Imbolc and Brigid’s Day are February 1st. It is a cross-quarter day, halfway between the winter and spring sabbats. Imbolc is when the sun is at 15 degrees Aquarius. Imbolc is one of the four fire festivals and celebrates the first inkling of spring. It was marked by the lambs being born and their mothers producing the first milk of the year. After a long winter, this is the first sign of returning life. For many, their food supplies may have been running low. Hunger may have set in. Death from malnutrition and starvation were facts of life at Imbolc.
Themes
Imbolc
Imbolc is somewhat of a dual sabbat as you can”t talk about Imbolc without including the Goddess Brigid ( celebrated by many cultures and spelled many ways). We will get to her in a minute.
It is time to come out of hibernation, welcome back the light, and greet the promise of Spring. Women are honored as keepers of the hearth. The men and women begin to prepare for the arrival of Spring. Plans are made, tools are cleaned, seeds are blessed, cleansing, purification, and blessing of the home are completed. Hope is returning with the sun. Fertility is also a theme of Imbolc as the livestock breed and birth, so must the land and crops grow and prosper.
Imbolc is a time of transformation, spiritual cleansing, and initiation. Evaluate what you want and make solid plans. You could get new clothes or a new hairstyle. Maybe something bigger like get married, start a family, or change careers.
The weather was of great importance and divining the future weather often revolved around observing animal behavior. It is said that if the hedgehog can see his shadow on this day he will be frightened and retreat to his burrow and there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Today we have a groundhog instead of a hedgehog. Groundhog Day is February 2nd.
Brigid’s Day
Brigid is a Celtic Triple Goddess ( maiden, mother, crone ). She is an ancient deity, perhaps the oldest, the Great Mother. She is the Keeper of the Sacred Flame. A perpetual flame was kept in her honor in Ireland for 25 centuries. Guarded and protected 24 hours a day, the flame was uninterrupted.
Brigid’s history has been passed down orally for many hundreds of years, and her memory has been kept alive by bards and poets.
Brigid is a complex Goddess. She is close to the fairy folk, a Goddess of fertility, and a protector of women during childbirth. She is a Goddess of healing and purifies the waters in springs.
Brigid is the Goddess of smithcraft. She may have been the Lady of the Lake, owner of Avalon, and the sacred grove. Brigid was the smith who transformed ore bearing rock by fire and created tools and weapons considered magical, including Excalibur.
She is the muse of poetry and all art.
Brigid is a warrior Goddess known as a mediator between warring tribes.
She is associated with many animals, particularly a white cow, bears, and lambs.
Activities
Dress your Lammas corn dolly with three red and white ribbons representing the Triple Goddess. She becomes a talisman of good fortune. Give her a place of honor on your fireplace mantle or near your front door.
The ancestors were very interested in the future to come. They sought out all divination forms, tarot cards, runes, pendulum, and astrology to know if the future would be prosperous. Sneak a peek at your future through divination.
Imbolc was a time of need. Food supplies ran low for some and people became malnourished and died. The neighbors in a community helped by sharing clothes and food as best they could. Today with Covid, we have families that are in dire straights. These families are losing their homes and don’t have enough food. Put together a food and clothing drive with your friends and neighbors to help these families and honor the ancestors.
It is time to let go of negative emotions. Write these emotions and summaries on paper, then burn them. Relieve yourself of this burden.
Physical cleansing is important as well. Visit a natural spring and bath in it. Take a soak in the bathtub with sea salt, lemon and lavender essential oil.
Do a Google search and see if you can locate a natural well to visit. Toss in three coins or three flowers and make a wish, this is an ancient custom to honor Brigid. If a natural well is not possible a fountain will do.
Evaluate your diet. Consider a fresh non-processed plant based food supply. Eliminate sugar from your diet all together.
Now is the time to go through the house, drawers, and closets. Be ruthless in removing items that you no longer use or need. Remove anything with negative energy or bad memories. burn a blue candle as you work, It is Brigid’s color.
Deep clean your house. After the house is purged and cleaned it is time to smudge.
Use a smudge stick as pictured below. Light it and get it burning, then tap out the flame in a fireproof bowl or abalone shell. The sage stick should be producing smoke, but there should be no flame. Starting in the east corner of your house and then moving in a clockwise direction, begin your smudging by distributing the smoke with a large feather towards doors, windows, and vents while speaking out loud the spell below.
East, south, west, and north. Bring air, fire, water, and earth to cleanse and bless this house. As I will so mote it be by the law of three by three.
After completing your cleaning, smudging, and blessing there is one more step. Make a circuit around your house with essential rosemary oil. Move in a clockwise direction. Anoint all doors and window sills with the oil. This will bring additional protection and repell negativity.
Place a small bundle of sage at the east, south, west and north corners inside your house.
Place a horseshoe in the Imbolc fire and leave overnight in honor of Brigid’s forge. Hang the horseshoe curved side down at your front door. The horseshoe now can hold all the good fortune and prosperity that will come your way.
Protection Spell. Drive iron spikes into the ground outside at each corner of your home. Recite;
By the power of iron I protect this home against all evil lurking here.As I will so it will be by the law of three times three
Don’t forget your yard. Rake the leaves, weed the beds, and trim plants. Plant some new plants to beautify the space.
Take a trip to a stone quarry or out in the country along a river and collect stones. Stones hold the sacred energy of the earth. Smooth river rock type stones are what you want. Create a garden feature of a cairn or create a sacred circle.
