Elizabeth Roy - Ostara

Ostara is a pagan celebration and ritual of springtime. It’s timed around the end of March, and for this year PESO had a ritual and potlatch at Anna, Kelly, and Eve’s house. I absolutely love Ostara. I think it has something to do with just the time of year. Springtime to me seems more meaningful than any other time of year. It feels like anything is possible and like it’s a new beginning. It makes sense to me that the early Christian church chose to place the Easter celebrations at Ostara (the word Easter itself comes from Ostara) because it’s a time of rebirth. I think it would be wonderful if Christianity reconnected to nature during Easter. There is already a strong connection there, but I don’t feel like anything is done intentionally to relate to nature. My church at home has started to have a stronger connection with nature – at Easter especially, the altar is positively overflowing with flowers and plants. Also, a meditation trail was just made through the woods next to the church. I think that this is an example that most Christian churches should follow. Perhaps the reason this doesn't happen more is because Christianity is associated with countries with a higher level of development, where there is inherently less of a natural connection. Perhaps if Christianity was a religion of hunter-gatherers or even an agricultural society, that relationship would still be a major part of the Christian religious experience.