Imbolc translates to “in the Womb” and refers to the ewes, who at this time of year would be heavy with their lambs. Candlemass the other name for this holiday symbolizes the use of candles to represent to sun and the return of the light.

At this time of year pagans celebrate two aspects of their faith. The Goddess throws off the robe of Crone, which she wore throughout the autumn and winter and puts on the mantle of Maiden, fresh as the spring she brings. We celebrate this evolution with spring blossoms and brightly coloured candles.

We also celebrate the God who, born at Yule, is now growing up. As he grows so does the strength of the sun and warm days, brighter days are sure to be in the forecast as he matures.

Between the Goddess bring spring flowers and the God warming the days, Imbolc is a time to rejoice in the ending of the dark.

Rituals are performed that are cleansing and refreshing. Spring-cleaning is a common practice and may involve actually cleaning; washing and scrubbing floors etc, to smudging homes and bodies with sage or some other spiritually cleansing herbs, some renew their spiritual connections to their faiths. Everything about this time of year speaks of new beginning, new horizons, and starting fresh.

For my Imbolc this year, I’m considering a renewal of my Wiccan Vows as one ritual. Having just completed my second degree I feel it may be warranted at this time. But it’s a “should” do ritual and not something I’m overly excited about doing.

I’m also considering doing full and complete chakras cleanse and balancing ritual, but again it doesn’t jazz me.

Perhaps, rather than planning anything specific, I’ll just see where the Goddess takes me… there’s a thought.

Since it’s become my habit to include some ritual information when I make these posts about the sabbats the following is a traditional Imbolc ritual opening.

In this ritual we will invoke the Quarters through the forms of the Goddess. This can be particularly good for Grand (Lunar) Sabbats, Moons and other rituals, which honour the feminine Polarity.

Begin in the East. Use a Wand, Sacred Tool of Fire, or if you prefer use your fingers.

Raise the Wand, imagining as you do so a column of pure white light arising in the East, at the border of the Circle. See the column as strong and pure and filled with energy. Say something like:

EAST

”We call upon You O Red Lady of the East! You Who took the first action and in so doing set the world in motion. Lady of the Dawn, and of all beginnings! Behold, we do invoke You O Lady of the East –and with You the Sylphs and Spirits of the Air! Come to us! Join us! Lend us Your aid and Your inspiration in this our undertaking!”

Now move to the next Quarter. Again raise the Wand, and imagine a column of pure white light arising in the Quarter. Say something like:

SOUTH

”We call upon You O White Lady of the South! You Who united with the God and ensouled the World! Lady of Noonday, Mistress of fertility and of fecundity! Behold, we do invoke You O Lady of the South –and with You the Salamanders and Spirits of the Fire! Come to us! Join with us! Lend us Your aid and Your inspiration in this our undertaking!”

Now move to the next Quarter. Again raise the Wand, and imagine a column of pure white light arising in the Quarter. Say something like:

WEST

”We call upon You O Gray Lady of the West! You Who govern the cycles of time and rebirth. Lady of Sunset, Who gathers home the fruits of creation! Behold, we do invoke You O Lady of the West –and with You the Undines and Spirits of the Waters! Come to us! Join us! Lend us Your aid and Your inspiration in this our undertaking!”

Now move to the next Quarter. Again raise the Wand, and imagine a column of pure white light arising in the Quarter. Say something like:

NORTH

“We call upon You O Black Lady of the North! You Who were before the first creation and Who shall endure beyond all reckoning. Lady of Midnight, You Who are the Darkness before the Dawn. Behold, we do invoke You O Lady of the North -and with You the Gnomes and Spirits of the Earth! Come to us! Join us! Lend us Your aid and Your inspiration during this our undertaking!

Let he Four Quarters now come to the center of the Circle and join hands. Let them dance deosil in the center of the Circle singing an appropriate chant, such as:

“Air! Fire! Water! Earth! Air! Fire! Water! Earth! Air! Fire! Water! Earth!

“We are One! We are One! We are One!”

Now speak the charm:

“Behold: Four Queens dance, and by their dance the world is formed! As it was in the beginning the dance of the Elements sets the ritual in motion! Thought! Action! Reaction! Integration! An endless cycle of being!

