Three Rituals for Ostara
The spring equinox, also called Ostara, takes place around March 20th each year. This sabbat marks the day when dark and light are in equal balance. After Ostara, we have more light each day and less darkness as we build up to the peak of the sun at the summer solstice. These rituals are great to perform anytime between the Ostara and Beltane.
The spring equinox, also called Ostara, takes place around March 20th each year. This sabbat marks the day when dark and light are in equal balance. After Ostara, we have more light each day and less darkness as we build up to the peak of the sun at the summer solstice. These rituals are great to perform anytime between the Ostara and Beltane.
The Earth is beginning to get warmer and more fertile each day. Associated with the maiden aspect of the triple goddess, Ostara is a time of new life, fertility, balance and harmony, birth, manifestation, and innocent, child-like wonder.
In this post, I’ll be sharing 3 rituals for Ostara. Keep scrolling for all three rituals and check out the video below.
CREATE AN OSTARA ALTAR
Creating an altar is a beautiful way to honor any nature-based holiday. I’m a huge fan of letting altar creation be intuitive - what does Ostara mean to you, and what symbols can you place on your altar to represent that personal meaning? Learn more about altars here.
With that being said, here are some altar item suggestions to inspire your creativity:
Fresh flowers
Eggs
Pastel-colored candles
Fertility goddess drawings or photos (remember, fertility isn’t just about birthing babies but about the energy of creation - which we can channel into so many different creations!)
A photo of your child self
Sprouts
Images of rabbits
The Sun card, Lovers card, or other tarot cards you associate with this time
Crystals associated with fertility, renewal, or balance like sunstone, green aventurine, moss agate, or peach moonstone
You can ritualize your altar creation by gathering your items mindfully and taking some time to meditate before putting your altar together. As you place each item on your altar, feel the energy of Ostara moving through your body and your space, bringing you renewal, fertility, and harmony.
CHILDLIKE WONDER RITUAL
One of my favorite rituals for Ostara is simply doing an activity you loved as a child. Maybe you loved to play in the forest, paint with your hands, swim in the ocean, or sing. Carve out intentional time to do that activity again today, and notice how your inner child responds. My guess is that she’ll love it!
As you play, see if you can suspend any skeptical or critical voices that may pop up inside, saying that what you’re doing is silly or stupid or doesn’t matter. Can you access the sense of pure wonder, curiosity, and play you once felt every day?
Spend some time journaling afterward to process your experience and dig into the ways you’d like to bring more childlike wonder into your daily life.
BALANCE RITUAL
For this ritual, you’ll need:
2 spell candles of different colors
Moss agate (optional)
This ritual connects to the balance aspect of this holiday. Remember, on any equinox (spring or fall), light and darkness come into balance. It’s a powerful time to find more balance in our lives, too.
Start by grounding yourself with a few deep breaths or using another grounding practice you enjoy. Take some time to get clear on where you need more balance in your life. If you’re using moss agate, a naturally balancing crystal, you could hold it at this time. You might like to meditate, do breathwork, free write, or pull cards to get clarity on the balance your heart is craving.
Once you feel clear, take a few deep breaths to return to center and speak aloud where you are craving more balance in your life. Light your candles as you say, “As I light these candles, I call in more balance between ______.”
As your candles burn, visualize yourself having this balance in your life. How does it feel? Who do you become? Really take your time to luxuriate in this energy as you let your candles burn all the way down.
Take a moment to ground yourself again, and close your ritual with a moment of gratitude.
Which ritual will you be doing for Ostara? We’d love to hear on Instagram! You can find more rituals for Ostara here and meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.
6 Ways to Align Yourself with the Energy of Imbolc
Imbolc is a sabbat on the Wheel of the Year that happens on February 1st.At Imbolc, the Earth is beginning to wake up and we celebrate the approaching return of spring. We are through the hardest and darkest part of the winter, and we begin to prepare ourselves to direct our energy outwards again in the lighter part of the year to come.The word Imbolc means “in the belly” - offering us the promise of hope, renewal, of the awakening of the Earth again. Imbolc is also deeply associated with the Celtic triple goddess Brigid and her sacred flame. Brigid was one of the most powerful and most loved goddesses in Ireland, and she is the goddess of healing, poetry, and smithcraft. She is associated with the hearth, fire, the home, and water. At Imbolc, as the Earth reawakens, Brigid is said to be in her maiden aspect. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing some ways to align yourself with the sacred energy of Imbolc. Keep scrolling to read them!
Imbolc is a sabbat on the Wheel of the Year that happens on February 1st.
