Rituals and Recipes for Imbolc

This is traditionally a time of purification - clean

your house! If you have any Christmas greenery

lingering, burn it now.

Make your own Brighid's crosses and hang them up,

especially in the kitchen where her influence can

bless your food.

Put out food - cake, buttered bread and milk will do -

outside your door: Brighid and her cow walk through

the neighborhood tonight, and will appreciate your

offering.

Leave a silk ribbon on your doorstep for Brighid to

bless: It can then be used for healing purposes.

*******************************************************

1.  Cast a circle around a living evergreen tree and

meditate within the circle.

2.  Light white, green, and blue candles in the circle

3.  Bless a bowl of seeds and let them sit over night

where the moonlight can shine upon them.  Save the

seeds to plant at Ostara.

4.  Decorate  you altar with white candles and lights

(Christmas lights)

5.  Fill a dish with snow and place on your altar

(children will enjoy making paper snowflakes for the

altar as well)

6.  Make a crown of thirteen red candles

7.  Make you own besom to purify your ritual space by

sweeping out the "old" to start the new

Imbolc Crescent Cakes

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup finely ground almonds

3 drops almond extract

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon honey

1 egg yolk

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first four

ingredients.  Ad the butter, honey, egg yolk and mix

together well.  Cover with foil/plastic and then chill

for 2 hours.

When ready, pinch off pieces of the dough (about and

inch) and shape them into crescents.

Place the crescents on a well-greased cookie sheet and

bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 min.  yield: dozen

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Late Winter Nature

For Euro-Americans such as myself, stone circles, along with Merlin and the Druids, hold a major franchise in the collective unconscious. We can't help it or deny it. There is a quality about stones in sacred arrangement that speaks particularly--though by no means exclusively--to the European soul. Circles, dolmens, cromlechs, and mysterious stone passageways into the earth are among the oldest signatures of our culture. For centuries our ancestors entered the 

dark, stone linteled passageways much as Hopi elders enter their kivas: to fast, to commune with ancestral spirits, and to awaken to the fire deep within Mother Earth. And on other ritual occasions they went to the stone circles. The circles are the ancient "medicine wheels" for Europeans: they mark carefully the cardinal directions and lunar and solar alignments for ceremonies we can now only imagine. 

The standing stones speak to me of the union between Earth and Sky my ancestors knew, long before the cathedrals came. These stones are deeply rooted in the earth as they mark the turning of the seasons and the patterns in the stars above. And their very alignment with one another generates a powerful dynamism. Their oldest names attest to this: Stonehenge is "the Giant's Dance," and the little circle near Killarney is "the dance of the seven maidens. 

Island by Jim Mullin-Norgaard in Orion Magazine, Spring 1996. 

Oh, long, long 

The snow has possessed the mountains. 

The deer have come down and the big-horn, 

They have followed the sun to the south 

To feed on the mesquite pods and the bunch grass. 

Loud are the thunderdrums in the tents of the mountains. 

Oh, long, long 

Have we eaten chia seeds 

and dried deer's flesh of the summer killing. 

We are tired of our huts 

and the smoky smell of our clothing. 

We are sick with the desire for the sun 

And the grass on the mountain. 

~Paiute Late Winter Song

The purest essence of the energy of the heaven-earth world coalesce into rock. It emerges, bearing the soil. Its' formations are wonderful and fantastic. Some with cavernous cliffs, revealing their interior; some with peaks and summits in sharp-edged layers...The images of all things appearing in appropriate likenesses. Within the size of a fist 

can be assembled the beauty of a thousand cliffs...Confucius once said, "The humane man loves mountains," and the love of stones has the same meaning. Thus longevity through quietude is achieved through this 

love. 

Kong Chuan, from The Book of Sacred Stones, by Barbara G. Walker.

***********************************

Imbolc Activity: Planting Goals

This is a great thing to do with children.  Source

unknown to me.

Discuss the meaning of the word "goal" and why it's

important to have goals with kids. Have your kids

decide on a goal to work on magickally at Imbolc.

Break it down into steps for the children to work on

mundanely, as well as magickally.

Obtain small terra-cotta planters and help your kids

decorate them with paint, cutouts, or glitter to

represent their goal. Get some seeds to plant.

