Imbolg/Imbolc is a traditional Gaelic festival landing on February 1 & 2 – the halfway point between winter solstice & spring equinox. This sabbat is greatly focused on purification & renewal. Fire is the primary element of this celebrated day as its light symbolizes the first stirrings of spring. It is a time to cleanse the hearth & home, sacred spaces, and the body. It’s a time to gather seeds & begin planning what’s to be planted soon in spring gardens. It’s an awakening time – out of the womb of hibernation & subconscious slumber. And it’s a day to gather & celebrate with ceremony, bonfires, spiced wine & abundant feasts and to make altar offerings of breads, sweet cakes, milk, cheese, herbs & traditionally woven crosses to the goddess.
The Celts celebrate the fiery & fertile goddess Bride (pronounced breed). Known by many other names: Brigid, Brigit, Bríg, Brigantia, Brighid… she is a Triple Goddess who embodies maiden, mother, and crone qualities of feminine nature. She is known as the Goddess of the Dawn, the exalted one, a poet, blacksmith, and healer. She is associated with spring, hearth, generosity, and eternal fire. This is her day.
Imbolg translates to “in the belly” – and what’s in the belly is FIRE! Digestive & creative fire. Fire that likely dwindled in the long, cold, dark winter months. Fire that needs tending & encouragement to rise into its full transformative power to burn away stagnant old so that come spring, new life can emerge. This fire is not fueled by wood & air alone, but also by ceremony, celebration & offering.
Below you will find my top three Imbolc rituals to cleanse & honor the goddess in you.
** these ceremonies are self-created with inspiration from traditional rituals. Feel free to add/omit any of the ritual steps or tools used to best suit your own special ceremony. What’s important is that it feels true & intentional to you. **
Imbolc Altar & Offerings to Bride
what you’ll need:
– candles (yellow, white, red) & flame
– seeds (ones you plan to plant this year)
– crystals (onyx, garnet, amethyst)
– herbs for smoking (cinnamon, bay leaf, rosemary)
– a Celtic cross / Brigid’s cross
– a wand & a broom (can be symbolic)
– cakes, milk, bread, spiced wine or cheese (see recipes below)
ritual:
– start by energetically entering into a ceremonial space with a few deep breaths
– completely clear off your altar space & take a moment to appreciate the emptiness
– cleanse the space & yourself by burning herb of choice, using broom to sweep energy away
– begin intentionally placing elemental altar items in a way that creates a sense of flow (think circular)
– set a pretty dish in the center for Bride’s offerings & fill it with treats
– light candles & more herbs
– take a few deep breaths while appreciating the abundance you have to offer the goddess
– invoke a prayer aloud to Brig :
~ welcome her in by calling her names & associations (ex: Bride – generous goddess of fertility, fire, and spring. The one who heals, shines, and creates… I call on you to be with me now…)
~ voice your gratitude for all you have & for your growth over the past year
~ tell her the intentions you wish you plant for the year to come
~ last, what you are prepared to burn away to help you move closer to that dream
– sit in quiet awareness (meditation) & see if you receive a message in return
– close the ceremony when you feel complete : enjoy the treats for Bride or offer them to the earth, blow out the candles, and journal about any insights that arose
Sacred Space Cleansing Ritual
what you’ll need:
– herb bundles (cedar & sage)
– dried evergreens (leftover from Christmas)
– fireplace or bonfire
– groovy music
– outdated junk, journals, clothes, papers…
– essential oils & diffuser
ritual:
– a good place to start is to gather up old, unused, unwanted items in your house. You can donate, throw away OR burn these items in a sacred cleansing bonfire with evergreens (I love to burn old journals, notes, and symbols of a past life I am ready to let go of). There’s also roots in the Imbolg tradition of burning cedar / evergreens from Christmas to bring in luck & protection for the year ahead. Plus it smells really good.
– play music & pick a chore (dust, vacuum, scrub, sweep…) or a room to start in.
– be sure to get into those spaces you don’t often clean – underneath furniture, behind the stove, etc – and deep clean there. It’s bound to be hella gross, but it is so crucial to rid the house of accumulated allergens, dust, mold AND toxic energy.
– rearrange furniture or shelf decorations. This can lend to a more organized, fresh & flowy feel.
– sweep the whole house with smoking sage (cleansing) & cedar (protection) and/or diffuse essential oils like purify blend, thyme, or clary sage.
– lastly, sit back & bask in the glorious feeling of having worked hard to complete a big project! Treat yourself & rest.
Bride’s Ritual Bath
what you’ll need:
– sweet oat milk (see recipe below)
– salt
– amethyst or clear quartz
– juniper bundle
– juniper essential oil (3-5 drops)
– snow (if there is any where you live)
– lots of candles & a flame
ritual:
– set space by lighting candles, dimming lights & burning juniper bundle to cleanse self & the room
– run bath to desired temperature & place in it milk, salt, crystals & essential oil
– enter bath with a handful of snow & place it into the hot water, watching it melt & merge
– let yourself melt into & merge with the hot water as well
– submerge the whole body, breathing in the intention of “cleanse” & breathing out “purify”
– rest here until you feel energetically clean & ready to emerge anew
((see this post for more info on Ritual Baths))
IMBOLC RECIPES
Sweet Oat & Hemp Mylk
– 3/4 cup oats
– 1/4 cup hemp seed
– honey or maple
– 16 oz water
– opt. cinnamon, cardamom, or vanilla
blend together 45 seconds & strain.
save pulp for baking or smoothies (see below for recipe)
(( see this post for more Mylk recipes ))
Spiced Goddess Wine
– 1 bottle red wine
– 1 orange, cut in slices
– 3 dates
– spices & herbs, intuitive amount of each: star anise, cardamom seed, juniper berry, turmeric root, ginger root, peppercorn, clove, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf (add/omit to your liking)
– 2 tsp lions mane powder
– 1 tbsp Collagen Tincture
heat on low (do not boil) for about 30 minutes.
sing, speak intention or chant praise to the goddess as you stir.
sip mindfully, taking in this medicine with gratitude
Moon Shortbread Cookies
– 1 cup lavender & thyme infused sugar
– 3 cups flour
– 1.5 cup Irish butter (softened)
cream butter & sugar
add flour & mix well
shape into a ball of dough & roll into a flat sheet
cut pieces & place on baking sheet
bake at 333 degrees until edges turn just gold
transfer to a cooling rack or enjoy still warm
Adaptogen Pulp Muffins
– 1 cup oat & hemp pulp from homemade mylk
– 1 tbsp chia seeds
– 1/2 cup Mylk
– 1/4 cup molasses
– 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
– 2 tbsp ginger & cardamom honey simple syrup or maple syrup
– 1 tsp vanilla
– 4 oz brewed rasa adaptogen mix
– 4 dates (soaked with adaptogen brew)
– 1 tsp shatavari powder
– 1 tsp maca powder
– 1 tbsp baking powder
– 1/2 cup rye flour
– 1 cup white flour
– 1 tsp each ginger, cinnamon, cardamom
mix pulp, chia, mylk, molasses, oil, syrup, vanilla, adaptogen brew & dates until we’ll combined. Set aside.
mix flours, baking powder, spices & adaptogen powders in another bowl.
combine wet & dry ingredients & mix until just incorporated.
pour equally into muffin tin, sprinkle cinnamon on top & bake @ 333 for about 25-30 min, or until firm & golden on top.
enjoy warm with melted butter & honey
Wild Altar 
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