Imbolg ~ February 2nd

Here in the northern hemisphere, most of us are still in the grips of winter. For our ancestors, snow covered the earth, the nights were still long, and the festivities surrounding Yule and the Solstice are long since past. Food supplies were beginning to dwindle and become moldy and the promise of spring seemed far away. Yet with all this, they still celebrated. In the cold darkness, they found reason for hope, thus creating a holy day, a festival, a feast.

Imbolg became an important festival to the Celts who were pastoral herders. Imbolg (pronounced em-bowl/g) means 'in the belly' and refers specifically to the pregnant sheep and more broadly to Mother Earth who is beginning to show signs of life. Another name for this holiday was Oimelc which means 'ewe's milk', an important life sustaining beverage for the family. Because it was so important, an offering of ewe's milk would often be left overnight for the God/dess as a libation to encourage bounty.

Imbolg is also considered a great fire festival with the emphasis on the light of the fire rather than on the heat it gives. The sun's light is noticeably with us longer each day and is our assurance that the Wheel is turning and that spring and summer will return.

Other traditions observed during Imbolg are meditation and divinations to determine what a person should focus on magickally or spiritually for the year, writing poetry or weaving (crocheting for me) in honor of Brigit, rituals to ask Brigit or another personal diety for inspiration, or simply rituals of gratitude for the growing light. In many Wiccan traditions, Imbolg is also a time for initiation.

Imbolg is about the first signs of spring, the promise of returning life, about sunlight and ripening and the growing conviction that the community will survive another year. Perhaps so but in my neck of the woods we're expecting up to 13 inches of snow with wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles an hour over the next two days. Spring may be on its way, but it sure is taking its damn time about it!

Have a blessed Imbolg!

The Goddess Brigit

With January fast approaching it's end, it's time to look forward to the month of February and all that it brings. There's Candlemas/Imbolg on February 2nd (which is also my dad's birthday), Valentine's Day (I'll post a separate post for that) there's Lupercalia, The Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece, Brigit's Eve, The Feast Day of Saint Brigid, festivals of the British Isles and the Norse, and so many others.

February 1st is the feast day of Brigit (pronounced 'Bree-id). She is a singular goddess made up of contradictions; a goddess of fire and water, of will and compassion, intensely focused on her mission of protection and care for her people, a healer who is also a warrior, a humble milkmaid who commands miracles, and a goddess of fertility.

Brigit is one of the great goddesses (along with Isis, Ishtar, Hera and Freya) who has been with us for hundreds of thousands of years. Her legends were handed down through the generations in an oral tradition that was eroded and then assimilated into the new faith of Christianity. Despite the fact that she was a diety so high and sacred, hardly any of her mythology was recorded.

Brigit is often depicted as a triple goddess. In her solitary form she carries a spear and an orb or globe. Sometimes she is seen wearing a green mantle, which may be a sign of her connection with Faery Folk. In folklore, Brigit means 'fiery arrow', 'bright arrow', or 'the bright one'. 'Fiery arrow' has become a fitting image for Brigit since it conveys the idea of the bright flame that has come to be associated with her, along with a sense of her directness, her ability to get straight to the point and the force of her energy.

As a healer, Brigit taught leechcraft and the properties of healing herbs, and was patroness of dozens of sacred springs and wells said to have healing properties. Many of these springs and wells are still visited today. Sunlight and water were considered to be especially effective in curing ailments of the eyes, which was one of the goddess' specialities. Along with her mantle, any fabric blessed by her was said to have healing effects. She was the first goddess to master the art of weaving, and into the cloth she placed healing threads that still exercise their healing powers centuries later.

Brigit is also seen as a fire goddess, a fertility and birth goddess, a smith, a poet and a warrior. She is one of the Great Goddesses of Life and Death. She was goddess of agriculture and household arts such as weaving, dyeing and making beer. She is also credited with inventing whistling as a way to signal to her friends in the darkness.

Red and white are the colors most commonly used for this holiday. White representing the snow of the departing winter and red for the hearthfire or Brigit's eternal flame. White also represents the Maiden goddess and red symbolizes the Mother. You might like to use white tablecloths for your altar with red candles, or like I have done, use a red tablecloth with candles in both red and white.

I made a corn dolly, which I posted previously, and have now laid her in the Bride's bed, thus the Crone who guarded the house during the winter is now transformed into the Maiden who awaits the God so that together they may initiate spring. I used a dowel (wand) wrapped in blue and white ribbon to represent the God, who is changing from the babe of Yule into the Youth of Ostara.

Bride's Bed Ritual

On Imbolc eve set the Bride's bed on the fireplace hearth or on your altar. Set incense in front and a white taper candle at either end of the bed. Have the wand nearby. Light the incense and the candles and say:

"Welcome the Bride turned from Mother to Maiden;
to rest and prepare for the time of the seed.
Cleansed and refreshed from the labors behind her;
with the promise of spring she lays before me."

Lay the decorated wand in the basket beside the corn dolly and say:

"How soon comes the Lord; how quickly he grows!
The season will turn; before we know."

Let the candles burn for a while, then snuff them before going to bed. In the morning, check for any marks in the hearth ash or other disturbance around the dolly as indication that the God has been there, thus signaling an early spring! The dolly may be removed from the bed and kept until replaced at Lughnassadh by a new dolly, then the wheat may be scattered as an offering outdoors.

Brigit's Cross is another familiar symbol and was most likely a sun emblem. It may also have represented the four quarters of the year. I made one using white pipe cleaners and tied the ends together with white ribbon. You can also make them in red or a combination of both. Traditionally, Brigit's crosses are made out of reeds, but being I live in the frozen north, pipe cleaners are the way to go. I may harvest some reeds this summer and make the crosses up ahead of time, so that they're ready and available next year.

Now is a good time to start thinking about spring house cleaning and also performing a house cleansing and blessing ceremony. It's also a good time to get rid of all the old stuff that has been cluttering your home and creating negativity. Now would also be a good time to create sacred space (if you haven't done so already), create or recreate your altar and cleanse and consecrate your ritual tools.

Keep your hope alive . . . spring is just around the corner!