Imbolc

Imbolc is celebrated in the beginning of February, generally around the 2nd. Bulbs will soon start to peek out of the ground. We know that process is beginning underground but even here in California we can't see them yet.

Imbolc means either sheeps's womb or milk (depending on what reference you're reading.) This holiday is a fire holiday, one of the high Holy Days in Wicca. When the Catholic Church made its move into the lands that observed this holiday, they knew that to outlaw them completely would alienate the masses and be counter productive. So with this Holy Day as with all the Wiccan Holy Days, they overlay it with a celebration of their own--Candlemas. It's still practiced in many cultures today.

It was around this time, too that the Romans used to celebrate their love rituals with Lupercalia. Around February 15, the young women would put their names into a pool to be picked by one of the young and they would spend the day together in celebration of passion and love. The Christian Church felt compelled to overlay this holiday with one watched over by a celibate Bishop Valentine, but that is a topic for another day.

Samhain, which is All Hallow's Eve or November Eve, is the celebration of the Veil between the worlds. It's the time we celebrate those who have passed on. Winter Solstice, in December, is a time of Spirit, in between lives. It's airy, full of Grace, when the Spirit is in the OtherWorld. We see the hint of the spark of return of life as the solstice celebrates the extremes of the dark, but the next day begins the journey, the rebirth of the Sun.

For me, Imbolc is the time of the spark of life returning but not evident yet. It's pregnant with possibilities, a beautiful time to let go of the old then bring in the new intentions for the cycle of this year. Some of the things I most love to do at this Celebration:

We are indoors, dressed in white and red with a fire burning in fireplace or woodstove. Each of us brings a large altar candle.

After grounding, calling in the SpiritGuides, the Elements of the Directions, Air, Water, Fire and Earth we connect our energies together. A prayer is offered. Then we sit in meditation and ask our Higher Selves what it is that we wish to let go of today. We write these down on small pieces of paper.

Drums start as we gather in a circle around the fire. Each woman, one by one, goes to the fire, says what it is she wants to let go of distilled into one word and does whatever her body wants to do to get it out of her. Some stand in silence, some dance, some scream and shake it out. As she does her thing, the rest of the women chant:

"Put___________in the fire, it will take you higher and higher."

This time we ask spirit what it is we want to invite in and we ask for a symbol that will signify that for us. When we come up and out of the meditation, we take special Sacred Candle Decorating Wax* stuff (wink wink) and put the symbols on our candle. After all or most** have finished we share what came to us in meditation and show our candle. We then light it.

We put these candles on our altars at home. We light them whenever we feel moved to reconnect ourselves to each other and our intention.

Each celebration,the candles come back to be on the main altar and our intentions are honored at each step of their manifestation. hands, feeling each other. And we sing a song:
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May the Circle be open, but unbroken

May the Love of Spirit be ever in our hearts

Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.***

We close the ceremony with a meal that has lots of red food and chocolate.

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*actually this stuff is a toy from a wonderful kid's catalogue called Hearthsong. It's really thin wax that softens from the heat in your hands and adheres to your candle.
**the really slow folk get to take some of the Sacred Candle Decorating Wax home with them to complete their project.
***Most people sing "Goddess" instead of "Spirit," but like I said I do things the way they feel right for me. The Merry meet...etc, line means "We come together happy, we leave happy, we come back again happy." At least that's what it means to me.....heheheheheh....

Art and Photo credits:

Imbolc painting from Crystal Wolfe Blends
'The Elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water' by Susan Point; print can be purchased here.

Candle Decorating Wax and candles from Hearthsong, as linked above.