Blessed Ostara

Ever since my good friend passed last year, I have been really called back to Spirit. She was a Shamanic practitioner and mentor to me. I studied under her for many years and then moved away to look into other things. I studied, Chakras, Energy movement in the body, Reiki, and more. And then I moved completely away from Spirit and was really living in the uncomfortable material/heavily burdened world of the exterior. And, through that time away from Spirit, I suffered a near-fatal bought of depression that brought me back to my healing work and my creativity. But, still kept Spirit at a bit of a distance.

Even knowing that Spirit is an integral part of who we are and how we move in the world. I am not sure why I did it. Maybe it was a way to sabotage myself yet again. Since Kriket passed last year I have started my quest and return again. A quest to know more about me, about how things work in the world, about energies, and how I play a part in all of it. It is really an internal journey.

I don’t know if it was that she was gone and we could no longer have those deep conversations that seemed enough of a foot in the Spirit world, or it was her constant nudging from the other side. Either way, I am feeling called back to Spirit. Back to the Internal quest.

You will see more of that in the offerings I provide, in the work that I do, and how I move in the world. Internal work always does that, it changes us. I even signed up for this year’s Pull Pen Paint with Kiala Goodhand as a way to connect with something and explore deeper. Their focus is Tarot, which I have never been really drawn to until recently. I use a lot of Oracle cards but the Tarot seemed a bit heavy to me. Which is funny considering all the things I have studied.

I am excited about what this year brings. I will share some of my journeys, and some I will keep to myself. Hopefully, you will learn, explore, or be curious about your own internal work. Even if looks completely different than mine does.

We are at a time of a shift in energy, we need a balance to come. The masculine energy has gone to the extreme in the last 100 years+ and we are now seeing the feminine energy return. This causes chaos, and we are seeing that throughout the world. We need the masculine, just like we need the feminine, however, we need more of a balance.

So, with all that being said, today is Ostara, the start of Spring (here in the Northern Hemisphere). It is a time of rebirth, fertility, and the potential for abundance. Many cultures celebrate a form of Ostara, Easter came from this tradition. the Hindu holiday is ‘Holi’, the arrival of spring, in Japanese culture they have a week-long celebration honoring the lives of their ancestors. In Mexico, shrines and temples are visited both to pay homage to their ancestors and experience the sun connection with the temples. The Cherokee honor this time with a first new moon of spring ceremony. It doesn't matter what it is called, or even how it is done, it is about the energy of this new season and how we honor the life cycle.

Buy yourself some flowers. Make a cozy and bright space for yourself. Create something that evokes the Spring energy for you. Paint, draw, play an instrument, bake, plant, do what speaks to you, to honor this time for yourself.

If you use crystals, some great ones for this time of year are Aquamarine, this stone can help you manifest your dreams. Amethyst which can help you merge your spiritual understanding with everyday practicality. And, Rose Quartz which creates a closer bond with those you love.

For personal reflection, here are some journaling prompts for you.

• What is waiting to be birthed? What idea has been waiting on the backburner for you to pay attention to it?
• What old patterns or limiting beliefs are you ready to let go of?
• How can you open yourself up at this time to new ideas, or exploring of old ones?
• What excites you or what do you want to be excited about?

I’ve added a Fun and Yummy Ostara Recipe for you. I was going to add something with eggs, but really you will find a thousand recipes with eggs at this time of year. So, here is something a little different and super yummy.

Lemon Cookies for Sharing (or hiding for yourself)

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites
• 200 gr / 1 ¾ cups ground almonds/almond flour (all-purpose flour can be substituted, but it will lose that slight almond flavor)
• 150 gr / 3/4 cup caster sugar (or any fine sugar)
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 15 ml / 1 tbsp limoncello liqueur or lemon juice
• 45 ml / 3 tbsp icing sugar - for rolling the biscuits in prior to baking
• 45 ml / 3 tbsp caster sugar - for rolling the biscuits in prior to baking

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF
2. Line your baking sheet with baking parchment or a reusable non-stick baking liner.
3. Finely grate the zest of two lemons. Put the lemon zest, ground almonds, caster sugar into a large bowl.
4. In a different bowl, beat your eggs whites on a medium speed until they form a firm peak. Once firm, add the egg whites to the flour/almond mixture and fold in the egg whites. Once combined add the limoncello/lemon juice and stir until you have a smooth paste.
5. Put the icing sugar,  and caster sugar onto separate plates. Split the mixture into 16 balls (about 2-3cm in diameter). Roll each ball in the caster sugar and then the icing sugar and place onto the baking sheet. Allow about an inch/3cm between each ball as they will spread a little in the oven.
6. Cook for 15-17 minutes until you can see they're just starting to brown underneath the icing sugar.
7. Take them out of the oven, leave them to cool for a couple of minutes on the tray and then place them onto a cooling rack.

Enjoy, and please share if you make them. Well, let us know. 

I wish for you a Blessed Ostara, a chance at rebirth in whatever form that takes for you.

Have an Amazingly Creative Day,

Larissa