At Imbolc, the Earth is beginning to wake up and we celebrate the approaching return of spring. We are through the hardest and darkest part of the winter, and we begin to prepare ourselves to direct our energy outwards again in the lighter part of the year to come.
The word Imbolc means “in the belly” - offering us the promise of hope, renewal, of the awakening of the Earth again.
Imbolc is also deeply associated with the Celtic triple goddess Brigid and her sacred flame. Brigid was one of the most powerful and most loved goddesses in Ireland, and she is the goddess of healing, poetry, and smithcraft. She is associated with the hearth, fire, the home, and water. At Imbolc, as the Earth reawakens, Brigid is said to be in her maiden aspect.
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing some ways to align yourself with the sacred energy of Imbolc. Keep scrolling to read them!Page featured from The Goddess Discovery Book V2.
Page featured from The Goddess Discovery Book V2.
1. SPRING CLEANING
Imbolc is a beautiful time to clear some space for the new beginnings to come - physically, emotionally, and energetically. This could mean literally cleaning your home and donating things you no longer use, or it could be about letting go of an unhealthy pattern, belief system, or even identity. Whatever it is for you, it’s time to clear space in order to plant seeds for spring.
2. HONOR BRIGHID
Honor the goddess Brigid in whatever ways feel good to you. Writing poetry, reading poetry, and making something with your hands are all beautiful, tangible ways to honor Brigid. You could also sit in meditation and ask Brigid to come to visit you and share messages with you.You can read more about Brigid in this blog post.
3. CONNECT WITH FIRE
As I mentioned above, this sabbat is deeply associated with fire, the sun, and the sacred flame that burns within. You might connect with fire by going outside during the day and sitting in the sun, lighting candles or burning a fire in your fireplace, meditating on the sacred flame within, or doing a fiery movement practice to open your solar plexus. Find a journey to fire here.
Card featured from The Ritual Deck.
4. CREATE AN ALTAR
Create a fresh altar with items and symbols that invoke new beginnings, hope, fire, and awakening. Some suggestions:
Seeds
A Brighid cross (click here to learn how to make one)
Fertility symbolism
Blackberry
Tiger’s eye, citrine, or carnelian crystals
An image of Brigid - print one out or use her card from a goddess oracle deck if you have one
White and red candles
Frankincense or dragon’s blood incense
A bowl of water
As always with building altars, get creative and use your intuition!
5. TAP INTO YOUR INNER MAIDEN
Brighid is said to be in her maiden aspect at Imbolc, so we’re all invited to tap into our inner maiden. Connect with the young part of you that is playful, that believes in magic, that has a vivid imagination. Let yourself embody creation, pleasure, and desire - whatever that means to you.
6. PREPARE FOR SPRING
If you haven’t been resting through winter and really sinking into the winter invitation of sacred solitude, this is your last opportunity to connect with this energy. If you have been resting and feel excited about spring, preparing for spring could mean starting to plan, organize, and align yourself to set some strong foundations for spring growth.
4 Ways to Honor the Winter Solstice
The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year, and so we traditionally associate it with darkness.But it’s also the beginning of the waxing phase of the year, as the days start to get longer and nights start to get shorter. We are reminded that light always follows dark. The balance begins to shift, the wheel of the year turns back again.
The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year, and so we traditionally associate it with darkness.
But it’s also the beginning of the waxing phase of the year, as the days start to get longer and nights start to get shorter. We are reminded that light always follows dark. The balance begins to shift, the wheel of the year turns back again.
This sabbat, also known as Yule, is a time for us to connect with our darkness and alchemize it into lessons, into medicine, for the year to come.
Below are some ways to honor this sacred holiday.
Journaling prompts
Create a quiet, safe space (candles are recommended!) and let yourself free write to the questions below with no editing. No one’s going to read your answers but you!
Write a love letter to your darkness.
What am I most ashamed of? How can I transmute this shame into a source of power and love?
What part of me do I want to feed and grow?
Tarot or oracle spread
Pull out your tarot or oracle deck and set the intention for your highest self tospeak to you through the cards. Give them a shuffle, and pull a card for each of the questions below. I recommend writing down the spread and the cards you pull, as well as your interpretations of them.
What shadow wants to work with me?
How does it want to be worked with?
Advice for moving through shadow
What wants to be born from my darkness?
Advice for birthing whatever needs to come through
Message from my inner child at this time
Lay out the cards in two rows of three like so. The deck featured here is The Ritual Deck.
