HAPPY IMBOLC!

*
IMBOLC

*
So the skies rumbled and the snows came,

And everywhere down through the centuries of this gray night,

Came women gathering to pray,

And to sink their hands into the dark earth.
They gathered seeds and prepared them for planting,

They meditated in the icy darkness,

And they celebrated the lambing of the first ewe,

To hasten spring.
And when through the earth they felt the stirring,

They sang songs encouraging the tiny seeds to grow.
In the dark, wet soil you can smell their work still;

They are digging along beside us.

Listen!
The north wind carries their song across the snow, This Imbolc night.
As the Earth prepares for Spring,

Wise women gather in circles to await the promise of new life,

And to sing praises for the green earth.
And so do we, here now, This year, and every year.

*
Welcome Imbolc!

*

(Poem by Jill Yarnall)

*

.

The powerful figure of Brigid the Light-Bringer

overlights both Pagan and Christian celebrations.

*

Brighid with her white wand is said to breathe life

into the mouth of the dead Winter

and to bring him to open his eyes to the tears and the smiles,

the sighs and the laughter of Spring.

The venom of the cold is said to tremble for its safety on Bride’s Day,

and to flee for its life on Patrick’s Day.

*

*
A most Blessed Sabbat to you all!

Imbolc Correspondences

" Feel Me now as Maiden.I am the initiator. I am the twinkle of an idea. I am the spark that activates and inspires.I am the light that illuminates manifestation.I bring the energy that encourages the sleeping Winter world to begin to stir.Feel My presence.I am the spark of life in all things."

excerpt by Wendy Andrew

*

This is the time of celebrating the virgin & Maiden Goddess

as she prepares for her union with the Sun God

and to pay homage to the Mother Goddess

for nurturing the young God as he continues to gain his strength.

A time of purification & cleansing as we bid farewell to the Winter

and welcome the coming warmth.

*

We sweep away the dead season

and light bonfires and candles to banish the darkness and welcome the light
This day marks the inception of Spring,

