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Imbolc
New Moon Occult Shop is the best place to source herbs, incense, oils and jewelry associated with Imbolc. I recommend contacting them directly and asking for help finding just what you need as often they will source things they don't usually carry in stock.
As I'm a solitary I've written my own rituals to follow.
Color is an important connection for me. I focus on the color orange
and all its symbolism at this time. I keep an orange votive candle
burning in each room of our home.
My meditations focus on personal illumination and inspiration, using the
flame as my guide. I renew my dedication each Imbolc with a ritual I
have written for that.
I meditate on the aspects of the Goddess as she is reawakened by the
lengthier days and I see her as Maiden and young Mother. The God is a
toddler just experiencing the world and he triggers the Inner Child in
me to come forward.
I connect with the Earth and feel the energy which has been stored
throughout the Winter ready to burst forth as the Sun warms the ground
and life beneath begins to stir.
I have a note in my Book of Shadows that "Imbolc is about the
re-emergence of life" and this always triggers deep meditation for me.
I vizualize coming forth from a cave, out of the depths of the Earth and
onto its surface. I smell damp, pregnant Earth and feel the warmth of
the Sun as the world begins to awaken early in the morning. Mists are
burning off and the sounds of nature become louder.
My husband (Jim, the Christian) and I celebrate together a ritual we
created based on the Festival of Lights. We tour each room of our house
with white candles and we remember last year and some of the good
memories the rooms of our house trigger, and we renew our rites of
protection for each room. We imagine the rooms with the summer Sun
flooding them and that memory takes us through what's left of the gray
days of Winter. We place a large white candle burning in our front
window and burn it every night until it is done. (Hope this doesn't
offend anyone -- but if Akasha can include her wonderful Pomeranian, I
hope I can include my wonderful Beloved -- not in my Circle; just in
some ritual outside of it.)
Years ago I read that Imbolc was the Feast of Poets. I dedicate
February to finding as much quiet time as I can to write my poetry.
That becomes a special time for me.
To me, Imbolc is a celebration of the Goddess as Maiden and Mother, and
it is also a time when I focus on the return of the God as the days
begin to lengthen.
In the kitchen, I focus on food combining dairy and spices. Especially
garlic, chives and curry. It's a BIG month for curry in our house.
BB, Ahneke
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