WW – Wheel of the Year Imbolc 2017

Thursday, February 2nd the Wheel of the Year turns to the first stop on the wheel, and the Sabbat Imbolc 2017 arrives. I’ve written about it a few times – twice in 2015 (HERE and HERE) and once last year (HERE), but I haven’t yet shared anything from one of my favorite witchy authors. Here’s a brief description of the holiday, courtesy of Cunningham’s Book of Shadows: The Path of An American Traditionalist by Scott Cunningham –

Imbolc (February 2) marks the recovery of the Goddess after giving birth to the God. The lengthening periods of light awaken her. The God is a young, lusty boy, but his power is felt in the longer days. The warmth fertilizes the earth (the Goddess) causing seeds to germinate and sprout. And so the earliest beginnings of spring occur.

This is a Sabbat of purification after the shut-in life of winter, through the renewing power of the Sun. It is also a festival of light and of fertility, once marked in Europe with huge blazes, torches and fire in every form. Fire here represents our own illumination and inspiration as much as light and warmth.

Imbolc is also known as Feast of Torches, Oimelc, Lupercalia, Feast of Pan, Snowdrop Festival, Feast of the Waxing Light, Brigid’s Day, and probably by many other names. Some female Wiccans follow the old Scandinavian custom of wearing crowns of lit candles, but many more carry tapers during their invocations.

Here is the graphic I created for the occasion, using a picture I took last year of a candle burning on a granite stone behind our house. Bright Imbolc Blessings to all!

Imbolc 2017. February 2nd, 2017 (some celebrate on the 1st). Imbolc (also known as Candlemas, Brigid/Brighid/Brigit’s Day) is a Cross Quarter Day, the midpoint between Winter Solstice & Spring Equinox. Colors – White, Red, Green. Symbols – Brigid crosses, besoms/brooms, candles, robins, snowdrops, deer, cauldrons, poetry. Ritual work – Preparing to plant seeds (metaphorical and/or literal), lighting candles, purification, reaffirming commitments and vows, writing poetry and spells. This is not a passive voice. I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. Especially since most of the sentences in this post are not mine. I will keep going until you turn green. I can’t believe this is still orange. Finally, it has turned. Success! Imbolc 2017. This is not a passive voice. I am writing in an active voice. I am writing in an active voice. Since my SEO will stop telling me how to write. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. Especially since most of the sentences in this post are not mine. I will keep going until you turn green. I can’t believe this is still orange. Finally, it has turned. Success! Imbolc 2017.