Before your Imbolc ritual, put a small stone over the

hole in the pot (to allow for drainage without the

dirt falling through the hole) and fill the pot with

dirt. 

During ritual, plant the seeds while "planting" your

goals. Explain to your kids that goals need nurturing

just as plants do, and that as they water and feed and

give sunlight to their plant, they will so nurture and

work for their goals. And as their plant grows, so

will the manifestation of their goals.

***************************************8

Imbolc Activity: Planting Goals

This is a great thing to do with children.  Source

unknown to me.

Discuss the meaning of the word "goal" and why it's

important to have goals with kids. Have your kids

decide on a goal to work on magickally at Imbolc.

Break it down into steps for the children to work on

mundanely, as well as magickally.

Obtain small terra-cotta planters and help your kids

decorate them with paint, cutouts, or glitter to

represent their goal. Get some seeds to plant.

Before your Imbolc ritual, put a small stone over the

hole in the pot (to allow for drainage without the

dirt falling through the hole) and fill the pot with

dirt. 

During ritual, plant the seeds while "planting" your

goals. Explain to your kids that goals need nurturing

just as plants do, and that as they water and feed and

give sunlight to their plant, they will so nurture and

work for their goals. And as their plant grows, so

will the manifestation of their goals.

**************************************
CASTING A CIRCLE

  by Jenny Landon

  Rejoice my friend, for the Spring is here.
  Imbolic casts out the spirit of the old!
  For this is the start of the fresh clear tide,
  Earth lain dormant through the winter cold,
  Through the bitter storms and pain untold

  Imbolic sojourned in the underworld.
  Now heavy with child, she answers our plea
  To bless us all with the scent of the flowers
  The power of her god-child now perceived
  Ask her for her blessing. Then plant a seed

  Now it is time for Mabon to be born.
  Her waters break with the melt of the snow
  She offers him up to the circle of stones.
  Our year-god now will blossom and grow
  Like no other year that's ever been known

  A single light in the darkness, growing
  For light is the mother of a blazing heat
  A yearning awakening, a coming of age
  Now Green Man hungers for a lover and seeks
  His mother's warmth, her womb so sweet

  She takes the form of a doe to elude him
  But he pursues her, stalks her, woes her soul,
  Then hunts her down with his red eared hounds
  To implant his seed and to make her whole
  So another year may again unfold.
********************

Candlemas

This is a lovely old holiday once called Imbolc [still

is if you are a witch] but more commonly known today

as Candlemas; it is still celebrated by some

religions.  The natural significance of Candlemas is

the turning toward light; February 1 [anytime between

the 1st and the 3rd] marks the day that the darkest

six weeks of winter are past and the next six weeks

will bring more and more daylight [think of that ol'

groundhog].

Generally at this time you can find the beginnings of

life in a garden again -- even in harsh climates,

snowdrops or crocus can break through.  There may also

be a thaw or slight breeze that whispers spring --

just enough to wake you up from the sleepy, slow time

of winter.

Candlemas is celebrated with lots of candles, to

illuminate the darkness and welcome back returning

warmth and light.  I contend that this lovely time

points needs to be observed more often; doing so will

result in a soothing and beautiful energy in your

home.

Spell for Candlemas

After sunset, light as many candles as you can,

placing them all around the room.  Place a vase with

orange, yellow, or red flowers somewhere in the room

[this can all be done on your altar, if you have one]/

 Sit in the candlelight, breathing in the warmth,

light, and color.

Say aloud:

On this precious eve,

when the time is still winter

but spring whispers its coming,

we slowly welcome back the light of the sun.

While we finish our rest and the

Earth prepares to wake from its cold slumber,

we turn to the sky and see

the fire of the sun growing in power.

As this magic time of darkness recedes and we sit

with the joy of stillness,

may the warmth of these flames

enkindle joy and hope in the hearts of all beings

that the healing of winter is nearing its end,

the life of the garden

is creeping quietly back to life.

The glow of our candles welcomes back the light

So mote it be.

Enjoy the candle light!