This is the time of year that it is good to add to your magical stone collection.
Imbolc is also the time to do the deep cleaning of your ritual tools. Dust, scrub, and polish your ritual tools. Rinse them in a saltwater solution. Leave them outside overnight in the moonlight on a full moon.
Clean and reset your altar as well.
Imbolc is the time to bless your seeds. Think up a rhyming blessing and do a simple ritual to bless them. You may also want to plant a few seeds indoors as starts for the garden.
Reconnect with nature. Go to a local park and take a walk, closely observing nature as you walk. Do you hear birds chirping? Do you see early buds on the trees and shrubs? Do you see any early flowers like crocuses? Take it all in and feel the wheel turning.
Brigid’s Spell. This spell can be used to release negativity, assist with positive affirmations. Open you to new experiences or ways of thinking and brings out the new potential within. Identify what the goal of this spellcasting is all about. Write a rhyming spell calling on Brigid and inviting her to become part of your life with her magical influences. Ask in your spell for help with your precise goal. Set up a spell altar with 9 white tea light candles arranged in a circle. In the center of the circle, decorate with a Brigid’s Cross, along with red and white carnations. Have an offering of milk with honey and bread. When you are ready, sit quietly and contemplate your goal. See your goal in your mind’s eye as already having been achieved. Feel the satisfaction of your accomplishment. Light your candles in a clockwise fashion. Stare into the flames and bring yourself into a meditative state. Speak your spell out loud. When you are done, thank Brigid for her help and support. Allow the candles to burn out on their own.
It is traditional to burn a blue candle through the night in honor of Brigid. At bedtime, place the candle in your fireplace or kitchen sink for safety.
Crafts
Brigid’s Cross
A Brigid Cross is made at Imbolc to capture the strong essence of Brigid. It is a four-leg equilateral cross. You can make one using reeds, wheat, or any other material that is sturdy enough. It looks wonderful in a centerpiece. Ultimately the cross is hung in the entryway of your house. It attracts all the goodness that is associated with Brigit. It protects all threats to wellbeing. There is a wonderful video here showing how to make a Brigid Cross.
A Brigid Centerpiece
This can be an arrangement for a party centerpiece or one for your personal enjoyment. Use a silver platter or platter sized mirror as a base for your arrangement. Use red and white taper candles set in small glass holders. You can pick up these small taper holders at the Dollar Store. Decorate your white candles with glue and silver glitter. A small arrangement of red and white carnations can be placed in the center and the candles arranged to your pleasure. A small dish of sunflowers or pumpkin seeds and a small white cow can be added to your centerpiece. Fill in the bottom area with cuttings of evergreens and include a small Brigid Cross.
Crown of Light
The crown of light is headwear that represents the lighted sun wheel. If you have a party, make a crown of light for each of your female guests to wear.
Start with two green pipe cleaners overlapped and twisted together to make a 9-inch circle. Using florist wire, attach evergreens to overlap and hide the pipe cleaners. Continue to wire on holly berries and silk early Spring flowers such as snowdrops, crocus, and primrose. The Dollar Store has silk flowers. As a final touch, add a string of battery operated clear fairy lights around the crown. You can purchase a set of 6 fairy lights on Amazon for what you would pay in a store for one set. Secure battery pack to back of the crown and conceal with greenery. Add quarter-inch ribbon streamers to the back of the crown.
Ice Candle
This is a great fun project to do with older children. They are quite beautiful and inexpensive to make. I have a good straight forward video to teach you how here. Make it blue in honor of Brigid.
Food of Imbolc
Red represents fire. Good choices for food are spaghetti with marinara sauce and chili. White represents the snow. White food choices could be milk, white cheese, pasta, chicken, rice, pork, rice pudding, and vanilla ice cream.
A Brigid Day dinner party
Red and white decorations and flowers to dress your table. The earlier described centerpiece would be perfect at a sit-down dinner or buffet table. Light white candles in every room and keep room lights low. Play Celtic music. Have your guests wear green to honor Brigid’s fairy folk. Have a Crown of Light for each female guest to wear.
Fruit wine ( not grape ) and dark ale for beverages.
Choose red and white foods for your menu.
I favor a toast with a shot of milk with honey stirred into the milk. Be sure and have an extra shot to leave as an offering.
Chicken and white rice, cauliflower, poached pears, Irish Soda bread, and cheesecake with cherry topping for dessert.
Recipes
Italian Cheesecake
Crust
1/8 pound butter, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup flour.
Combine crust ingredients. Press into the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan.
Cheesecake filling
8-ounce cream cheese, room temperature, 8 ounces ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoon flour, 6 tablespoon sugar, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 tablespoon lemon juice.
Combine filling ingredients until smooth. Pour over crust—Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
Irish Soda Bread
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix together 4 cups all-purpose flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 cup buttermilk, and 1 egg. Knead the bread slightly. o
On a lightly floured surface. Form into a round and place on a greased baking sheet. Combine 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup buttermilk and brush the loaf. Cut an X on top of the loaf. Bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Check at 30 minutes and brush loaf again.
Correspondences
Stones – garnet, yellow topaz, agate, ruby, onyx, bloodstone, amethyst
Colors – red, white, yellow, pink, lavender, silver
Plants – basil, bay leaf, heather, hellebore for protection, sage, blackberry for healing.
Incense – neroli, jasmine, vanilla, cinnamon