Category: The Sabbats

Let’s Talk Witch – 8 Ideas for Celebrating Ostara

Let’s Talk Witch – 8 Ideas for Celebrating Ostara

Ostara, the Spring Equinox, is always especially beautiful here in Sonoma County, California. This year seems especially nice. Winter’s rains have been lighter than we would like, but they have been gentle and well timed. My farmer friends with whom I’ve spoken are feeling good. Warming temperatures and longer days have brought forth the first abundant flowers, especially the wild mustard that makes it seem as if our craggy valley oaks and vineyards have their feet awash in bright yellow paint. The threats from frost are virtually over.

Our season and Ostara’s symbolism are in perfect harmony.

Wiccan Sabbats celebrate our Wheel of the Year, and the Wheel of the Year, like the phases of the moon, symbolize to us the stages of life, from birth to death to rebirth. Four Sabbats are “Greater Sabbats” originally linked with Celtic agricultural cycles: Brigit, Beltane, Lammas, and Samhain. The other four “cross quarter” Sabbats are correlated with the cycles of the solar year, the solstices and equinoxes. On the 21st of this month, Witches and many other Pagans will celebrate Ostara, the Spring Equinox.

Equinoxes are times of balance between day and night, light and darkness. But the balance is dynamic, lasting a day, before shifting into playing a role in that greater balance that is the Wheel of the Year. For me this sense of balance should be the dominant theme of either Ostara, or Mabon, the Fall Equinox. But they are very different Sabbats otherwise, for after Ostara the light will continue to grow, whereas after Mabon, it is darkness that increases.

There is another aspect of balance that comes to mind as a am mulling this post over, that between the universal and the concrete. Solar Sabbats are universal, the Greater Sabbats are specific to time and place. Together, they balance the universal with the variety that is local. So while I think it is important to make sure Greater Sabbats are strongly connected with where we live, it is not as important for the Cross Quarter ones.

With these thoughts in mind, I have a few ideas for celebrating Ostara I want to share. All are suitable for Solitaries.

1. On my altar I will have 4 candles. I will light two, and with sundown, light another. I have tried to figure out a simple but visually beautiful way of symbolizing Sabbats and their meaning, and here is my scheme into which this simple observance fits.

Yule – 1 candle lit during ritual.
Imbolc – 1 candle lit, a second during the ritual.
Ostara – 2 candles lit, a third lit at end of ritual or at sunset.
Beltane – 3 candles, one lit during ritual, making 4.
Midsummer – 4 candles, one extinguished at end of ritual.
Lammas – 3 candles, one extinguished during ritual.
Mabon – 2 candles, one extinguished at sunset or end of ritual.
Samhain – 1 candle lit, but extinguished during ritual.

2. I will fill my place with local flowers. I just spoke with a friend in Maine. The garden I helped plant still looks like a snow drift. Maybe the willows are changing their color as the sap tentatively rises, making for a good altar decoration. If not, it’s good that this is a solar Sabbat!

3 I will watch the dawn, and do some invocations and prayers while I do it. Ostara is said to have been a Goddess of the Dawn as well as spring, so this is fitting, although very little is known of Her. If I was in Fairbanks, I might let this slide.

4. In Pagan times eggs and hares were associated with the creation of life and fertility, for obvious reasons. While it seems all folklore of ancient provenance has disputed origins, regardless of how these customs arose and survived, they are perfectly fitted for symbolizing this time, when almost everywhere spring has arrived or is coming soon. Dyeing the eggs in Spring-time colors, and having a good old fashioned Ostara Egg hunt is a wonderful thing for kids.

5. A good smudging, followed by a good airing if the weather permits. Burning sage is the easiest way to smudge a place, though any cleansing incense is worthwhile. Be sure to get corners and dark places. Energy collects and stagnates in those places, and most of us have had all winter for that to happen.

6. Plant a seed associated with a magickal ritual for something you want to grow. Simple and personal is best. Focus your intent strongly on the seed, then on the pot of soil after you have planted it. Take care of it. I’d recommend a perennial, that you can plant and let continue to flourish with your care, but maybe an annual will do the trick. Depends on your project.

