A Brief Hiatus

I've been post-less for almost two weeks now due to a family crisis and most likely won't be back for some time to come (hopefully not too long though). There is just no way, given the circumstances I am dealing with, that I can focus enough to actually write something worth reading. I hope you'll bear with me during this difficult time and will still be here waiting for me when I return. Take care, much peace to you all, and a blessed Ostara as well!

Vernal Equinox Weekend

To ring in the spring equinox and Ostara yesterday, I went for a long walk with David and our two dogs on a lovely trail that runs close by. The weather was simply gorgeous, perfect for a leisurely walk under a late afternoon sun that was just warm enough to leave the coats and sweaters at home. We observed the blossoms and buds on the foliage, all about to pop at any moment, the sound of the birds busily making nests for the babies soon to come, the squirrels playing tag with one another around tree trunks, the crocuses peeking out from under the bushes in our front yard, and as evening set the sound of peepers calling to potential mates in the wetland behind our house.

I gave myself the weekend off from the seemingly endless spring cleaning I've been doing every weekend for the last month or so (in my usual desperate bid to finish it all before Beltane) and instead, and with only a small amount of guilt for shirking off, did little more than enjoy the beauty of the new season. I did, however, make a multi-layered yellow cake, with buttercream icing and filled with a lovely lemon egg custard and since I normally eat very little sugar, managed to get quite hyper after eating a really large slice.

The only sad note to the weekend was when a sweet little brown marmorated stink bug that had been living in my kitchen for quite some time accidentally toppled off the ivy on my windowsill and into the sink while I was working on my lemon cake and became a very interesting bit of boiled sugar decoration (that, trust me, never made it onto the cake).

I hope everyone had an equally (or even more) lovely weekend and I wish a very happy Ostara to one and all. Blessed be.

Photo courtesy of TT_MAC on flickr.

Ostara Orange Custard

This is a very simple little custard that not only uses the traditional Ostara ingredient of eggs, but also is the color of the still-cool spring sunshine. Garnish them with fresh cut (non-toxic) flower blossoms or the candied violets seen here recently (Candied Violets, March 3, 2010).

Ostara Orange Custard serves 4 to 6

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup organic orange juice

1/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind

pinch of salt

fresh whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 325f degrees. Combine all the ingredients and blend well. Pour mixture into individual custard ramekins and place the ramekins in a pan with an inch of hot water in it. Bake on the center rack for 40-50 minutes or until a silver knife gently inserted into the center of the custards comes out clean. Cool thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to eat. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with colorful flowers. Serve.

Photo courtesy of Delicious Desserts on flickr.

Eostre and the Hare

Once upon a time long, long ago, there wandered through the forest a little hare who was uncertain what gift to bestow upon his beloved goddess with which to honor her on her spring festival day. While wandering and pondering, he came upon a fresh egg laying on the woodland floor. The hare was absolutely delighted as eggs were a rare thing indeed and finding one was quite exciting. As much as the little hare wanted to eat the egg himself, he decided instead to gift it to Eostre. The little hare was very pleased with himself until it occurred to him that as Eostre was a powerful goddess, perhaps his plain little egg wouldn't be such a wonderful gift to someone such as her. After all, she could have as many eggs as she desired and as often as she liked. So the little hare decided to make the egg something truly special, and by making it as colorful as he could and as lovely as the beautiful goddess herself, he would show her how much she meant to him.

He took the egg to a secluded spot and began to color the egg with all the hues of springtime: the bright, vibrant colors of the trees, the grasses, the water and sky and all the flowers that were blooming. He drew many of the symbols associated with Eostre: hares and other animals, birds, all the lovely things that depicted life in all her abundance. The little hare poured all his love for his goddess into this tiny egg.

When he had finished, he presented his offering to Eostre and she was so pleased with the little hare's humble yet beautiful gift, that she asked him to go out and share this special little egg with all the world, especially the children who embody all that springtime stands for. And to this day, all the descendants of that first little hare honor Eostre's original request by bringing to all the children of the world decorated eggs to celebrate the arrival of spring and the equinox.

Photo of painted eggs courtesy of kellybielec on flickr.

