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2005

Welcome:

Tonight we celebrate Imbolc, the Festival of Lights. It is also the festival of the lactating sheep. Lambs are born the earliest of all the animal babies so this was a sign of the upcoming spring and the return to warmer weather. This is also the Pagan holiday that has been turned into Groundhog Day, which still symbolizes the hope of spring, but with a groundhog starring as a weather prognosticator. I will also bet that you didn’t know Grandma Greta’s spring-cleaning madness had Pagan roots! But it does, as this is a time for purification on a purely practical level to get rid of winter’s dust and dirt with a thorough cleaning. The seeds and farm tools, such as the plough, were blessed to ensure a good harvest and this marked the time to begin turning the soil and do the planting.

This Sabbat is for the young, with the Goddess appearing to us in Her Maiden aspect. Among the many maiden goddesses, the one most strongly associated with Imbolc is Brigit. She was an ancient Celtic goddess that ended up as a Catholic saint because her influence among the people was strong enough that the Church could not get rid of her. So they canonized her and tried to ignore or downplay her Pagan roots. Fire is her main symbol, so having candles and bonfires is a usual part of the celebration.

There are several specific rituals that are a part of Imbolc. We get the Festival of Lights as this is the holiday to go through the house, putting on all the lights, if only for a few minutes, to symbolize the return of the sun and the lengthening of the day. This still shows up in Christian celebrations as Candlemass, and in Germany it is called Walpurgisnacht. Another tradition from the old agrarian societies is the decorating of the farm plough, which was then dragged by the children through town, stopping at each house to be given food or treats. And if the homeowner didn’t give the children anything, he might find his front yard ploughed up! Corn dollies, or Brideo'gas, laid into a bed made from a basket, called a Brigit bed, to ensure fertility and abundance. These might also be carried from door to door, so that the neighbors could place gifts in the basket beds. The dolls were also given little acorn-tipped wands and sometimes the doll and wand would be burned in the fire so that in the morning, the ashes could be read to see if they had left a good omen. Brigit’s crosses, made from wheat (a major fertility symbol) were also given to each other. This might also be the time to get that new broom and display it at the front door once the cleaning has been done.

We gather tonight to remind ourselves that the Wheel does turn, that winter cannot keep its cold grip on us and that the Sun God’s power grows daily. We acknowledge the turning of the seasons and the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. We take this opportunity to be reborn ourselves. At Yule we wrote down our desires for change in this upcoming year, the positive steps we wanted to take for a better life. Now, at Imbolc, we begin the process of making that change occur. We prepare the soil of our lives for the seeds of positive change. We trust in the God and Goddess to bless us with the rain of growth and sunshine warmth of learning, all working together for an abundant harvest of achievement. Anyone who has had a garden can tell you that it is not simply enough to throw the seeds out in the dirt. Having a garden, even if it is the garden of our life, requires work and attention.

As we celebrate tonight, think deeply upon your life and the changes that will come this year. You can choose to let go of the bad or negative things in your life, letting them leave you as the winter’s snow melts when touched by the sun’s rays. You can picture yourself growing, like a strong young tree, becoming the very best person you are. Sit quietly, and listen to your heart, and prepare for the light of the God and Goddess to shine in you, around you and through you.

EAST (air): Greetings, O Guardians of the Watchtowers of the east. As the gales of winter subside, breathe gently on us with your warm spring breezes. Let your breath carry upon it the smell of newly turned dirt and flower’s perfumes as the earth awakens again. Hail and welcome, Spirits of the East!

SOUTH (fire): Greetings, O Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South. As the hearth fires dim and are no longer needed, warm us with the light of the sun. Shower us in the golden rays of the strengthening Sun that helps all living things to grow. Hail and welcome, Spirits of the South!

WEST (water): Greetings, O Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West. As the ice and snow begin to melt, let your soft spring rain fall upon us to nourish our new growth. Wash us clean of winter’s dust; make us shiny as the dewdrop on a tender green leaf. Hail and welcome, Spirits of the West!

NORTH (earth): Greetings, O Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North. As the Earth awakens from Her winter’s nap, imbue us with the flow of energy that now stirs from Her body. Make us aware of all the new life; let us listen to the music of spring in the songbird’s melody. Hail and welcome, Spirits of the North!