7. If you have a yard, this is a good time to begin getting in touch with the spirits of your place. But as with any relationship, it will normally take some time to grow. The last time I lived for any length of time in a house with a yard, I would make weekly offerings in a out of the way part of my yard, that I otherwise left alone (all the rests was garden). I would leave a small glass of rum, some tobacco, and a votive candle (be very careful about fire if you do this). After some months the ‘feel’ of my back yard began to change in ways I and others liked a lot. But remember, attitude makes or breaks this kind of thing – as with all relationships.

8. If there is a public Sabbat celebration, and you are not part of a coven, try and go. Some are well done, some can seem like ‘ritual abuse,’ but either way, this is a good way to begin meeting other local Pagans. In my view the real magic of what we do is most powerful when we work and celebrate together

Source

Information from Beliefnet

Author: Gus diZerega

Blog: A Pagan’s Blog

Ostara Ritual

Ostara Ritual

Flowers should be laid on the altar, placed around the circle and spread on the ground. The cauldron  can be filled with spring water and flowers, buds and blossoms may be worn as well. Arrange the altar, light the candle and incense, and cast the Circle. Say:

“Great goddess, you have freed yourself
From the icy prison of winter.
Now is the greening, when the fragrance of
Flowers drifts on the breeze.
This is the beginning. Life renews itself
By Your magic, Earth Goddess.
The God stretches and rises,
Tiger in His youth, and bursting with
The promise of summer.”

“I walk the earth in friendship, not in dominance.
Mother Goddess and Father god, instil within me
Thorough this plant a warmth for all living things.
Teach me to revere the Earth and all its treasures.
May I never forget.”

Straight from

Raven and Crow

Ostara Seed Spell

Ostara Seed Spell

Small plant pot
Coin
Seed
Soil
Paper
Ink

Write your goals and ambitions for the following year on the paper. Place the paper at the bottom of the pot, and lay the coin on top of it. Fill the pot with soil. Plant the seed into the soil, and water. Hold the pot between both hands and visualise your dreams/wishes growing as the plant does. Place the pot in a sunny spot, and nuture.

A Spell of Reawakening

A Spell of Reawakening

The Spring Equinox, called Ostara by many, is a day of perfect balance between night and day, darkness and light, slumber and awakening. Many craft traditions, covens, and solitaries have devised their own rituals for awakening Mother Earth at this time. Many of these can be traced back to England.

One common practice is to walk through a natural area, tap the earth three times with a staff or , and make a joyful noise to welcome the Goddess’s return. This ritual is performed three times in keeping with the sacred number of many of the Pagan sects from western European countries. Now is not only a good time to awaken Mother Earth, but also to awaken ourselves. We should ask: Are we only going through the motions now? Or are we reawakening our spiritual selves, and seeing anew all the magical possibilities of spring? To awaken your own body, mind, and soul to spring’s rebirth, give back to Mother Earth some of the things we’ve taken from her. Plant a tree, herb garden, or flowers. Feed her animals and birds. As you do any of these things, consecrate your offering by saying:

Mother Earth, Goddess we walk upon,
May my gifts be of value
Even after I’m gone.
Today, while I’m here,
May my offering be,
An act of love
for you from me.

By: Edain McCoy

Ostara Creation Spell

Ostara Creation Spell

This joyous holiday honors the spring goddess, Ostara, whose name means “movement toward the rising Sun.” Just as Imbolc signals the return of light, Ostara signals the awakening of the Earth. Trees are blooming, bulbs are pushing up out of the ground, birds are nesting, and animals are mating. The creative energy is at its strongest during this season. If you haven’t decided what you wish to manifest this year, do so now.

To empower your goal, write it on a hard-boiled egg with a wax crayon. The egg is a powerful symbol representing the universe in embryo. Your goal lives within you in the same way that creation lives within its egg, and like the egg, your goal has everything it needs to manifest. Now, draw two interlocking triangles to form a six-pointed star on your egg. This star symbolizes one of the most important keys in magic: as above, so below. What you can create in your imagination, you can manifest on the physical plane. Dye your egg a deep red to symbolize the goddess and life itself. Using your egg as a focus, work in the days ahead with the interplay of imagination and physical striving to achieve your desire.

By: Lily Gardner

OSTARA- Daffodowndilly Spell

OSTARA- Daffodowndilly Spell

The purpose of this spell is to make wishes concerning all areas of your life.

This is the perfect time of year for planting wishes that will come to fruition in summer and using plant ingredients for magic is a age old custom.

You will need:

one green candle
one yellow candle
matches or lighter
summer flowering bulbs, one to a wish
soil or potting soil in a medium sized indoor planter

As part of your OSTARA ritual and in a properly cast circle, work as follows.

