Once the winter solstice has passed, and after celebrating Yule, the next Pagan sabbat is Imbolc. Imbolc is one of the eight main Pagan sabbats, midway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. It is one of the four cross-quarter holidays or fire festivals, the others being Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain.
Imbolc begins at sundown on February 1 and ends at sunset on February 2. Imbolc (pronounced IM-bolg or IM-bolk) is Old Irish for “in the belly.” It is also known as Imbolg, Brigid’s Day, Oimelc, Feast of Torches, Feast of Pan, Lupercalia, Snowdrop Festival, and Fest of the Waxing Light.
Imbolc Origins
Imbolc originated in pre-Christian Ireland and was celebrated widely in the ancient Celtic world. It also traditionally heralded the end of winter in the pagan world. Days are noticeably lengthening now. In the Celtic calendar, Imbolc represents the start of spring, the time when the first lambs are born and the Sun God’s power grows. The Goddess, in the form of the Earth, is stirring from her rest following the birth of the God.
The Celts celebrated Imbolc to honor these first stirrings of life. It is the time of the year associated with pregnancy and is the time to keep the fertility goddess Brigid. Live bonfires honored Brigid, and girls carried tiny dolls made of straw or oats representing the Goddess from house to house to bless them. Sometimes offerings were left tied to trees near small springs called clootie wells.
It is time to start new projects as the earth reawakens after a long winter, and suddenly everything is blooming and growing and shooting up out of the ground. Weary from winter's dark, the soul will soon be reborn in the growing warmth of the sun. Imbolc is time to meditate and plan ahead. It is also the perfect time to remove obstacles and clear out the energies standing in the way of your life's blossoming spring.
For Wiccans, in particular, Imbolc is often a celebration of the Goddess Brigid. Widely known among Wiccans and Neopagans, she is the Earth Goddess. The Goddess Brigid (pronounced Breed or Breej) was the daughter of Dagda, the oldest god in the Tuatha dé Danann or Celtic pantheon. Brigid is a fertility goddess. She rules the fire of the hearth and the fire of imagination through poetry, and blesses other skills that require fire, like blacksmithing. She is a central figure in Celtic mythology and the embodiment of the triple Goddess—Goddess of the Hearth Fire, Goddess of the Forge Fire, and Goddess of the Creative/Transforming Fire. She is also called the Goddess of the Eternal Flame and the Goddess of the Sacred Well.
Modern IMBOLC Celebrations
For Wiccans, Brigid's status as a Fire goddess makes her an appropriate deity to be recognized on this Sabbat that celebrates the sun's return. You can honor her by visiting a natural spring or holy well and making offerings, cleaning and purifying your home, lighting candles for her at your altar, or engaging in writing or other creative activities, for example. Imbolc spells and divinations are very much related to the candle. *Please note that it is often considered the height of disrespect to blow out a candle because it uses air to defeat the element of fire.
While there are some public rituals and celebrations at Imbolc, festivals are more private than many of the other sabbats. It is a very introspective and reflective time for self-contemplation and planning. Imbolc focuses on the Sabbat's symbolic aspects rather than nature's physical signs. Prayers and invocations may include blessings for new projects and prayers for healing (as Brigid is a goddess of recovery).
Depending on your particular tradition, you can celebrate Imbolc in many different ways. Some people focus on the Celtic Goddess Brigid in her many aspects as a deity of fire and fertility. In contrast, others aim their rituals more toward the cycles of the season and agricultural markers. Modern pagan Imbolc celebrations include activities to celebrate the coming spring and engage energetically with the year's process. It is traditional to light a candle in every homeroom or light every lamp in the house just after sunset "to honor the sun's rebirth."
It is also an excellent time to focus on divination and increasing your magical gifts and abilities. Take advantage of these concepts and plan your workings accordingly. Because of its proximity to Valentine's Day, Imbolc also tends to be when people start exploring love magic.
Marsden Fire Festival celebrating Imbolc in Huddersfield, England.
Celebrations and Activities
Decorate your altar with colors and symbols related to Imbolc
Imbolc Candle Ritual (It is traditional to light a candle in every room in the home or to light every lamp in the house just after sunset "to honor the sun's rebirth.”)
Plant seeds. If you set an intention at the Yule, the winter solstice, get a couple of seed packets and hold them in your hands, focusing the same purpose on the seeds. Then plant the seeds in a small pot with soil and water frequently. The reminder to nurture your preferences will help them grow.