We are between the worlds, where there is no time, where birth and death, night and day, dark and light are all one.

I greet you all in the name of the Goddess, be She Brigit, Artemis, Diana, Athena or Gaia. She is Maid and Mother and Crone, and tonight we look upon her young beautiful face as she awaits her lover, the God in his youthful glory. (light one side of candle)

I greet you all in the name of the God, be He Pan, Apollo, Horus or Lord of the Forest. He is Youth and Father and Shaman, and tonight we see Him in His prime, strong and sure as He claims His bride. (light other side of candle)

Tonight we celebrate the Festival of Lights. Daylight is increasing and the time for planting is here. Humans and animals begin to move once more out of their houses, and the slow languid pace of winter energy gives way to spring’s more rapid pace. We call upon the power of fire to help us mimic the sun’s increasing power by using candles and lights to brighten up our homes.

Fire is one of the most ancient tools and has great power as a symbol. It is the creator-destroyer. It can cook our food or ravage the woodlands. I would suggest that the use of fire is what marks us as human, as no other creature on the planet has taken its energy and used it for its own purpose. We owe our very existence to fire, from the sun’s fire that warms the planet to the smallest candle flame that lights our path. How fitting then, that we celebrate the return of the sun’s fire by lighting candles to show our hope and faith in that return. Together we are going to anoint and charge a candle to burn for our festival and out intentions. The Maiden will now bring around a basket with candles in it, please take one.

The Crone bears a container of almond oil with myrrh and cinnamon in it. Almonds are a symbol of fertility, being the seed of the tree and cinnamon is for success, protection and love. Myrrh is also for protection, as well as healing and spirituality. As we share the oil, you will charge your candle with your hopes for the coming seasons. Picture the positive results from the changes you first spoke of at Yule, or the results from your own desires for change within your life at this time. Rub the oil on your candle from the ends towards the middle, which directs the energy into an increasing pattern. Really visualize, really see in your mind the end results—the weight loss, no more smoking, the more positive outlook on life, whatever it is that you want to change. As you see it in your mind, know that you are making it so, that believing in it makes it happen. If you believe something, you will act on it. Believe that you can make these changes!

Now that we all have charged our candle, I would like to share the initial burning of it with you. We will only burn them here for a few minutes, and then you will take them home, to finish burning them tonight or tomorrow. Don’t save these for someday, these must be burnt to the end and as soon as you can. Burn them safely of course, but do burn them!

At Samhain, the Crone was the Watcher of the Fire. It is time for Her to relinquish Her duties to the Maiden.

”Let the one who tends the fire be given the visions.” (She gives the flame to the Maiden.)

This spark that we share amongst us is but a small symbol of the Divine, our human way of acknowledging the Universal Fire that burns in all of us. Hold your candle out so that The Maiden can light it.

“I give you My fire.” (said to each person as the Maiden lights their candle)

I stand in the presence of the Divine Light, that Sacred spark that is each and every one of us. Winter ends, spring returns. The seeds of greatness are planted and will come to fruition in their own time. Change is inevitable and I welcome that change as a reminder of my own possibilities. I came from the light, brought forth as a Divine being to experience and learn all that life will teach me. I am the light, a spark to help others through the darkness. I will be the light, passed like a candle from person to person to destroy negativity and to create positive energy in the Universe, where everything is interconnected, to come around again to the beginning.

As the patron goddess of Imbolc, Brigit is associated with fire, healing, and poetry. Tonight, we call upon Her as the Healer, and ask her to bless the person of our intentions with Her power. Think of someone, maybe even yourself, who needs healing. It doesn’t matter what kind of healing it may be, whether it is physical, mental or spiritual, just concentrate on that person. Picture them in your mind, and then picture golden rays of sunlight coming from Brigit and pouring over them, bathing them in warmth. See the glow that now surrounds them. Picture Her covering them in a cascade of soft raindrops from a spring shower, cleaning away whatever is making them ill. See the sparkle of their purity. Picture Her using Her holy fire to burn out the negative, the disease, the bad parts that need to go and then sweeping away the ashes. See the wholeness of their being, sacred and clean and strong. Believe truly and surely in your heart that She has heard your request and has already done this healing. This is my will, “so mote it be”.