1. Light the green candle saying: By the shoot

2. Light the yellow candle saying: By the flower I invoke OSTARAs power

3. Take each bulb and seperately name it after the wish you seek to acheieve.

4. Hold them in your hands and chant your wish into them with the following words: As the nights shrink down and this bulb goes underground, As the days grow long, so the thing I wish grows strong.

5. Bury the bulbs in the soil, or potting soil. Place your hands palms down on the soil and visualize the growth you have wished for coming to pass.

6. Keep the bulbs inside until the threat of frost has passed, then plant outside next to the spring flowering bulbs.

The idea here is to trade on the fertility of the daffodils by empowering summer flowering bulbs and planting them closely by. The summer bulbs will get the general idea from the flowering daffodown dillies and charged with your wishes hurry to grow and flower.

From Hearth and Home Witchery

Ostara Circle Notes From: Dorothy Morrisons-The Craft

Ostara Circle Notes From: Dorothy Morrisons-The Craft

Use a green altar cloth, pastel colored candles, and decorate with wild flowers or flowers of the season.

Use small baskets of appropriately colored eggs to mark the Quarters.
Cast the Circle with the wand. Alternatively, use a flowering branch, Dogwood, cherry, and pussy willow branches all work well.

Ostara Celebration Ideas:
Serve deviled eggs and milk for libation instead of cakes and wine.
Using a white crayon, label boiled eggs with qualities you’d like to add to your personality or life. For example, you might label one with prosperity, another with kindness, and so on. Dye each egg an appropriate color, bless it during ritual, and eat it. Know that the quality’s spiritual seeds have been planted within you and will flourish throughout the year.

Plant an uncooked egg at each corner of your property to ensure a fruitful home life. As you put each egg in place, say something like:
Fertile egg of ancient life
Bring joy and laughter-ease all strife-
And with your great fertility
Grant perfect love and harmony
To all who live within these bounds
Be they person, thing, wild life, or hound

 

Straight from

Raven and Crone

The Goddess Eostre

Eostre

Eostre is the Germanic Goddess of Spring. Also called Ostara or Eastre, She gave Her name to the Christian festival of Easter (which is an older Pagan festival appropriated by the Church), whose timing is still dictated by the Moon. Modern pagans celebrate Her festival on the Vernal Equinox, usually around March 21, the first day of Spring.

Setting Up Your Ostara Altar

Setting Up Your Ostara Altar

By , About.com

It’s Ostara, and it’s a time of year in which many Wiccans and Pagans choose celebrate the balance of light and dark that heralds the beginning of spring. It’s a time to celebrate new life and rebirth — not only the physical embodiment of renewal, but the spiritual as well. Try some — or all — of these ideas to ready your altar for Ostara.

Colors

To get an idea of what colors are appropriate for spring, all you really have to do is look outside. Notice the yellows of the forsythia blooming behind your house, the pale purples of lilacs, the green of new leaves appearing in the melting snow. Pastels are often considered spring colors as well, so feel free to add some pinks and blues into the mix if the idea strikes you. Decorate your altar in any of these colors — try a pale green altar cloth with some purples and blues draped across it, and add some yellow or pink candles to carry the color up.

The Balance of the Equinox

Altar decor can reflect the theme of the Sabbat. Ostara is a time of balance between light and dark, so symbols of this polarity can be used. Use a god and goddess statue, a white candle and a black one, a sun and moon, even a yin/yang symbol.

New Life

Ostara is also a time of new growth and life — add potted plants such as new crocuses, daffodils, lilies, and other magical spring flowers. This is the time of year when animals are bringing forth new life too — put a basket of eggs on your altar, or figures of new lambs, rabbits, calves, etc. Add a chalice of milk or honey — milk represents the lactating animals who have just given birth, and honey is long known as a symbol of abundance.

Other Symbols of the Season

  • Seeds and bulbs
  • Caterpillars, ladybugs, bumblebees
  • Symbols of nature deities — Herne, Flora, Gaia, Attis, etc.
  • Gemstones and crystals such as aquamarine, rose quartz, and moonstone
  • Ritual fires in a cauldron or brazier

Natural Ostara Eggs

Natural Ostara Eggs

Natural egg-dying is like recycling.  It takes a li’l bit longer to do, but gives you that  Oh-Im-soooooo-WC  (witchly correct)  feeling.

