I just adore Imbolc as it fills me with hope and feelings of renewal and promise.  My pent up, hibernating energy is just waiting to uncoil and spring into action ready to embrace the warmer weather and longer days.

This Imbolc festival I decided to wait until the 7th Febuary for the full moon to celebrate this auspicious festival.  The first signs of spring have sprung in my garden.  There are snowdrops aplenty whose courage in springing above the earth’s surface wasn’t dampened by the four inches of snow that fell on Saturday!  Not out of the woods yet it seems, in terms of the cold weather.

Well, I love snow and my spirits weren’t dampened as I headed out for a snowy walk with my son.  The sights were truly magickal.  Holly and hawthorn displayed resplendent, bright, red berries contrasted by the ivy, with its black berries as it roved in between the two, reminding me of the Yuletide now behind us.

Traditionally at Imbolc, the God who was reborn at Yule is now seen as a young man who is in hot pursuit of the Maiden.  In this new season, she puts aside her role of Wise Woman and dons the white robes of Maiden.

Imbolc is the first rite of spring and a fire festival.  In some covens, a maiden will be chosen and dressed in white and a crown of lights.  The presiding deity at Imbolc festival is Bride (or Bridgit).

Looking back over Imbolc rituals past, I am so encouraged to see how my intentions have born fruit.  In 2010 this is especially notable when my rekindled relationship is still the best ever, I now have a son and definitely a magickal garden and a lovely house complete with real fire. I have also maintained this blog and started two others.  It’s special to see how our intentions come to fruition.

My Imbolc Ritual 2012

This year I fully utilised the full moon’s power and did a ritual for my intentions for 2012.   I love to honour the Goddess and God at all the Sabbats so I made an Imbolc ritual cake offering to them – mini banana cakes.  I also offered fire in the form of a special candle, air by lighting incense I bought in India called Vrindavan Flower, a bulb I will later plant for earth, and a goblet of water.  We have our own water supply from a borehole in the back garden so our water is pure and sweet, making a lovely water element offering to my spiritual guardians.

Invite the Elements and Goddess and God

I then invited the elements and called upon the Goddess and God and offered them my preparations.  I bought Imbolc candles – one white and one black.  I lit the black candle and said loudly “This light represents the Wise Woman who presides over the dark winter months.  I thank her for her guidance and wisdom over this internal and meditative time. ”

Then I spent time thinking about what I’ve learned and achieved over this time period.

“Now the Wise Woman becomes the Maiden, full of youthful vitality, health and beauty and brimming with promise.”

I then lit a white candle and extinguished the black one, thinking about what I would like to begin this Imbolc.  I list these things on a special piece of paper and then bury the list along with my bulb I offered for the element of earth.

I have since planted the bulb in a pot so it will grow and bloom along with my new projects.

I then thanked the elements and Goddess and Gods’ presence and closed the circle.

This is a nice Imbolc ritual for solitary practitioners.

Please share yours by commenting below.

Imbolc is particularly special for me this year because of my relationship renewal. It really feels like I am in touch with the seasons. Either that, or they are in touch with me!

The Imbolc Venue – Madron Holy Well

So, this year I went to a truly old and magickal place called Madron Holy Well. For me, it is one of the most spiritual places in Cornwall. I follow the twisted ivy and hawthorn lined pathway down to the well itself which is like walking through a portal to another world!

Then I reach the well overhung by a hawthorn tree bedecked in ‘clouties’ – the cloth strips people leave as an offering. Traditionally, these were taken from the cloth of a sick person, tied to the tree by worried relatives who prayed for the health of their loved one. They prayed that the sickness would disappear as the cloth degraded on the tree. There are great stories of healing from the waters of this place and it’s not surprising when you visit it.

Imbolc Meaning

For me it’s the perfect place for an Imbolc ritual because you’re so in the midst of the earth stirring its new tingling awakenings from the dark of winter – like wiggling your toes when you first wake up in the morning.

Imbolc is a Celtic word meaning ‘in the belly’. The first lambs are born and the earth is full of potential and fertility for the upcoming season of fruitfulness.

My Imbolc Ritual

My ritual this year was a bit different because of my renewed relationship! It was full of gratitude to the Goddess and God for helping me. I took some witchcraft supplies down to the Holy Well. On the granite slab altar, I placed two candles representing Goddess and God, and placed another two candles – one black and one white. The black one represents the Crone or Wise Mother of the Winter who is now turning away to make way for the Maiden of Spring.

I also took my usual element representatives – feather, candle, pentagram and a goblet which filled from the spring. I took a cake I’d made to offer to the God and Goddess. I always like to offer them food!

After calling upon the quarters, I lit the black candle and acknowledged the Wise Mother residing over the land and me over the Winter. I took time to think of all that I have experienced over these months and especially what I have learned.

I then lit the white candle and extinguished the black one, recognising the Wise Mother has now become the Maiden of Spring.

Then I spent time thinking of what I want to begin and bring to fruition during this new season of plenty. For me it’s to nurture and heal my restarted relationship and to think about starting a family (at last!!). Also new work projects and keeping this blog up-to-date. I would like to find a new home with my partner and have a magical garden too.

Then, I spent time visualising my goals, asked the Goddess and God to bless them and sent them off into the ethers, my intention complete.

Leave your Comments

I’ll write again in a couple of weeks’ time. In the meantime, please let me know about your Imbolc rituals for this year. I would love to hear from fellow witches.

Is there such a thing as real magick?  These are common questions amongst budding young witches of today aspiring to practice spells and magick, or even people who have no such aspirations but are just curious.

With that advent of popular programs such as Merlin, Charmed and films like Harry Potter, the world of witchcraft and wizardry is more popular than ever before.

But are these worlds of film and fantasy actually based in any reality whatsoever?  And why are we so obsessed with it?   Is it pointing to a real need to escape our material life of science and empiricism?

There seems to be something innate in us humans which thrives on, needs and hankers after such a realm of magick and mystery.   Perhaps we want the excitement, fun, power and thrill of changing our material environments.  We want to wave our magick wands and cast a spell for our troubles to flee or to find love and laughter, for good health and energy.

Some ask out of fear.  Is there such a thing as real black magick?  What about voodoo?  Is it dangerous?!  This is turning into the proverbial “twenty questions”!  But the world of witchcraft and magick is like that, especially for the new enquirer.  It’s full of ancient knowledge and wisdom. And it provides endless depth of richness and wisdom for the keen practitioner as a tool for creation, for self understanding and development.

For me, it’s all about consciousness.  Whatever our consciousness tends towards, we often find that that is indeed what we create in our lives.  Sometimes without meaning to!  However, that’s because it’s subconscious.  With awareness we shine a light on our ourselves and actions this is what we are doing – creating – then perhaps we will become a little more conscious of our actions.

This is spellwork, spelling – the awareness that we are the creators of our own destiny.  Take your pick of the wonderful tools available to assist in this grand fortune.  My altar is filled with items overflowing with magickal meaning for me.  My deity, my four quarter coloured candle holders, my wooden pentacle, my cauldron, blessed water, creation board, pestle and mortar and crystals to name but a few.

The witches rules of ‘harm none’ and ‘the rule of three’ are very similar to the laws of karma.  Do good the good will return to you, do bad and that’s what you’ll get too.  You, again, are responsible for what you create.

Magick is personal.  It’s all about your intention, your power and your will.  Each of us has the power to do this.  Feeling inspired about whatever connects you to creativity whether it’s your surrounding environment, people in your life, the sunshine, the countryside, animals.  Whatever it may be, you have your own brand of personal magickal potential buzzing at your fingertips.

So yes, there is such a thing as real magick, it just depends on you.