***************************

Ritual for Imbolc

<touch head> Gaia 

<Touch groin> Aphrodite 

<touch left shoulder> Hera 

<Touch Right Shoulder> Demeter 

<put hands together> Athena 

<face East put arms out to reach for each side>

"Before me, Zeus, Behind me Poseidon, on my right hand

Apollo, on my left hand Hades, for about flames the

olympic fire, and in the column shines the solar

light" 

<touch head> Gaia 

<Touch groin> Aphrodite 

<touch left shoulder> Hera 

<Touch Right Shoulder> Demeter 

<put hands together> Athena

I developed this ritual for a friend who needed a

banishing ritual to clear her space, but the old

stanby LBRP did not fit her beliefs (She works

exclusively with the Greek Gods).

Silver Knight
*********************
IMBOLC (February 2)


A symbol of the season, such as a representation of a snow flake, a
white flower, or perhaps some snow in a crystal container can be
placed on the altar. An orange candle anointed with musk, cinnamon,
frankincense or rosemary oil, unlit, should also be there. Snow can
be melted and used for the water during the circle casting.


--------------------
Scott Cunningham
A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner



Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle
of Stones.

Recite the Blessing Chant.

Invoke the Goddess and God.

Say such words as the following:


This is the time of the feast of torches,
when every lamp blazes and shines
to welcome the rebirth of the God.
I celebrate the Goddess,
I celebrate the God;
all Earth celebrates
Beneath its mantle of sleep.

Light the orange taper from the red candle on the altar (or at the
Southern point of the circle). Slowly walk the circle clockwise,
bearing the candle before you. Say these or similar words:

All the land is wrapped in winter.
The air is chilled and frost envelops the Earth.
But Lord of the Sun,
Horned One of animals and wild places,
unseen you have been reborn of the gracious Mother Goddess,
Lady of all fertility.
Hail Great God!
Hail and welcome!

Stop before the altar, holding aloft the candle. Gaze at its flame.
Visualize your life blossoming with creativity, with renewed energy
and strength. If you need to look into the future or past, now is an
ideal time.

Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.

Celebrate the Simple Feast.

The circle is released.


--------------------\


IMBOLC LORE

It is traditional upon Imbolc, at sunset or just after ritual, to
light every lamp in the house if only for a few moments. Or, light
candles in each room in honor of the Sun's rebirth. Alternately,
light a kerosene lamp with a red chimney and place this in a
prominent part of the home or in a window.

If snow lies on the ground outside, walk in it for a moment,
recalling the warmth of summer. With your projective hand, trace an
image of the Sun on the snow.

Foods appropriate to eat on this day include those from the dairy,
since Imbolc marks the festival of calving. Sour cream dishes are
fine. Spicy and full bodied foods in honor of the Sun are equally
attuned. Curries and all dishes made with peppers, onions, leeks,
shallots, garlic or chives are appropriate. Spiced wines and dishes
containing raisins all foods symbolic of the Sun are also
traditional.
*********************
Imbolc Ritual

from Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A guide for the solitary Practioner

http://thecronescottage.tripod.com/thecottagejanuaryimbolc2002/id11.html

A symbol of the season, such as a representation of a snowflake, a white flower or perhaps some snow in a crystal container can be placed on the altar. An orange candle anointed with musk, cinnamon, frankincense or rosemary oil, unlit, should also be there. Snow can be melted and used for the water during the circle casting.

Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones.
Recite the Blessing Chant
Invoke the Goddess and God
Say such words as the following…

This is the time of the feast of torches.
When every lamp blazes and shines
To welcome the rebirth of the God
I celebrate the Goddess
I celebrate the God
All the Earth celebrates
Beneath its mantle of sleep

Light the orange taper from the red candle on the altar (or at the Southern point of the circle) Slowly walk the circle clockwise, bearing the candle before you. Say these or similar words…

All the land is wrapped in winter
The air is chilled and
Frost envelops the Earth
But Lord of the Sun
Horned one of animals and wild places
Unseen you have been reborn
Of the gracious Mother Goddess
Lady of all fertility
Hail great God
Hail and welcome

Stop before the altar, holding aloft the candle. Gaze at the flame. Visualize your life blossoming with creativity, with renewed energy and strength.
If you need to look in the future or past, now is the ideal time
Works of magic, if necessary, may follow
Celebrate the simple feast
The circle is released