Cover your plant material (see list below) with about 3 inches of water, bring to a boil, and simmer until the color looks good. You’ll probably have to let the eggs sit in the dye overnight, so if you’re planning more than one color per egg, start this a few day before Oestara.  Experimenting is half the fun, but here are some hints to get you started:
Yellows- daffodil petals, saffron, turmeric, onion skins
Blues- blueberries, red cabbage leaves & vinegar
Greens-broccoli, coltsfoot
Pinks- cochineal, madder root
Browns –  walnut shells, tea, coffee

Wanna get fancy?  Gather some small leaves, ferns, flowers and grasses.  Dip them in water (to help them stick) and press them onto your eggs.  Wrap each egg in a piece of cut up pantyhose and secure it with a twist tie before dyeing. When you remove the flower or leaf, it’s design will appear (either in white or in your first dye-color).  Rub your finished eggs with a tiny bit of vegetable oil on a soft cloth to shine them.

Too hard?? No hosiery???  Okay, try using crayons to draw spirals and pentagrams on the eggs before dying them.

Now,  plan a fertility ritual for your garden.  Bury an Oestara egg in the east corner of your garden, or one egg for each direction, or dig an entire circle for them (depends on how much you hate egg-salad).

Ostara Lore

OSTARA  LORE

A traditional Vernal Equinox pastime: go to a field and randomly collect wildflowers [Thank  the flowers for their sacrifice before picking them, using a collection formula such as can be found in “An Herbal Grimoire”].  Or buy some from a florist, taking one or two of those that appeal to you. Then bring them home and divine their magickal meanings by the use of books, your own intuition, a pendulum or by other  means. The flowers you’ve chosen reveal your inner thoughts and emotions.

It is important at this time of renewed life to plan a walk (or a ride) through gardens, a  park, woodlands, forest and other green places. This is not simply exercise, and you should be on no other mission. It isn’t even just an appreciation of nature. Make your walk celebratory, a ritual for nature itself.

Other traditional activities include planting seeds, working on magickal gardens and  practicing all forms of herb work – magickal, medicinal, cosmetic, culinary and artistic.

Foods in tune with this day (linking your meals with the seasons is a fine way of attuning  with nature) include those made of seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds, as well as pine nuts.

Sprouts are equally appropriate, as are leafy, green vegetables. Flower dishes such as stuffed nasturtiums or carnation cupcakes also find their place here. [Find a book of flower cooking or simply make spice cupcakes. Ice with pink frosting and place a fresh carnation  petal on each cupcake.  Stuff nasturtium blossoms with a mixture made with cream cheese, chopped nuts, chives and watercress.]

Ostara

Ostara Comments

Winter’s barrenness has subsided,
From the death of Winter
Spring’s new life.

Spring is coming to the land,
The days grow longer,
Warm breezes begin to stir.

All around us we see signs –
The growing things are beginning anew.

It’s the resurrection of the dance of life.
The dance of the stems and stalks
As they push forth from the Earth.

It is the season of creation.
Growth has turned outward,
The land has become fertile again.

The Earth is caressed by
The loving touch of the Mother,
Where her hand passes.

Atoms twine together to create growth.
Buds burst open.
Leaves and vines unfurl.

She creates a vision of the green beauty.
Beauty so breath-taking after
The dark solitude of Winter.

It is this vision that we celebrate
On her day of Ostara
The world recreating itself–

Returning from the death of Winter,
Into the new life of Spring
Through the love of the Goddess.

Lady Day: The Vernal Equinox

Lady Day: The Vernal Equinox
by Mike Nichols

Now comes the Vernal Equinox, and the season of Spring reaches it’s apex, halfway  through its journey from Candlemas to Beltane. Once again, night and day stand in perfect  balance, with the powers of light on the ascendancy.  The god of light now wins a victory  over his twin, the god of darkness.  In the Mabinogion myth reconstruction which I have  proposed, this is the day on which the restored Llew takes his vengeance on Goronwy by  piercing him with the sunlight spear.  For Llew was restored/reborn at the Winter Solstice  and is now well/old enough to vanquish his rival/twin and mate with his lover/mother.  And  the great Mother Goddess, who has returned to her Virgin aspect at Candlemas, welcomes the  young sun god’s embraces and conceives a child.  The child will be born nine months from  now, at the next Winter Solstice.  And so the cycle closes at last.

