Collecting My Witchy Thoughts

Blessed Imbolc

Herbal Associations: angelica, basil, bay laurel, blackberry, coltsfoot, heather, violets Color Associations: white, yellow, blue, pink, green Incense Associations: basil, bay, wisteria, violet, myrrh Crystal Associations: amethyst, bloodstone, garnet, ruby, onyx, turquoise Symbols: Besoms, white flowers (esp snowdrops), candle wheels, Brigid's cross, plough

What is Imbolc? Imbolc is one of the eight sabbats on the Wheel of the Year, and is a celebration of the first signs of spring. It typically occurs on February 1st or 2nd and coincides with lambing season and the appearance of the first flowers after the end of winter.

Imbolc is associated with Brigid, a Celtic triple goddess of healing, poetry, smithing, and childbirth. She is the patron of cattle and fire, and is associated with the hearth and home. Many domestic crafts and practices can be done in her honor, including beekeeping, growing of grains such as corn, barley, or wheat, and the growing and spinning of flax.

How do I celebrate? You can celebrate Imbolc by creating a Brigid's cross - these are traditionally made with rushes, but if you don't have access to those you can use any kind of stalk or stem, or even corn husks that have been trimmed into strips.

Candles are also symbols of the holiday and are lit in order to honor the return of the sun. Traditional colors for Imbolc candles are white, yellow, and blue.

Because Imbolc is associated with farmers milking domestic animals, you can also make butter to celebrate. As long as it is washed, homemade butter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for up to a month. The buttermilk can be used to bake a loaf of soda bread or to brine chicken for frying.

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As the chill of winter begins to recede and the first signs of spring emerge, we celebrate Imbolc, also known as Brigid’s Day. This sacred festival marks the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, symbolizing hope, renewal, and the stirring of new life. Let’s explore the essence of Imbolc, how witches honor this festival, and discover rituals, spells, and traditions to celebrate the awakening of the Earth.

What is Imbolc?

Imbolc, celebrated on February 1st or 2nd, is a time of purification, light, and rebirth. It honors the goddess Brigid, who is associated with fire, healing, poetry, and fertility. Imbolc signifies the first stirrings of spring, as the Earth begins to awaken from its winter slumber.

How Do Witches Celebrate Imbolc?

Witches celebrate Imbolc by lighting candles, performing purification rituals, and welcoming the returning light. It’s a time to set intentions, cleanse the home, and prepare for the new growth of spring.

Rituals and Spells for Imbolc:

🕯️ Candle Lighting Ceremony: Light candles throughout your home to honour the returning light. As you light each candle, set intentions for the coming months.

🌿 Brigid’s Cross: Craft a Brigid’s Cross from reeds, wheat, or straw. Hang it in your home for protection and blessings throughout the year.

🔥 Fire Rituals: Perform fire rituals to invoke the energy of Brigid. Safely light a fire in your hearth or a fireproof bowl, focusing on purification and renewal.

💧 Cleansing Bath: Take a ritual bath with herbs like rosemary, lavender, and thyme to cleanse your body and spirit. Visualize releasing old energies and welcoming new beginnings.

🌱 Planting Seeds: Plant seeds indoors to symbolize new growth. As you plant, focus on the intentions you wish to cultivate in the coming months.

Imbolc and Sacred Symbols

🔥 Fire and Light: Central symbols of Imbolc, representing purification, inspiration, and the returning light. Incorporate candles, lanterns, and fires into your celebrations.

🌸 Snowdrops and Early Blooms: Symbolizing hope and the first signs of spring. Use these flowers to decorate your altar or home.

🕯️ Brigid’s Cross: A powerful symbol of protection and blessings. Craft one to honor the goddess and invite her blessings into your home.

🌿 Milk and Dairy: Traditionally associated with Imbolc, representing nourishment and fertility. Include dairy products in your Imbolc feast or offerings.

Other Imbolc Traditions

🧹 Spring Cleaning: Cleanse your home of stagnant winter energy. Open windows, sweep out old dust, and cleanse your space with smoke or essential oils.

🎨 Creative Expression: Honor Brigid, the goddess of creativity, by engaging in artistic activities like writing, painting, or crafting.

🥣 Feasting: Share a meal with loved ones, featuring dairy products, seeds, and early spring greens. Celebrate the abundance and nourishment of the Earth.

Imbolc is a time to honor the stirring of life within the Earth and within ourselves. It’s a celebration of light, hope, and new beginnings. Whether through rituals, spells, or simply appreciating the subtle signs of spring, Imbolc offers a moment to connect deeply with the cycles of nature and the promise of renewal. As we celebrate Imbolc, may the light of Brigid guide you, may your intentions flourish, and may the awakening Earth inspire your spirit.

