Goddesses of Ostara - Goddess Eostre, Germanic Goddess of the Spring & the Dawn
Eostre/ Eostara/ Oestre is the Germanic goddess associated with Dawn, Renewal, Fertility, Creativity and Spring – a time of new beginnings.
She is the personification of ‘Ostara’ - the festival marking the Spring Equinox after which she is named. She was so closely associated with fertility that the word 'oestrogen' is also derived from her name, as is the word ‘east’ (which makes sense as the Goddess of the Dawn - the sun rises in the east and sets in the west).
As you may remember from my Ostara post a few weeks back, as the Sun enters Aries, the new astrological year kicks off and Ostara celebrates the return of the sun and the “light half” of the year. Ostara (and, to an extent, Easter, also named after Eostre) is a celebration of rebirth and renewal and was symbolised by seeds (representing potential and growth), butterflies (symbol of rebirth), eggs (also a symbol of fertility, rebirth and potential) and… bunnies.
Turns out, hares were the sacred symbol of Eostre (and they are of course a common symbol of fertility) and brightly coloured eggs, chicks, and bunnies were all used at festival time to honour this goddess of fertility - likely the forerunner for many Easter traditions we still have in the West today.
In fact, myths and legends about her centre strongly around her association with the hare…
Her Myth
Goddess Eostre would return to the land every Springtime to blow the warm winds over the lands, replenishing the land after the icy grip of winter. Fields and trees would become green again and flowers would blossom.
However, one year, Ostara came a bit too late.
Already feeling guilty for arriving late, Eostre was saddened to discover a little bird whose wings had frozen him to the forest floor.
Moved by his plight and feeling responsible, Eostre took him as a pet (or as some versions of the tale have it, her lover). She felt so bad that her little friend could no longer take flight she turned him into a snow hare and gave him the ability to run at lightning speed and in a clever zig zag pattern thereby being able to evade all hunters. Honouring his earlier life as a bird, she also gave him the ability to lay eggs in all the colours of the rainbow.
In some versions of the story the hare returns every year to lay coloured eggs in honour of Goddess Eostre who gave him renewed life (likely where the tradition of the Easter Bunny originated from).
In other versions, Eostre eventually became fed up with his numerous affairs and throws him into the skies, where he lands under the feet of the constellation Orion (the Hunter) and is now known to us as the constellation Lepus (The Hare).
In other versions still, Ostara is capable of turning herself into a hare. Hares are nocturnal, are connected to the lunar cycles, spring and fertility and in some cultures are associated with femininity (across different cultures Goddesses sometimes shapeshift into hares) or they are the companion or messenger to the Goddess (Goddess Chang’O in Chinese culture has a rabbit companion, as does the Greek Goddess, Artemis).
How to Work with Her
New Beginnings
If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere and reading this at the time of publication, we’re very much in the energy of new beginnings in the year currently as I mentioned in my Ostara post: it’s Aries season which is a cardinal sign (the sign that initiates each season), it’s the beginning of the astrological year and it’s the beginning of the ‘light half’ of the year or the period where solar or yang energy gradually increases.
This gives us a lot of lovely initiatory energy to play with. We can call on Goddess Eostre to begin any new ideas, intentions or projects we may wish to start. It’s a time when, just as new buds start to bloom out in nature, so too can the seeds of our intentions and ideas (that we may have sown at Imbolc) start to bloom and blossom.
Goddess Eostre brings the warm winds in (though I’m beginning to wonder if she’s forgotten to bring them in here in the UK given the rather soggy weather lately! 🤔) and ushers in winter’s final retreat. Likewise, we can call on her in our own lives if we’ve been going through any cycles of closure, ending, completion, withdrawal, retreat, reflection, grief or loss (whether we’ve just gone through an actual seasonal winter, or just a personal winter) to help us shift into a cycle of renewal, to open to new opportunities and fresh, new energy coming in -the Spring in our own lives, if you will.
Creative Fertility
As a Goddess of fertility she can also support us with creative fertility. If you are in need of either fertilising a creative idea, project, hobby, practice, business - she can help us tap into the fertile potency of our creative ideas and birth them into being.
If you have been feeling a bit lacklustre since the introspective energy of winter, she can help us find creative inspiration and the energy to actually follow through. Call on her and she might send you signs to try something new - a new creative hobby, class or practice. Maybe there was something you loved to do as a child you haven’t done in a long time? Or something you’ve always wanted to try but never given yourself permission for?
As Albert Einstein said - “creativity is intelligence having fun” - so let your intelligence have some fun and see what you come up with.
Goddess of Happiness & Joy
Speaking of fun, Goddess Eostre can help us all slough off the somewhat heavy and dense energies of winter, to lighten up and have a little more fun.
The ‘Happiness: Joy of Life’ card from the Goddess Dream Oracle, depicting Goddess Eostre, encapsulates this aspect of Goddess Eostre perfectly:
“The enigmatic hare comes dancing into your life, calling you to remember your true wild happy nature. The Goddess Eostre skips into your life with Her totem hare. She is the Goddess of fertility and possibility. Hare embodies the female spirit of the land, intuitive, wild and free. She is urging you to remember your inner wild spirit. Remember the joy of life you had as a child, when each new day bubbled over with excitement and new discoveries.
Eostre calls you to reconnect with the land, to resonate with the changing of the seasons.
If you can, get out into nature. Listen to the birds singing. Hug a tree and feel its life force. Marvel at the beauty of it all and let a sense of wonder grow inside you. Breathe deeply, filling your body with joy and happiness. It is time to brush away the dust that has been fogging your senses and come alive to the joy of life. It is a precious gift to be treasured, loved and experienced to the full.
Eostre speaks to you of fitness, vitality and creativity. Now is the time for new creative ways of thinking. Let go of old, tired constraints and embrace new ways of being. Start a new exercise regime. Dance. Try taking cold showers to stimulate and refresh your system. Make time for journaling. Begin a craft or art project. Try something new.
Just as the hare darts this way and that, so too can you change direction and do things differently. Experience life in a new way; feel the wildness in our soul respond to Eostre’s call. Be playful and creative in your dealing with life’s challenges and happiness will be your reward.
Affirmation: I embrace the joy of life. I make time for activities that will enrich my life and bring me happiness.” - Goddess Dream Oracle, Wendy Andrew
Rituals to Connect with Her
Get out into nature - as the Goddess Dream Oracle card mentioned - connecting with nature is the best way to refresh your energy, feel the renewal occurring in nature and connect in with your own wild nature.
Try something new - either a new type of exercise/ physical activity, a new class, take up a new hobby or commit to learning about something new or doing something just for fun.
Journal or do some intention-setting and ask yourself seriously if now is the time to change direction? Just as her sacred animal the hare can suddenly change direction, there’s nothing wrong with changing directions yourself and undergoing a life refresh every now and again - particularly in Spring! Perhaps it’s time to change up your routine? Or maybe there’s a more significant change of location or direction calling you? Commit to exploring the possibility of changing something in your life. For example, instead of commuting all the way to work you start walking part of the way, getting in your exercise, possibly a bit of nature and maybe saving on your travel fare arriving at work feeling endorphin-filled and ready for the day. Or commit to taking your full allocated lunch break every day instead of eating al-desko and get away from your desk - go for a walk or even go to a neighbourhood cafe and do some writing. You never know how changing or refreshing even small habits could lead to knock-on changes in your life or at least a change of perspective.
REFERENCES
Goddess Dream Oracle - Wendy Andrew