Create an altar
Creating an altar is a beautiful way to honor any sabbat. Let this be an intuitive, creative process and place anything there that feels good to you! Some ideas to spark your creativity are:
Your Death and Temperance tarot cards
A Yule log or branch
Holly or mistletoe
An evergreen wreath to symbolize the wheel of the year
Any red, green, or white crystals that you’d like (I love carnelian for red, selenite for white, and moss agate or malachite for green)
Ash, frankincense, and any other sun herbs you like
Pine cones
White and silver candles
A representation of something in your shadow that you’d like to honor and alchemize this year
Painting
One of my favorite ways to work with my subconscious these days is intuitive painting. Get out your paints, paper, and allow whatever wants to come through you as you focus on the winter solstice and what it means to you. Try not to focus on how it looks— no one needs to see it but you!
After you finish, you could place it on your altar.
Below is an infographic with a visual representation of rituals for Yule
Want to learn more about the different sabbats on the wheel of the year? Click here to learn more about the wheel of the year and download your free wheel of the year printable.
5 Simple Summer Solstice Rituals
Litha, or the Summer Solstice, is one of the four solar festivals, celebrating the height of the season. Summer Solstice, of course, celebrates the height of summer: the longest day of the year.This solstice is about honoring the vibrant, healing energy of the sun. But it’s also about honoring the duality of light and dark as we start to shift into the days getting shorter.Honoring the sabbats with rituals is a beautiful way to tune into yourself, nature and connect with Mother Earth.
Litha, or the Summer Solstice, is one of the four solar festivals, celebrating the height of the season. Summer Solstice, of course, celebrates the height of summer: the longest day of the year.
This solstice is about honoring the vibrant, healing energy of the sun. But it’s also about honoring the duality of light and dark as we start to shift into the days getting shorter.
Honoring the sabbats with rituals is a beautiful way to tune into yourself, nature and connect with Mother Earth. You can learn more about honoring each sabbat by reading this past post. Scroll down for five summer solstice rituals to help you celebrate this day! And if you want more ritual ideas you can click here to check out a past post.
Burn Herbs on Your Altar
Fire, naturally, is heavily associated with the summer solstice. One beautiful way to honor this sabbat is to burn herbs on your altar. As you burn them, give thanks for the bounty of Mother Earth and for the healing, vibrant energy of the sun. Some herbs traditionally associated with Litha are:
Vervain
Mint
Basil
Fennel
Rosemary
St. John’s Wort
Mugwort
Iris
Honeysuckle
Mistletoe
Explore Your Relationship with the Sun Archetype
The sun represents the ego, the self, and the way you shine in the world. Try this five-card tarot spread (you can also use oracle cards if tarot isn’t your thing!) to explore your relationship with your ego and how you show up in the world.
How is my ego keeping me stuck?
What is my ego telling me that isn’t true?
How can I be more visible in the world?
What blocks me from sharing my gifts with the world?
My mantra and medicine for working with my ego
Charge Magical Tools in the Sun
At this solstice, the sun is said to be at its most healing and revitalizing. It can be powerful to charge any divination tools in the sun during the day, including (but not limited to!) crystals, tarot and oracle cards, and any talismans you have.
And on that note, don’t forget to get outside and soak up the sun’s powerful rays for yourself! Your magical tools aren’t the only things that can benefit from spending time outside. Lay on the grass and savor the feeling of the sun on your skin.
Meditate
Connect with your inner sun by meditating on your solar plexus chakra. Find a comfortable seat and breathe deeply into your belly. Visualize a golden sun growing brighter and stronger on your solar plexus chakra with each exhale.
You may like to incorporate the bija mantra for the solar plexus chakra, Ram (pronounced RUM), into your meditation by chanting it either mentally or out loud with each exhale.
Make an Altar
Making an altar is a beautiful way to honor Litha. Get creative and make it yours! Some ideas of things you might like to put on your altar are:
Elderflower
Any of the herbs from the list above
The sun tarot card
Tiger’s eye, goldstone, and/or citrine crystals.
Summer fruits and vegetables
Any summer flowers you’d like (try sunflowers if you have them)
Yellow, orange, and/or red candles
A mirror
Your altar is the perfect place to meditate, to give thanks to the sun, and to manifest what you want to create in the next 6 months.
To learn more about the different sabbats on the wheel of the year (plus, get a free printable), click here.
What is the Wheel of the Year?
Learning more about the Wheel of the year will not only help you feel more in-tune with nature, but it will give you rituals to use year-round to connect with yourself and Mother Earth. This topic can seem a little overwhelming when getting started, so I will provide you with a quick overview with this post. I'll cover what the Wheel of the Year is, who uses it, how to use it, and some resources, including a free printable of a wheel that I created.
