One of the most prominent symbols of the Spring Equinox and Ostara is the egg. As the source of life for living creatures, eggs represent birth, rebirth, the soul, and fertility. The egg has played its role in many myths and magic, spanning many cultures over time. It is seen as an enchanting vessel of life, abundance, and infinite possibilities. In this blog we will examine the mystifying and magical qualities contained in the egg as interpreted through mythology, as well as explore ways to enjoy this magic at Ostara, or year-round if so pleased to.
The Orphic Egg, from A new system, or, An analysis of ancient mythology by Jacob Bryant
The Cosmic Egg
The notion of infinite potential is contemplated in the idea of the “Cosmic Egg.” The cosmic egg represents the place from where the universe is created. Myths which span many ancient cultures describe the very beginnings of the universe coming forth from an egg. It is as though the universe bursts out of the egg, dividing into different aspects that make the universe, comparable perhaps even to the Big Bang Theory.
The ancient Babylonian goddess Astarte was said to emerge from an egg. The story goes that the egg was in the Euphrates river, where it was pushed to shore by fish. Once on the shores doves rested on it, incubating the egg until Astarte was born from within it.
In Hindu myth, a seed appears in the primordial waters. This seed transforms into a brilliant, golden egg. The god Braham meditates for one year within the egg, then breaks forth from the egg to create the sky and the earth. In addition to the creation myth, the Lingam Stone from the Narmada River in India is a valuable stone which is shaped like the Cosmic Egg.
In a Chinese creation myth from the 3rd century C.E., Pan-Ku slept within an egg for 18,000 years. He grew into a giant, and when he hatched from the shell the white of the egg (Yin) rose upwards to become the sky and the yolk of the egg (Yang) descended downwards to become the earth. Pan-Ku spent the next 18,000 years pushing the two elements apart from each other to keep them from blending. When the sky and earth were finally separate, Pan-Ku laid down and died. The world grew from his corpse.
In the Egyptian city of Khemnu (Greek word is Hermopolis), the Ogdoad were a group of four couples, eight deities in total, who were worshipped. The Ogdoad, who were often depicted as frogs or serpents, representing primordial waters, eternity, darkness, and air. One myth says that the Ogdoad created a giant Cosmic Egg which birthed the sun god Ra. Other versions say the egg was laid by an ibis, a bird sacred to Thoth. There is also legend that the very shell of this Cosmic Egg is buried within a temple at Hermopolis.
The Pelasgians, settlers in Greece who predated the Hellenistic Greeks, also had a creation myth involving the Cosmic Egg. They believed that in the beginning there was only chaos. From the chaos the Goddess Eurynome rose. She created the sky and sea, and from the sea she danced. She spun around, creating a whirlwind. She rubbed the wind between her hands and created the serpent Ophion, with whom she mated. Eurynome turned herself into a dove and laid the Cosmic Egg. The three beings created a sacred trinity: Eurynome representing femininity, Ophion representing masculinity, and the egg representing the love child. Ophion wrapped himself around the egg seven times to incubate it. When the egg hatched the universe was birthed.
Also valuable to the Greeks was the Omphalos, a conical stone that was worshipped as sacred. Omphalos means “navel,” and these stones are often called “Earth Navels.” In Delphi it was believed the Omphalos was the stone accidentally swallowed by Chronos. In Delos, there is an omphalos which has a serpent wrapped around it, clearly linking the stone’s shape and the Cosmic Egg (the serpent representing Ophion). These stones are not only found in Greece, but in other areas of the world, as well. One such stone is the Lia Fail, which is found on the Irish Hill of Tara, considered to be the birthplace of Samhain. Some theorize that the egg-like stones connect across the world to create a sacred grid system.
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Eggs as Talismans
Roman philosopher, naturalist, author, and explorer Pliny the Elder spent time observing the traditions of Druids in Gaul. In his works he described seeing a Druid’s amulet which was called an anguium. It was described as being egg-shaped, having been created by the form of serpents wound tightly together. The Druid’s Egg was said to have magical powers: it aided people in legal matters, helped draw attention from royalty, and had healing powers. Egg-shaped shaped crystals and glass have been discovered, leading some to believe these were the Druid’s egg amulets. Interestingly enough, the serpent and the egg come together in the Gaulic Goddess Sirona, a fertility goddess of healing and rebirth. Sirona was depicted carrying a bowl of three eggs. She had serpents coiled around her arms, reaching towards the bowl of eggs.
Pysanky are the ornately decorated eggs with a long, even ancient, tradition in the Ukraine. They are raw eggs, not to be eaten, but to be gifted and used as talismans. They are given to friends and family for good health and prosperity. They are fed to animals to give them good luck in producing many healthy babies. They are saved in homes or buried under homes for protection against fire and storms. They are buried in fields to bring good fortune to the year’s crop. The fascinating aspect to the pysanky are that their decorations are full of magickal and ancient symbols: trees, flowers, spirals, and birds depict images steeped in mythology and magic commonly associated with springtime.
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Egg Magic
Working with eggs in magical work can be quite fulfilling. They can be used in spells for good fortune, fertility, love, creativity, alchemy, transformation, and protection.
Egg painting magic in the home. Consider making the practice of egg decorating a magical one. Consider a goal you wish to achieve within the coming season of growth. Ask yourself where you wish to see abundance in your life. Magically decorate the eggs in a manner to reflect your wishes for abundance by using magical symbols and colors. For example, paint an egg red or pink and decorate with hearts to reflect wishes for love. Paint an egg green and adorn with gold glitter to reflect wishes for money. Paint an egg purple and glue violets on it for intuition and spiritual growth.
