Ostara 2026

20th March, 2026, 14.46 GMT

The last few days of the 2026 Pisces season have brought me beautiful blue skies and warm spring mornings. The mist clears quickly after the cold, clear nights, and looking out over the fields with my morning cup of coffee is a treat I never fail to appreciate.

In my garden (as messy as it is now), I have been enjoying some self-set Primrose, Primula Vulgaris. They have decided to set up shop in some pots and in between paving, bringing their light lemon flashes of colour into some shady areas. Cultivated varieties come in a variety of colours, but the traditional pale yellow is always my favourite.

Primroses are closely related to Cowslips, which were the focus of my 2025 Beltane article, so the plant’s calming nature, along with its delicate beauty, helps lift the mind and spirit. As a plant that likes to keep close to the ground yet is soft to the touch, there is nothing flashy about it; it is demure in its beauty.

Albert Durer Lucas 1828-1918

Gerard, the famous herbalist, in his General History of Plants published in 1597, suggests some interesting uses, one of which;

A practitioner in London, who was famous for curing the frenzy, after that he had performed his cure by the due observation of physic, accustomed every year in the month of May to diet his patients after this manner: Take the leaves and flowers of Primrose, boil them a little in fountain water, and in some Rose and Betony waters, adding thereto sugar, pepper, salt, and butter, which being strained, he gave them to drink thereof first and last.

The humble primrose was once associated with the world of the fae and was colloquially referred to as Fairy Cups, probably due to its slight soporific nature, enticing us to sit for a few moments and drowse on a calm, warm spring day, the newly woken bees buzzing in desperate lookout for sustenance.

For pollinators, primrose is a helpful food source as gardens are just waking up to spring. Having this plant in your garden in the early season welcomes bees, butterflies, moths, and other beneficial insects to a spring breakfast.

By the time we get to the hotter part of the year, the primrose draws back, releasing its flowers to the earth, allowing the flashier summer sun lovers to take centre stage.

The Grade 2 listed park, Primrose Hill in London, is named after the plant. The primrose was once abundant in the area when it was wild space, and it remains a blessed green area for locals to rest and enjoy nature’s wonders, even though the human locals are among the highest earners in the country! However, the park is still open to the public if you would like to enjoy a picnic, a walk, or time with family and pets to relieve the pressure of modern life in the capital.

As a herald of the end of winter and the beginning of spring, Samuel Taylor Coleridge brought us this beautiful poem.

To A Primrose

The first seen in the season

Nitens et roboris expers

Turget et insolida est: et spe delectat.

—Ovid, Metam. [xv.203].

Thy smiles I note, sweet early Flower,

That peeping from thy rustic bower

The festive news to earth dost bring,

A fragrant messenger of Spring.

But, tender blossom, why so pale?

Dost hear stern Winter in the gale?

And didst thou tempt the ungentle sky

To catch one vernal glance and die?

Such the wan lustre Sickness wears

When Health’s first feeble beam appears;

So languid are the smiles that seek

To settle on the care-worn cheek,

When timorous Hope the head uprears,

Still drooping and still moist with tears,

If, through dispersing grief, be seen

Of Bliss the heavenly spark serene.

And sweeter far the early blow,

Fast following after storms of Woe,

Than (Comfort’s riper season come)

Are full-blown joys and Pleasure’s gaudy bloom.

Happy Ostara, Aries ingress day, or Spring Equinox (or Autumn for you in the Southern Hemisphere), which is also International Astrology Day.

With world events creating real disruption, fear, and worry for people worldwide, it is essential to find any tiny moment of quiet we can. Sadly, for many, even a few seconds of silence are impossible, and for those caught up in the machinations of the super wealthy, I wish your future to be one of peace and an equilibrious state in which to live out your life.

Here in the UK, we may be dealing with some price hikes and a little disruption, but every morning, I am grateful for all I have and remind myself whenever my privilege gets too haughty to rein myself in a bit!

At the moment of the Aries ingress, on the 20^th March, 2026, at 14.46 GMT, we have Leo rising. The Sun, in its joy in the 9^th House, is also exalted in Aries. However, the host, Mars, is tucked away in Pisces in the 8th, co-present with a Mercury stationing direct, conjunct the North Node, all trining Jupiter at 15° Cancer in the 12^th house.

Chart courtesy of Astrotheoros

There will be many excellent Mundane astrologers unpacking this. Check out the Astrological Association UK, a charity that supports astrology and astrologers. Here is the YouTube channel for insights into the astrology of the world at large.

On a more personal note, what does this look like for us?

Today, as I write, it is the 17th of March. When I drew my morning two tarot cards, I received the lessons of #20 Judgement and the 2 of Cups, Love. An interesting combination of release, rebirth and renewal. It is the moment before moving into a new cycle, with a call to connection, through understanding the inner beauty of each soul we meet.

The 9^th House, as the place of Divine truth, will be illuminated by the Sun. My mind reverts back to my last few days, where the warm spring morning at sunrise has cast that magical mist that Neptune has recently brought to the Aries realm. The illuminated sky, with hues of pink and lilac from the newly risen sun, heralds a bright day to move on and take action where we see fit. As the moisture is gently burnt off by the rising warmth of the sun, the birds sing their praise of the return of light with earnest passion, driven by the need to procreate and celebrate their existence.

As the Sun makes its way through Aries this year, it will also have to deal with a connection to Saturn a few days later. The brick wall of fanaticism, scepticism and the hard no that Saturn can sometimes demand, will be challenged by the exalted Sun to open up to the wonders of nous; true spirit knowing. I wonder how many of us will decide that enlightenment comes from demanding open, honest discourse, and that the rules imposed by certain humans have nothing to do with true morality or divine law. How can we question those who stand in our way, and stand up to the oppression or demands put upon us that are unjust?

Looking at the lord of Aries, Mars in the 8^th House, how easy it is to unbind from those connections, especially those emotional entanglements. People and situations that tug at the heartstrings are the most challenging to break free of. A stationary Mercury conjunct the North Node is a big “See Here” arrow and demands our attention to situations that can be difficult to parse, especially those we have been enmeshed in for a long period of time. We may need a quiet space, some gentle music, and a big dollop of good intent to keep the discussion from veering into histrionics! After all, Mars is engaging with the trine to Jupiter in Cancer; feelings could become overwhelming, and martyrdom could become a new pattern, which would be an unwelcome guest in the astrological new year. Challenge the ungrounded emotion by speaking your truth clearly and purposefully. Passion is great when it is focused, but untethered passion can lead to connections that create even further entanglement.

The question will be how to ground all this boiling water. A chart with no air or earth is going to find stability and diplomacy demanding. I find that something as simple as weeding, a never-ending task even in a small garden, can get the body moving and allows the mind to wander off, if you let it, into less worrying places.

For some, grounding will come through a purely physical pursuit, such as running, some sets at the gym, cooking a meal, pottery, or moving meditation. Whatever you do to get connected to your body and the environment around you, try to speak to the Divine as you do it, so that any residual energy that has been cultivated in fear, worry, or frustration can be taken into the earth to be transmuted into love.

Saffron Dennis
An astrologer and crystal therapist, also trained in horticulture. Based in the East Anglia region of the UK, I am available to book a reading or as a speaker at your local or online event at divinebaytree.com