Boudicca Andarta March, 2010
Eostre’s Eggs of Ostara
Eostre’s Day: Ostara
Ostara is the pregnant phase of the fertile season. This is due to the fact that animals are either giving birth or are going through their sexually receptive or estrus period (named after the goddess Eostre). Because of this, the egg is a prevalent symbol of the Spring Equinox and the theme of birth, life, death and life renewed.
Eggs and those that lay them are harbingers of Spring and the fertile season to come. For instance, schoolchildren are taught that the sight of a Robin is a sure sign that Spring has actually sprung. The turquoise-shelled eggs of the Robin have since become such a symbol; the Earth Goddess and the Sun God are back from such a long winter.
The Eostre/Astarte Connection
Eostre is the German goddess of the Spring and dawn and eggs are a predominant symbol for the Rites of Spring. They are decorated, exchanged, buried or ritually eaten to symbolize the rebirth of Springtime as well as the union with the gods of Spring. The egg has been a symbol of renewal around the world.
The egg was so special to the Celts that the Druids adopted it as the sacred emblem of the order. The Hindus have a tale of golden world-egg. The sacred egg of Japan is of a brazen color. The Chinese paint eggs for their sacred festivals. The Greeks consecrated an egg in a nocturnal ceremony during the Dionysiaca (the mysteries of Bacchus).
To the peoples of Egypt and Syria a great goddess was born form an egg on wondrous size: Astarte. This egg fell from the heaven and landed in the Euphrates River. Fish gathered together to push the egg to the riverbank so doves could sit on it and hatch it. Venus, who later came to be called Astarte by the Syrians was born form this egg. Astarte, who also lent her name to Easter, took the egg as one of her symbols. This Mystic Egg had two meanings; one was the “mundane egg”, meaning the egg of the world or the world’s inhabitants. The other meaning was used by the Church in reference to the ark of the great flood. In this egg, or ark, the earth’s inhabitants were like a chick enclosed within the shell waiting to be safely hatched. In the Hebrew language, the egg is called Baitz (masculine) or Baitza (feminine). In the languages of the Chaldean and the Phoenicians, the word is Baith or Baitha, also meaning “house”. The Church adopted this mystic egg and the doves of the goddess Astarte along with her name for the purposes of Christ’s resurrection. They even created a prayer to be used: “Bless, O Lord, we beseech thee, this thy creature of eggs, that is may become a wholesome sustenance unto thy servants, eating it in remembrance of our lord Jesus Christ”.
The Easter/Ostara Connection
Like other Pagan festivals from around the globe, the Spring Equinox celebration was also Christianized. Yule was used to commemorate Christ’s’ birth and the Vernal Equinox, or Ostara as we now call it, or Easter as the Christians call it, was used to celebrate his resurrection. At the end of the Middle Ages the day was named Easter after the goddesses Astarte and Eostre. The day was also given a formula so that it would coincide but not directly fall upon the Vernal Equinox. Easter Sunday is chosen by an ancient Moon calendar; the fist Sunday after the first Full Moon either on or immediately following the Vernal Equinox.
Why All the Fuss About Eggs Anyway?
The Vernal Equinox is a balance of light and dark because the sun crosses the celestial equator on this day. Because of the time of the year that they are available and the yolk inside, eggs are symbolic of the Sun and also sacred to such deities as Vulcan and Helios. Today we can buy eggs at any grocery store any time of the year, but this was not the case for our Pagan ancestors. Foods were seasonal and eggs were no exception. The retina of a hen’s eyes need more than twelve hours of light stimulation for the hen to lay eggs. The retina is the part of the eye that captures both light an images and when the retina ceases to get enough light stimulation, she stops laying eggs for that year. Fire was not a strong enough light source to fool the hen’s eye so humans only had eggs for one half of the year; starting to lay eggs at the Vernal Equinox and ceasing Autumnal Equinox. The Vernal Equinox is a celebration of life renewed while the Autumnal Equinox is associated with such themes as death and dying. Therefore, as the world bloomed and greened, the egg became a natural symbol for renewed life.
