Imbolc

Holy Water Sacred Flame
Brigid we invoke your name
Bless my hands, my head, my heart
Source of healing, song, and art.

Imbolc Blessings my friends! The essence of Imbolc in the world is unfolding before us. It is time for healing and renewal!

 For my non-pagan friends - In Celtic traditions the fire festival of Imbolc is celebrated within the first few days in February. Some more learned than me, who use the astronomical side, pinpoint Imbolc as the exact halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, which in 2024, falls on the 4th of February. But I think it’s important to understand that Imbolc is not confined to a date on the calendar - it's a whole season of renewal, and it's happening all around us.

 In Celtic mythology, the season of Imbolc belongs to the Goddess Brigit, who is many things to many people. Some view her as an individual, a deity, some as an energy that spans more than individual. Historically, Brigit is the goddess of the hearth, a protector of wells and springs. She is a goddess of poetry, healing, seership and smithcraft, a guardian of nature. She is a midwife on both the birth and death thresholds, a keeper of the fire, and of bees. On Imbolc eve, she is invoked with offerings of foods such as milk, butter, and honey, which are shared within families and communities, and offered as gifts to her. My Pagan tribe at Earth Traditions lights candles, the fire of her forge helps us to clear energetically from the past, to make way for new growth and new beginnings.

 Imbolc means, ‘in the belly’ referring to the pregnancy of the ewes, and the heralding of the lambing which is announced when the ewes’ milk begins to flow and udders fill. Less visible is the seed in the Earth as it begins to unfurl, the quickening which is the first fluttering of the unborn - a gradual awakening. In many households, Pagans new and old, tend the ‘sacred fire’ day and night to help warm their homes through the last days of winter, to honor the lengthening days, and encourage the warming sun.

 Today, my house is clean, household alters refreshed, fresh candles set, and an offering of milk, butter, and honey prepared. I spent much needed time with a Beloved Sister-friend with whom I shared a trip to Ireland some years ago. Tonight, I will light a candle from Brigit’s eternal flame, collected in Kildare, and place a mantle outside as well as some new candles for use in sacred practice through the year, to receive a blessing of peace, clarity, and prosperity.

 Whether you work with deity or not, the essence of Imbolc and of Brigit can still be felt in the northern hemisphere, and when we are in the midst of a swirling like that it pays to be aware, to take what is intangible and make it tangible – with our thoughts and actions. The act of lighting a candle or putting out food can shift us enough to get a fresh sense of renewal, just as anything else we do to mark a change. Try it! And over the next few days, may you also receive a blessing as she passes by.