Brighid’s Fires Burn High
by Miriam Harline

Imbolc is a white time, a time of ice and fire. In many places, snow still sheets the ground. The fire is traditional: Europe observes this day, February 2, the Christian Candlemas, with candlelight processions, parades that go back to ancient torchlight ceremonies for purifying and reviving the fields at early sowing, according to Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. At Candlemas, the people of ancient Europe made candles for the coming year, having saved the fat from meat eaten through the winter. Mexico, too, observes February 2, the Aztec New Year, with renewed fires and a festival that echoes agricultural rituals of early spring. At Imbolc, the earth begins to wake from winter sleep. As Starhawk writes in The Spiral Dance, at Imbolc "what was born at the Solstice begins to manifest, and we who were midwives to the infant year now see the Child Sun grow strong as the days grow visibly longer." At night the Wild Moon shines, illuminating the earth's initial quickening. Seeds sown in autumn begin to stir; nature is potential waiting to be fulfilled. The Goddess too is changing: from crone to maiden, from winter to spring.

To Banish Winter

In The Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life, Pauline Campanelli writes, "Now is the time for the banishing of Winter. On the first night of February, the eve of Imbolc, gather together all of the greens that adorned the house throughout the Yuletide season, including a branch or two of the fir tree that was hung with holiday ornaments. Then, as a part of the Imbolc Sabbat rite, add these greens to the Sabbat Fire (a little at a time, and carefully, because by now they are hazardously dry), dancing and chanting all the while with words like:

"Now we banish Winter!

"Now we welcome Spring!"

Of Brighid and Her Realms

Today's witches take many of their Imbolc associations from pagan Ireland. There, Imbolc belonged to the goddess Brighid or Bride (either is pronounced Breed), mother of poetry, smithcraft and healing.

In their Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom, Caitlin and John Matthews quote the tenth century Cormac's Glossary: Brighid is "a poetess.. the female sage, woman of wisdom, or Brighid the Goddess whom poets venerated because very great and famous for her protecting care." Cormac's Glossary gives Brighid the poetess two sisters, Brighid the smith and Brighid the "female physician"; Brighid thus occurs threefold, called by the Celts the Three Blessed Ladies.

The three Brighids multiply, to three times three: Caitlin and John Matthews call Brighid "a being who has nine separate spiritual appearances and blessings, which are ubiquitously invoked through Celtic lore." Hers are the "nine gifts of the cauldron" mentioned in Amergin's "Song of the Three Cauldrons": poetry, reflection, meditation, lore, research, great knowledge, intelligence, understanding and wisdom. The Christianized St. Bridget had nine priestesses, the "Ingheau Anndagha," or Daughters of the Flame, who lived inside her shrine and tended her fire, whom no man could look upon, according to Kisma K. Stepanich in Faery Wicca, Book One. Brighid is also a midwife and protector, a war-goddess and a teacher of the arts of battle.

Celtic lore makes Brighid the daughter of the Dagda, the Good God, and marries her to Bres of the Fomors, by whom she bears a son Ruadan. But, as Janet and Stewart Farrar write in The Witches' Goddess, "The fact that Dana, though goddess/ancestress of the Tuatha, is sometimes referred to (like Brighid) as the Dagda's daughter; the hints... that the Dagda was originally the son of this primordial goddess, then her husband, then her father; the dynastic marriage between Brighid and Bres - all these reflect a long process of integration of the pantheons of neighboring tribes, or of conquerors and conquered, and also of patriarchalization." Like many goddesses, Brighid probably once birthed the god later called her father. Brighid's name can be derived from the Gaelic "breo-aigit" or "fiery arrow," but the Matthewses prefer a derivation from Sanskrit, "Brahti," or "high one."

The entire Celtic world worshipped Brighid. She was Brigantia in Britain, the patron goddess of the tribe of the Brigantines in northern England and of the Brigindo in eastern France, Stepanich says. The Celts continued to worship her in Christian times as St. Ffaid in Wales, St. Bride in Scotland and St. Bridget or Bride in Ireland. St. Bridget was said to be the midwife and foster mother of Christ, the helper and friend of Mary.

