The word March comes from the Roman word Martius, which was named after Mars, the God of War.
During March, we celebrate the Sabbat by the name of Ostara.
We have reached spring on the wheel of the year. Since Imbolc, we have set our eyes on the horizon, where the sun returns to its full power, and we slowly unfold from our cocoons.
Ostara is the celebration of the Spring Equinox and is usually celebrated between March 19th and the 23rd. This is a day of fertility, balance, and new life. This time is also known as the Vernal Equinox, and vernare (from Latin) means to bloom.
During this time, the trees are about to burst, the last frost will pass, and the earth will begin to soften again in its own magic, prepared for spring rains. We can tap into language and symbols of possibility, of horizons, of what can be sown, planted, and cyclically honored.
You may want to plant seeds or perform rituals with the seeds themselves. This is an especially potent time to craft intentions. During the Spring Equinox, we begin the astrological New Year with Aries. One of the traditional symbols of Ostara is the hare. The hare symbolizes the moon and is closely related to the goddess. The hare is also symbolic of fertility, much like the goddess for whom the festival Ostara is named.
The egg is also linked with the festival of Ostara. The egg is a symbol of the whole universe in many traditions. The egg is in perfect balance, much like Ostara. The Maiden is also a symbol of the Spring Equinox. Connect with your inner maiden archetype during this festival to imagine yourself on the precipice of something at the beginning of an adventure or an initiation, and prepare to meet transformation with arms fully open.
Celebrate Ostara through feasting, colored eggs, rabbits, chicks, and flowers. Honor rebirth and renewal. Try baking bread, working with eggs in ritual (try placing one by your door for good luck), working with feathers, green, yellow, purple, or seeds, kneeling in your garden and looking for new growth, considering cycles, reinvigorating relationships, and plant seeds.
Other than Sabbats…
March 1st is the anniversary of the beginning of The Salem Witch Trials. On March 1st1692 in Salem, MA, authorities interrogated Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and an enslaved woman named Tituba to determine if they practiced witchcraft. And so began the infamous Salem Witch Trials.
On this day, we can honor the memory of those before us who have been persecuted for their beliefs, practices, and power. We can also investigate and challenge oppressive systems that keep us away from our magick.
Monthly Associations
The celebrated stone for the month is the Tiger’s Eye.
Work with Tiger’s Eye during Ostara to create balance and to protect. Like Artemis, the Maiden Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, Tiger’s Eye is a fierce protector. It can help you in reaching your goals, much like the bow and arrow that Artemis carries.
On the Celtic Tree Calendar, February to March aligns with the Alder Moon.
The Alder is the tree of Ostara and the Spring Equinox. The Alder grows between the earth and the river with its roots in the cascading water. The Alder symbolically bridges Heaven and Earth, the magical and liminal space. Alder is known for its intuitive and divinatory properties. Legend has it that whistles were made of Alder to call to spirits. Work with Alder to connect with your own intuition during divination rituals.
March is ruled by the sign of Pisces and Aries.
We leave behind the dreamy and reflective waters of Pisces and connect with the fiery ram, Aries. The first sign of the zodiac, Aries, reminds us to charge forward, fearless, and loyal, with our eyes focused straight ahead.
Two Goddesses to Work With are Ostara and Artemis
The goddess of Ostara is Eostre, mother of the dawn, the Germanic spring and fertility goddess. During this time, according to the myths surrounding Ostara, Eostre emerges from the depths of the earth, where she has been quietly resting.
Another Goddess to honor during this time is Artemis, the Greek Goddess of Hunting and the Waxing Moon. She was called a Virgin Goddess, which wasn’t related to her sexuality but instead to her independence. Artemis was beholden to no one. Ancient Greece called the months of March to April the month of Artemision.
Monthly Intentions
To celebrate March, craft an altar to celebrate that everything changes, plant new seeds of growth, pull back your own bow and arrow, and imagine yourself a goddess of the hunt, decisive, brave, connected to the moon and her phases. During this time, watch the melting snow and imagine yourself softening like the earth does in vulnerability. Celebrate by sharing food, lighting candles, and honoring those who didn’t make it to spring. Look to your ancestors, guides, and ascended masters for guidance, following the river that rushes past no longer frozen; acknowledge that the wheel of the year continually spinning brings budding leaves back to the trees again.
We celebrate March. Blessed be.