the beginning of new life in the belly of the Earth
~~~
On this day, many of us celebrate Brighid,

Triple Goddess, Goddess of healing, poetry and The forge.

Patron of smiths, healers and artisans.

*
"It is tempting to view this tender goddess of the early Spring
only as: a wide-eyed, golden-haired girl, encircled by children.

But behind her girlish innocence

is the power of a once-great ancestral deity, Brigid,

whose name means “The Exalted One,”

queen and mother goddess of many European tribes.

She is also known as Brigid, Bridget, Brighid, Brighde, Brig or Bride

and some scholars consider her name originated

with the Vedic Sanskrit word brihati, an epithet of the divine.

*
The 10th century Cormac’s Glossary

describes her as the daughter of the Daghda,

the “Great God” of the Tuatha de Danaan.

He calls her a “woman of wisdom…

a goddess whom poets adored,

because her protection was very great and very famous.”
Since the discipline of poetry, filidhect, was interwoven with seership,

Brigid was seen as the great inspiration behind divination and prophecy,

the source of oracles.

*
She is said to have had two sisters:

Brigid the Physician and Brigid the Smith,

but it is generally thought that all three were aspects

of the one goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft.

*

Elsewhere she is described as the patron

of other vital crafts of early Celtic society:

dying, weaving and brewing.

*

A goddess of regeneration and abundance,

she was greatly beloved as a provider of plenty

who brought forth the bounties of the natural world

or the good of the people.

*

She is closely connected with livestock and domesticated animals.

She had two oxen called Fea and Feimhean.

She was also the guardian of Torc Triath,

king of the wild boar.

These three totem animals used to raise a warning cry if Ireland was in danger."

excerpt from the writing of Donna Woodka

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Gods

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Cernunnos, Eros, Herne, Osiris, Pan

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Goddesses

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Aradia, Athena, Bast, Blaize, Brigid/Brighid,

Ceres, Cerridwen, Demeter,

Gaia, Hestia, Venus, Vesta

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Colors

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Lavender, Light Green, Orange, Pink, Red, White, Yellow

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Tools

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Besom, Bonfire, Brighid's Bed,

Candles, Cauldron, Garden Tools, Priapic (Acorn) Wand

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Symbols

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Besom, Brighid's Cross, Candle, Corn Doll,

Garden Tools, Lantern, Plough, Priapic Wand, White flowers

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Animals

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Burrowing animals, Ewes, Deer, Goats, Lambs
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Herbs

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Angelica, Basil, Bay, Blackberry, Celandine, Chamomile, Coltsfoot, Rosemary
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Feast Foods

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Bread, Cakes, Dairy products, Seeds

Meats-such as Lamb & Roasts
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Feast Drinks

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Milk, Warm Drinks- such as Ciders & Mulled Wines,

Herbal Teas- especially Chamomile tea,
*

Metals

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Brass, Gold, Iron
Incense & Oils
Jasmine, Myrrh, Neroli
*

Flowers

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All Early Spring Flowers- the very firsts of the season;

Snowdrops, Daffodils, Heather, Iris, Primrose, Tansy, Broom
*

Trees

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Evergreens, Willow
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Gemstones

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Agates, Amethyst, Bloodstone, Garnet, Moonstone,

Onyx, Rose Quartz, Ruby, Turquoise
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Altar Decorations

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White Flowers, Acorns, Brigid's Cross, Bride's Beds, Corn Dolls,

Daffodils, Lanterns, Sun symbols, Bonfires, Candles

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Rituals & Spells

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Awakening Rituals ~ Initiation Rituals~ Purification & Cleansing Rituals

Bonfires ~ Candle Magic ~ Fertility Magic

Goals for the coming Quarter/Season/Year

Consecration of the Gardens/Farms and Agricultural Tools

Healing Magic & preparation of remedies

Hearth & Home blessings ~ Home Fire (extinguish & relight)

*HAPPY IMBOLC DEAR FRIENDS & READERS

&

HAPPY LUGHNASADH TO MY FRIENDS

IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
*

Much Love & Light from Me & my Banshees

~Danae, Acacia Makayla & Jeremiah Donovan

My Imbolc Altar

Hello Friends~

*

I wanted to share some of the photos

of my outdoor Imbolc Altar with you.

I had this ritual for myself;

and one indoors, later with the children.

We made our indoor Imbolc Altar / Shrine,

and had our Sabbat Activity.

*

We had so much fun celebrating

the coming of early Spring

&

the thawing of

Mother Earth by Father Sun.

*

I focused our activities on

honoring the God and Goddess;

on making our Spring Goals

(then freezing & thawing them in the morning Sun);

honoring the regeneration and renewal of the Earth

in Her yearly cycle;

and giving thanks for the many blessings in our lives.

*

*

While the kids were at school,

I set up an outdoor altar, and had my own private 'Big Girl' Imbolc Ritual.

In addition to my usual Sabbat Ritual;

I conscecrated and blessed the early Spring Seeds;