Making Bride's Bed

Long before she befriended the Mother of God, Brighid was the Mother herself, her agricultural roots going back to the Neolithic. Campanelli describes an Imbolc ritual for creating Bride's bed, drawn from ancient rituals in which harvesters at the Autumn Equinox would bring the last sheaf of wheat or other grain into the house, believing the Goddess of the Grain lived within. The harvesters often made this last sheaf into a woman's shape, the Corn Bride or Maiden, dressing her in white.

If you have autumn harvest left, say a sheaf of Indian corn, as part of your Imbolc ritual you can create a Bride's bed. Dress her in white and decorate her as you like, then place her in a basket or on a square of white cloth. Across her, lay a priapic wand - an acorn-tipped wand of oak - twined with ribbon, so that wand and bride form an X. Then place lit candles to either side, and chant to her something like, "Blessed be the Corn Bride! Blessed be the Great Mother!" At the height of the chant, extinguish the candles. Then, at sunrise the next morning, place the bride without her dress on your front door. There she forms an amulet of prosperity, fertility and protection, which can remain till after Samhain. Campanelli suggests you return her to earth before Yule, perhaps scattering her in the fields for birds.

Brighid the Midwife

Brighid is midwife as well as harvest mother. As late as 100 years ago in the west Scottish Highlands, the Matthewses write, the midwife traditionally blessed a newborn with fire and water in Brighid's name. She passed the child across the fire three times, carried the baby around the fire three times deosil, then performed "the midwife's baptism" with water, saying:

A small wave for your form

A small wave for your voice

A small wave for your speech

A small wave for your means

A small wave for your generosity

A small wave for your appetite

A small wave for your wealth

A small wave for your life

A small wave for your health

Nine waves of grace upon you,

Waves of the Giver of Health.

Brighid also protects and heals adults. She is a goddess of healing wells and streams; in her honor, Bridewell is one of the two most common well-names in Ireland, the other being St. Anne's Well, remembering Anu, or Dana, the mother of the gods - a goddess sometimes conflated with Brighid. With Aengus Og, Brighid performs the role of soul-guardian, wrapping worshippers in her mantle of protection.

Making a "caim"

To protect themselves in Brighid's name, the traditional Irish would recite a "caim," the Matthewses write; "caim" means "loop" or "bend," thus a protective circle. A caim would always name Brighid and the beings, household or body-parts to be protected.

Traditionally, you place a caim by stretching out your right forefinger and keeping that finger pointed toward the subject while walking about the subject deosil, reciting the caim. You can also say a caim for yourself. A caim can be made in all seasons and circumstances; it traditionally encircles people, houses, animals or the household fire. The Matthewses write:

"As her family prepared to sleep, the Gaelic mother would breathe these words (the caim) over the fire as she banked it in for the night.... As she said this, she would spread the embers into a circle, and divide it into three equal heaps with a central heap. To make the holy name of the foster mother (Brighid), she placed three turfs of peat between the three heaps, each one touching the center, and covered it all with ash. Such smooring customs and invocations are still performed in the West of Ireland. And so the protection of Brighid is wrapped about the house and its occupants."

Augury in Brighid's Name

Brighid is also a seer; the Matthewses describe her as "the central figure of the Celtic vision world." She presided over a special type of augury, called a "frith," performed on the first Monday in a year's quarter to predict what that quarter would bring. The ancient Celts divided the year by Imbolc, Beltaine, Lughnasad, and Samhain, so the first Monday after Imbolc is appropriate for frithing.

To perform a frith, a traditional frithir would first fast. Then, at sunrise, barefoot and bareheaded, the frithir would say prayers to the Virgin Mary and St. Bridget and walk deosil around the household fire three times. Then with closed or blindfolded eyes, the frithir went to the house door's threshold, placed a hand on either jamb and said additional prayers asking that the specific question about the coming quarter be answered. Then the frithir opened his or her eyes and looked steadfastly ahead, noting everything seen.