You may either blow out your candle, to relight it at home, or you may continue to let it burn until the end of the ritual, whichever feels right to you.

The God and Goddess have blessed us with abundance in all things. We share now a small portion of that as Cakes and Ale.

We thank the Goddess for the blessings of grain and bread. Savor Her taste, open yourself to Her gifts.

We thank the God for the blessings of fruit and drink. Savor His taste, open yourself to His gifts.

We have gathered together to celebrate the turning of the Wheel, and reaffirm our belief that change comes, seasons pass and life flows on. We have worked a healing magick and have lit a candle as a sign of the Sun’s return. We have shared food and energy and ourselves with each other. We prepare now to go back out into the world that is our home, refreshed and renewed once again.

NORTH: We thank thee, O Spirits of the North for your protection. Help us prepare for change. Hail and Farewell!

WEST: We thank thee, O Spirits of the West for your cleansing. Help us encourage new growth. Hail and farewell!

SOUTH: We thank thee, O Spirits of the South for your purification. Help us destroy the weeds and plant new seeds. Hail and farewell!

EAST: We thank thee, O Spirits of the East for your consecration. Help us see the sacred in all. Hail and farewell!

We thank the God and Goddess for Their presence tonight and ask for Their protection in our lives. May we walk forever in the light, this is my will, “so mote is be”

The Festival of Lights
2007

Greeting: Kindling the Fire

This day, as I kindle the flame upon my hearth, I pray that the flame of the Divine may burn in my soul and the souls of all I meet today. I pray that no envy and malice, no hatred or fear, may smother the flame. I pray that indifference and apathy, contempt and pride, may not pour like cold water on the flame. Instead, may the spark of the Divine light the love in my soul that it may burn brightly all the time. And may I warm those that are lonely, whose hearts are cold and lifeless, so that all may know the comfort of the Divine’s love.

Casting the circle:

Look through the darkness and you will see / The spark growing for all to see / To warm the Earth / To warm our souls / The seeds we plant begin to grow / The goals you set and magick worked / Was it all for knowledge, wisdom and mirth? / To help the Gods and your fellow man / To grow strong and to aid your clan / The light of hope begins to stir / Even though snow and ice still occurs / The work that is wrought / Brings the growth that is sought / Just as a seed breaks open underground / Deep in your Spirit these roots are found / But how they will grow is up to you / They grow by way of the things that you choose / We are given Fire to bring us warmth / And nourished with Water from the time of our birth / The Earth with big rocks to anchor our lives / And Air to teach us so the Old Ones may guide / The second turn of the Wheel has begun / The God is rising / The Cycle begun

Calling the Quarters:

WEST (water): Greetings, O Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West. As the ice and snow begin to melt, let your soft spring rain fall upon us to nourish our new growth. Wash us clean of winter’s dust; make us shiny as the dewdrop on a tender green leaf. Hail and welcome, Spirits of the West!

We are between the worlds, where there is no time, where birth and death, night and day, dark and light are all one. I welcome you here as we celebrate the Festival of Lights, also called Imbolc. This Sabbat marks the midpoint of winter, the first stirrings of the Goddess from her dreamtime. It reminds us that the Wheel turns, that nothing remains the same and that change is life. I welcome the Divine in whatever form it chooses to share this time with us and I light this candle as a sign of the Sacred Presence. Welcome!

Meditation:

Get comfortable. Relax. This is a long meditation, so be sure you can stay in that position for a while.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Close your eyes and see these pictures in your mind.

