My best friend Ruby and I had just settled in for our weekly coffee date. Although it was the beginning of March, snow was still falling outside.
“I’m so tired of winter,” she said. “I just need a boost!”
“Me, too. I was thinking about having an Equinox party…what do you think?”
“Yes—let’s have a party! What should we do? The Equinox, that’s like equal day and night, right?”
Ruby was correct, and that is what many people think of when the day (March 20, 21, or 22) arrives—we’ll finally have longer days! That is something to celebrate, but I wanted to go deeper and dive into some activities to celebrate the coming of Spring. In ancient traditions, rituals to welcome the warmer weather and bring positive energy into your life were common. I thought it would be fabulous to give my modern, busy girlfriends a springtime celebration with old world style.
The Party
I let everyone know ahead of time that we would be eating and drinking, of course, but that we would also have some activities. Since we were celebrating Spring, I encouraged everyone to wear their prettiest little dress—parkas and hats could be shed indoors!—and fave shoes. I also asked each girl to bring a Spring themed dish for our potluck, their favorite type of flower, and two hard-boiled eggs. I would provide the rest.
In Pagan traditions, the spring holiday—called Ostara—celebrates birth and new life. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to practice a little Law of Attraction, so I planned an activity that would incorporate an Ostara ritual focusing on manifestation.
When guests arrived, I had them place their flowers on an altar. I also had candles and pictures of baby animals—you have to have the baby animals!—and some images of playful gods and goddesses. Once everyone’s flowers were arranged, the altar was simply beautiful.
The potluck dishes were full of tender asparagus, peas, and other spring veggies, and I had made a lamb stew. It was still too cold to have our drinks outside, but if you’ve got a warm day where you live, celebrate it by toasting the sun as it sets. After our happy hour, I set us up in the kitchen for our Spring manifestation fun.
Egg Painting and Planting
This familiar activity had an extra component—after painting our eggs, we were going to plant them. Instead of the vinegary dye and stickers we remember from childhood, I used watercolor paints and brushes. I encouraged each friend to consider what she really wanted to manifest for the coming Spring quarter and then to paint that, or a symbol of it, on their egg. To help give some ideas, I brought books of runes and a list of glyphs for the signs and planets of the Zodiac. You can use words, astrological symbols, whatever—it’s up to you.
We had happy hour round two, and then while eggs were drying, I brought out the other supplies. Each girl got a small flowerpot. I provided potting soil and two packages of seeds: radish and mixed lettuce, my favorite spring veggies.
“We’re going to plant one egg,” I said, “so put a little dirt in, then the egg, and cover it up. As you are doing this, think about the power of planting desires and dreams. Think about what you want to manifest and really get into the feeling of it as you plant. When the pot is full of dirt, plant the veggie seeds. Once they sprout, you’ll know your dreams are on their way!”
It was a memorable scene: all these girls in party dresses planting at the kitchen table while snow whirled outside. I sent the second egg home with them to plant outside, if they could, or plant in another pot using the same process of feeling their desires as they did so.
And then we finally had dinner!
The Power of Ritual
Most of my friends and I aren’t religious, but we do want ritual and connection to nature in our lives. Often, we think that we can’t create this for ourselves—but we can! I was inspired by an ancient holiday, but you might draw from the traditions of your ancestors or culture of origin. Or you can come up with your very own practices. I think the most powerful thing is to take the time to celebrate as part of a community and tap into the rhythms of the natural year. Attracting and manifesting what you want becomes more effective if you “charge” it—with intention, ritual, and attention. As we watered and attended to our seedlings, we were reminded to pay attention to the desires we wanted to manifest into being.
What do you want to manifest this Spring? Do you need help moving through blocks or clarifying your desires? An advisor on Keen can help—call today!
