In my tradition, Imbolc is a time of initiation and rebirth. It marks the end of the Dwelling-Within Time and we are encouraged to share what dreams and transformations have occurred over the Winter. We acknowledge that we are different people than we were when we celebrated Lughnasadh, which is opposite Imbolc on the Wheel of the Year. We may or may not look the same but our lives are different now. Mundane events such as a career move, a birth, a death, or a change of residence could have happened. On another level, the Winter could have brought a new vision, a new totem, or even a new name. Imbolc marks the first thaws, the first signs of Spring, and we move in harmony with the season.
Whether or not there are new Witches being initiated and brought into the Circle, on Imbolc everyone is challenged before being allowed to enter, as if they are joining us for the very first time. This opens the way for us to express who we are now, emerging from the dreaming and the darkness. Both Lughnasadh and Imbolc are times for dedication or re-dedication. Lughnasadh is more of an outer dedication, a renewal of vows to the land and the Craft itself, while Imbolc is for making more personal commitments, to one’s hearth, home, and inner life.
This brings us to one of the main figures associated with Imbolc, namely Brighid. She has many facets, as do we all. Among her many roles are Healer, Smith, Brewer, Protector and Warrior. She is the Keeper of the Fire. A flame burns constantly at Her altars and shrines, tended with great care, as symbolic of Brighid’s ever-living presence.
As we celebrate Imbolc, time of rebirth in Nature and renewal within ourselves, we say aloud our names, our Winter’s dreams, our intentions, and bring to light whatever seeds have been sleeping in our darkness. We are challenged at the edge of the Circle to proclaim ourselves anew. We call on Brighid’s fire to illuminate our hopes and inspire us as we waken, with all of Nature, into Spring. May the blessings of Imbolc be yours!
(above image created by Helen Mask, previous Brighid art by Laura Cameron.
Green Witchery 