Imbolc

Imbolc, halfway between Yule and Ostara, Winter Solstice and Vernal Equinox, is celebrated on February 2nd in the Northern Hemisphere, and August 2nd in the Southern Hemisphere. Imbolc translates to mean "in the belly," symbolic of the seed planted in the womb of the Goddess at Solstice, now growing and quickening that she may bring forth a new son, a new year.

Imbolc is also known as Imbolg or Oimelc in Gaelic; Brighid, Brigid's Day, and the Feast of Brigid; Bride and the Feast of Waxing Light. Catholics call it Candlemas, or St Brigid'd Day, and Groundhog Day is celebrated on Imbolc.

Brighid, the Celtic Goddess of fire, crafts, healing, hearth, and home was known as a goddess of fertility and love, midwifery, and mothering. Protector of children and childbirth, she was the patron of blacksmiths, metalcrafts, fire and tools. Brighid's shrine in Kildare, Ireland, is the ancient site where nineteen priestesses kept a fire burning perpetually in her honour.

Brighid was so loved by the Celts that Christian conquerors chose to deify her as Saint Brigit, because it was easier to assimilate her than try to stamp out the love displayed for her.

Alternately spelled Brighid, Brigid, Brigit, Bridget, and even Bride, it is said that Britain is a name derived from Brighid. Saint Brigit was called the "foster mother" of Jesus, and the "Purification of the Virgin Mary" was held on this day, forty days after giving birth to Jesus.

Saint Brigit was represented by a statue, and Brigit's Cross, a three or four-armed cross made of rushes or reeds. It traditionally hung over children's beds or over th main door of the home, for protection. Both Goddess and Saint are depicted wearing a cloak (symbolically represented by mantle of altar cloth) and carrying a white wand made of birch or willow. Brigit is also associated with Oak because of the traditional Druid's grove at Kildare.

Imbolc comes at the time of year when agrarian communities were running low on food after a long winter. It was both a celebration of making it through the worst of the season and anticipating the Spring soon to come. It's a festival of light and fertility, and a time of purification. Traditionally it was a time for initiation ceremonies and self-dedication rituals.

Colours associated with Imbolc are red, white and green, representing: life force, the hearth fire and the rising sun; the pristine snow, purity and milk; and faeries, sprouts, and new beginnings, respectively. 

Traditional Imbolc foods are those that might remain in a dwindling pantry such as nuts, grains, dried meats, and root vegetables, but also the food of new beginnings.

Animals associated with Imbolc include the ewe, cattle, the raven, the serpent, and the white swan. The number 19 is sacred, representing the 19 priestesses who tended the perpetual flame in Kildare, and because Brighid is a triple goddess, the number 3 is also associated.

FEMININITY AND FERTILITY:

In the desperate cold of winter, Imbolc comes like the sun, casting a bright light on the barren landscape, warming and enlivening people. The traditional fires warm our hearts, our hands, and our minds. We come alive with passion, creativity, and ideas. After several long months spent indoors, huddled close to the hearth in order to survive the cold darkness, we revel in Imbolc celebrations, a time to gather friends together to warm ourselves, affirming life.

While not popular with all pagans, Imbolc occurs in early February (Northern Hemisphere) and August (Southern Hemisphere), a time of year when we all need something to celebrate. In many areas, we have come through months of days so short that it is dark when we go to work and dark when we come home. Whether it is a fire traditional to Imbolc in which family and friends burn old Yule trees or a community gathering around the hearth or altar, celebrating Imbolc warming us.

Traditionally a women's ceremony associated with the maiden aspect of the Triple Goddess, represented by Brighid, Imbolc sits on the Wheel of the Year opposite Lughnasadh, or Lammas, which is a men's rite celebrating Lugh, the God of Light, while many covens celebrate with women only, mean are always welcome. An idea is to encourage men to contemplate the roles played by women in their lives in order to understand how women nurture and guide them, sustain and heal them. 

Brighid's sacred day was celebrated with sacred fires, symbolising inspiration, creativity, conception, birthing, and healing. Throughout Celtic countries, huge fires were lit to symbolically warm the spirit, inspire creativity, fan passion and fertility, and sustain us.

THE GODDESS:

In the cycle of life, the Goddess has now recovered from giving birth to the God at Solstice. She nurtures him as he grows in strength, but he is still young. The God is not yet at full power, so Imbolc is a time to celebrate her femininty and fertility. The Goddess' return is a remarkable event - something to be celebrated and prepared for. While fertility portends new life, abundance and continued survival, it also demands good health, great strength, and personal resources to sustain that life. And while the Goddess returns to a state of fertility, creativity, and great potential, she must also care for her young son, nurturing and loving him.  At Imbolc, the Goddess pauses, remembering that while she feeds and cares for her young son, she must also feed herself emotionally and physically so that she has the energy needed to nurture and love all her children.

Symbolically, Imbolc is a time for purification of self, home, hearth, and magickal tools, and a time to clean out the old to make space for the new to come. Imagine the young God graduating from the cradle to the bed, making room for the new baby that will be born. Balancing the care of her young son with the care of herself and the new life within, the Goddess must inventory where she "spends" her love and good energy. It is a practice of purifying her life through the process.

Like the Goddess Brighid, we must remember to periodically sort through our lives - to take stock of our energy levels, our health, and resources. Like our ancestors who inventoried the limited food remaining in their pantries, we must sort through our resources, getting rid of what is "soft" or "rotten," so that only nurturing and sustaining entities and activities remain.

While many women are taught to care for others before caring for themselves - and mothers are especially encouraged to do and be everything for their children - we must recognise that self-care provides for all that we do. Self-care is not selfish; it provides the basis for care of others. 

Imbolc is the ideal time to clarify what we need and want in our lives emotionally, spiritually, and socially.