The Origin of the Easter Bunny
It is so common these days, you find it everywhere; pastel colored baskets, fake grass and plastic eggs or dye kits. But where do Easter Baskets and the Easter Bunny come from anyway? What do they have to do with Christ dying and rising form the dead?
The answer is really nothing; it is yet another Pagan practice that has been adopted by and added to the new religion. The root of the Easter Bunny and the Easter Basket is actually in Eostre, the Pagan goddess for which the holiday Ostara is named.
The basket that the Easter Bunny uses to deliver the eggs and treats to children is steeped in Pagan symbolism as well. The very first baskets that mankind used may have been inspired by nature; watching birds weaving their nests. The basket is also symbol of life renewed at Spring. It is a form of the chalice or cauldron; the fertile womb of the Mother Earth Goddess where male and female meets and unites to create new life. The Hare or Easter Bunny is also a symbol of rebirth (resurrection) and was the sacred totem of many Moon goddesses including Eostre.
As the story goes, the Easter Bunny came to be from one hare in particular. He wanted to give a gift to the Goddess, but what could a hare give to a Goddess? After all, she can have anything that she could ever want, right? But, one day while foraging around for something to eat other than dried grasses; the hare came across a fresh egg. Hungry, the hare wanted to eat it, but thought better of it so he could give it to the Goddess instead. The hare decided to make this egg extra special so it would be fit for a Goddess and began to decorate it in symbols and colors of the woods and fields that Eostre’s animals lived in. Once he felt is was a fit offering, he gave it to Eostre and she was so pleased with this offering that she wanted all of her human children to enjoy it as well. Since then, that hare’s descendants, Eostre’s Bunnies, or rather Easter Bunnies, have been given the task of delivering treats and decorated eggs to children at springtime.
Egg Decorating: Pysanky
The art of Pysanky is Ukrainian egg decorating that is both beautiful and magickal at the same time. During the Vernal Equinox, also called Ostara, these naturally dyed eggs are placed in either baskets or bowls after being magickally inscribed so they can be used within the home or to be given away. Depending upon the designs the Pysanky are powerful amulets for prosperity, fertility or protection. Their creation is ancient tradition that once was practice solely by women.
The Pysanky also protected the Ukrainian people from a monster that if not kept chained, would devour the entire world. The monster strains and pulls on the chains throughout the year which weakens the links. The only thing that keeps him from getting loose is how many Pysanky are created and exchanged during the Vernal Equinox. The more Pysanky, the stronger the chains.
It wasn’t until 988 CE that the Ukraine accepted Christianity as the official religion. As in other areas of the world, the people refused to give up their Pagan practices easily. Eventually, the Church had to assimilate these practices, including the art of Pysanky. The eggs became known as “Eastern Eggs”, named after Pagan goddess Eostre. The ancient pagan symbols were reinterpreted and Christian symbols like crosses, steeples and fish from the New Religion were added in. And the monster that had to be kept chained by the strength of the Pysanky was reinterpreted as well. No longer did it stand for the need of balance and harmony. It now represented the Church’s view of the struggle of good over evil.
To create your own Pysanky, you need dye (see below for ideas to create your own dye), a tool called a kitska and beeswax. A kitska has a pencil-like handle with a tiny metal cup at the end that holds the beeswax but disperses it through a narrow opening. After the beeswax is poured into the metal cup, it is held over a candle flame to melt the wax. The wax is used similarly to the method of batik and the kitska is used to draw the design onto the egg.
The word Pysanky is a derivative of the root word “pysati” which means “to write” because signs and symbols are written on the egg’s surface for magickal purposes. Depending on your purpose you can combine various symbols and colors, creating a powerful talisman that like a fingerprint, no two are alike. To begin, decide if you are going to use animals, vegetables, geometric shapes or a combination of all three. For fertility, a man would have been given a Pysanky with a rooster and his wife might have received a Pysanky with eggs drawn upon it. To protect the home from fire, water designs in shades of blue were drawn on the Pysanky. For a bountiful harvest, a Pysanky might have wheat inscribed on it. Curls and spirals were used to bestow divine protection upon the owner of the Pysanky where dots and small circles represented stars which bestowed good luck and success.
