Imbolc Blessing Quotes Warm greetings on the occasion of Imbolc Festival. May this beautiful time of the year bring into your life good health and great happiness.
Imbolc Blessing Quotes
Wishing everyone on the occasion of Imbolc. Let us make the most of this day by celebrating this festival with high spirits and great enthusiasm.
Happy Imbolc to all. May this good time of the year shower our lives with immense happiness and great smiles.
On the occasion of Imbolc, let us make the most of this day by planting flowers in our backyard and wait for a great and beautiful year ahead. Warm wishes to all.
Groundhog day originated from pre-Christian practices and was introduced to the United States by German immigrants who’d created their own interpretation of Candlemas’ beliefs regarding weather predictions.
Germans developed their own take on the legend, pronouncing the day sunny only if badgers and other small animals glimpsed their own shadows.
When German immigrants settled Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, they brought the custom with them, choosing the native groundhog as the annual forecaster.
She is born at sunrise with rays of sunshine emanating from her head and wears a sunbeam cloak. Her name means the high or exalted one and she is the goddess of fire, rebirth, creativity, and illumination.
There’s no denying this time of year is ripe with the energies of abundance, passion, fertility, sexuality, and pregnancy.
The constant hum of hummingbirds and the multitude of species of bees buzzing around, coupled with the constant chirping of frogs frolicking in the pond, and the endless chanting call of the Whippoorwill at night, in search of his mate, remind me that some noise is required to call in love.
The constant drum beat of the internal longing to feel whole, alive, and on fire with desire. During this time of year the pulsating and throbbing becomes more profound, more distinct, like a homing beacon.
What is on the unknown horizon of life, the unexpected fulfillment of desire in ways one could not imagine?
Uncertainty is a symptom of the arrival of magic, wonder and awe, the unknown is only the breath just before the aaaah of amazement.
A Christian liturgy for Imbolc
As we observe year after year the annual cycles of emotion and energy, growth and transition… there are recurring themes and specific seasonal patterns through the years. When we allow ourselves to be carried by the energetic waves, the ebb and flow of life, more is revealed to us. Notice your unquenchable thirst for love and desire for the unknown and magic of living, and allow it to motivate you into greater expansion and growth.
Because although the equinox would not arrive until March and along with it the height of spring, Imbolc is the signpost that better times lay ahead, so people celebrated with feasts and fires because Brigid had arrived to chase away winter.
Today is Imbolc, one of the cross-quarter days in the cycle of the year. It marks the midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.
It is said that around this time is when the sap begins to thaw in the Maple trees. The earth begins to thaw from the deep winter freeze. Water once again begins to flow.
The word “Imbolc” means “in the belly of the mother.” At this turn of the wheel, Mother Earth is pregnant with the new life of spring.
When I learned the meaning of the word Imbolc I marveled at the synchronicity with another event that is happening today.
The Hebrew term for leap year is shana me’uberet. which literally means “a pregnant year.” Adar I is the pregnant month. It is an in-between time, a time of transition and incubation.
This extra month allows us to attune to the changes in our environment and thaw our hearts from the deep freeze of winter and create space for the joy that will arrive in spring.
using water from a holy well or spring to help purification;
create a mood or vision board to hold your vision firm;
if you want to use aromas the ideal ones to use are Spikenard, Cypress, Juniper Berry, Myrrh or Frankincense; all of which have a spiritual purpose around cleansing, rebirth and visioning.
make an imbolc seed cake (have a read of last years blog if you’d like a recipe to give it a go)
Brigid’s evolution from goddess to saint linked pagan Celtic and Christian traditions and helped sway the people towards the church. Because the old ways were still practiced, many aspects of the old were incorporated into the new. This practice ensured that the people would not stray from the new religion.
The Hebrew term for leap year is shana me’uberet. which literally means “a pregnant year.” Adar I is the pregnant month. It is an in-between time, a time of transition and incubation.
When is Imbolc in 2023
This extra month allows us to attune to the changes in our environment and thaw our hearts from the deep freeze of winter and create space for the joy that will arrive in spring.
Both Imbolc and the first of the month in the Jewish calendar are observed as Sabbaths.
On this day, we pause to attune to nature. We feel the rumblings of what is stirring beneath the surface, within the earth and within ourselves.
Spirits and departed souls were sometimes seen as friendly or neutral entities, though some were also dreaded. A belief held they were capable of committing such unwanted acts as damaging crops, harming or hiding livestock, scaring people out of their wits, and haunting homes.