Cascarones. Cascarones are hollowed out eggs that have been filled with items like glitter, flour, or perfumed herbs. Traditionally, they would be playfully broken on a person’s head. If you are talented and patient, empty an egg and refill it with herbs and oils that correspond with something you wish to grow in your life. Break it at the time you really want to see that wish manifest itself.
Powdered Egg Shells. Powdered egg shells, also known as cascarilla, are used in Santeria, folk, and hoodoo magic. Cascarilla can be sprinkled around the borders of rooms for protection and peace. Because it creates a chalk-like substance, it has also been used to draw sigils and magical symbols. It can be added to floor rinses for protection in the home. To make cascarilla, clean and rinse egg shells thoroughly. Bake the shells at a low temperature in the oven (I recommend starting at 250 degrees F) for about 15 minutes. Grind them to a very fine powder with a mortar and pestle.
Egg magic in the garden. If you are talented and patient, hollow out eggs and make ornaments out of them with ribbon. Or, use plastic eggs as an easier substitute. Hang the eggs from tree and shrub branches in your yard or garden for abundance and good luck. To bring growth to your garden, paint an egg brown and green and mark it with symbols of growth and fertility. Plant it in your garden, and walk clockwise around the garden, saying “Egg of the Goddess, giver of all things, grow my garden abundant this spring. Strong and sacred this place must be, springing forth its bounty, so blessed be.”
Magickal Egg Hunt. Here’s an opportunity for children of all ages to enjoy Ostara egg hunts. Fill plastic gift eggs with small magical amulets, charms, crystals, bags of seeds, herbs, small vials of oil, jewelry, or incense. With it, include a small fortune or inspirational quote. The people involved in the egg hunt will find the egg that offers the most valuable fortune and gift they need for springtime.
White Light Bubble as a Protective Eggshell. For many people in the metaphysical world, the idea of the “White Light Bubble” describes a visualization exercise of seeing white light surrounding the body for protective energy. For the purposes of Ostara, consider morphing the white light bubble into an egg shell. Take a moment to quietly pause. Close your eyes and take long, deep breaths. Visualize yourself surrounded by a warm, comforting, and protective eggshell. See the infinite oval shape of the shell surrounding you, knowing that nothing negative or harmful can penetrate your personal space. Consider yourself at the very center of the Cosmic Egg. What are the properties necessary in this centered place to create life and the universe? When it is time to emerge from the egg, take a moment to see how it feels to be “born.” What sensations do you feel? What do you see? What are the immediate priorities you want to tackle? Contemplate how this exercise feels similar or different to the white light bubble.
Eggs on Ostara Altars. The altar is a perfect place to display the egg. Whether embellished with magical symbols or left natural, their presence on an Ostara altar reflect the rebirthing of nature in the spring. In addition to actual eggs, put on display objects such as lingam stones, faberge eggs, egg-shaped crystals, or egg-shaped chocolate. Take time to gaze at the egg and consider what the egg symbolizes for you.
Eggshell Seedlings
If you are more interested in a gift that you can share with your green-thumbed friends, consider creating eggshell seedlings. Take an eggshell that has been broken closer to one end (approximately one third down from the top) and gently rinse it out. Return it to an egg carton and allow it to dry. Poke a hole into the bottom of the shell. Add a scoopful of potting soil into the eggshell. Place seeds into the soil as directed on the seed packages. When the seeds have sprouted simply transplant the egg directly into the soil outdoors.
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Divining with Eggs
Egg divination has long been practiced, and at times in history it was a popular form of divination. While some methods are easier than others, and some are neater than others, they are all fun to experiment with during the season of Ostara. Please note that I have also found that various names are used for various methods of divination with eggs - you may wish to speak with an egg diviner to see if their terminology varies from the list below.
Oomancy: Oomancy is divining with the egg white. Bring a pot of water to boil, and then lower the heat slightly. Break an egg and separate the white from the yolk. Pour the egg white into the boiling water and interpret the shapes made from the egg whites. When divining the shapes, consider your immediate reaction to what you see.
Oomantia: Oomantia is the divining of the egg shell. An excellent egg divination described by Nancy Vedder-Shults in her article “Egg Divination” suggests to hard boil an egg. Draw different symbols on the egg, giving meaning and interpretation to each of the symbols. Hold the egg and think of your question, and then gently roll the egg. When it stops rolling, your answer is in the symbol facing upwards. Another method for reading eggshells include cracking a hardboiled egg and interpreting the shapes and lines made with the cracks in the shell.
Ooscopy: Ooscopy is the divination of reading the egg itself. A fun, yet messy form of egg divination that involves reading the shell, white, and yolk. Hold an egg for a moment and concentrate on a question you have. Throw the egg onto the ground, or perhaps in a dish. Interpret the shapes of the shells and egg to come to a divine answer.
Egg Superstitions and Old Traditions: There is an old tradition that says you will have a lousy day if you crack an egg at breakfast and break the yolk. Cracking an egg with a double yolk is usually a good sign, often signifying a pregnancy or happy union, unless you are British, in which case a double yolk is a sign of death or ill fortune. An old Scottish divination said to fill your mouth with the white of an egg, not swallowing a drop. You are then to go out and about in the world until you hear the name of a man or woman. This is the name of the person you will marry.
Reverence for the Egg
Humanity has long revered the egg as a symbol of birth and creation, but also as a magical object that could be used for fortune and protection. Ostara is an excellent time to contemplate how such a fragile object could contain all the makings of our universe. Perhaps it is worth considering how vulnerable the egg is: with love, care, and devotion, life can spring forth from it. The mystical and soulful egg reveals the very same needs and nature of humanity.
To review references for this article please visit my Works Cited Page.