Imbolc 1998 Newsletter About Imbolc |
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Imbolc occurs each year in the Southern Hemisphere on August 2nd. Imbolc means 'in the belly of the mother'. Deep within the core of Mother Earth winter is starting to thaw. Yes, it will still be cold for a while yet, but nature is preparing, and gathering her strength from the new Sun, to blossom in Spring. Imbolc is a fire festival that celebrates the coming of Spring. As the days start to get longer, and we start to feel the Sun in our bones. It is at this time of the year that the Great Mother once again becomes the Young Maiden Goddess. At this time of year we must remember to be patient, and not rush the spring. We watch, meditate and notice the changes that indicate the arrival of Spring. We look for the birds who will soon pair up and prepare the nests for their young to be born in. We look for the new buds to form on the trees that lost their leaves in the Winter.
The Australian Sunrise
By James Lister Cuthbertson
The Morning Star paled slowly, the Cross hung low to the sea,
And down the shadowy reaches the tide came swirling free,
The lustrous purple blackness of the soft Australian night
Waned in the grey awakening that heralded the light;
Still in the dying darkness, still in the forest dim
The pearly dew of the dawning clung to each giant limb,
Till the sun came up from ocean, red with the cold sea mist,
And smote on the limestone ridges, and the shining tree-tops kissed;
Then the fiery Scorpion vanished, the magpie's note was heard,
And the wind in the sheoak wavered and the honeysuckles stirred;
The airy golden vapour rose from the river breast,
The kingfisher came darting out of his crannied nest,
And the bulrushes and reed-beds put off their sallow grey
And burnt with cloudly crimson at the dawning of the day.
Imbolc is also known as Brigit's Day, a day that celebrates the Irish Goddess Brigit. Brigit is the Patron Goddess of smithcraft, poetry and healing. Brigit has many names, including Brigid and Bride. The Christian church have included her in their pantheon of Saints, where she is known as Saint Brigit. She sends blessings to those who are to be joined together, and we name the woman the Bride in respect to her.
Brigit is a fire Goddess, as her sacred fires symbolise the fire of creative inspiration, which is shown in her healing, smithying and poetic creations. Candles were once kept alight in the windows of houses until the sunrise in respect to the fire within her.
The holiday is sometimes called Candlemas, a time to make and bless your candles for the coming year. Many groups have candle making parties, where candles are poured, moulded and dedicated to the Earth. If you do not make your own candles, now would be a good time to take stock of your wax supplies, or a time to consecrate those candles you have. If pouring molten wax is a concern, you could consider using sheets of beeswax. You heat the, slightly, with a hair dryer, or in front of the heater, and then roll them around a wick. You can create many types of candles this way, depending on how you cut the original beeswax sheet.
An old custom associated with Brigit's day is to weave Brigit crosses from straw or wheat to hang around the house for protection. The making of a bed for these dolls is a way of ensuring fertility of mind and spirit.
Another activity is to bless the seed that you will plant in spring. You may like to ask the Goddess to bless the physical or mental seeds that you will plant, in order that they may grow strong throughout the Spring season. You may use some herb or vegetable seeds to act as a symbol of your mental intentions or wishes. Plant these seeds at the appropriate time and watch them grow, care for them as you would care for the mental thoughts you develop.
Imbolc is also a time for purification rituals, as we clear our minds of winter we prepare ourselves for the new Spring. Now is the time to perhaps clean out the junk in our lives, or in our homes. A mini Spring clean is in order as we prepare for new beginnings.
If Candlemas day be shower and rain, Winter is gone and will not come again."
(traditional verse)