It is thought that some early observers of Samhain may have worn costumes and/or masks in an attempt to disguise themselves and to hide from unfriendly spirits or wee folk (such as faeries) who might not have had their best intentions at heart.
Traditionally, Samhain festivities got underway as the sun set on the evening of October 31st, lasting until either sunrise or sunset on November 1st.
Some sources state, however, that Samhain (and/or overlapping events such as the festival of the Ulaid) may have spanned as many as three, six, or even seven days.
Bonfires – known to the ancient Celts as samghnagans – were an especially integral part of early Samhain observances.
These bonfires – which would often be attended by many, if not all, members of a community – were held to be sacred.
The festival of Imbolc spanned from sunset to sunset, which means that celebrations would technically begin on the 31st of January. Imbolc being a celebration of warmth and hearth and home, celebrations would include bonfires special foods, candles, and hearthfires.
The lighting of fires and candles represented the impending return to warmth, as well as the now-increasing power of the sun.
Holy wells were also a part of traditional Imbolc celebrations, and visitors to these wells would pray for good heatlh while walking “sunwise”—meaning clockwise—around the well, leaving offerings of coins and strips of cloth. These holy wells were thought to be inhabited by powerful guardian spirits which could grant blessings to people’s homes, families, and fields.
How do you pronounce Imbolc
Samhain translates prosaically as “summer’s end.” It marks the end of the light half of the Celtic year and the beginning of the dark half. The border between years is distinguished by the border between worlds.”
“It is traditional on Samhain night to leave a plate of food outside the home for the souls of the dead. A candle placed in the window guides them to the lands of eternal summer, and burying apples in the hard-packed earth ‘feeds’ the passed ones on their journey.”
“Practically, a besom [broom] is used at Samhain to sweep away the last of the autumn leaves; but its also used to ritually sweep out old energy and create space for the new.”
If there’s one day you can really let your inner freaky witch out, it’s on Samhain. Also known as the witch’s New Year, Samhain celebrates all we’ve accomplished and allows us to do so alongside those who have made it happen: our ancestors. The veil that separates us from them is like a curtain, and we’re able to peek behind it much more easily now than at any other time of year.”
Blend them together and store in an airtight container. If you don’t like the stronger taste of lavender, use less. I prefer a bit less myself.
I won’t be leaving any food recipes in this post today. I’ve done many fabulous ones in previous posts over the years. To find those, Just do a search in the box to the right for Imbolc and they’ll pop up for you.
Wishing a very Happy Imbolc to all. Let us give our home a makeover by cleaning our houses and creating good vibes around us.
Groundhog day originated from pre-Christian practices and was introduced to the United States by German immigrants who’d created their own interpretation of Candlemas’ beliefs regarding weather predictions.
Germans developed their own take on the legend, pronouncing the day sunny only if badgers and other small animals glimpsed their own shadows.
When German immigrants settled Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, they brought the custom with them, choosing the native groundhog as the annual forecaster.
The occasion of Imbolc Festival is all about celebrating the good times with our family and friends as we honor the goddess Brigid.
Warm wishes on the occasion of Imbolc Festival. Let us celebrate this day by welcoming eternal goodness and happiness into our lives.
Before going to bed, many people would leave pieces of clothing or cloth outside to be blessed by Brigid, which were then thought to have the power to heal and protect.
The Spiritual Meaning of Imbolc 2023
Often, a representation of Brigid—a doll called a Brídeóg—would be paraded by singing groups of young women, the doll made from rushes and clad in cloth and flowers.
These girls would visit every house in their community, where they would be given either food or more decorations for the Brídeóg. After the procession, they would dine in a house with the Brídeóg set in a place of honor, and they would, later, put it to bed and sing to it.
A type of cross called a “Brigid’s cross” was frequently made at Imbolc. This cross is made of rushes woven into a cross with four equally long arms, and was hung over windows and doors to welcome Brigid and offer protection from fire.
Later, when Brigid was made into a saint by Christians, her nuns would maintain a “perpetual fire” in her honor, situated at the center of a circle of hedges which males were not allowed to cross. No matter her form, Brigid never shed her association with her essential elements—fire, light and warmth.
Today, little remains of Imbolc’s original celebrations, but it is still observed by some Neopagans as a religious holiday. These celebrations vary widely, with some seeking to preserve tradition, while others pull together elements from many different sources to create wholly new festivals.
