February 1st is Imbolc (aka Candlemas or St. Brigid‘s Day). It’s a very old holiday, supposedly with pagan roots, but because its date is set exactly six weeks between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox,
In many ways, Imbolc can be seen as the true start of a new year, if you consider it from a “cycle of life” perspective. If the Winter Solstice is the “death” of the year, the darkest days, then Imbolc would naturally be the rebirth, the return of life and light. It’s a very hopeful holiday, looking forward to the future and thinking about what we want from the year. Use Imbolc as a time for meditating on goals for the year, for rededicating yourself to the resolutions you set a month earlier. If New Year’s is about wishing for the future, Imbolc is about solidifying those wishes and working towards helping them come true.
In a few days, we celebrate Groundhog Day (February 2). Most of us think of those critters that look for their shadows: Punxsutawney Phil in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and Wiarton Willie in Wiarton, Ontario. In fact, there is a bit more to the day than that! February 2 is also...
• Candlemas Day--when Christians traditionally bless a year’s supply of candles. Candlemas was originally a Celtic festival celebrating the fact that the days were getting longer and spring was not far off.
• Halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox--daylight is 1 hour and 2 minutes longer on this day than it was when winter began.
• The Feast of the Purification among Christians--40 days after Christmas. “Februa” was the month for cleansing, when yule greens were removed and brush was burned to prepare the fields for the next sowing.
Oh, about those groundhogs: If they see their shadows, expect six more weeks of winter.
If Candlemas be mild and gay,
Go saddle your horses and buy them hay;
But if Candlemas be stormy and black,
It carries the winter away on its back.
****
Imbolc Rite - A Feast for Girls
The face of Brighid is heard from Samhain until the Winter Solstice. Then does She wear the face of the Hag, the Cailleach. When She shows this face the winds are bitter and the plants die. But on the eve of Imbolc, when the sheep begin to have milk again, She transforms Herself and shows the face of a young maiden.
At Imbolc Brighid walks the land, spreading Her green mantle and breathing life into the hills. It is the time of ice melting and of the Sun, warming the fields.
(note* - even here in New England we have a week long period known as the "January Thaw" that begins at the end of January and usually coincides with the Imbolc festival. I like to time my rituals to coincide with the "Thaw" or with the lactation of the ewes rather than the Roman calendar)
The young girls of the tuath shall gather to make a Bride Doll of straw, ideally from grains (or reeds) saved from the last years harvest. They shall dress the doll in finery and place it in a basket along with a white rod or "slachdan" of birch, willow, bramble, or broom, a "magic wand" symbolic of Her ability to control the weather.
The adults of the tuath shall bake sweet cakes and prepare dairy foods in honor of the festival. They shall also plait equal armed solar crosses on this day, of reed and of straw, to hasten the Sun's strengthening.
The girls of the tuath shall form a procession and troop about the outside of a house Sunwise three times, bearing the Bride Doll and lit white candles.
Then shall the girls of the tuath process around the village, bearing the Bride Doll and white candles and stopping at every door. In this way shall they bring the blessings of Brighid to each home saying;
"We ask that Brighid bless this household, all herein and their kindred and their substance".
And at each house they! shall be given sweet cakes and other small gifts in thanks.
Finally the girls shall stop at a house where a party has been prepared. They shall bring snowdrops, sacred to the Goddess, or other flowers, to the hosts of that house and bless the home by their presence. The hosts shall welcome them with these words;
"In this house you girls are the personification of the Goddess and of the Land. You do us honor by your presence here. Welcome in and accept our hospitality" .
Then shall the girls be seated at the table and a feast shall be set before them. Afterwards the girls shall remain as honored guests, dancing and playing as long as they desire. The Bride Doll shall be left by the hearth until dawn. Any left over wheat or reeds from the making of Solar crosses may be placed under and around the doll, covered with a white cloth. If by morning a
footprint appear in the ashes of the hearth it shall be an omen that Brighid Herself has been by to bless the home. The reeds and wheat may be used for healing work throughout the year (by tying them onto a sick person or animal).