We think that the customs surrounding the celebration of the spring equinox were  imported from Mediterranean lands, although there can be no doubt that the first  inhabitants of the British Isles observed it, as evidence from megalithic sites shows.  But  it was certainly more popular to the south, where people celebrated the holiday as New  Year’s Day, and claimed it as the first day of the first sign of the Zodiac, Aries.   However you look at it, it is certainly a time of new beginnings, as a simple glance at  Nature will prove.

In the Roman Catholic Church, there are two holidays which get mixed up with the Vernal  Equinox.  The first, occurring on the fixed calendar day of March 25th in the old  liturgical calendar, is called the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (or  B.V.M., as she was typically abbreviated in Catholic Missals).  ‘Annunciation’ means an  announcement.  This is the day that the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was ‘in  the family way’.  Naturally, this had to be announced since Mary, being still a virgin,  would have no other means of knowing it.  (Quit scoffing, O ye of little faith!) Why did  the Church pick the Vernal Equinox for the commemoration of this event?  Because it was  necessary to have Mary conceive the child Jesus a full nine months before his birth at the  Winter Solstice (i.e., Christmas, celebrated on the fixed calendar date of December 25).   Mary’s pregnancy would take the natural nine months to complete, even if the conception was  a bit unorthodox.

As mentioned before, the older Pagan equivalent of this scene focuses on the joyous  process of natural conception, when the young virgin Goddess (in this case, ‘virgin’ in the  original sense of meaning ‘unmarried’) mates with the young solar God, who has just  displaced his rival.  This is probably not their first mating, however.  In the mythical  sense, the couple may have been lovers since Candlemas, when the young God reached puberty.  But the young Goddess was recently a mother (at the Winter Solstice) and is probably still  nursing her new child.  Therefore, conception is naturally delayed for six weeks or so and,  despite earlier matings with the God, She does not conceive until (surprise!) the Vernal  Equinox.  This may also be their Hand-fasting, a sacred marriage between God and Goddess  called a Hierogamy, the ultimate Great Rite.  Probably the nicest study of this theme  occurs in M. Esther Harding’s book, ‘Woman’s Mysteries’. Probably the nicest description of  it occurs in M. Z. Bradley’s ‘Mists of Avalon’, in the scene where Morgan and Arthur  assume the sacred roles.  (Bradley follows the British custom of transferring the episode  to Beltane, when the climate is more suited to its outdoor celebration.)

The other Christian holiday which gets mixed up in this is Easter. Easter, too,  celebrates the victory of a god of light (Jesus) over darkness (death), so it makes sense  to place it at this season. Ironically, the name ‘Easter’ was taken from the name of a  Teutonic lunar Goddess, Eostre (from whence we also get the name of the female hormone,  estrogen).  Her chief symbols were the bunny (both for fertility and because her worshipers  saw a hare in the full moon) and the egg (symbolic of the cosmic egg of creation), images  which Christians have been hard pressed to explain.  Her holiday, the Eostara, was held on  the Vernal Equinox Full Moon.  Of course, the Church doesn’t celebrate full moons, even if  they do calculate by them, so they planted their Easter on the following Sunday.  Thus,  Easter is always the first Sunday, after the first Full Moon, after the Vernal Equinox.  If  you’ve ever wondered why Easter moved all around the calendar, now you know.  (By the way,  the Catholic Church was so adamant about not incorporating lunar Goddess symbolism  that  they added a further calculation: if Easter Sunday were to fall on the Full Moon itself,  then Easter was postponed to the following Sunday instead.)

Incidentally, this raises another point: recently, some Pagan traditions began referring  to the Vernal Equinox as Eostara. Historically, this is incorrect.  Eostara is a lunar  holiday, honoring a lunar Goddess, at the Vernal Full Moon.  Hence, the name ‘Eostara’ is  best reserved to the nearest Esbat, rather than the Sabbat itself. How this happened is  difficult to say.  However, it is notable that some of the same groups misappropriated the  term ‘Lady Day’ for Beltane, which left no good folk name for the Equinox.  Thus, Eostara  was misappropriated for it, completing a chain-reaction of displacement.  Needless to say,  the old and accepted folk name for the Vernal Equinox is ‘Lady Day’.  Christians sometimes  insist that the title is in honor of Mary and her Annunciation, but Pagans will smile  knowingly.

