Outisde, the snow falls. The Queen of Winter reigns, and we appreciate Her beauty. All seems silent. All seems still. But beneath Her frozen mantle, the Goddess stirs.
In the sky, the Sun shines brighter. The Sun Kind, reborn at Yuletide, grows stonger. Already, the days are noticably longer. Our King shines down on our Lady of the Earth, and drowsy, she opens Her eyes. Now start the unseen beginnings of spring.
Imbolc (in my years, I've also seen it spelled Imbolg or Imbolic,) is the Sabbat that marks the very subtle changes that occur in the very ealiest beginnings of Spring. We can already see some changes, such as the lengthening of the days. We interpret this as the growing and strengthening of the Sun King, the God. As He grows, he warms our Lady. So begins the spring.
As the description, The Festival of Lights, implies, we fill our homes with light and warmth. We light red and gold (or yellow) candles to honor the Goddess and the God respectivly. White candles, too, represent the current state of purity and represents a cleansing light. To further that point, we begin our spring cleaning -- physical and spiritual -- around this time. Physically, we organize ourselves, preparing for the coming season, and make sure that all signs of winter are ridded of. Spiritually, we cleanse the home of the residual energies of winter, now growing stagnant. We fill our homes with light and the spirit of Spring. I usually do spiritual house cleansings and blessings at this time, too.
In Celtic mythology, Imbolc is the Festival of the great Goddess Brighid (pronounced "breed.") Brighid is known as the Goddess of fire, poetry, healing and crafts. In Her firey aspect, She is also associated with the hearth and the home. In ancient times, the Hearth fire was a symbol of life -- it provided heat, light, and a source of energy to cook food with. It was Brighid's fire that sustained Her people, and for this, She was heald in very high regard. In the Spring, 1999 issue of PanGaea Pagan magazine, there was an article about Imbolc, namely about Brighid. It talked about the great Goddess, and her role in Ireland, where Her greatest following was, over the years. Bardic Legends of Her followers in Ireland tell about the Nineteen Priestesses of Brighid. The Nineteen Priestesses were said to have kept a fire in Brighid's honor for many years. As time went on, the people continued their worship of the Lady of Fire and healing, all the way up to, and straight through the Christian conversion of Ireland. Today in the Irish Catholic Church, Brighid is now known as Saint Brigit, one of Ireland's most celebrated Saints. The article told of a convent of nuns in Ireland today that, to this day, have tended a fire in honor of the Saint Brighid. In addition to this, the convent performs a ritual on February 2 (known in Ireland today as Saint Brigit's day.) The public, both Catholic and Pagan, is invited to participate in the ritual, a dynamic blend of Pagan and Catholic traditions, in the Saint's honor. The ritual takes place at Saint Brigit's Well, a prehistoric structure dedicated to Brigit/Brighid, whose water is said to have healing properties. So demonstrative is this partnership of Old and New, of the love the people have for their patron Lady.
Imbolc is the time for togetherness, love, and light. With honor to the Lady and the Lord, we become one with the energies of the earth, and anxiously await the season of renewal, Spring.
Read a group ritual I wrote a few years ago.
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