There is an open space in the forest, a clearing of sorts. Trees ring this area, where the dirt is dark and moist, ready to receive any seeds it may nourish. You are that seed, carried by a bird and dropping into the space, pushed into the welcoming loam by a deer’s foot, tamped into place and waiting in the dark.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

You can feel the dirt around you, feel the earthworms as they aerate the soil and provide fertilizer, food for you to grow. You are even vaguely aware of the heat of the sun, shining down from above, warming the land. Sometimes you are cooled by the gentle trickle of rain as it soaks into the dirt. You exist, only exist; a seed in the dark, warm nourishing body of the Mother. Time passes and you begin to feel…different.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Your insides move, spin, feel…odd. Your seed hull begins to feel tight, like it’s gotten smaller. The worms do their job, the sun shines and the rain falls. You expand, pushing against the hull, breaking free with a tendril that pokes up in the dirt, reaching for Father Sky.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

You continue to grow, sending little rootlets out into the dirt to gather the food your body needs to continue seeking the light. The main stem, once that little tendril, now thicker and larger, keeps growing up, pushing through the soil until you suddenly pop! Out into the sunshine. The feel of the sun on your stem causes other changes. Your roots have to grow bigger because now you are sending out leaves. The first two are baby leaves, round and near the soil. You feel them unfurl, soaking up the sun’s energy and fueling you with the strength to grow even more, putting out more leaves.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Your stem thickens, becomes a trunk. You grow more, branches spreading out above as your roots grow down, digging deep into the rich dirt, pulling nourishment from the darkness as your leaves reach up to the sun, pulling nourishment from the very light that strikes them. You are aware of other life around you: other trees, other plants. You are large enough that the small animals have begun to live in your branches and around your roots.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

You welcome the birds, the squirrels, the chipmunks that scamper up your trunk. You nestle your roots around the rabbit’s den and gently cradle the opossum in your branches. The winds blow and your leaves dance wildly in the stream of air; the rains come and the water pours onto your leaves, down your trunk and soak the ground. The seasons change; your leaves die and fall off only to grow again in the next spring. A woodpecker drills a hole in your side and you grow a protective covering. The opening that is left becomes a safe home for small animals.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

The snows of winter blanket you and you sleep through the cold. The warmth of spring stirs the core of your being and you grow again, through summer’s abundance and into fall’s chill, year after year, season after season. You send out seeds of your own, dropped on the ground or carried off by birds. Some of them will grow, some will not but it doesn’t matter to you, you just keep making seeds and sending them out into the world. Your roots grow down and out into the dark soil as far as your branches and leaves grow up and out into the light. You can feel all that is around you; the other trees, other plants, the animals, the bugs, everything that lives and breathes and grows, all of it connected in the delicate waltz of life; taking energy, giving energy, living and dying and living again.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Slowly, at your own pace, allow yourself to hear, to be aware of, the other people here. Be aware of the ones here in this space as well as other people in the building. Be aware of the people on the street outside. Be aware of the people who are in this town…in this state…in this country…on this planet.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Come back into this space when you are ready.

Rededication of the Circle:

We are a circle--No one person holds more power than anyone else, each of us has a voice in the processes and decisions. We are an open circle--Each and every person is welcome. We are an eclectic circle--No one path is the only way and we encourage the seeking of alternate routes. We are all students--Each person can learn more than they know today. We are all teachers--Each person has lessons to share. We are a resource to each other and to the community at large--We share what we have and what we know and what we can do. We are a spiritual group that celebrates our beliefs through shared ritual observances--We know that all acts of love and pleasure are acts of worship. We are magickal beings who can create wondrous things--We work together to improve our world, always mindful of the three-fold law.

Cakes and Ales:

I honor the sacred with the ritual of the partaking of food and drink.

We share this (food), gift of the Mother’s body and proof of the abundance She gives us if we will open our hands and accept. Thank you, O Mother, for your love and gifts.

(“May you never hunger”)

We share this (drink), gift of the Father’s vines and proof of the abundance that He gives us if we will open our hands and accept. Thank you, O Father, for your love and gifts.

(“May you never thirst”)

Dismissing the Quarters:

NORTH: We thank thee, O Spirits of the North for your protection. Help us prepare for change. Hail and farewell!

WEST: We thank thee, O Spirits of the West for your cleansing. Help us encourage new growth. Hail and farewell!

SOUTH: We thank thee, O Spirits of the South for your purification. Help us destroy the weeds and plant new seeds. Hail and farewell!

EAST: We thank thee, O Spirits of the East for your consecration. Help us see the sacred in all. Hail and farewell!

We thank the Divine for being with us this day and ask for the illumination of enlightenment in our lives. May we walk together forever in this light.

This is my will, “so mote is be”

“The circle is open…” (sung)