along with our family Imbolc crafts

to be done with the kids later.

*

I gathered together some of my favorite

Crystals & Gemstones, and other beloved trinkets

that spoke to me of

Imbolc, Mother Nature, the Goddess Brighid,

& the coming of early Spring~

*

Something a bit unusual that I noticed...

of course afterwards!

is that except for the flower & vegetable seeds,

and the lawn grasses used in the Brides Bed;

this is probably the first time

I have ever done a ritual or created a Sabbat Altar

that did not include any herbs,

cut flowers or live plants!

This was not a purposefull omission-

I had a bowl of fresh cut Camillias,

and a vase with Daffodills, Dusty Miller, Geraniums

and the very first Jasmine blooms

ready to go on the Altar;

along with dried Sage and Bay

leaves to burn in the ritual.

*

(Of course I happened to forget to include them

because I was in a 'Hurry Up & Go Mode',

in order to have enough time

to meditate, perform my Sabbat Ritual

&

take the photos

before my little rugrats got out of school!)

Ooops!

No worries though-

the Goddess being a Daughter/Mother/Grandmother Herself...

I am sure She understands!

LOL!

*

*

So here's the Altar all layed out with:

*

Plenty of Clear Quartz Points,

a nice sized natural chunk, heart haped and smaller tumbled

peices of Rose Quartz,

an Adventurine Heart, Amethyst cluster, a couple of Malachites,

a Moss Agate sphere, along with tumbled Agates,

a Geode, a Yin-Yang carved stone;

my mini crystal wand; glass leaf wand; my mini Athame.

*

A Goddess card of the Irish Goddess Brigit;

my early Spring seeds to be blessed & planted;

Makayla's Oragami Brigit's Cross;

a Crescent Moon candle holder with a silver taper candle;

my sweet lil' Kaleidescope Faerie, transparent Father Sun ornie;

a white jar candle, my cauldron;

my Mother Goddess with Child statue;

my little clay Goddess & a jar of water-

to freeze and then thaw in the sunshine with the kids.

*

Along with Lady Godiva- my full sized Athame;

my Chalice with milk; Salt & Water were a couple of extras-

3 vintage brooches,

one insect, and 2 different leaf patterned ones;

my glass Pentacle Pyramid on top of its mirrored square tile,

an Italian Murano Glass Dome, Makayla's special Amethyst Necklace;

a Canadian Siver Coin; a tiny Nest and an Abalone Shell.

*

Here are some close-ups of the Altar's features.

The straw is laid in Brides's Bed,

waiting for the Goddess.

*

The Quartz points are surrounding my lil' Cauldron

and white jar candle;

and laid out around them,

is Makayla's favorite Amethyst necklace.

(To bless & protect her when

Mama Bear is not around!)

Below that are some more

Crystal & Stone hearts,

my Pentacle Pyramid and my mini tools-

my tiny crystal wand, glass leaf wand

and my baby Athame.

*

*

In my next post I will share the photos

from our family's Imbolc ritual craft,

the 'freezing & thawing of the

Mother Natue' & our Spring Goal Ceremony.

*

~Danae aka 'Crafty'

***

P.S~

I have REALLY enjoyed reading all of your blog posts;

the many beautiful images and artwork, the photos, recipes

& seeing how you and your own families,

friends and pets have celebrated the Sabbat

-as well as our everyday lives.

Thanks!!!

Crafty Chick's Imbolc Prep Update

It is now the end of January...

the Fall and Winter Holiday festivities are officially over;

the Yule trees taken down

and the decorations packed away...

and most of us here in the Northern Hemisphere

are more than ready for the coming of Spring.

...And while she is still far off-

and much of the world is firmly entrenched in ice...

we do have one small reminder

of the inception of those warmer days ahead;

the seeds of Spring that are percolating in the 'belly' of the Mother Earth. The holiday of Imbolc/Imbolg/Oimlec

is our Ancient Northern European

Shamanic Pagan version of the holiday;

and has been adopted by us

Neo-Pagan and Witchy & Wiccan types

as one of our 8 Sabbats on The Wheel Of The Year.

Astronomically it is the cross-quarter

day between the

Yule/the Winter Solstice and Ostara or Eostre/the Spring Equinox.

All over the web, and in many of our Pagan books and Magazines,

information about this Sabbat abound.

In fact- between them and the bang up job

that so many of my favorite bloggy friends have done-

I almost feel redundant covering it again here.

*

But, for those of you

who may be making your first exciting round

through the Wheel of the Year;

and who may stumble across

the threshold of my humble bloggy home

in search of information and a fellow Witchy friend-

I feel the need to share the basic history of the holy day-

as well as the few special tricks & treats

of how my own little tribe celebrates this Sabbat.

*

For those who have passed this way many times before,

and have made many rounds of the wheel,

or those who are simply stopping in

for a cuppa coffee and a visit with a friend-

I welcome you all to my little Bloggy Home-

just as I would into my physical home.

(The bonus being that I don't have to worry about if

my home, my hair or my kids are 'right!')

Gods bless the Internet!!!

*

In ancient Northern Europe

the holy day of Imbolc

celebrated the return of the ewes milk,

and the time of Lambing;

all signs that Spring

and therefore prosperity

would be soon returning to the frozen world

The holy day also celebrated the

Goddess Brighid or Brighit.

Her name is derived from

the Celtic brig or "exalted one"-

She is the daughter of the Dagda,

and therefore one of the

Tuatha De Dannan.

As one of three sister Triple Goddesses.

She was a Hearth Goddess;

associated with Healing, Home & Hearth,

Crafting, Divination, as well as Smithcraft.

*
In the early Christian days,

after they realised they could not fully stamp out

the Mother Goddess Brighid

(across Northern Europe);

they attempted to disguise the Goddess as St. Brigit

