Customer Reviews

Ostara: Customs, Spells & Rituals for the Rites of Spring (Holiday Series)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Llewellyn has been compiling a collection of books on the Sabats written by well respected authors within our community.

Their latest offering is Ostara - Customs, Spells & Rituals for the Rites of Spring by well known an respected Edain McCoy. Ms. McCoy is well a well known elder within the community and has authored fifteen books on various subjects dealing with witchcraft and Wicca.

The most interesting parts of this book deals with the origins of many of the myths and lore associated with the Spring Equinox. There are simple spells for this season, symbolism's and associations, rituals and recipes and correlation's with Gods and Goddesses. Ms. McCoy has drawn from many sources some wonderful material and placed it into a well written an attractive package.

While much of this material deals mainly with information that is of the workshop 101 level, it is a good reference book for the basics of this season. It is a lovely beginners book, and is part of a package that will cover all the Sabats.

If you are looking for a good gift for the beginner, or to add to someone's collection of the Sabat books, this is a lovely and informational book.

since i am relatively new to paganism, i found this book to be informative... the most interesting part for me was when she discussed the cultural heritage of the easter bunny, the egg, spring break, new easter clothes, etc. she also gave some good ideas for ostara rituals.

however, i will agree with another reviewer, the book is badly edited. she will address a topic in one chapter, and then several chapters later, she will address the same topic, and use almost the exact same wording. (and pictures!)

be wary of the recipies. her recipe for hot cross buns is very vague, i had to add about an extra cup of flour, and i kneaded it, even though she didn't say to. not paying attention, i followed the recipe exactly for the frosting: 2 cups powdered sugar, i cup orange juice, and got a runny mess. then i realized that they probably meant one *tablespoon* of orange juice. (next time, i'll try the hot cross buns in the red plaid better homes and gardens cookbook)

"Ostara" is another book in the Llewellyn series of Pagan holidays. This book is fun and creative, focusing on spells and rituals for the rites of spring. It is more than a book about Easter, it is filled with things we associate with the season, such as spring cleaning, the green man, and the birds and the bees. It takes a historic look at Easter and the origin of associated things like bunnies, eggs, and rebirthing. I enjoy this title because it is fun, informative, and not too heavy. The recipes are great, and you'll want to make "hot cross buns" when you read about their Pagan origin. I think this title is a great one to share with children, as you can make homemade Easter baskets, hunt for eggs, and learn together about the legends of Eostre. Edain McCoy's "Ostara" will make you "think spring!"

While I thought this was fairly well written as magick books go, Ostara did not inspire me. Granted, the history of this sabbat may hard topic to write about. What I really found lacking was the ritual / spell aspects. It was just a rehashing of correspondence tables that we have seen many times before. McCoy does not give us a real, solid ritual to work off of. I read through the book once and went through it about half a dozen times looking for something to inspire me but came up short. It is not awful, just not that great.

I'm just learning about the Sabbats and this was the first one I came across on Ostara so I really enjoyed it. There are lots of stories of history, celebrations, discussion of things like the easter bunny, the birds & the bees etc - oh, and fairies. The parts I enjoyed the most were in The Goddesses of the Awakening Earth chapter - it has all sorts of neat goddess stories, things to do like burning incense to honor the godess of spring. There are some great riruals for Ostara like the balancing and centering ritual - made up of rhythmic breathing.

This is a great teaching tool (along with the other Sabbat Books) for educating and planning learning activites for primary and secondary educational level students. As an adult, I also enjoy the cross cultural comparisons and recipes. This book would make a wonderful Ostara gift!

Edain McCoy is one of the best authors on the team of Llewellyns staff of Witchery. This is one of her best books as well. The spring equinox is one of my favorite times of the year. One cannot go wrong when the yearning for youth is inherent in all of us.

This book provides the reader with all the lore and legend of this splendid time of the year. From spring flower magic to some great recipies that I have tried and wonderful lore of fairies! One simply cannot go wrong. Ms McCoy has much experience under her belt. I remember her earlier work in the 1980s!

True, to the purist out there there are many flaws. My comment on this is "let us see you do a better job". Enjoy it for what it is: a book about a magical heart!

I loved this little volume. The list of Pagan resources in the back is getting outdated, unfortunately, but otherwise it's packed with fun, useful and inspiring facts. I especially enjoy the thorough list of spring fertility goddesses and their consorts from various cultures. I gained much wisdom about the Way of Wise Folk from this simple, yet elegant, volume. Now I just need to read the other books in this series!

Very informative history of spring celebrations. Detailed suggestions for enjoying and giving thanks to this amazing time of year. A great way to broaden one's respect towards the magic of springtime. We all look forward to that first crocus. This book provides inspiration to really wake up after winter.

this book has a lot of great information. Our group has greatly enjoyed some of the suggestions in this book.