“Behold the dance and imagine the energy raised by its steps! See the energy arising between the dancers –shining white and radiating in all directions. See that light grow and expand. See it moving out beyond the dancers, expanding to encompass them, surround them, then expanding still farther! See the light fill our ritual space –growing brighter and brighter, expanding farther and farther until it surrounds the entire ritual space. See the light form a barrier all the way around us –a barrier of light.

A Circle of Art to focus and to contain the powers we shall raise herein!

“Behold! By our will So Mote It Be!”

ALL

“So Mote It Be!”

Now it is time to invoke Deity. Since Grand Sabbats are Lunar ceremonies, the Goddess will be invoked first. In this case we shall invoke the Goddess not in any particular personal form, but in Her Archetype as Maiden.

The Priestess raises her arms to call upon the Goddess. She might say something like:

PRIESTESS

“Hail unto You O Maiden! We do invoke You, Dawn-Mistress, Lady of Renewal and Rebirth! Your many colors herald the return of the Sun, and You share them generously with the new-born flowers which shall emerge with Spring. Mistress of the Rainbow, and of all arts and forms of creation -We bid You Hail and Welcome!”

ALL

“Hail and Welcome!”

Now imagine the Goddess entering the Circle -imagine it in any way, which makes sense to you –, perhaps by imagining the Goddess in human form, or as a shower of glittering light, or as a ball or tower of light appearing in the Circle.

Now let us invoke the God in His archetype as Hero.

The Priest raises his arms to call upon the God. He might say something like:

PRIEST

“We invoke You O God in Your form as Hero! Gentle Lord of the Rising Sun, of Spring and New Beginnings! Eromenos! Lord of love and beauty, passion and creativity! Your Fire, reborn, only just begins to burn in this holy season -yet we welcome the flame! We bid You Hail and Welcome!”

ALL

“Hail and Welcome!”

Now visualize the God entering the Circle.

Finally, invoke the Ancestors. You might say something like:

“O Mighty Ancestors, Beloved Ones Who have gone before, We invoke You and ask You to join us and to Bless us! Ancestors of the Correllian Tradition, Priestesses and Priests, Mothers and Uncles of the lineage, Spiritual family which aids and supports us –lend us Your inspiration and Your love, Your guidance and Your aid this night, we pray. Beloved Ones, we bid You Hail and Welcome!”

ALL

“Hail and Welcome!”

We don’t have any men in our group, nor do we have a hierarchy of priestess. So we don’t to the High Priestess thing. Everyone gets a chance to read parts of the ritual according to personal choice. One girl always wants to read the west part. I prefer north and invoking the Ancestors.

This post has gotten really long. I’ll stop writing now.

FM

and who said pagans can't have a sense of humour!?

Blessing your morning coffee

In the morning, when you make your coffee, this is a great chant to chant while making it! What you'll need: a brown or white candle, ideally a coffee scented one, a coffee perculator, some coffee beans and a coffee grinder.

Light the candle. While grinding the coffee beans, chant this first verse:

"Yummy yummy coffee bean, Fill my mug with hot caffeine. Coffee, coffee, quickly send Hazelnut, vanilla, chocolate blend."

If you don't have a grinder, just chant that verse over it. While putting the grinds in the machine, chant:

"Sun is rising, Great God Ra, Your falcon wings bring me java. Goddess Bast, your rattle shakes the grains Of morning brew running through my veins."

While putting your sugar and cream in your favourite mug (while the coffee is brewing) chant:

"Bit of cream instead of milk, Turns my coffee into silk. Allow me a taste of sugar, Without it my coffee is vulgar."

As you're mixing your coffee, chant:

"Rising sun's gift, all this caffeine, Kitchen's percolator, supreme machine. So Below, As Above, This cup of coffee, I do love."

Now enjoy your perfect cup of coffee!

- Submitted by Cerridwen Moon

Imbolc is also called Candlemass, and that name is fairly self-explanatory. But in case you haven’t had your morning coffee yet, or are just a little slow in general, I’ll explain.

Imbolc is a celebration of light, we light lots of white candles to symbolize and celebrate the return of the sun and the coming spring.( more on Imbolc later) The patron Goddess of this time is Brigid, the Goddess of healing, hearth and home, and fire. She is of the Celtic pantheon and when the Christians came to Ireland she was altered in to St. Bride. She is one of the most well know Irish saints after darling Patrick and that rascal Columba. Her history is both convoluted and fascinating.

