An Imbolg Besom Rite
Place your besom at your altar during the Imolg season. Imbolg is a time of cleansing and purification, and what better time to enlist the aid of the Witches blessed besom?
You will need:
- a besom,
- cauldron,
- white candle,
- rosemary,
- bay.
During ritual or devotions, place your besom within reach upon the altar.
Place the candle in the cauldron.
Light and say:
With my besom in my hand I will sweep out that which is no longer needed so as to purify my surroundings and prepare for new growth.
Pick up your besom and say:
Clear out the old and let the new enter. Life starts anew at this time of cleansing.
Sweep the circle with outward motions as you walk deosil (clockwise) around the circle, starting and ending at the North.
Return the besom to the altar.
Sprinkle the rosemary and the bay into the candle flame and say:
I call upon the power of these herbs that their scent released in this cauldron’s fire purify me, my surroundings,and the tools of my Craft. With this rite, I am reaffirmed in my Craft and made ready for the renewal of life in the coming Spring.
Pass the besom and any other magickal tools through the smoke from the burning herbs. Wave the end of the besom over your cauldron and say:
May this besom be cleansed that nothing cast out of the circle return and cling to it. So mote it be!
Imblog Ritual
During this period the altar, or even the whole house, can be decorated with symbols appropriate to the themes of a desire to see the land green and fertile and fresh light emerge. Obviously candles will be present in abundance but it can also be a great idea to make or find Brigit’s crosses, as well as Moon and Sun symbols.
If snowdrops or early crocuses are out, these can also be arranged on the altar in vases or poesies. Perhaps, too, symbols of the last remnants of winter can be displayed as farewell is bid to the season of cold. Snowflakes could be made from paper, and, if the real substance is still lying on the ground, this can be brought in and left to melt in a chalice and used during the ceremony. As this time of year is one of new beginnings and purity, the altar cloth could be of white, as if it is a slate wiped clean, or a new page about to be written. Two orange candles can be placed on top; orange being a color representative of light that has not yet grown strong.
Before the ritual, take a cleansing bath using any herbs of purification; sage and salt are ideal. As you lie in the water concentrate on letting your worries, doubts and fears flow out of your body. Visualize them as small, indistinct and drained of color. If they have a soundtrack, mentally turn down the volume. This is important; we often have the habit of making things that bother us as big and possible in our minds. No wonder, then, that they are difficult to remove from our heads. Use relaxation techniques that you have learnt so far on the course, especially the use of breathing patterns. You may want to make up a gentle chant or prayer as well. Continue with the bath until you feel calm and peaceful.
Tip: Make sure that you have a fresh robe to get into afterwards [9].
In your sacred space perform the Opening of the Temple.
Next light the two orange altar candles and say something to the effect of:
“The new light is growing,
it is fresh and pure,
and gently it warms the Earth.
New life emerges;
buds begin to swell,
and the first green leaves push upwards from the ground.
Lambs and young birds can be seen in the fields,
the cycle of life continues.
As all life is re-born my mind is as well.
I am ready to face the world afresh.
I look towards the future and the new choices
I can make to create a better place for myself and those all around me.”
This linking of one’s mental state to the seasons, and embodying it in ritual, is an incredibly powerful thing to do, as it gives a real opportunity for renewal.
Often we can become stuck in the past and unable to move on. Here, though, acknowledgement is made that one period is over and a new one begun. As life renews itself so can you; a fresh outlook creates a happier environment that positively affects both mental and physical health.
Say:
“I give thanks to the Goddess who stirs powerfully beneath the last trappings of winter.
I give thanks to the God who daily grows in strength.
All things are influenced by their forces.
My inner light grows within;
I am ready to face the world anew.”
Pick up one of the orange candles, sit down in the circle and place it on the ground in front of you. During the ritual bath you allowed your colorless cares and worries to slip away from you. Now you must fill the void with light. Gaze deeply into the candle. As you can see a flickering flame in front of you, visualize a flame that burns deep within your solar plexus.
It lights up the cavern within and fills you with hope and the possibilities of new beginnings. This flame can never die. It is your constant companion and friend, it is the spark of life that when nurtured can do incredible things. Spend some time knowing that you have this immortal part to you, visualize it sending warmth and light around the whole of your body. See it extend down to your finger tips and up to your eyes, nose and mouth. When you are ready, see this energy crackle out from you. See it pouring into your environment. Know that as the light is within you, it can be made to pour forth, so that it influences your surroundings for the better. Extend this energy as far as you are able, until you feel it is the time to stop. Gradually draw the energy back into you, back deep within your body and mind.
You may well find this exercise tiring and it is a good idea, therefore, to make sure that you eat some Imbolg cakes [10] and have something to drink before taking down the circle.
Many Witches make a point of lighting up the whole house with candles or lanterns on Imbolg day; some will do this at dawn and dusk, while others opt solely for the evening. This simple ritual is a lovely way to give a little boost and salutation to the light within and without.
Goddess Brighid Prayer for Love
Goddess, please help my heart to heal from its recent heartbreak and to help me trust in myself again as well as other people.
I have lost faith in love.
Please help me to find it again.
Blessed Be!!
Imbolc Divination Ritual.
Begin by closing your eyes, and thinking about where you’ve been in the past year, spiritually, emotionally, even physically. What things have you done that bring your regret? What things have brought you joy? Is there anything you wanted to do, but didn’t get a chance to? Picture yourself wandering along a path, out of the past and into the present. Let your mind roam freely, and visualize yourself approaching a crossroads. Perhaps it’s a place in a forest, where a pair of deer trails run together. Maybe it’s in the mountains, where streams intersect. Or maybe you picture yourself out in a wide open space, with roads connected in the middle of nowhere.
Regardless, see yourself at that crossroads. You are at the center, and branching out from where you stand are many paths. Each leads in a different direction. Each path will take you to something new. Begin creating your Brighid’s Cross (see the method below), and as you weave the straws together, think about what may lie in each direction. As you look out over your choices, thinking about which way to travel, Brighid herself is standing beside you. Continue weaving your cross, and watch her. She points out one of the roads.
When you’ve finished your cross, close your eyes once more, and meditate on the path which Brighid indicated for you. What lies in that direction? Is it something familiar and comforting? Something new and unknown? Focus on the cross you’ve made, and let this newly chosen path inspire you. Know that it will ultimately bring you to something good and positive and strong.
When you’ve finished, you may wish to make an offering to Brighid as a gesture of thanks for her guidance.