IMBOLC (CANDLEMAS)

Clean your home and space to welcome the coming of spring.

Bake a traditional Imbolc loaf of bread or other seasonal foods.

Use the colours white and yellow in your decorations and outfits.

Light a bonfire or light candles to represent the returning light.

Plant seeds or bulbs to symbolize the rebirth of nature.

Perform a ritual to honour the coming of spring and ask for protection and blessings.

Make a Brigid's cross or other handcrafted decorations with herbs and other natural materials.

Perform a blessing of your home and surroundings with holy water or smoke cleansing.

Set up an altar or sacred space to honour the Celtic goddess Brigid, associated with Imbolc.

Make Brigid's bed, a traditional ritual of placing straw under your bed to bring fertility and growth into your life.

Connect with nature and spend time outside to honour the changing season.

OSTARA (SPRING EQUINOX)

Participate in fertility rites and rituals to celebrate the coming of spring and the planting season.

Decorate your altar or sacred space with symbols of Ostara, such as eggs, bunnies, daffodils, and pastel colours.

Perform a spring cleaning of your home and life, releasing old habits and welcoming new beginnings.

Light a fire or light candles to honour the return of lighter, longer days.

Bake a traditional honey cake or other seasonal sweets to celebrate the sweetness of spring. 

Plant seeds or herbs for new growth and prosperity.

Go for a nature walk or hike to connect with the natural world.

Participate in an egg hunt or egg rolling, traditional Ostara games 

Perform a protection spell or ritual to honour the increasing light and longer days.

Practice self-care rituals to nourish and rejuvenate your mind and body.

BELTANE (MAY EVE)

Celebrate the fertility of the earth with bonfires and rituals honouring the fire god, Belenos.

Make a maypole and decorate it with colourful ribbons.

Participate in a maypole dance, a traditional celebration of fertility and joy.

Make a wish list and tie it to a tree on Beltane eve.

Collect flowers, especially May blossom or hawthorne flowers, and make a garland or crown to wear.

Create a flower crown or wear one made of wildflowers to honour the faery folk and fertility spirits.

Perform a ritual to bless your home and land for prosperity and protection.

Jump over the Beltane bonfires, symbolizing jumping over obstacles and embracing new beginnings.

Have a picnic or gathering with friends and family to celebrate the abundance and growth of the season.

Create a sacred space or altar for Beltane, decorat with flowers, herbs, and other nature-related objects.

Perform a cleansing ritual to rid yourself of negative energy and welcome the energy of new beginnings.

Make a bouquet of wildflowers or herbs, and hang it on your front door to welcome the spirits of Beltane.

Go for a walk in the woods or a natural setting and connect with the beauty and energy of the season.

LITHA (SUMMER SOLSTICE/MIDSUMMER)

Participate in a bonfires or lighting a sacred fire, celebrating the arrival of the longest day of the year.

Collect herbs and flowers, especially ones associated with the sun, such as calendula, yarrow, and St. John's wort, and make a solstice garland.

Perform a ritual to honour the sun and ask for protection and blessings.

Dance around the bonfire or engage in other traditions associated with the Summer Solstice, such as singing and drumming.

Have a solstice feast, filled with summer bounty, seasonal foods, and family.

Celebrate in the natural world, go for a walk, or have a picnic during the longest day.

Honour the Celtic goddess Litha, associated with the Summer Solstice. 

Start summer resolutions. 

Get your hands dirty and embrace the earth. Consider planting a vegetable garden for fall harvest or add to your flower garden to mark the occasion. 

LAMMAS (LUGHNASADH)

Baking bread. 

Crafting corn dolls. 

Pick wild flowers. 

Honour the earth and the cycles of nature. 

Perform Sun magick. 

Give thanks to the spirits and/or deities for the beginning of the harvest season. 

Collect and honour the first fruits of the harvest, such as grains, corn, and apples.

Perform a ritual to honour Lugh and thank the gods and goddesses for the harvest.

Hold a harvest festival or feast, sharing the bounty of the land with family and friends.

Make a Lughnasadh altar or shrine with symbols of the harvest, such as corn, grains, and apples.

Participate in a traditional Lughnasadh celebration, such as a harvest dance or ritual.

Collect herbs and plants for healing and protection, as Lughnasadh is traditionally a time for preparing for the winter months.

MABON (AUTUMN EQUINOX/FALL HARVEST)

Celebrate the balance between light and dark, and the onset of the harvest season.

Honour the Celtic god Mabon, associated with the Autumn Equinox.

Participate in a harvest celebration, collecting and honouring the fruits of the land.

Make a corn dolly or a straw figure as a reminder of the abundance of the harvest.

Perform a ritual to honour the balance of the seasons and thank the gods and goddesses for their blessings.