Brigid is the daughter of Dagda, the father God figure in Irish Myth. He’s the equivalent to Zeus, and Odin of other mythologies. Brigid and Dagda are part of the Tuatha De Danann, a very ancient race of Irish peoples, whom many believe started the race of Fae that inhabit the islands.

Irish Myth is full of daring battles and constant invasions by various races of mythological beings and men. The sagas are intricate and often confusing, so I’ll say no more of that here.

Many of the names of these great warriors have long since faded, but the name of Brigid remains. She is the patron of the sacred flame in Kildare and was honoured by the Druids. It is likely that her name remains in our memories because of her canonization by Catholics.

Her rebirth as a catholic saint begins in 451 in Faughart, County Louth, Ireland, where a women of Brigid’s name is born to the pagan king of Leinster and the Christian Slave Brocca, who by the way was baptized by dear St. Pat.

Her story goes that she began a priestess to the Goddess Brigid and eventually ascended to high priestess at Kildare; (Cill Dara- temple of the oak) in 468 she converted to Christianity, which explains how a pagan of such legendary quality could be canonized.

It is also because of her legendary status that much debate exists whether such a women every truly existed, or if the Goddess was converted to encourage the conversion of Irish pagans to Christianity. The other side points to her sacred relic, a portion of her skull, which was taken by Portuguese pilgrims from a shrine in Downpatrick in the 15th century and enshrined in Lumier.

Her Hagiography, a saint’s bio, states that she continually annoyed her father by always given away their food to the poor and needy. When she gave a jewel- encrusted sword to a leper it was graciously decided she was better off in a convent.

Sometime around 470 she founded a monastery for monks and nuns at Kildare. Depending on whom you talk to she either converted the pagan shrine, or built a new building nearby. She died there on the First of February 525, and that is now her sacred day, which in turn is why she has become the patron saint of Imbolc also celebrated on that day.

In pagan hearts she is the Goddess that protects homes and hearth, brings healing and good health to all who honour her and protect homes where her sacred cross hangs. Again pagan ritual and Christian belief s co-mingles as both faiths hold the symbolism of her cross as being sacred. Pagans and Christians a like make new crosses from straw, or reeds each Feb. 1, to protect their homes and bless their families.

In some pagan circles it is called the Solar Cross or the Sun Cross. Imbolc celebrates the return of the sun, so we see yet again a connection to this symbol.

Of all the Christian saints she probably the one most revered by pagans, an oddity of faith that confuses Christian and pagan a like. She is my own personal goddess, as I am both a healer and a homemaker (and a kick ass one at that, just like her). When I visited Ireland I attempted to visit her shrine at Kildare, but my bus arrived to early in the morning for the gates to be open, and left for Galway before I was able to venture inside.

A friend of mine gave me this link after reading my post. It's so cool. http://www.ordbrighideach.org...

On February first she is honoured with the lighting of candles and the making of her cross. Below are instructions for their construction, you can use straw, reeds, grasses, or pipe cleaners if you don’t have anything else, but natural materials are best.

Fairmoon

I took my son to play with a friend and then we went to run some errands. I wanted to get a plastic/ vinyl sheet to go on the mattress of his "big boy bed" while shopping I came across a movie I like on DVD - in a sale bin- found a little short and t-shirt set perfect for Owens friends birthday in a couple months and with out really have to think about any of these purchases bought them.

We then went to the toy store in the mall that have train play sets out for kids to play with and as a treat we went into the store and the kiddo picked out a new train to add to his collection at home, and we got two 'switch tracks' to add to variety to his play at home. We played with the train sets a while and them came home for lunch.

I was thinking about all of this, we got the DVD and birthdays present on sale and used some Xmas money for the kiddos new train, so we didn't spend a lot of money today. Regardless of that, I didn't have to worry about these purchases or work them into tight budget.

Now that's lucky. I'm lucky because there’s always a little extra around for treats, there’s always enough for essentials like gas, groceries, heat and electricity.

I'm lucky because I live in a neighbourhood were I can go to the mall and find what I need when I need it. I can turn my back on the kid for 30 seconds and NOT fear someone will swoop in and take him away.

