{"id":931,"date":"2018-04-01T17:35:47","date_gmt":"2018-04-01T21:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/betzking.com\/blog\/?p=931"},"modified":"2024-11-29T17:07:26","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T22:07:26","slug":"the-seasonal-psychologist-on-ostara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betzking.com\/blog\/the-seasonal-psychologist-on-ostara\/","title":{"rendered":"The Seasonal Psychologist – On Ostara"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Seasonal Psychologist is a year-long series by Pagan Psychologist Betz King.\u00a0 Each piece corresponds to one of the 8 Pagan Sabbats, or holidays, while exploring ways to use the symbolism of the season for personal growth and in clinical practice.<\/em><\/p>\n

I conceptualize both my personal development, and that of my clients, within the framework of our local 4-season landscape. Mostly this means a framework of trees, crops native to Michigan, and lots of plants, crops, and flowers. The Pagan path is a seasonal one, hosting 8 holidays called Sabbats. They parallel the movement of the sun across a year. Each holiday expresses a facet of the relationship between Light, Dark, and life. I use them as lenses of reflection, opportunities to contemplate the cycle of birth, growth, harvest and death that impacts all living beings.<\/p>\n

As a Pagan psychologist, many of my clients have some form of an earth based belief system. This allows us to revisit treatment goals seasonally. The view from my office window is lush with trees. A simple glance outside provides the framework for our review; whatever the trees are doing becomes an invitation to consider the same within ourselves.\u00a0 The Oak Holly, whose strength peaks at\u00a0Midwinter, begins to retreat with the warming temperatures and we are reminded that one season\u2019s strength is another\u2019s weakness.<\/p>\n

On Ostara<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Ostara<\/p>\n

Wheel of the Year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Remember the commercial for Reese\u2019s Peanut Butter Cups?\u00a0\u201cYou got your peanut butter in my chocolate!\u201d \u201cNo, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Spring Equinox, or Ostara, could easily have a similar ad \u2013\u00a0\u201cYou got your Paganism in my Christianity!\u201d \u201cNo, you got your Christianity in my Paganism!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Usually falling on March 20 or 21, the Spring, or Vernal Equinox is close enough to Easter for all kinds of decorations to get mixed up.\u00a0 Eggs hang from trees.\u00a0 Let that sink in.\u00a0 Eggs (fertility symbols) hang from trees (sacred to Pagans).\u00a0 Chocolate bunnies abound (nothing fertile about that)!<\/p>\n

As Christianity became the dominate religion of the land, it is thought that Easter was strategically placed atop of Spring Equinox so as not to upset the village folk who likely worshipped a feminine life-giving Goddess.\u00a0 For some, this might have been the Germanic Goddess Eostre, or Ostara.<\/p>\n

Traditionally honored in the spring, her festivals celebrated fertility and rebirth. She was often portrayed with a wild hare and a basket of eggs, strolling across the land, awakening flora and fauna alike. This is the root of our Christian word Easter, and also the word estrogen (a key component in fertility).<\/p>\n

Whether celebrating the resurrection of Christ from the grave, or the earth from deep slumber, Spring brings us a lovely mish mash of symbols to celebrate our victory over real, or metaphoric death. For just a brief moment in time, day and night are of equal length, and then, joyfully, it\u2019s all downhill to Summer as the day grow longer minute by minute.<\/p>\n

Last fall, many seeds were planted in your garden of life.\u00a0 Some you planted with great intention, some fell accidentally onto your tilled ground. Psychologically, this is a time to watch with great curiosity while those seeds begin to peek through the earth.\u00a0 What are you hoping to see come spring, and what would it surprise you to see?<\/p>\n

\"Ostara\"<\/p>\n

This month, my clients and I happily negotiate the sun shining in the window and comment on the lengthening hours of daylight. There is a collective sense of \u201cwhew, we made it.\u201d\u00a0 We will talk about the psychological perennials that come up every year \u2013 hope, rebirth, growth \u2013 and we\u2019ll discuss the annual seeds we\u2019ve been thinking about planting \u2013 new goals and new paths to express all that has been growing inside across the dark cold months, now ready to take wobbly baby steps forward into the light.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most importantly for therapy, we will discuss the parts of the self that \u2013 like Dumbledore\u2019s Phoenix Fawkes \u2013 have embraced the fires of transformation and have emerged reborn. This is the process of psychotherapy; we grow, we transform, that which no longer serves us falls away, and that which is left is stronger and wiser.<\/p>\n

This spring, when you see bunnies, painted eggs, daffodils and tulips, I invite you to take a moment to contemplate your own resurrection. You\u2019ve successfully negotiated the dark night of the soul that Winter brings, \u00a0and are born again.\u00a0 What transformed in those cold months of darkness? What now emerges better than ever?<\/p>\n

Whether celebrating Ostara, Easter or the Spring Equinox, fertility abounds and you are a powerful gardener.\u00a0 What innocent newness will you protect and promote until the Summer Sun arrives? Happy resurrection of choice!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Seasonal Psychologist is a year-long series by Pagan Psychologist Betz King.\u00a0 Each piece corresponds to one of the 8 Pagan Sabbats, or holidays, while exploring ways to use the symbolism of the season for personal growth and in clinical … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Seasonal Psychologist - On Ostara - Betz-Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/betzking.com\/blog\/the-seasonal-psychologist-on-ostara\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Seasonal Psychologist - 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