Frithing signs can be "rathadach" (lucky) or "rosadach" (unlucky). A man or beast getting up means improving health, lying down ill health or death. A cock coming toward the frithir brings luck, a duck safety for sailors, a raven death. About the significance of horses, a rhyme survives: "A white horse for land, a gray horse for sea, a bay horse for burial, a brown horse for sorrow." The role of frithir passed down from generation to generation; according to the Matthewses, the name survives in the surname Freer, "held to be the title of the astrologers of the kings of Scotland."

To perform a pagan version of frithing, fast the Sunday night before the first Monday after Imbolc and that night formulate your chief question about the coming three months. Monday morning at sunrise, say a prayer to Brighid and barefoot and bareheaded walk deosil around whatever seems the central fire of your house - maybe your kitchen stove, or if you're not a cook your fireplace or heater. Then go to your doorway, put your hands to either side, and closing your eyes pray your question be answered. Then open your eyes, and note the first action you see. That action probably won't be found in the traditional frithir's lexicon, so the interpretation is up to you.

In another frithing technique, you curl the palms to form a "seeing-tube"; frithirs used such a tube to discover lost people or animals and to divine the health of someone absent. Frithirs also sometimes used divinatory stones; the Matthewses describe a "little stone of the quests" made of red quartz.

Imbolc Spells and Workings

Whether or not you try frithing, Imbolc is good for psychic work: still the dark time of the year, but looking toward spring. It's also a good time to make your space hospitable for such work, banishing old energy to clear the way for new. Traditionally, witches purify themselves and their space at Imbolc. Any kind of cleansing or banishing will do, but consider ones that include fire and water, sacred to Brighid. Once purified, you're ready to go further; at Imbolc, covens initiate new witches.

The spark of summer dances in the future now; Imbolc is a good time to seek inspiration, especially for healers and smiths of words or metal. To do so, try the following spell.

Bring to your ritual space a cauldron or chalice filled with earth or sand; a white, silver, green, purple or rainbow-colored candle; a candleholder; oil to anoint the candle; paper; and a pen you like or with appropriately colored ink. Ground and center, cast a circle and ask for Brighid's presence. Then anoint your candle in Brighid's name, and lighting it write on the paper the aspects of your work in which you want inspiration. When you're done, raise energy and put it into the paper, then light the paper with the candle flame. Drop the burning paper into the cauldron, making sure the entire paper is blackened. Then thank Brighid and bid her farewell, and take down your circle.

The next day, relight the candle and by its light rub some significant tools of your work with the ashes. Then either sprinkle the remaining ashes onto your garden or houseplants or drop them in a park in a place that feels inspiring or pleasant.

Imbolc is a white time, burning with inspiration and protection, cool with healing and purification. Prophesy flares, painting luster on the dark. Light your candle, call on Brighid, and know that under the snow the seeds of spring stir.
*********************
Personal Imbolg (Imbolc) Ritual

from Starcrafts Magazine

Author: Kathryn Campbell
 
Cover your altar with a white cloth. Set eight (8) white candles (in silver,
pewter or crystal candleholders) in a circle on your altar. In the middle of
the circle of candles place a vase of white flowers (carnations are good).
Dress all in white.

Stand before your altar and begin to breath deep, attuning to the energies of
the season. Connect with the "quickening" of the earth. Feel the first
stirrings of life within the Earth Mother's body. Feel the quickening in your
own belly, the stirrings of your own power of creation. Focus on what you
want to create in your life. Visualize clearly. See what your creation looks
like, feel proud. Now look at what is blocking your creation from
manifesting. Acknowledge this blockage. Reach deep within and connect to your
power to banish any blockages to your goal. When you feel the connection to
your personal power, begin to light the candles. As you light each candle,
feel the presence of the young God as he lights your way to a new beginning.

Once the candles are lit, gaze upon the circle of light you have created.
Chant,

Maiden weave your circle white
Weave a web of glowing light
Stag and Wolf, Field and flower
Bind me to you

Continue the chant until you feel the energy of the Maiden fill you with
inspiration and creativity. Feel the blockages being removed by the Maiden's
glowing light of love. Replace those blockages with growth as the seeds of
your creation begin to stir from their dark sleep.

Allow the candles to burn out. Keep the flowers as an offering to the Maiden
for her inspiration.
***************************************************