Equinox, falls on March 20th to 23rd, and marks the first official day of spring, when night and day are of equal length. The return of spring is celebrated all over the world – from the Christian Easter to Jewish Passover to the Iranian New Year, known as Nowruz. For witches, the Spring Equinox is known as Ostara, named after the Germanic lunar goddess, an embodiment of the great Goddess who gave birth to the Sun God at the Winter Solstice. As an Equinox, Ostara is a time of balance and equilibrium.
The Spring Equinox is a reminder that it’s time to celebrate and plant seeds, both metaphorically and physically, for what we want to bring to bloom in the upcoming season. It’s also a time when we honor all the things we’ve achieved since the Winter Solstice. It’s time to bloom, breathe, create, procreate and reap the sweetness of what we’ve manifested, as we’re brought even closer to the light.
How to decorate your altar: any flowers (especially warm colors); black and white candles; seeds, citrus, fruits, pomegranates, honey; citrine, clear quartz, aventurine; or an offering of milk or honey for the faeries. Tarot cards such as the High Priestess and Nine of Cups may also adorn your altar.
Non-ritual ways to celebrate: plant flowers or garden; take a walk in the Sun and talk to the trees; spring clean your home and donate old clothing to charity; collect flowers and press them in a vintage frame; enjoy a picnic in a field; swim or lie outside naked with the Sun kissing your skin.
Suggested ritual: a plant meditation for growth and spiritual connection.
You’ll need: a potted plant like a violet or ivy — something to which you feel connected and which can live in your sacred space.
- Cleanse your space with palo santo, sage, or cedar.
- Ground and center yourself. [Author’s note: My favorite way of doing this is by breathing into my sacral chakra, right above the belly button, as I imagine a golden cord extending from the base of my spine into the earth. This golden cord is warm and nourishing, and brings energy from the earth, through the base of your spine and body.]
- Cast your circle. [Author’s note: A circle is an energetic meeting point between worlds that you can use to keep positive energy in as you raise energy in a spell or ritual. You can walk the perimeter of your circle clockwise, which should be around 6 feet in diameter, using a finger to point. Imagine white light moving from your finger, creating a sphere of protection around you that extends above and below you. You can also imagine a sphere of white light radiating outward from your heart and enveloping you and your space.]
- Hold your plant in your hand, thinking of how she connects you to the Universe. May you tend to her as you tend to your inner world. May she remind you that there’s always balance in the chaos.
- If you’re repotting your own plant, this is the time to do so.
- Next, take a seat and place your plant in front of you. Imagine the energy of this plant sitting at your heart, her roots extending down through your legs into the Earth. Her vines and leaves are growing out through your arms and through the top of your head, connecting back to the Earth.
- What does the energy of your plant feel like? What does she remind you of? Do you feel a connection to a faery? Record any thoughts, feelings or visions in your grimoire.
- Close the circle. [Author’s note: If you walked the perimeter, then walk counterclockwise imagining the energy moving through your arm, through your body and feet, and back into the earth. If you imagined it from your heart, imagine it moving back through your heart and into the earth through the golden cord.]
- Ground your energy. [Author’s note: You can imagine the golden cord moving up into your spine. Then press your forehead into the earth like in child’s pose, imagining all the excess energy returning back to the earth.]
- Connect with this energy whenever you tend to the plant. Tell your plant sweet and loving things. Ask it for guidance. Build a relationship with the spirit of the plant and listen to it!
CRAFT is now available on Amazon.