I'm lucky because when we make lunch there’s always food in the fridge to eat and if there isn't I can go to a store and buy whatever I feel like buying. I have very clean water to cook with at all times, I have electricity and gas to cook with and keep our house warm at all times. I don't have to worry about the roof over our head (though it is leaking in some spots), the food on our table. These things have become trivial matters, conveniences always there with no extra thought or concern required.

I'm lucky because I, as a woman, have choices. What I was to eat, what I want to wear, what I want to do for a job, what I want to say, how I raise my kid, who I want to vote for.

On Election Day I worked in the office and took numerous phone calls from angry frustrated people who had to walk two blocks up hill in the rain to vote. People who 'had' to sleep in and then go to work and wanted to complain they didn't have enough time to vote. (Polls were open from 7 am to 7 pm- that still wasn't enough time apparently)

I just wanted to sit this people down and show them video of elections in Israel, Afghanistan, Africa, and say -bite me, get over it.

We're pretty damn lucky in the country and today I feel it and appreciate it.

What will I feel tomorrow? Who knows, I’m an enigma that way....

FM

I started writing this ranty little post about Steven harpers used of the above statement in his "yippee I won" speech, but you know I just can't be bothered. People whine too much as it is, I don't think I’ll add to it by whining about this.

The comment made me cringe for various reasons. I am not happy that Mr. Harper won. I'm damn glad that it’s a minority government and the liberals and NDP and Bloc will keep Mr. Harper in check.

I'm worried that Canada’s freedoms will go the way of America’s psuedo-freedoms and that with Harper and Bush running North American they're going to run it into the ground.

But, I shrug my shoulder and move on. Bitching isn't going to change a damn thing, so when I figure out what I can do I'll talk about that.

Meanwhile, back in the religion and beliefs category...

I continue to waffle about applying to be second-degree clergy. It's not a whole lot different from first degree but I would be a registered clergy member of the church and there’s a little bit of status there.

I'm actually considering asking to have my name removed from all records entirely. An ill wind blows right now and I sometimes wonder if it would be better to remain under ground, with no records if the proverbial shite hits the fan.

I worry about the fall out hitting my son. It's going to be hard enough for him growing up in this freakishly conservative (remember I counted ballots on election day- I know how different neighbourhood voted- and this one really really liked the idiot *I have proof she's dumb* who is an ultra right wing conservatives) with his wacky, young, hippy dippy parents. I don't need to add to that with the whole witch thing.

Part of my application for the second degree is to write about how having the second degree will benefit the community and myself. And I realized when answering that question that at this point there is no benefit. I mean out here on the internet where I remain somewhat anonymous I can talk all I want about my beliefs, but I certainly don't advertise it around my Sunday-protestant-neighbo urhood.

So what would be the point of me taking this degree, when it will remain useless? What's the point of being on record when I'm too much of a chicken shite to be honest about it?

hhhmmmmm.... those are my thoughts today.

And as to why our conservative candidate was an idiot, well that'll just have to wait because writing about it makes me frustrated.

PS, congrats to my sister who, as a Green Party candidate, recieved 6. something % of the votes in her riding, 1% higher than the national average.

and congrats to Jim Stephenson and Ben West also Green Party candidates who did really well too.

Congrats to Don Bell, our new MP who we all know you will do us proud in Ottawa.

Thanks, we now return you to the regular posting on this channel -Wicca, why we rock- right after some words from our sponsors...

I get to work at the office election day, not out at the polls, thank whatever gods you believe in for that, so i'll get to answer the phone calls "where do i go vote?" "I'm a poll clerk without any pencils help" and probably a few calls from Ottawa, "just checking in" as the did on Christmas eve, Christmas day, Boxing day - which btw I was paid very sweety for being in the office that day, and all i did was watch March of the Penguins *please don't tell- and new years eve and new years day.

Yes, we were open all those days and we even had some nutbar come down to vote on Christmas day!

anyways my job with elections canada basically ends after tomorrow, the office will close week after next i suppose, and I'll be back home full time. Yippee.

But i will miss the people i was working with they were all very awesome kind, funny people and it was a great office to work in.

So here's to elections canada! Thanks for the oppertunity and the experience, the laughs and the *sniff* tears (haha just kidding) it's been a blast.

coming next week... an update on the freaky changes in my life and a possible surpise involing a paper airplane, a ring, and a chick from liverpool.

bye, DONT FORGET TO VOTE!

as we say at the office, vote early, vote offen. FM