Learning more about the Wheel of the year will not only help you feel more in-tune with nature, but it will give you rituals to use year-round to connect with yourself and Mother Earth. This topic can seem a little overwhelming when getting started, so I will provide you with a quick overview with this post. I'll cover what the Wheel of the Year is, who uses it, how to use it, and some resources, including a free printable of a wheel that I created. Keep scrolling to read more and find a link to your free copy.
What is the Wheel of the year?
The Wheel of the year is comprised of eight Sabbats or festivals that occur on or around the same day each year. The eight Sabbats include four solar events, i.e., the Summer Solstice, Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, and Fall Equinox. The remaining four festivals are based on seasonal changes and farming. Here's a rundown of the eight Sabbats, what they align with, and their dates:
Samhain: October 31st - November 1st // Samhain is considered the witch's New Year. It is the third and final harvest season and ends the seasonal Wheel.
The Winter Solstice & Yule: December 21st or 22nd // Winter Solstice
Imbolc: February 1st // Holiday is known as Candlemas, which signifies the first signs of Spring
The Spring Equinox & Ostara: March 20th // Spring Equinox (first day of Spring)
Beltane: April 30th - May 1st // A fire ceremony that signifies the midpoint between Spring and Summer
The Summer Solstice & Litha: June 21st or 22nd // Summer Solstice
Lughnasadh: July 31st - August 1st // Marks the first harvest of the year
The Autumn Equinox & Mabon: September 21st - September 23rd // Fall Equinox
© Cassie Uhl 2015-2025. Please properly credit when sharing.
Who Celebrates the Wheel of the Year?
You don't have to subscribe to a specific religion or label to use or observe the Wheel of the year. Most notably, Wiccans, Pagans, Neo-Pagans, and practicing witches reference the Wheel of the Year for festivals and rituals. If you don't identify with any of these labels, but like to dabble in ritual or spellwork, that's perfectly fine! You'll still be able to find many uses for this powerful tool.
Where did the Wheel originate?
The Wheel of the year is rooted in several cultures and combines festivals from Romans, ancient Greeks, Germanic cultures of northern Europe, and the Celts. It's for this reason that you'll see a variety of names for some of the festivals and differing dates. For example, Lughnasadh also goes by Lammas or Lughnasa, and Litha also goes by Midsummer.
The full Wheel of eight festivals is a relatively new creation that came about in the 1950s. The groups listed above each celebrated some of the eight Sabbats, but the evidence is lacking that any of them celebrated all eight. Combining all eight into a wheel was a way to honor and streamline all of the celebrations that many Pagans and Wiccans hold dear.
How to Celebrate The Wheel of The Year
Learning to implement the Wheel of the Year can feel overwhelming, but the way that you work with it can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. There are countless ways to celebrate each celebration on the Wheel of the Year. Check out the list below for a general list of ways you can enjoy the Wheel of the Year. For specific rituals and celebration suggestions, check out The Goddess Discovery Book V2 or search our blog for the Sabbat you'd like to learn more about.
Spend time outside in nature.
Attend a local celebration or create your own for some or all festivals.
Conduct a ritual for each Sabbat. You can find several ritual examples for each Sabbat by searching the Sabbat on our blog.
Add decor and scents to your house based on the Wheel of the Year.
Cleanse and update your altar or sacred space for each Sabbat.
Cook specific foods for each of the Sabbats.
Enjoy crafts with your Goddess circle or kiddos based around the Sabbats.
Go within and try journaling for each Sabbat.
Perform a unique tarot or oracle card spread.
Here's an example of how I often perform my altar update for a new Sabbat.
Additional Resources
Want to dig deeper into using the Wheel of the Year in your practice? Here are three ways to learn more:
1. Click here for my wheel of the year graphic in my magical printables bundle.
2. Click here to purchase Understanding The Wheel of The Year, which goes into detail about the Wheel of the Year and contains wheel images for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, rituals, card spreads and journal prompts for each Sabbat.
3. Find links to blog posts specifically for each Sabbat below.
Here are other books that I love about the Wheel of the Year: The Magical Year by Danu Forest, The Great Work by Tiffany Lizac, and The Modern Witchcraft Guide to the Wheel of the Year by Judy Ann Nock.
I hope you find the Wheel of the year as special and magical as I do! It has so many positive and powerful applications to bring life to your sacred practices.
Tap Into the Wisdom of Your Ancestors with Meditation and Breathwork
Samhain, the sacred festival of the dead, occurs on October 31st and the 1st of November. It marks the beginning of winter and the season of the crone. This holiday reconnects us to the cycle of death and rebirth.It is believed that the veil between the spirit world and our world is thin during Samhain, making it easier to communicate with spirits. That’s why it is the best time to honor the wisdom of your ancestors during this time.This meditation and breathwork will take you within, to honor the wisdom you possess inside and the wisdom from those whom you come from.