Another mythological motif which must surely arrest our attention at this time of year  is that of the descent of the God or Goddess into the Underworld.  Perhaps we see this most  clearly in the Christian tradition.  Beginning with his death on the cross on Good Friday,  it is said that Jesus ‘descended into hell’ for the three days that his body lay entombed.   But on the third day (that is, Easter Sunday), his body and soul rejoined, he arose from  the dead and ascended into heaven.  By a strange ‘coincidence’, most ancient Pagan  religions speak of the Goddess descending into the Underworld, also for a period of three  days.

Why three days?  If we remember that we are here dealing with the lunar aspect of the  Goddess, the reason should be obvious.  As the text of one Book of Shadows gives it, ‘…as  the moon waxes and wanes, and walks three nights in darkness, so the Goddess once spent  three nights in the Kingdom of Death.’  In our modern world, alienated as it is from  nature, we tend to mark the time of the New Moon (when no moon is visible) as a single date  on a calendar.  We tend to forget that the moon is also hidden from our view on the day  before and the day after our calendar date.  But this did not go unnoticed by our  ancestors, who always speak of the Goddess’s sojourn into the land of Death as lasting for  three days.  Is it any wonder then, that we celebrate the next Full Moon (the Eostara) as  the return of the Goddess from chthonic regions?

Naturally, this is the season to celebrate the victory of life over death, as any  nature-lover will affirm.  And the Christian religion was not misguided by celebrating  Christ’s victory over death at this same season.  Nor is Christ the only solar hero to  journey into the underworld.  King Arthur, for example, does the same thing when he sets  sail in his magical ship, Prydwen, to bring back precious gifts (i.e. the gifts of life)  from the Land of the Dead, as we are told in the ‘Mabinogi’.  Welsh triads allude to  Gwydion and Amaethon doing much the same thing.  In fact, this theme is so universal that  mythologists refer to it by a common phrase, ‘the harrowing of hell’.

However, one might conjecture that the descent into hell, or the land of the dead, was  originally accomplished, not by a solar male deity, but by a lunar female deity.  It is  Nature Herself who, in Spring, returns from the Underworld with her gift of abundant life.  Solar heroes may have laid claim to this theme much later.  The very fact that we are  dealing with a three-day period of absence should tell us we are dealing with a lunar, not  solar, theme.  (Although one must make exception for those occasional male lunar  deities,  such as the Assyrian god, Sin.)  At any rate, one of the nicest modern renditions of the  harrowing of hell appears in many Books of Shadows as ‘The Descent of the Goddess’.  Lady  Day may be especially appropriate for the celebration of this theme, whether by  storytelling, reading, or dramatic re-enactment.

For modern Witches, Lady Day is one of the Lesser Sabbats or Low Holidays of the year,  one of the four quarter-days.  And what date will Witches choose to celebrate?  They may  choose the traditional folk ‘fixed’ date of March 25th, starting on its Eve.  Or they may  choose the actual equinox point, when the Sun crosses the Equator and enters the  astrological sign of Aries.  This year (1988), that will occur at 3:39 am CST on March 20th.

Hold An Imbolc House Cleansing Ceremony

Hold An Imbolc House Cleansing Ceremony

By , About.com

Give your whole house a thorough cleaning at the end of winter.

A clean physical space feels good spiritually.

Be sure to clean your windows so they’re free of winter’s grime.

No one really likes to clean, but we all know we feel better when our physical space is tidy. It’s one of life’s necessary chores. Start your spring off with a good thorough cleaning, and then follow that up with a spiritual cleansing. This is a great ritual to perform at Imbolc — remember that for many of our ancestors, washing came only a few times a year, so by February, a house was probably smelling pretty ripe. Pick a bright sunny day to do a clean sweep, and then invite friends and family to join you in a blessing of your home.

First, do a complete physical cleaning of your house. Put on some music and thoroughly clean every room. Strip sheets off the beds, turn the mattresses, dust every surface, and vacuum every floor. Sort through those piles of paper on your desk, and get rid of things you don’t need to keep; file everything else. Gather up the kids’ toys and put them in baskets for easy storage. If you need to get rid of things, do it now — set aside a box for charity and put gently used items in it. Set aside another box for trash, and see if you can fill it up!

