Author: A Solitary Pagan

In the mythology of the Sabbats, Imbolc marks the recovery of the Goddess as she sleeps on after the birth of the Sun God. Although he is still young his light purifies the earth and his growing power can be felt in the lengthening of the days. As his power grows and warms the earth, so too do the early beginnings of spring appear as nature rebirths itself again.

Fire is one of the most important aspects of this celebration, for it was also a day dedicated to the pagan Goddess Brighid (also known as, Bríde, Bridget, Brigit or Brìd). Brighid is a triple aspect Goddess (revered as Maiden, Mother and Crone). As Maiden she ruled over Poetry, Writing, Inspiration and Music, as Mother over Healing, Midwifery and Herbalism, and as Crone over Fire and the working ...

In Western Europe, Imbolc was time to start preparing the fields for the first plantings, and to bless the crop seeds saved and stored from the last harvest. It was also a time to consecrate and bless all their agricultural tools. The success of the new farming season was of great importance to our ancestors, and as most their winter stores of food were beginning to run out, rituals were performed...

Imbolc is all about new beginnings. On the eve of Imbolc all the home fires would have been put out, cleaned out and re-lit symbolic of the returning light of the Sun. In keeping with this symbolism, a broom made from three sacred woods (the handle from Ash, the brush from Birch twigs and the binding cord from Willow) acting as symbolic of the three-fold aspects of the Goddess, would be placed by ...

After the rise of Christianity in Britain, the custom of lighting candles at Imbolc was taken up by the Roman Catholic Church and renamed Candlemas. On the eve of Candlemas, candles would be lit all around the church in a Festival of Light. After a service to honour the purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, all candles to be used in the church during the following year would then be blessed and...

The use of candles in a Festival of Light never died out however and has returned to pagan practice. Today in contemporary witchcraft, one of the main features of many traditional covens is the initiation ritual. At Imbolc, members of traditional covens will form a procession of candlelight leading initiates into a circle, and from this circle, their new beginnings as Witches will take place.

Imbolc then is the time to spring clean both your mental and physical abilities, to take stock of your life and make a fresh start. By planning ahead and planting new seeds (ideas) for the future, who knows what new opportunities will grow from them. As the Sun grows stronger in the sky and the new buds of Spring appear, so too should you look forward with optimism, and as your seeds (ideas) matur...

The making a Brighid’s crosses was a tradition started in Ireland to honour one of pagan Ireland’s most important Goddesses Brighid. Brighid who is associated with fire, healing and holy wells, is celebrated during the pagan sabbat festival of Imbolc marking the earliest stirrings of Spring. Traditionally the crosses were made from rushes, but today wheat stalks, straw or other synthetic materials...

By February, most of us are tired of the cold, snowy season. Imbolc reminds us that spring is coming soon, and that we only have a few more weeks of winter to go. The sun gets a little brighter, the earth gets a little warmer, and we know that life is quickening within the soil. There are a number of different ways to celebrate this Sabbat. Rituals and Ceremonies Depending on your particular tradi...

Imbolc is an old festival connected with the coming of spring and the growing warmth of the sun. In some areas of Europe, this day marked the emergence of a few brave plants from beneath the snow. As such, Imbolc was an occasion for feasting. Because the sun was usually seen as the source of the earth’s fertility, Imbolc (known in Catholicism as Candlemas) was a solar festival. Practitioners of pr...

Imbolc is a gentle festival, where we honor the first signs of spring after a long winter. It has long been dedicated to the goddess Brighid who has associations with fire and water. Allow this time of year to fill your soul, the air is still cold but the warmth of the light from the strengthening sun inspires you to go out into the worlds (this world and the Otherworld) and do the work that you h...