It seems like ages now, that we have been sitting through the dark of the year. Yet if you truly look around, the first signs of spring are showing, so it is time to celebrate Imbolc.

Imbolc, also known as Candlemas, is one of the eight Sabbats we celebrate as the wheel of the year turns and marks the cross-quarter between Winter and Spring. Mother Earth's bounty is growing within her, and her belly is only just starting to show. The name “Imbolc” comes from a Gaelic word, meaning "in the belly."[1]

It's more than worth noting that this holiday is a celebration of the Goddess Brigid, The Bright Arrow, She Who Is the Flame of Avalon, and She Who Was the First Bride. It is nearly impossible to try and understand Imbolc without knowing Her face. She is a Goddess of the hearth, blacksmiths, fertility, marriages, fire, the sun, and inspiration.

Imbolc is a time of celebrating Lady Brigid's pregnancy, as the Maiden is becoming the Mother.

This is a time of showering her with love, and affirmations for her child, which is the future to come. It is a time when we come together to celebrate the pure potential that spring will bring, and to begin to plan for what lies ahead. The lands are once again fertile, and the first seeds of the year are being planted. This is the time of initiations and new beginnings.

Imbolc is also known as Candlemas due to a tradition spanning back millennia, wherein the fire of Lady Brigid is brought into the home[2], manifested as a candle in every window. This is, quite literally pushing the dark of the year away with the light of the Goddess. This is an ideal time to execute any candle magic you have been planning, and tap into Avalon's light to give your spells an extra oomph.

Celebration traditionally begins at sundown on February 1st, when the candles are placed, and lasts until sundown the following day. In some traditions, a special poppet is made to give form to the Lady Brigid so She may have a vessel to receive Her gifts and be more easily welcomed into the home and family.[3] During this time, She is treated as an honored guest. The Maiden has just gotten married after all!

Associations

Colors:

• White: Representing the ever-present snow, and the Maiden's purity

• Red: Symbolic of the Great Flame, the color most associated with Lady Brigid

• Green: The first growth of spring, hopes and ideals we wish to foster and nourish

Herbs:

• Blackberry: Said to be sacred to Brigid, this plant has been used to treat burns, and is in spells for wealth[1]

• Coltsfoot (aka Coughwort): This herb has been used medicinally to treat coughs, ever present in the cold of winter, and has been used in incense to ease communion with spirit

• Violets: A gift for expectant mothers and newlyweds to bring future luck, also used to bring on a restful sleep

Symbols:

Brigid's Cross: Traditionally created on a walk using found twigs and reeds during the first day of Imbolc, and placed to be left on the hearth.

Brideo'gas: A special poppet made to embody the Lady Brigid. This poppet is taken around the community, and treated as a guest of honor. In some traditions, the poppet is tucked into a bed over the hearth to bring fertility into the home. In others, a special wand made of elder and pointed with an acorn is bound to the hand of the Brideo'gas. It is said that if a poppet with its wand is burned, a special message may be divine from her ashes.

Sources

[1] https://www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/imbolc-candlemas

[2] http://circleofthesacredmuse.com/celebrations/imbolc/

[3] https://wicca.com/celtic/akasha/imbolclore.htm

[4 ] http://www.sheeeire.com/magic%26mythology/gods%26goddess/celtic/goddess/brigit/factsheet1.htm

[2] http://circleofthesacredmuse.com/celebrations/imbolc/

[3] https://wicca.com/celtic/akasha/imbolclor