If you are not sure where to start, go with the tried and true method of using encircling bands. These represent the birth-life-death-rebirth cycle and where two bands intersect, you create a solar cross which represents the union of opposing forces like spirit and matter or God and Goddess. Within these bands are geometric designs which also have symbolism; triangles represent the Triple Goddess, squares symbolize the element of Earth, ladders represent the various worlds of planes or even the planes within planes, rakes were used for agriculture and the Sun was represented by either pinwheels (feminine)or eight-pointed stars (masculine, the eight solar Sabbats). Sometimes the shapes are filled with a cross-hatch of intersecting lines that resembles netting which also represent the solar cross. Sometimes the symbols are repeated within a band, like triangles which were called “wolf’s teeth” which transformed the egg into a Pysanky of protection, wisdom and strength. Sometimes the lines and not straight but instead meander. These usually mean one of two things; fire or water, dependant upon which color you use for the line.
After a design is decided on and the wax is ready, the next step is to begin dying the egg to transform it in the Pysanky. The dyes for Pysanky are transparent, so you will need to begin with the lightest color and work you way up to the darkest. For instance, you would work your way through the color spectrum of yellow, then orange, followed by red, then brown, followed by purple or black. Let’s say you started with yellow; any part of your design that you wish to remain yellow would need to be waxed before moving on to the orange dye. Then, you would simply repeat this process until you have gone through all of the colors that are in your design.
Once dying is complete, set your oven to about 200 degrees. Place your egg(s) inside with the oven door cracked slightly and keep watch until the egg(s) look wet. At this point, the egg(s) can be rubbed with a paper towel to remove the wax and reveal your intricate design. If you wish, you can finish your egg(s) with glossy varnish.
Like the people of Pagan Ukraine, you can either exchange, give away or keep your Pysanky, depending on your design and what it’s for. Pysanky with protective symbolism were kept in the home as amulets of protection and proudly displayed throughout the year, not just used as a seasonal decoration. Because eggs are symbolic of the birth-life-death-rebirth cycle, Pysanky are powerful amulets that help maintain the balance between the light half of the year (starting on the Vernal Equinox) and the dark half of the year (beginning with the Autumnal Equinox).
Egg Decorating: Colors
Today we have commercially dye kits, but it is possible to use the methods of our Pagan ancestors to achieve the same results. Yellow onion skins will yield a yellow color, a single red onion skin will produce a soft orange and deep rust comes from a handful of onion skins. Use beet juice to achieve a pink hue. For a shade of blue; use blueberries for a light blue and red cabbage leaves for a robin’s egg blue. A half-teaspoon of turmeric produce a sunshine yellow, blackberries will give you lavender, carrots for orange and for the color green use wither spinach or kale. Additionally, you can use white grapes for a pale yellow, vanilla extract for a yellow-orange, daffodil blossoms for a yellow-green, dandelions for orange, orris root for a rusty-orange, paprika for a brownish-orange, heather for pink, madder root for red, bracken for green, iris blossoms for a pinkish-blue, mulberries for a blue-violet and cayenne for rust.
How can you choose which colors to dye your eggs? That depends on which symbolism you wish to represent. For instance, in Asia red-colored eggs are offered at events such as births and funerals due to their connection to birth-life-death-rebirth cycle. Use yellow to represent the sun, intellect and communication. Orange is another Sun color that is connected to the third chakra and friendship. Red is the color of the blood of the Mother Earth Goddess, from which all things are born (the Greek Orthodox Church adopted using red eggs in their Easter Eve service and the Druids had a similar practice). Another Mother Earth color, green is the color of Spring, Summer and prosperity. Blue is a color of the Maiden Goddess, peace and healing. The color of the Crown Chakra, violet is connected to Spirit. White is an all-purpose color and can substitute for any other color in a pinch. Brown is the color of the element of Earth and its animals. The color of the Crone Goddess in Western thinking, black is actually the color of life in Eastern cultures. For romantic love, use the pastel or “spring” pink. For the Moon Goddess use silver. For solar deities or wealth, use gold.