Ellen Evert Hopman
****
Imbolc Ritual oil
1/2 dram Pine oil
1/4 dram lavender oil
4 or 5 drops of Cinnamon oil
1/4 dram Sandalwood oil
1/4 dram Frankincense oil
1/4 dram Myrrh oil
Mix well and bottle.
Imbolc Incense
3 Parts Frankincense
2 parts Dragon's Blood
1/2 Part Red Sandalwood
1 Part Cinnamon
few drops red wine
To this mixture, add a pinch of the first flower (dry it first) that is available in your area around the time of Imbolc.
******
Imbolc Oil #2
2 drops each jasmine, rose, chamomile, lemon, and lavender.
1 oz carrier oil
combine in a small bottle and use at Imbolc
****
Bride's (Brigid) Bouquet Sachets
Imbolc Potpourri
1 Yard White Netting Material
Yellow and Pink 1/8" width Ribbon
Scissors
Potpourri is made with:
1/2 cup dried basil
1/2 cup dried chopped bay leaves,
1 cup dried Heather flowers
1 cup dried Violets
1 cup dried white or pink rosebuds
Blend together in non-metal bowl. Cut netting material into 4"x4"
squares. Lay out squares on a flat surface. Place 1 heaping tablespoon
of potpourri in the middle of each square. Pull up all the corners to
the middle of the potpourri and gather the excess material until
potpourri is caught in a "bag". Give bag on twist to the right and tie
off with yellow or pink ribbon. Use enough ribbon to make a small bow in
the front of the sachet. Tell children how these sachets were exchanged
as symbols of good luck and fertility.
****
Spring Renewal Wish Spell
Spring has sprung in the US. Here's a flash spell to help wish the seeds of renewal.
On a PIECE OF PAPER write down what you want NEW in your life - and be SPECIFIC and in the PRESENT.
Example:
Bad - I want a boyfriend who won't cheat on me.
Good - I have a boyfriend who is kind, loving and truthful.
Bad - I need money to pay my mortage
Good - I have an abundance of money to pay my bills and more.
Take the PAPER and place it in the bottom of a POT. Fill the POT with POTTING SOIL and PLANT SEEDS (doesn't matter what - but flowers are nice).
As the plant grows and matures, your renewal will also take root, grow and mature.
****
Meditation Oil
Need some help quieting your mind for meditation? Then try this oil!Soothing Meditation
The Best Time
Create this oil when the moon is new, waxing or full.
1/8 cup Base Oil (Almond, Aloe Vera, Apricot Kernel, Coconut, Grapeseed, Hazelnut, Jojoba,Olive, Palm, Rosehip Seed, Safflower, Sunflower)
4 drops Sandalwood
4 drops Chamomile
4 drops Frankincense
2 drops Gardenia
1 Tiny Amethyst, Apophyllite or Sodalite
1 Sterilized Glass Bottle with Lid
Making The Oils
1. Place your base oil and essentials oils within reach.
2. Begin by visualizing your need or goal.
3. Once it is clearly formed in your mind, add the base oil to the jar.
4. Add the ingredients in one by one, swirling the jar clockwise to mix.Note how each ingredient affects the aroma of the oil.
5. Take your stone/crystal and place it in your projective hand.
6. Visualize your need or goal.
7. Once it has been clearly formed in your mind, pour your need into the stone/crystal.
8. Add the stone/crystal to the oils.
9. Seal the jar.
10. Store for three days (or at least overnight) before your first use.
Uses
• Anoint yourself with a few drops on the the temples, third-eye (in the center of your forehead), neck at the base of the skull, top of the head, wrists and ankles.
• Anoint candles.
• Anoint stones/crystals.
• Place a few drops on a cotton ball or handkerchief and inhale when needed.
• Add six to ten drops in your bathwater.
• Place a couple of drops in a diffuser.
Using red, green and white wax .
an alternative and so pretty
a simple doll
traditional wands