Once your house is clean — and this assumes you did the kitchen as well — it’s time to have some fun. Call up some friends and invite them over for a potluck. Cook up some Imbolc-themed comfort foods, such as Braided Bread or Beer Battered Fish & Chips, and have a small potluck celebration. Ask each guest to bring a small token to bless your house — pebbles, shells, interesting bits of wood, beads, etc.

You’ll also need the following:

  • A bowl of water
  • Some sea salt
  • A smudging bundle of sage or sweetgrass
  • A blue candle
  • Some Blessing Oil
  • A bowl or bag

Begin at the front door — it is, after all, where you welcome guests into your home — and go through the house in a sunwise direction (clockwise). Ask your guests to help you by smudging the perimeter of each room with the salt, sage, candle flame and water. You may wish to say some sort of incantation as they do this, something like:

With the purifying power of water, with the clean breath of air, with the passionate heat of fire, with the grounding energy of earth we cleanse this space.

As you pass from room to room, anoint each door and windowsill with the Blessing Oil by tracing the shape of a pentagram or other symbol of your tradition. This prevents anything negative from crossing into the home. If you like, you can offer a small incantation as you do this, something like:

May the goddess bless this home, making it sacred and pure, so that nothing but love and joy shall enter through this door.

Finally, once you’ve gone through the house, ask each of your guests to deposit their blessing token in your bowl or bag. Keep it in a place of honor in your home — on the mantel or in your kitchen is a good idea. Gather around the dinner table, break out the goodies, and enjoy a feast with your friends and family!

Tips:

* If you don’t have Blessing Oil, you can use rosemary oil instead. Make your own by infusing fresh rosemary in grapeseed or flaxseed oil.

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How To Hold an Imbolc Candle Ritual (for Solitaries)

How To Hold an Imbolc Candle Ritual (for Solitaries)

By Patti Wigington, About.com

Imbolc is a festival of light — celebrate it with candles and flames!

Hundreds of years ago, when our ancestors relied upon the sun as their only source of light, the end of winter was met with much celebration. Although it is still cold in February, often the sun shines brightly above us, and the skies are often crisp and clear. As a festival of light, Imbolc came to be called Candlemas. On this evening, when the sun has set once more, call it back by lighting the seven candles of this ritual.

** Note: although this ceremony is written for one, it can easily be adapted for a small group.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Varied

Here’s How:

  1. First, set up your altar in a way that makes you happy, and brings to mind the themes of Imbolc. You’ll also want to have on hand the following:
    • Seven candles, in red and white (tealights are perfect for this)
    • Something to light your candles with
    • A large bowl or cauldron big enough to hold the candles
    • Sand or salt to fill the bottom of the bowl/cauldron

    Prior to beginning your ritual, take a warm, cleansing bath. While soaking, meditate on the concept of purification. Once you’re done, dress in your ritual attire, and begin the rite.

  2. If your tradition requires you to cast a circle, do so now.

    Pour the sand or salt into the bowl or cauldron. Place the seven candles into the sand so they won’t slide around. Light the first candle. As you do so, say:

    Although it is now dark, I come seeking light. In the chill of winter, I come seeking life.

    Light the second candle, saying:

    I call upon fire, that melts the snow and warms the hearth. I call upon fire, that brings the light and makes new life. I call upon fire to purify me with your flames.

  3. Light the third candle. Say:

    This light is a boundary, between positive and negative. That which is outside, shall stay without. That which is inside, shall stay within.

    Light the fourth candle. Say:

    I call upon fire, that melts the snow and warms the hearth. I call upon fire, that brings the light and makes new life. I call upon fire to purify me with your flames.

  4. Light the fifth candle, saying:

    Like fire, light and love will always grow. Like fire, wisdom and inspiration will always grow.

    Light the sixth candle, and say:

    I call upon fire, that melts the snow and warms the hearth. I call upon fire, that brings the light and makes new life. I call upon fire to purify me with your flames.

    Finally, light the last candle. As you do so, visualize the seven flames coming together as one. As the light builds, see the energy growing in a purifying glow.

    Fire of the hearth, blaze of the sun, cover me in your shining light. I am awash in your glow, and tonight I am made pure.

  5. Take a few momemnts and meditate on the light of your candles. Think about this Sabbat, a time of healing and inspiration and purification. Do you have something damaged that needs to be healed? Are you feeling stagnant, for lack of inspiration? Is there some part of your life that feels toxic or tainted? Visualize the light as a warm, enveloping energy that wraps itself around you, healing your ailments, igniting the spark of creativity, and purifying that which is damanged.