Samhain, the sacred festival of the dead, occurs on October 31st and the 1st of November. It marks the beginning of winter and the season of the crone. This holiday reconnects us to the cycle of death and rebirth.
It is believed that the veil between the spirit world and our world is thin during Samhain, making it easier to communicate with spirits. That’s why it is the best time to honor the wisdom of your ancestors during this time.
This meditation and breathwork will take you within, to honor the wisdom you possess inside and the wisdom from those whom you come from.
1. Set the stage for your meditation with crystals and EO’s (optional)
There are many different crystals you can use to help you connect with your ancestors. Your energy is unique, so choose the crystals that have worked for you in the past or that you feel drawn to.
Here are 8 crystals that can help you connect to your inner wisdom and wisdom from your ancestors. Choose one or several of these stones to wear or place next to you for your meditation.
Lepidolite will help you get into a calm state and connect you to your third eye chakra, the center of intuition.
Celestite opens your energy to connect with the spiritual realm by helping you relax and transition into a dream state. Rose quartz a crystal of love, creates a safe and welcoming space for both you and the spirits. Amethyst helps to open your third eye chakra and can help you connect to your intuition.
Charoite will help you connect with your ancestors. It is another powerful stone for communicating with and channeling spirits. It helps you receive information from them using your intuition.
Blue Lace Agate raises your vibration to make a connection with the spirit world easier. It helps you connect with the spirits as it keeps you balanced, allowing you to receive messages without getting overwhelmed.
Selenite increases telepathy and opens the crown chakra, making it a great stone for spirit communication.
When using any of these crystals, make sure you also have obsidian, hematite, black kyanite, or black tourmaline for grounding and protection. These crystals will keep you safe and rooted to the Earth, leaving your mind and spirit free to wander.
You can also use essential oils in your meditation. Mix them with water for a mist to spritz around the area, dilute with a carrier oil such as coconut or olive oil, and massage into the skin, or even burn these scents as candles.
Here are a few essential oils to recruit for this meditation. Use one or all of them during your meditation.
Clary Sage for connection to the divine.
Rosemary for remembrance and love.
Cedarwood for purifying, grounding, and calming.
2. Start with the breath
Start with Nadi Sodhana, also called alternate nostril breathing, to balance the nadis, or energy channels, in the body. This breath brings you into the present moment, calms and centers the mind, and helps you release fear.
Sit in a comfortable seated position and place the left hand on the knee with the palm facing upward. This hand position creates an energy of receptivity. Place the index finger and middle finger of the right hand on the third eye center between the eyebrows, with the ring finger and pinky finger on the left nostril and thumb on the right nostril.
Throughout this breath, use the thumb to open and close the right nostril, and the ring finger and pinky finger for the left nostril. As you exhale, close the right nostril and breathe out of the left nostril. Inhale through the left nostril, and then close the left nostril to exhale through the right. Alternate breathing in this way for ten cycles of breath, holding your inhales and exhales steady and even.
3. Sink into Meditation.
Once you’re centered in a place of presence and balance, begin the meditation by taking a few deep, cleansing breaths. Follow these steps to tap into the wisdom of your ancestors for this meditation.
1. Visualize the support of the Earth underneath you, connecting you to the vast wisdom of Mother Nature. Feel her energy enter your body as you inhale, and run down the spine as you exhale.
2. Think about who you are and where you are in this moment. Remember that every part of you has been woven together by the fabric of your ancestors, the good and the bad. Their blood, their experiences, their pains, their joys all run through you and shape you.
3. Begin to visualize your family line, starting with a parent. Traditionally this is the father, but allow either parent to come to mind. Visualize them in front of you. As you inhale, they breathe the white-hot light of their wisdom within you. As you exhale, you breathe the white-hot light of your gratitude into them.
4. Ask if this spirit has anything they need to share with you.
5. Continue moving up your family line with this conversation, receiving knowledge, and offering gratitude by exchanging breath, taking as many breaths as you need with each spirit.
6. When you reach the end of your family line as you know it, sit in silence as long as you like and allow the messages to come to you. These can come in the form of images or sounds in your head, a feeling, or even a smell.
7. End with this simple phrase: “I thank all those who have helped shape and create me. I honor your divine wisdom.” Take a few moments after your meditation to let out your thoughts and emotions in a journal. Release anything that came up for you onto the page, and continue to sit with your crystals for as long as you need.
You can find meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.