Spend time writing in your journal. You could reminisce about your summer experiences, reflect on the shifts you feel with the changing season, contemplate what you're ready to release, or express gratitude for the blessings in your life.

Participate in a nature walk or ceremony, taking time to connect with the natural world and the turning of the seasons.

Enjoy your favourite fall beverages. 

Make a gratitude list or write a gratitude letter, expressing your appreciation for the abundance and beauty of the harvest season.

Connect with nature. 

Bring the beauty of fall indoors by decorating your home with seasonal touches. 

Performing a gratitude or release ritual. 

SAMHAIN (ALL HALLOWS/FINAL HARVEST)

Carving pumpkins with friends. 

Relax and watch some horror movies. 

Treat yourself to sweets. 

Participate in a haunted house, hayride, or corn maze event.

Declutter/organize your home. 

Focus on letting go to make space for the new year. 

Collecting leaves. 

Bake treats that contain pumpkin. 

Creating a spooky, atmospheric decor for your home or workspace, such as cobwebs, faux spiders, and other creepy décor items.

Gathering friends and loved ones for a Samhain feast, feasting on symbolic foods like apples, pumpkin, or corn.

Visit a local pumpkin patch. 

Making personalized altar items and decorative pieces for your sacred space, such as witch jars, mandalas, sigils, symbols of the harvest, items associated with death, etc. 

Participating in a divination practice like tarot reading, scrying, or rune casting to gain insight and connect with the energy of the night.

Go to a harvest festival or carnival.

Hold a Samhain seance or mediumship session to contact the spirits of loved ones who have passed on.

Participate in a potluck dinner with witches and pagans, dressing in traditional Samhain garb.

RESPECTFULLY visit a graveyard. 

YULE (WINTER SOLSTICE/MIDWINTER)

Burn a Yule log. 

Make an evergreen Yule wreath.

Decorate a Yule tree. 

Make a Yule wish list or a Yule resolution, as Yule is a time of reflection and intention setting.

Practice Yule carol singing, participating in a community sing-along or carolling event.

Celebrate in candle light. 

Give back to nature. 

Exchange nature-based gifts. 

Host a feast for those you love with foods associated with Yule, such as: roast goose, Yule ham, nuts, berries, spices, squash, and potatoes. 

Eat or make/bake Yule ham, gingerbread, mulled wine, roast goose, spiced cakes, shortbread, snowball, caraway, ginger snaps, honey cakes or pastries, and biscuits. 

Eat or give sweets flavoured with nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, or peppermint. 

Participate in the longest night of the year and prepare for the return of the light.

Honour deities associated with Yule, such as Odin, Baldur, Hel, Loki, Sol, Freyr, Njörðr with lights, candles, and bonfires.

Participate in a Yule spell or ritual, asking for blessings and protection for the coming year.

Decorate your home with evergreen boughs and wreaths, representing the evergreen nature of the sun and eternal life.

Host a Yule log ceremony. 

Wake up early. Not because “the early bird catches the worm.” Not to force yourself to be more productive. Not to “rise and grind” your life away.

Do it for entirely the opposite reasons. 

Give yourself a chance to slow down before the hurriedness of the day envelopes your thoughts and your body. Do the thing that relaxes you. Do the thing you love that you never have time to do. Allow yourself to be still and intentionally prepare for the day ahead. 

A 31 Day Tarot Challenge for The Month of October, Inspired by The Major Arcana.

I’m bringing this challenge back because it did a lot of good for a lot of people.

If you participated in the past, I invite you to participate again, with the intent of helping you see how much you’ve grown.

If you’ve never taken this challenge, I believe it will provide you with a great amount of personal insight and growth.

Each question has been written with the hopes of helping you gain greater insight into yourself, and the world around you.

Remember, each question may be answered with as many or as few cards as you feel are required. Some answers will easily come from one card, some may require several cards.

I encourage you to photograph your cards and journal your answers with the tag,

#autumntarot.


1. As I begin this journey into self, where would it be best serving for me to initially focus my energy?

2. What can I expect to creatively manifest within the upcoming days ahead?

3. In order to have prosperity, and a nurturing love for self and others, where should I focus my energy?

4. As I gain greater stability and balance, what should I remember to guard myself from?

5. Is there anything I am considering that I could perhaps make a better decision on later?

6. What is it that my soul craves the most right now?

7. As I draw my focus outward, what do I need to keep in mind in order to maintain a positive outlook?

8. I wish to conquer my fears and live within a state of harmony. In order to make this my reality, what should I focus upon?

9. I will allow myself a day of rest, retreat, and sanctuary. As I remain within quiet refuge, what shall I let be my mantra?

10. What do I need to do I order to be released from that which no longer serves me?

11. At times it can be difficult to find a balance between our desires and our needs. What is it that I desire, and what is it that I need?

