Celebrating Imbolc

Imbolc is upon us, the Celtic festival that occurs halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox that is traditionally celebrated on February 1^st and 2nd.

To be a pagan is to work with the natural world, seeing yourself as part of nature.  It means being aware of what is going on in the world and understanding that there must be balance in life, with the Yin and Yang, feminine and masculine, heat and cold.

The Celtic wheel of the year is split into three periods, represented by the months of the bride, mother and crone.  February to May are the months of the bride, June to September the period of the mother, and October to January belong to the crone. 

Imbolc marks the time that we move from the cycle of endings and conclusions linked with the crone to the months of the bride, representing the new.

At this time, we worship the Goddess  Bride, or St Brigid, the Celtic goddess who in later times became revered as a Christian saint. Originally, her festival was known as Imbolc or Oimelc, two names which refer to the lactation of the ewes, the flow of milk that heralds the return of the life-giving forces of spring.

Bride is the giver of life, breathing into the mouth of the dead Winter and bringing him to open his eyes to the tears and the smiles, the sighs and the laughter of Spring.

At Imbolc, light a small candle, in Brides honour.   Imbolc is known as Candlemass and we light a candle or fire to increase the power of the sun over the coming months.

Look at working with the colours red and orange, to bring joy and passion into your life. Red is linked to our the chakra or energy centre of the body associated with our sexuality and the kundalini or life force energy to prepare for spring rousing the world from its winter slumber.  You might also want to work with orange calcite and red bloodstone crystals, as these are believed to bring in joy and new manifestations.

Imbolc rituals and activities might include the making of candles, planting spring flowers, reading poetry and telling stories.

Pay attention to the voice of your higher self and, if you practice any forms of divination, such as scrying, watch out for messages from the spirit of your ancestors  whispering  words of growth and encouragement to start you on the next phase of your journey.

Sue C

Sue C is a medium and hereditary psychic who has been reading professionally for 15 years.  She also runs the Psychicvisions group on Psychic Knight, where people can talk about their dreams and visions and raise any queries they might have about their own psychic development and also presents the radio show Mystical Worlds on My Spirit Radio.