    When you are ready, end the ritual. You may choose to follow up with healing magic, or with a Cakes and Ale ceremony.

What You Need

  • Seven candles, white and red, and something to light them with
  • A bowl or cauldron with sand in the bottom
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Setting Up Your Imbolc Altar

Setting Up Your Imbolc Altar

By , About.com

It’s Imbolc, and that’s the Sabbat where many Wiccans and Pagans choose to honor the Celtic goddess Brighid, in her many aspects. However, other than having a giant statue of Brighid on your altar, there are a number of ways you can set up for the season. Depending on how much space you have, you can try some or even all of these ideas — obviously, someone using a bookshelf as an altar will have less flexibility than someone using a table, but use what calls to you most.

Colors

Traditionally, the colors of red and white are associated with Brighid. The white is the color of the blanket of snow, and the red symbolizes the rising sun. In some traditions, the red is connected with the blood of life. Brighid is also tied to the color green, both for the green mantle she wears and for the life growing beneath the earth. Decorate your altar with a white cloth, and drape a swath of red across it. Add green candles in candleholders.

The Beginnings of New Life

Altar decor should reflect the theme of the Sabbat. Because Imbolc is a harbinger of spring, any plants that symbolize the new growth are appropriate. Add potted bulbs — don’t worry if they’re blooming yet — and spring flowers such as forsythia, crocus, daffodils, and snowdrops. If you don’t have much luck planting bulbs, think about making a Brighid’s crown as a centerpiece — it combines flowers and candles together.

Celtic Designs

Brighid is, after all, a goddess of the Celtic peoples, so it’s always appropriate to add some sort of Celtic design to your altar. Consider adding a Brighid’s cross6 or any other item incoporating Celtic knotwork. If you happen to have a Celtic cross, don’t worry about the fact that it’s also a Christian symbol — if it feels right on your altar, go ahead and add it.

Other Symbols of Brighid

  • Cauldrons or chalices — she’s often connected to sacred wells and springs
  • A small anvil or hammer — Brighid is the goddess of smithcraft
  • A Brighid corn doll and Priapic wand
  • Sacred animals such as cows, sheep or swans
  • A goddess statue
  • A book of poetry, or a poem you’ve written — Brighid is the patroness of poets
  • Faeries — in some traditions, Brighid is the sister of the Fae
  • Healing herbs — she’s often connected to healing rites
  • Lots of candles, or a cauldron with a small fire in it
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Food Blessings, Pagan and Wiccan Style

Food Blessings, Pagan and Wiccan Style

By , About.com

Christianity doesn’t have a monopoly on saying a prayer over food and drink. Many religions celebrate the consumption of food with some sort of prayer of thanksgiving. Many Pagans and Wiccans believe that not only should we thank the gods for our food, but also the earth and the food itself. After all, if you’re eating plants or meat, something had to die so that you could have a meal. It seems rude not to thank your food for its sacrifice.

Any of the following may be said over a meal, a Cakes and Ale ceremony, or any other event where food is served. Feel free to include the names of the deities of your tradition, of you prefer.

  • This Simple Meal Blessing offers thanks to the God and Goddess for a meal.
  • A Prayer to the Earth shows gratitude for the planet’s bounty.
  • If you’re eating a meal that once walked around, offer a prayer Celebrating Meal.
  • Invite the Gods to dine with you.
  • Make an Offering of a bit of your food.
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Imbolc Fire Starters – Make Your Own Fire Starters

Imbolc Fire Starters – Make Your Own Fire Starters

By , About.com

Brighid is a goddess of fire, but let’s face it — sometimes getting a fire lit on a chilly, windy winter evening can be tricky. Put together a batch of simple fire starters to keep on hand, and you’ll be able to get a blaze going at any time!

  • A cardboard egg carton
  • Drier lint
  • Paraffin wax

Heat the paraffin wax in a double boiler. While it is melting, roll the drier lint into balls and stuff it into the cups of the cardboard egg carton. Squash it down so that you still have cardboard above the top of the lint ball. Pour the melted paraffin wax over the top of the lint-filled cardboard pockets. Allow to cool and harden. Cut the egg carton into separate cups, giving you twelve fire starters. When it’s time to start your fire, simply light one corner of a cardboard cup. The paraffin and lint will catch fire, and burn long enough to get your kindling going.

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