12. I release control, and in doing so I am rewarded with new perspective. What is the first thing I notice?


13. How can I be more prepared to deal with loss?

14. In which ways do I connect to my higher self already? Which areas have I yet to venture upon?

15. The journey of healing requires dedication and an open heart, what is the first step I need to take in order to allow myself to heal from the past.

16. Fears flourish within the darkness, what is it that my fears have to reveal to me?

17. That which I do, is that which will come back to me. How can I remember to always keep this in mind?

18. Through the moonlight my intuition radiates, what is it I am not seeing?

19. What are my daily allowances to refresh my body, rest my mind and nurture my spirit?

20. A mirror reveals more than just my reflection. How might I be a negative influence to myself?

21. Have I achieved things in the past year that are in accordance to my life plans? Am I on the right track for success?

22. Change is upon the horizon, what does the future hold for me?

23. How can I use that which the future holds to strengthen myself through the unknown?

24. As a being of peace, and serenity, I make the choice to know only love and light. How can I best maintain this outlook?

25. How do I feel about my image and how other people respond to it? In which ways am I setting examples for people to follow?

26. My shadow self is an extension of my inner layers; how can I begin to peel through to reveal the source of my pain?

27. What ignites my desire to look beyond that which my eyes allow me to see?

28. The veil is thinning this time of the year, what message do my spirit guides have for me?

29. What should I look for in order to connect better with other people?

30. In what ways can I best inspire others around me?

31. I wish to look upon my world with a new perspective, and feel a greater sense of connectivity. In order to make this my reality, where must I focus my energy?

☀️ Lemon Lavender Litha Cookie RECIPE! ☀️

This was highly requested so here we go! I hope you enjoy this recipe, and I also wish all of you a beautiful and bright Litha!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 cup room temperature butter

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar (regular sugar is fine, but powdered is recommended for a fluffier cookie)

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups flour (i actually ended up using around a 1/4th of a cup more, but it depends on how wet/dry your dough is)

• Splash of coconut milk

• 1 large lemon’s worth of zest

• Half a lemon squeezed

• 1 1/2 tbs dried lavender

Add your butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and zest to a large mixing bowl. Mix together until smooth.

Gradually add your flour. When it comes together, add in the lavender and kneed dough with your hands until all flour is combined. You’re looking for a soft, pliable dough that’s still moist but dry enough to roll.

Roll the dough into desired thickness, cut out your shapes (i did circles and stars, just because 😊). Bake these yummy cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Cool completely and serve with a glaze. I made my glaze with powdered sugar, lemon juice and concentrated lavender tea.

To make this magickal, it’s important to know the key ingredient correspondences!

Lavender is used for calmness, serenity, purification and rest.

Lemon can be used for sun and moon magick, happiness, aura purification, rejuvenation and longevity.

Feel free to add other herbs or spices to make this recipe unique to your practice!

I meditated a lot while making this recipe, and invited my deities to be with me while I worked. I put my personal intentions for rejuvenation, serenity and happiness for the upcoming summer months. I lit some candles, cast a circle before starting and spent some time really focusing on my desired outcome.

This is a tarot spread to help guide you through anything you may be unsure of. I created this spread to help with a complicated issue in my life. Not everything is black and white and I wanted a way to understand what was happening in greater detail.

1. My Current Energy- Sometimes when we are confused, anger and feelings of discouragement may surface. This placement is for you to understand how a situation may be influencing your feelings. This will also allow room to grow from your current energy.

2. Past Influences- What has happened in the past that I am unaware of?

3. Current Influences- Am I looking at this from the wrong perspective?

4. External Influences- What is the energy of others involved that is causing confusion?

5. Internal Influences- Which emotions are blocking me from accepting the truth?

6. Advice

1. Find Death in your deck 2. The card above: What you need to put to rest 3. The card below: What you can grow in its absence

The Message.

a tarot spread for imbolc.

1. Darkness. The clutches of winter can be felt all around you. It penetrates down to your depths. Within this place of solitude, what secrets will you find hidden deep under the frozen waters?

2. The Vessel. You must be ready to deliver the message, to reveal the knowledge which was once unknown. You are the lantern, you are the light. In order to prepare yourself, you must be willing to let go of that which no longer serves you. What in your life do you need to let go of? What no longer serves you?

3. The Flame. This is your light, your time, your moment. Take back that which was lost. Take back the power you once had. Where do you need to focus your energy? What do you need to remember in order to be one with the light?

The Return.

a tarot spread for yule.

1. The Reflection.

As this year comes to an end, it is important to reflect upon the choices I’ve made. I will not dwell on my mistakes, but I must face them, and atone for any pain I’ve caused others and myself. Where in my life do I need to make amends?

2. The Return.