Roots of Ostara

The sabbat name Ostara comes from the Germanic goddess Eostre, a goddess of prosperity and growth. Long forgotten for centuries and no longer celebrated nor honored with her earlier joyous feast days even as far back as the eighth century, she is, however, the namesake for the Christian festival of Easter which was named for the Anglo-Saxon month which had itself been named in honor of Eostre. This was Eostur-Monath, which is roughly our present-day April. And the name Ostara itself comes from the old High German adverb "ostar" which means "expresses movement towards the rising sun."

In early pagan worship of Eostre, hare was the typical dish served, especially in Saxon and British worship of her, as well as in Northern Europe. While little is known about Eostre, it is believed that her golden lights, as goddess of the dawn and the coming of the sun, were carried by hares. She represented sexuality and fecundity, which is not only what spring itself represents, but also what we also think of when we think of hares. And in ancient times, the sabbat of Ostara was a holy day, a day of light, a day that brought joy, blessings and new life to the world. Bonfires were lit and the fresh water drawn on Ostara morning was considered holy and healing. This day, as well as the majority of its meanings and beliefs were adopted by the Christian church as the festival celebrating the resurrection of Christ.

Whether or not you choose to specifically honor the goddess Eostre, Ostara is the sabbat that heralds that wonderful time of year when we all feel new and reborn, when life is fresh and the coming season of abundance offers so much hope and promise. How can that not feel fantastic?

"Ostara" by Johannes Gehrts, 1884, published 1901.

Candied Violets

Candied violets are one of the prettiest and most delicate garnishes for all your Ostara celebration custards and cakes. Very feminine, infinitely spring-like and impossibly sweet, they'll make even more beautiful all those inevitable egg dishes this sabbat calls for.

Violets offer protection, luck, promote love (and lust!), heal, and make wishes come true. Wear a chaplet of violets and you'll cure your headache, wear them in a sachet and you'll not only heal wounds but prevent evil spirits from making them worse. Mix them with lavender and violets become a powerful love stimulant. Pick the first violet that has bloomed in the spring and all your wishes will be sure to come true. Then pick some more and you'll have enough for some lovely edible Ostara decorations.

For this recipe you will need:

20 violet flowers (at least), in excellent condition with stems intact, not treated with chemicals

1/2 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

caster or fine sugar for sprinkling

Wash the flowers carefully by using a gentle spray of cool water. It's helpful to have them in a sieve while doing this, and having the stems will make handling them much easier. Lay them out on paper towels on a cooling rack. Dry completely.

Heat the sugar and water until sugar is completely dissolved. Add extract and mix well. Dip each flower in the sugar syrup with a pair of tweezers. Dust each blossom with the fine sugar (be sure each flower is fully coated) and remove the stems with a pair of fine scissors. Set the violets on the cooling rack once again, only this time use wax paper to prevent sticking, and be sure they are laying flat.

Move the flowers to a cool, dry place to set completely. This will take at least 24 hours, possibly more. Do not dry them in the sunlight to speed up the process as you will only end up with a batch of soggy, wilted violets. Store in an airtight glass container. If you need to layer your flowers, use a piece of baking parchment between each layer to prevent sticking. Keep out of direct sunlight and use within one month of creating.

Photo courtesy of wendy flanigan on flickr.

Ostara Incenses

This is a sweet little incense you can burn for an Ostara ritual or anytime during the coming weeks to welcome Spring and honor all the life that is now being reborn.

2 parts Frankincense (Rosemary can be substituted)

1 part Benzoin

1 part Dragon's Blood

1/2 part Nutmeg

1/2 part Violet Petals (or a few drops essential Violet Oil)

1/2 part Rose Petals

1/2 part Orange Peel

1/4 part Cinnamon

Grind all ingredients fairly fine and burn on a charcoal in a censer.

To honor Mother Earth at this time, especially in any Earth-reverencing rituals, burn this simple incense:

1 part Pine Needles

1 part Thyme

a few drops of Patchouli Oil

Earth incense recipe courtesy of Scott Cunningham.

Oil pastel drawing, "Mother Earth, Father Sky" courtesy of plasticpumpkin on flickr. Lovely!