The Easter Egg Hunt
It is thought that the first “Egg Hunts” were done by the hunter-gatherers in the Spring after the sparse Winter.
Keeping with the theme of life renewed, hunting for hidden eggs in India and Asia at springtime was commonplace thousands of years ago. These cultures believed that each individual was responsible for their own actions and that each of us must find their own path. Because of their belief in reincarnation and that connection to the egg, the egg-hunt was a time to think about the karmic balance of right and wrong as well as how to improve their position in their next lifetime. In the eastern culture, the egg hunt represented the soul’s quest for renewal, striving for perfection and ultimately uniting with the Divine.
To the north, those living in the Scandinavian and German regions had a practice offering eggs to the Goddess at Springtime in exchange for a boon. The Teutons placed eggs under human beds or animal dwellings and in the fields to encourage fertility and abundance (modern-day Pagans still use this practice when tending their magickal gardens). But, after the rise of Christianity and Pagan practices made illegal, these offerings had to be placed so that only the Goddess could find them. The authorities were ones who instigated the “egg hunt” and over time it became a children’s game.
It wasn’t until President Abraham Lincoln ordered what we now call the Easter Egg Hunt that this practice came to be commonplace. In the middle of the Civil War, the Spring of 1862, Lincoln invited the children of Washington DC to come to the White House lawn on Easter morning to search for eggs and popular treats.
Egg Magick & divination
Eggs have been used for magickal purposes because in Metaphysics and Alchemy, they contain all five of the elements of magick; Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. The outer shell is representative of Earth, the egg-white represents Water, Air is represented by the membrane that connects the white to the shell, the yellow yolk represents fire and Spirit is represented by the embryo. Because of this, a simple egg is symbolic of beginnings and endings, birth and rebirth, fertility and death, creativity and stagnation, endless possibilities. The egg also has planetary associations; the Moon is found in the egg-white and the Sun is found in the Yolk.
The Great Cosmic Egg is a concept that has been passed down fro thousands of years. For instance the Egyptians had a goose god called Gengenwar and he was given the job of keeping the Greta Cosmic Egg (from which all life sprang) safe.
Adder’s Tongue Spell
The pan-Celts had form of a necklace called the “Adder’s Tongue” (called “ouion anguinum” in Gaulish) which was both a protection amulet as well as a sort of telephone to the spirit world. Usually made form a snake or adder’s egg (sometimes substituted with a black stone or a seashell), it was worn at the neck by a leather thong.
You can create a modern-day version of the Adder’s Tongue. Don’t worry if you are fresh out of adder’s egg in you magickal pantry. You can make a trip to your local arts-and-crafts-store to find what you need. This time of year, you might even be able to find a bead or a charm in the shape of an egg. But if not, you may find something that would make a good substitute. If yours not into having and egg hanging form your neck, perhaps you would like to go with a seashell or a black stone substitution. Or, you may be able to find a black stone that will rest atop of a shell, that would very nice and no one would have to know that you are wearing a magickal talisman that you created yourself!
Whichever you choose to hang from the leather thong, the next step is to find that part of the necklace. You may wish to buy this at the arts-and-crafts-store as well, but you could always buy a pack of leather shoestrings because those will definitely hold up to wear-and-tear.
So, will your Adder’s Tongue necklace be one of protection or one to wear to connect to the Divine? Perhaps you would like it to serve as both? Then you can alternate using the following two chants. Whichever you decide, while you are crafting your necklace, make sure to chant with magickal intent.
Protection From Harm
“Today I create an Adder’s Tongue,
To serve me as a talisman;
This necklace will protect me,
With harm to none, so mote it be.”
Psychic Connection to the Divine
“Today I create an Adder’s Tongue,
To serve me as a talisman;
With it, I connect to Divinity,
With harm to none, so mote it be.”