Bake oatcakes and leave milk outside for Brigid on Imbolc eve
Make Brigid dollies or Brigid crosses to protect the home
Brigid's cross.
Examples of other things you can do to celebrate Imbolc include cleaning and cleansing spaces that have become cluttered, planting a seed (including a basis for a project), and doing one new thing or activity.
Imbolc Magic
Imbolc Cleansing Ritual Bath: Take this simple cleansing bath as a ritual by itself or before you perform another ceremony
Imbolc House Cleansing Ceremony: Get a jump on your spring cleaning by doing a cleanse of your home
Fire Scrying Ritual: Imbolc is a festival of fire, so take advantage of the flames and do some scrying.
Lithomancy–Divination by Stones
All About Love Magic
Correspondences
Spiritual and Key Words
Awakening
Emergence from sleep and hibernation
Beginnings
Cleaning
Transitions
Magical focus
Cleansing
Purification
Transformation
Protection
Colors
Traditional colors and symbols of Imbolc include many sun and spring-themed items. The holiday focuses on the fiery goddess Brigid and the early springtime, so choose things that bring to mind energy springing up at this time of year.
Light green: abundance, growth, fertility, health, calming, new beginnings, prosperity
Pink: harmony, tenderness, affection, love, spiritual healing, spring
White: cleansing, peace, protection, healing, truth, divination, purification
Yellow: the sun, joy, vitality, creativity
Flowers
Crocus: love attraction, visions, rebirth
Daffodil: calm, fairies, fertility, love, magic
Crystals and Stones
Amethyst: dreams, healing, courage, happiness, balance, beginnings, change, divination, growth and rebirth, transformation
Turquoise: attraction, balance, clarity, compassion, courage, healing improvement, inner strength, wisdom
Tarot Keys
Death
The Empress
The Star
Altar Items
Incense: myrrh, frankincense, and musk are suitable for creating a ritual space. Basil, rosemary, and cinnamon are good for uplifting energy.
White, red, or orange candles
Sun symbols
White flowers; snowdrops (first flower of spring) or daffodils
Potted bulbs
A tabletop fountain
Something woolen or a sheep figure
A triskele or other triple goddess symbol
Early greens like wild garlic
A blue cloth representing flowing water
Crystals with solar or passionate associations: citrine, garnet, amber, sunstone
Foods
Most traditional Imbolc foods are things you would find in a medieval Celtic home in the middle of winter, such as:
Bannock: A traditional Scottish skillet bread similar in texture to a scone
Butter: In some traditions, churned butter on the same day of the festival
Milk: You can drink or use it in a spiritual bath. Milk and butter are associated with Brigid’s healing and protective powers.
Pancakes: Whether plain or with berries, the shape of pancakes evokes the sun
Cheese: Rich sheep’s cheeses harken back to Imbolc’s origins
Colcannon: A traditional Irish dish made with potatoes and greens
Some Key Takeaways for Theistic Satanists
From sundown February 1st to sundown February 2nd, treat yourself and others well. It is the beginning of changing from the harshest times to brighter days. As weather may still bring more snow, emotional rollercoasters will become less and less. You will find happier times. Dine on what you can make this time festive and make it a tradition. Make something that you will look forward to making and eating.
Remember that it is time to follow through with your resolutions during the New Year. Think about what a rebirth would mean to you to bring positive change into your own life and others. You may want to grow a plant. Decide what seedlings you want to plant. Began planting them in a pot inside your home so the plants can be transferred to a garden when the weather is warm enough. Make it a dedication to the Deities.
References
Note: the above include significant text and images taken directly, without quotation marks, from the following sources:
Chamberlain, Lisa. Wicca Wheel of the Year Magic: A Beginner's Guide to the Sabbats. 2017.
Elding, Ash. The Pagan Grimoire. How to Celebrate Imbolc: The Festival of Brigid. January 24, 2021. https://www.pagangrimoire.com/what-is-imbolc-celebrationNeal, Carl F. Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials: Imbolc: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Brigid's Day (Series 8). 2015
Wigington, Patti. Learn Religions. All About Imbolc. January 4, 2020. https://www.learnreligions.com/guide-to-celebrating-imbolc-2562102
Various internet sources (mainly pictures and graphics)
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