Imbolc - Traditions & Practices
By Rev. Thomas- Merry Meet and welcome!
Imbolc is coming up fast and it's time to celebrate The Turning of the Wheel. If you are raising your children in a Pagan Religion, marking the holidays together is a great opportunity to have fun, establish meaningful Family Traditions and teach your children about our Paths.
When it come to our little witchlings, you don't have to do any heavy, ritualized activities. Expecting kids under 12 to sit obediently in the Circle around an Altar for a formal Ritual doesn't really bring any meaning or joy to their Sabbat. While it's great to set up a Family Altar and take some time out for a Prayer or Offering, until they are a bit older and can grasp the significance of what we do in the Craft and our Spirituality, the best way to celebrate the holidays with them is with activities. We will touch on these later in this lesson.
Imbolc is a holiday centered on the household, but it can easily be turned into a Coven, Grove, Circle or community celebration as well. Below are some customs that have a long history with this sacred holiday. Feel free to modify them to match your needs and the particulars of your family and others. I am going to start off with the more traditional lore and wor my way more modern and I will help with pronounciations to the best of my abilities. That being said and without further delay lets begin shall we?
For the ancient Celts and Druids Imbolc, was a time to celebrate.
The First of February belongs to Brigid, a.k.a. Brighid, Brigit, Bride, St. Bridgit to the Christians etc. The Celtic Goddess of Fire and the hearth, who in later times became a Christian Saint to help with ridding of the old Gods and Spread Chritianity. Originally, Brigid's festival on February 1 was known as Imbolc pronounced "IM-bulk" or "EM-bowlk" or also called Oimealg, pronounced "IM-mol'g," two names which refer to the lactation of the ewes, the flow of milk that heralds the return of the life giving forces of spring. Later the Catholic Church replaced this festival with Candlemas Day on February 2, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and features candlelight processions. Funny how they just kept intergrating our beliefs and practices into thier forced conversion isnt it? The powerful Goddess Brigid the Light-Bearer oversees both Pagan and Christian celebrations.
Traditionally Imbolc is a Fire festival, and the hearth has long been the focus of the season.
If you're lucky enough to have a fireplace, you may wish to make a small altar on the mantle or above the fireplace dedicated to your Hearth Goddess or household Guardian Spirits. If you don't have a fireplace, consider your stove a modern form of a hearth as It serves the same purpose really in these modern timesfor cooking and im sure there are more than a few reading this that have even used thier over for heat on occasion I know i have. Now Make a mixture of olive oil and other essential oils and use it to bless and consecrate the hearth. Dip your fingers into it and draw symbols of blessing on the hearth stone or oven such as the Triskel for example. You may also wish to make a Charm or Talisman to bring Blessings to your home and place it above the stove, or place it on your mantle. It doesn't have to be large, and it doesn't even have to be big or flashy saying hey check me out im a Pagan! saddly a vast majority of us still live in fear of persecution for our beliefs. If you are trying to protect your beliefs from peeping neighbors or judgmental Family members having symbolism of our Faiths can be as simple as a refrigerator magnet with a Sun image, the ultimate Fire symbol, regardless of gender association, would serve the purpose and no one will know as to the Pagan meaning behind it but you so be creative.
When all is prepared, and the table is set, Invoke The God and Goddess with food and libation and welcome Them into your homes. Food and drink associated with Imbolc: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, poppyseed cakes, muffins, scones, breads, all dairy products, peppers, onions, garlic, raisins, spiced wines and herbal teas, chives, curries, honey, and lamb.
The following is a short list of Traditional things to do at Imbolc:
The Eve of Imbolc is the best time of the year to perform divinations specifically pertaining to the future welfare and prosperity your family. So dust off the Tarot, shake up them runes, and get out the Pendulums for this is one of the best nights of the year for this type of magickal workings. Now is also a good time to Make herbal salves, teas, or other healing items if you are able to do so.
This is the time of year to give your home a thorough cleaning in preparation for a visit from Brigid. This is where the term spring cleaning came from im pretty sure. If you happen to have a fireplace, it especially should be cleaned very well. As a part of the magical purification of the house a birch branch should be used to symbolically sweep the floors. Birch has strong associations with Brigid, and has long been used for rites of purification and new beginnings. So grab the besom and get to work sweeping out the old to bring in the new! All of this work should be completed prior to the eve of Imbolc, when a small dish of butter should be placed on a windowsill and a fresh fire kindled in the hearth or a candle lit in honor of our Goddess of Fire Brigid.
Blessing of seeds Imbolc is also the time of Blessing of the seeds and consecration of agricultural tools. It marks the center point of the dark half of the year. Try Blessing your seeds, seedlings and bedding plants before you plant them and don’t forget to Bless and thank the Earth where you will be planting. This simple practice can transform your garden from the mundane to the magickal even if your garden isn’t intended for magickal use.
Here is a good blessing that i have use many times for my gardens seeds and starters What you need: #1 Packets of Seeds whatever you intend to plant. #2 Shrine/Altar or any flat clean surface dedicated to The God and Goddess. #3 Red, Orange or Yellow candle to represent the sun, White of course is acceptable with some sort of holder so as to catch the wax and to keep the candle in place.
