Spring Equinox – Making Runic Eggs

One of my favorite, fun  activities for the Spring Equinox is making Runic Eggs. This isn’t an official, traditional Nordic ancient holiday tradition, described in endless detail in the Lore. You won’t find this in any books about ancient Germanic peoples and their pagan practices. This is totally modern. It’s a bit of fun. Our family and local community has done this for years and years. And it can be pretty powerful too.

Whether it’s because Spring Equinox (or Ostara) rituals are designed for kids, or whether it’s an act of reclaiming older traditions, or it’s just because there’s an sale on eggs at the local market, many Pagan groups offer an egg hunt for their Equinox celebrations. Watching folks hunting high and low for brightly colored eggs is always enough of a reason to have a ritual for me, and an egg hunt can be a great way to do a little divination as well.

The Beginning Magic – Boil the eggs

First, get at least 24 eggs. If you are hosting a larger event, then you will want more eggs. Hard boil the eggs.

Don’t know how to do that? Well, I was taught to put the eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water. Place the pot on the stove on high heat and bring the water to boil, once boiling wait ten minutes and then remove them from the heat.

Once the eggs are cooled you can dye them. There are lots of options for coloring eggs. One of the best things about this time of the year is that Easter Eggs kits are everywhere. However, there are lots of natural ways to color your eggs using purple cabbage, yellow onion, turmeric, and blueberries. So it really depends on how into the holiday season you are feeling.

Here is a great video on coloring eggs naturally. How cool is this?

The Middle Magic – Draw the Runes, hide the eggs

Once the eggs are colored take a black sharpie and draw on rune a each of the eggs. Here is a link to the Elder Futhark.http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/meanings.html

If you are working with a coven, everyone can make their own eggs and hide them. You can designate one person to be the official ‘hider’ of the eggs and everyone else is a “seeker”. Before you start the hunt, take a few moments and come to stillness and reflect on what you’d like to blossom this spring. Sink into your intuition and feel what’s moving and pushing it’s way up for you this Spring time. What blessings are coming to you this Spring Equinox? Perhaps your coven or the ritual participants are lead in a little trance to meet the Goddess Eostre.

The Ending Magic – A Spring Equinox egg hunt!

Then when you’re all ready, head out and have your egg hunt. Pick one or two runic eggs. If you know anything about Runes you may get your answers right away, but if not read online or pull out some books and spend time looking at the information that has come forward for you as you move into the Spring. My whole view on the remainder of the year has changed dramatically, more than once, by pulling a rune in ritual.

Every year, I mean every year, I’m like “Oh! This rune. Yep. That’s exactly what I needed to see right now!”

Oh! I almost forgot the most important part…Mayonnaise, salt and home made bread. Because, ya know, you’ve got to do something with the eggs after they’ve all been found
Happy Hunting!