I don’t really hate Ostara, but recently in a moment of frustration I exaggerated a bit, when I declared that I didn’t want to serve at the altar for this holiday. You might be thinking, “Brook, you’re a teacher and a high priestess! How can you throw out one of the sacred moments in the Wheel of the Year?”

Good question. And as one who is committed to growing and learning, I have decided to address this with myself. Why do I hate Ostara? After all, it is a time of rebirth when we see the new seedlings of spring coming up from the ground and revealing to us what the future holds. It is a time of innocence and youth.

Ah, there it is. Two words hold the key: Innocence; Youth. I guess I really am a lion, because for lions, these terms equate to: Vulnerability; Weakness. You see, very few lions born in the wild ever see adulthood. They are often killed by competing animals in nature, including buffalo, hyenas, and rival male lions. A combination of toughness and luck allows the special few to experience adulthood. A lion cub is constantly in danger and must rely on his mother and the other adults of the pride to protect him. Only when he is grown can he boast about his strength and courage, and he does not fear attracting attention.

Ostara is in the tiny seedlings of marigolds, daisies, verbena, and all the other flowers of spring. But she is also in everything that is young and new, and full of promise if protected and nurtured.

And now I see that I have been looking at it all wrong. As a daughter of Sekhmet, one of my sacred duties is to protect the innocent. So it is not for me to identify with the vulnerable, but instead to take my place as a grown lioness and protect the innocent in my pride. For it has been a long time since I was a cub and feared the world around me. I am a lion, and I will embrace the young in a circle of love and sacred shelter as they make their way through the early stages of their lives.

I love Ostara!