#wicca101

March 31st is the 6th full moon of the Celtic year (starting October 31st). It is named Huath (Hoo-a) for the Hawthorne “tree” (actually it is a bush but still very important to the Celts). This tree was used for protection from evil, pieces of it would be respectfully taken and put under cribs to keep evil spirits at bay. However, most would leave this tree alone for it was considered to be a home for the fey (fairies) and also the Tuatha de Danaan (Celt gods and goddesses). Now some would discount this as superstition... however, when John DeLorean wanted to build a new automotive plant in Great Britain he chose a spot that had a lot of hawthorn on it. When workers refused to bulldoze the hawthorn for fear of revenge from “the wee folk” he got on the bull dozer himself and leveled it..... and then promptly went bankrupt.

If you have been reading up on Wicca for a while, online and perhaps in books, you have probably read a bit about the eight sabbats. It’s important to note that these sabbats were included in Wicca by Gerald Gardner, and they are borrowed from several different places, from several different traditions. There is not one ancient European religion that celebrated all eight sabbats. 

In this post I want to talk about Imbolc on a slightly deeper level, from a different point of view than you might have come across in basic books on Wicca. 

To begin with this was the sabbat that I had the most trouble connecting with, but what I am going to share in this post has made it easier for me to feel a connection to this sabbat. Nowadays I am always looking forward to Imbolc and I feel a very strong connection to this beautiful celebration. 

Basics About Imbolc

Date: 1st/2nd February (some places say 2nd but I like to celebrate on the Eve of the 1st) Other names: Imbolg, Brigid, Candlemas

For me the biggest issue with Imbolc started when I found Wicca while still living in Sweden. In English books, this sabbat is described as the first spring sabbat. You are to celebrate that the nature is re-awakening, new life is growing. In the Goddess and God mythological cycle, the Goddess is entering Her phase as a young maiden, while the God is a child. There are snowdrops and other flowers too - the books tell you.

Swedish Imbolc

And this is probably true in some other places in the northern hemisphere as well (and in the southern hemisphere, this goes completely out the window!)

Right, so it says that now you can see the first signs of spring. 

And as a Swedish person you look out through the window at all the snow and wonder where exactly these signs of spring are hiding.

I know I was even thinking that the date for this sabbat should be changed, because it so obviously does ring true with the Swedish climate. Of course you can see Imbolc as a chance to help spring move along, but I never thought this was enough. It was always very frustrating to me, because I felt like I completely missed out on this part of the Wheel of the Year. 

It wasn’t until I moved to England, to Devon, that I actually felt I could get a connection to Sweden’s Imbolc. This is a bit ironic, since Devon is known as England’s Riviera. Here crocuses have already started to appear. Though this winter has been cold: the temperature has dropped below zero at least a couple of days. Sometimes we have had to have the heating on in the house all day. One day there was even sleet for an hour or two.

When Imbolc appears there are snowdrops, crocus and often daffodils. There are buds on the trees and I can really see how Imbolc is the first spring sabbat. 

But Imbolc is so much more than that, and that is what I have gained a connection to that will also work in Sweden and other colder countries in the Northern Hemisphere. 

Because Imbolc is also called Brigid (pronounced ‘Breed), and Brigid is the Goddess of poetry, the forge, fire and creativity. She is also the Goddess of healing and midwifery. This is connected to the Goddess having given birth to the God, but it is also about re-awakening and give life to one’s own creativity and creative force after the winter darkness.

Even in Sweden the light is returning, and people know that they are headed toward spring and they have more energy. So this is a perfect time to honour the fire within ourselves, and its creative flames. That is what has allowed me to make a connection to Imbolc.

For me this is now a celebration of fire, a time to start forming what I want to achieve during the coming year. This is a chance for me to find myself and stand in my own power, just like the Goddess is doing. This is the sabbat when She has the least connection to the God; She is out there celebrating Herself and Her desires, and we have the chance to do the same!

What You Can Focus On

The Goddess is in her forge. She is strong, she surely has soot smeared on her face, her skin is blank with sweat while she is lifting the hammer against the anvil, to form what she is working on. She is forming her own life. She works with what she wants. She decides which one of her ideas she wants to make reality, and then she makes it happen. There is nothing that can stop her. 

She is the mistress of her own life. 

So take this moment to have a ritual where you are honouring the Goddess’ immense power of creation. It is this very power that will soon melt even the snow. It is this power that makes nature crackle with new life. And this power is present within each and everyone of us. 

How can you use this power within a ritual? Here are some of my suggestions =)

Use this creative life force to think about what you want to make in your forge. What do you want to achieve the coming year?

Focus on your own inner creative fire. How does it look? Is it lit? Or do you need to kindle it? What fuel does it need? Think about how the fire used to be the very heart - the hearth - of the home, and how we need this to survive. If yours has gone out it is time to feed the flames!

Do you feel your are stuck in some project and you’re not sure how to move it forward? This is the perfect ritual to find new inspiration.

Do you need healing? Let Brigid’s healing hands help you to heal.

Do you want to get rid of bad habits? Let Brigid’s fire burn them away, and let yourself be born again from the flames.

Ideas For Magic

This is the perfect sabbat to work with healing magic both for yourself and for others. 

Candle and fire magic are also great to work with here, to re-connect to the power of the fire. 

It’s also a really good time to plant seeds representing that which you want to achieve the coming year. Plant a seed for something you want to grow and charge it with your energy and inention. See how it grows as your project is growing, and take some time each day to connect to your seed (and in time plant!) to deepen your own connection to it and that which you want to achieve. 

For those new to Wicca, Sabbats are the 8 major holidays in a year, they are the 2 Solstices, 2 Equinoxes, and the 4 cross quarter days (or the days halfway between the Equinoxes and Solstices. The Sabbats are generally a time for celebrating our faith. Esbats are the 13 days a year we do our magickal (spelled with a ‘k’ on purpose) work, most tend to do these on full moons but depending upon what you are working on a new moon might be more appropriate time for your ritual. Normally there are 13 full moons in a calendar year.