And now for the Blessing Ritual: Now you are going to want to consentrate on your intent which is for the God and Goddess to bless and empower the seeds for growth and abundance at harvest. First you will want to state the intent of the candle and say a dedication prayer to the God as you focus you energy and intent upon the candle. You may use this prayer or what ever fits you best, "This candle represents the Sun. The Sun gives us warmth and light which brings forth life, Great Lord! bless and empower this light with your energies." So Mote it Be!
Now you will light the candle. Next you take the packets of seeds and spread them around the candle on the Altar. Remember Fire safety! ' As you are placeing the seeds around the candle, dedicate the seeds to the Goddess. You may use this prayer or whatever fits you best, "Oh Great Goddess, Mother Earth, from your fertile womb springs forth life, I dedicate these seeds to you so that you may empower them with your energies and blessings, help me to nurture these seeds so that they may grow and bring forth a bountiful harvest for your children animal and human alike." So Mote it Be!
Leave the seeds on the altar and let the candle burn out or if you are on a budget, as alot of us are, let it burn for at least 10 minutes after the blessing is done then take and bury the wax that has dripped in your garden plot. When the time is right plant your seeds and tend your garden as you normaly would.
If you have a Brigid's cross, you might bless it and hang it over the hearth. It's a good time to honor any hearth Goddess, though, such as Hestia of the Greek Pantheon or Vesta of the Roman Pantheon. If you want, you can even set up a mini hearth altar to honor your hearth Goddess. You can get a small cutting board at the dollar store and use it for an Altar and keep it on the center of the stove, of course though when you are cooking set it aside on the counter next to the stove. place upon it a small incense cone burner, a very small finger bowl for offerings, and a red votive candle in a holder. Light these to honor The Goddess, particularly when cooking Sabbat meals. Always give her the "first bite" in her offering bowl of any meal you cook and you can easily honor Her year round, reaping her many blessings. On the Eve of Imbolc, a Family, Coven, Grove or community feast should be held.
Brigids crosses This is the most widely practiced custom associated with Imbolc. For the best results, the straw should be soaked in water prior to Weaving. Pan of that evening should be devoted to making Brigit's Crosses. These are weavings of straw that can be as simple as a few strands or amazingly elaborate. Most folks are familiar with the three or four-armed variety but there is a great number of different regional patterns including what most people in America would know as a "God's Eye" pattern woven around two sticks. At the end of the evening each person should take their cross home, sprinkle it with a bit of sacred water and say a prayer to Brigid for blessing and protection of the home and family members. Old crosses from previous years should be moved to the rafters or attic of your home, and the new crosses hung in their place the mantle if you have a fire place and overall if possible the entryways of your home. Crosses that were woven by the children should be hung on the wall over their beds, and if you happen to have a barn or out-building you should hang one there as well. They are especially effective in protecting the household from fire and lightening. Throughout the year, the crosses may be taken down temporarily when a Brigid blessing is needed: the a healing of a sick child, tucking between the mattresses to assist in conception or placed upon seeds being carried out to the garden for planting.
Keep an eye out for for the last lesson in the Imbolc series Lesson #4 A Step By Step Guide To Weaving A Brigid's Cross! COMING SOON!
Blessing of The Brat Brid- Pronounced (BRAHT BREE) During the day on Imbolc Eve, the woman of the house or the women of the grove, coven or community, should take a small piece of cloth, larger pieces if it is for the multiple people or the community and lay them out on bush's outside. During the night, as The Goddess roams to bless the houses of her followers, she will pass by, touching and blessing the cloth. Collect the cloth in the morning and tear or cut it into small pieces. These pieces of cloth, individually called a Brat Brid , should be given out among the children and females of the household. The Brat Brid will give them protection throughout the year where ever they go. These pieces of cloth may be sewn into the clothes or jackets of the children to insure that it won't be lost.
In more modern times it is practiced that on Imbolc Eve each family member leaves one item of clothing outside for Brigid to bless. In the morning the clothing is brought back inside, with Brigid's blessing of healing and protection
Blessing of the Bratach Brid Pronounced-(BRAH-TOCK BREE) The Bratach Brid is a large piece of cloth, such as a shawl that Brigit will bless in the same fashion as the Brat Brid. Instead of being torn into pieces the next day this cloth should be kept as a sacred relic and charged repeatedly year after year. The Bratach Brid can become quite powerful over time and is said to be used to help insure safe childbirth and to cure sterility by placing it over the patient and asking for Brigit's help. It was once fairly standard equipment for country midwives in Ireland. In addition to being used for human mothers during childbirth it was also spread across the back of birthing cows to ensure the health of the calves and an abundant supply of milk.
In closing I want to say that there are many different ways of observing our Sabbats and Honoring and working with our respective Gods and Goddesses. Do your reasearch and see what works best for you. I also want to encourage you to celebrate and honor our heritage with those you love and our younger generations they are our future in more ways than one Brothers and Sisters. We are a great and caring people us Pagans and by keeping the old ways alive we ourselves nurture the future of our Mother Earth, our children and Paganisim! So Mote it Be! Imbolc Blessings to you all!
Thank you for reading! We hope that you found this lesson informative, as always you can contact us here or on FB @ facebook.com/triplemoonministries if you have any questions or comments.
Text is by Rev. Thomas and from Triple Moons Divinwolff Tradition 1st Degree Course with some background credit going to Llewellyn Worldwide
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