On the auspicious occasion of Imbolc Festival, let us make the most of this day by planting flowers around us as they will bloom and fill our lives with positivity.
Wishing a very Happy Imbolc Festival to all. This festival is all about welcoming the joys and blessings into our lives.
The elders begin by naming the spirits or gods, goddesses, and ancestors they seek blessing from.)
“We ask you to bless this union with prosperity, and resourcefulness in times of scarcity.”
“We ask you to bless this union with happiness, laughter, lightness, and a good sense of humor towards each other, and also towards themselves.”
“We ask you to bless this union with courage and optimism, that when one finds themselves in short supply, the other will help provide.”
“We ask you to bless this union with flexibility and honesty, that their love will continue to grow stronger each day, steady and pure in its foundation.
Holidays Associated with Imbolc
“Bless our union and the home we will build within this bond, the home we now carry with us, that my beloved will always know my love.”
(The couple then makes an offering, naming the spirits or gods/goddesses they seek blessing from.)
“Witches traditionally associate the feast of Samhain with two specific aspects of deity: the crone (or the hag) and the Lord of Death, who is also the Lord of the Underworld. Each of these aspects of deity signifies the process of human aging, cessation of life and death itself. The crone and the Lord of Death represent the wisdom that comes with age and the mysteries of passage through to the Summerland, the Witches’ mythic place of rest and regeneration after death.”
Samhain marks the end of the Celtic year and, after a three-day observance, the beginning of the next agricultural cycle. Just as a seed begins its existence in the dark of the soil, so does the new year begin in the dark of winter, which is the time to rest, take stock of the past year’s accomplishments, and dream of future goals.”
Ellen Evert Hopman in The Sacred Herbs of Samhain: Plants to Contact the Spirits of the Dead
“The identification of Samhain with the beginning of the New Year comes from the Celtic tradition of each day beginning at sundown. Just as each sabbat festival begins on the eve of the celebrated day, so, too, does the year begin with the advent of winter.”
Judy Ann Nock in The Modern Witchcraft Guide to the Wheel of the Year: From Samhain to Yule, Your Guide to the Wiccan Holidays
“Every Samhain, a deity known as the Lord of the Dead was said to gather together the souls of all men, women, and children who had died during the previous year…[T]hey would be set free to begin their journey to the Celtic underworld of Tirna-n’Og, whose open gates awaited them.”
Gerina Dunwich in Witch’s Halloween: A Complete Guide to the Magick, Incantations, Recipes, Spells, and Lore
“The fires of all the households were extinguished before the main [Samhain] celebration fire was lit. This bonfire, also known as a needfire, contained wood from nine sacred trees and was lit by friction; later, a branch or embers from the Samhain needfire would be brought back to the homes to reignite each hearth, bringing the homes of the community together with the flame of the communal fire.”
“Wiccans believe that the Goddess is in her crone or wise woman phase at Samhain. The energy of this sabbat is turned inward, and during this time Wiccans enter a more reflective part of the year where they rest and wait for the rebirth of the God at Yule and later the spark of life at Imbolc.”
Imbolc was also a time for weather divination, and it is from this that we inherit our modern-day North American Groundhog Day.
An old Scottish Gaelic proverb, translated into English, illustrates the Imbolc tradition of watching to see if snakes came out of their winter dens in order to predict the length of the winter.
So Yule became known more often as Christmas, and Imbolc became known as Candlemas or St Brigid’s Day, etc. And as Christianity continued to grow and spread through Europe, and into the western world, and the old ways and traditions were slowly forgotten, Brigid gradually became known as St Brigid as the generations that revered her as the Mother Goddess passed on.
Today she is still one of the most powerful religious figures in Irish history, but many disagree about exactly who she is, what she did, and why. Could it be that when you tell mistruths to sway public option the facts get lost along the way? Probably so.
She has always been here to help humanity reach the zenith of society we have been dreaming of. We just have to want it and ask for it. And we are, so she will soon be bringing the dawn of a new era.
Brigid is once again chasing away the winter, and ushering in the spring of a new civilization. A society that sees life, the cycles of the seasons, and caring for the wellbeing of others as sacred. Make way for this spring in your heart, and she will be there to meet you. Ask and it shall be given.
Wishing a very Happy Imbolc to all. Let us give our home a makeover by cleaning our houses and creating good vibes around us.
The occasion of Imbolc Festival is all about celebrating the good times with our family and friends as we honor the goddess Brigid.