Here are many more ways that you can use the eggs that are most likely already in your refrigerator:
- Eggs aren’t just for breakfast and Egg Nog isn’t just for Yule (or Christmas). Egg drinks and dishes are a popular Spring Equinox treat. The word “nog” comes from an Old English root word that means “a strong ale”. It has nothing to do with any particular time of the year, so if you wish to add it to you Ostara celebration, feel free to do so.
- After been painted with magickal symbols, eggs were either thrown into fires or buried into the soil as an offering to the Mother Earth Goddess. Sometimes the eggs were painted in the colors of the sun like yellow or gold and then used in rituals to honor the Father Sun God.
- Eggs can be used to help magickally bring about wishes and desires as they represent surprises and new beginnings.
- Eggs are buried near cemeteries to instigate reincarnation in places such as the southern Appalachian Mountains and in west-central Africa.
- Ruled by the element of Water, eggs are a food that is ritually eaten at Ostara to celebrate the return of the Sun and the season of plenty. This ancient tradition has survived until today including that of an Italian tradition. Colored hard-boiled eggs are baked into braided bread-nests that look like a wreath or a basket.
- Springtime (Ostara and Bealtaine) are a perfect time for initiation and eggs are a perfect symbol for the ritual.
- Springtime is also a time of fertility. Place a raw egg on your altar as a representation.
- Also for your altar, a fresh, raw egg can be used as a non-living sacrifice given to the gods.
- Have you seen trees or bushes in people’s yards decorated with pastel plastic Easter Eggs? Well, this custom, like so many others has Pagan origins, too. It originated as the Egg Tree, a form of protection in the Ozarks. A small and dead bush was chosen, preferably one that was close to the home, and the branches were trimmed down. Eggshells were emptied by blowing the contents out and then tied to the branches with ribbons. Over the years, the “tree” would be completely covered with as few as dozens or as many as hundreds of eggshells.
- In the Tattwas system, the predominantly used symbol for the element of Spirit is that of a black egg-shaped oval. It represents the birth of the soul as there are may Pagan creation myths that involve the world being born from an egg. It also represents the re-birth of the souls as eggs are a metaphor for reincarnation.
- Called oomantia, ovamancy or ooscopy, the ancient art of divination by the use the eggs has been used by nearly every culture to such things as determine the sex of an unborn child or to determine is a person or animal has been afflicted by the Evil Eye.
- Another practice that surpasses cultures is that of using eggs for the purposes of healing. Our Pagan ancestors used an unfertilized egg from a black hen. Nowadays, we have no idea what color the hen was that laid the egg that comes in a container from the grocery store, so you can easily substitute with a brown egg or even a white egg.
Sources:
- Celtic Myth & Magick: Harnessing the Power of the Gods and Goddesses by Edain McCoy
- Dancing With the Sun: Celebrating the Seasons of Life by Yasmine Galenorn
- House Magic: The Good Witch’s Guide to Bringing Grace to Your Space by Ariana
- Making Magick: What it is and how it works by Edain McCoy
- Ostara: Customs, Spells & Rituals for the Rites of Spring by Edain McCoy
- Sticks, Stones, Roots & Bones: Hoodoo, Mojo & Conjuring with Herbs by Stephanie Rose Bird
- Teen Witch: Wicca For a New Generation by Silver RavenWolf
- The Two Babylons: or the Papal Worship Proved to be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife by the Late Rev. Alexander Hislop
- Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life by Pauline Campanelli
- The Wicca Cookbook: recipes, Ritual and Lore by Jamie Wood and Tara Seefeldt
- Wicca Craft: The Modern Witch’s Book of Herbs, Magick and Dreams by Gerina Dunwich
- The Wicca Handbook by Eileen Holland
- The Wiccan Book of Ceremonies and Ritual by Patricia Telesco
- The Wicca Spellbook: A Witch’s Collection of Wiccan Spells, Potions and recipes by Gerina Dunwich
- The Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca and Neo-Paganism by Raymond Buckland
- A Witches Bible Compleat by Janet and Stewart Farrar
Tags: easter, eggs, Ostara