and the Holy-Day as Candlemas, St. Brigitanias Day,

or the Feast of the Enunciation of the Virgin Mary.

By Whatever name they/we call Her...

She is still the same powerful Goddess

that has endured thru the centuries.

Unfortunately,

in our secularized American culture

the day has been reduced to

Groundhog and Valentine's Day;

but even they have their ancient Pagan counterparts.
*
Although traditionally Imbolc is associated with Brighid,

the Irish goddess of hearth and home,

there are a number of other deities

who are represented at this time of year;

and who have been and still are celebrated

by many different by many peoples,

in many lands, in many ways

and by countless names.

From The Celebrations of Brighid in Ireland;

the Greek, and later Roman Februalia,

honoring The Goddess Flora and Her Consort Faunus;
Lupercalia in Rome;

The Feast of The Virgin Mary,

The Festival of the Egyptian Goddess Nuit;

and the many similar Goddesess,

such as Vesta , the hearth goddess of Rome;

the one who watched over home and family,

and as such was keeper of the fire and sacred flame.

Offerings were thrown into the household fires

to seek omens from the future.

Vesta is similar in many aspects to Brighid,

particularly in her position as a goddess

of both home/family and of divination.

Many of these Goddesses,

and so many more

are variations of this same Goddess.

It matters not what we call Her- only that we do call Her!

(One of my tiny Kitchen Altar/Shrines;

this one honors Vesta, my Patron Domestic Home & Hearth Deity)
*
Imbolc isn't a big whoop-dee-do for us;

but we do honor the Sabbat

and mark the turning of the wheel

as we do all of the changing of the seasons;

and opportunities to worship the God and Goddess.

We've done plenty of the standard traditions,

as passed down thru the cultural ages;

and like the Crafty & Quirky Little Pagan Do-It-Yourself-ers that we are;

we have a few of our own traditions

that we have developed over the years for good measure.
*

After all- I firmly believe in living our spirituality

and in creating our own definitions and modern meanings-

as well as ancient connections and traditions

for the Holy Days that we honor.

Finding the 'glory, miracles and meaning'
in our daily existence can feel difficult many times-

but they truly are the moments of glue,

that make the rest of the time worth trudging thru!

We must also remember that these Sabbats and holy days

are more than certain dates and hours-

they are seasons;

that mark the passage of our days, years and lifetimes.
*

We are not an ancient agriculturally based family.

We are a modern day Pagan family who play with our digital toys

and buy our meat and dairy from the grocer.

Therefore, we have to come up with modern interpretations

of our cultural holidays;

and find ways to mark the passing of the seasons

that is relevant to us.

Like making goals for the upcoming season and year;

recognizing the changes in Nature;

and fnding modern day meanings to us urban folk;

cleaning the house and yard for Spring;

and honoring our Gods & Goddesses

in ways that make us exited

and feel connected to Them and to the seasons.
*
My children and I are still in the process making our Sabbat Altar-

so no real photos just yet...

...except one of the altar stuff awaiting preparation!

(Which had to wait for a night when everyone-

Mmm-hmmmm...Mr. Bump-

is behaving well enough for a Family Fun Time evening thing.

Unfortunately we've been having some discipline difficulties

at school & subsequently home

with my usually adorable Little Man!

(Personal experience & advice appreciated!)
*
The ingredients for our (small) feast have yet to be bought;

but I am planning the usual

3 Herb Braided Goddess Bread,

to honor the Triple Goddess-

and hoping that I can come up with enough 'dough'

(pun intended!)

for the usual Lamb Chop or Stew.

(Unfortunately, it just may not happen this year-

and we may just have Chicken & Dumplings instead!)

Nooo biggie!

I will just come up for a cool and special name for them,

and all will be groovy.
*
I have a few fun Children's Spells, Activities, and Blessings

that I hope to find the time to do with them

(& share with you!);

along with any cool links I may have, find or come across!
*
As for our 'Imbolc Weekend plans'-

we will have our usual blessing of the Spring Seeds & our Goal Pot Spell;

as well as the fun 'Melting of the Ice Ritual'-

(with the tiny Goddess figure inside)

which represents Lugh/the Sun's return to kiss the Old Winter Crone,

and turn Her back into the Young Spring Maiden.

It also symbolizes Lugh's Flaming Wand

which melts the ice and snow-

bringing with it warmer days to come.

I also do the Blessing of the Altar Candles

(supposedly for the entire year's Sabbat candle stock-

but I will be lucky to have enough candles to bless for this Sabbat alone.

2009 was a tough one for us all!)
*

One of these years I want to craft one of those

'Topsy-Turvy Upside Down Dolls'

with a Crone on one side, and The Maiden on the other.

I have never actually seen one made with that intention;

but I think that would make a fine Altar Doll

for several of our Sabbats- not just Imbolc.
(If any of you make, or have made one-

I would love to see your photos!)
*
My daughter Makayla has been crafting a fine version of her own
Brighid's Crosses- Oragami style.

(Remember back in Elementary School? We knew them as Ninja Stars.

But Miss Red thought they reminded her of Brighid's Crosses-

and I think it is a fine interpretation!.)

*
Anything to inspire the little Paganettes.
*
For now I will leave you

with wishes for a fine Friday

and a Happy Imbolc

for you and your own families.
*
Oh- and for my Crafty Chick's Retro Fantasy friends-

the Little Boy Vintage Paper Doll companion to last week's girl

is now up for your use.

Enjoy!
*
I have also been writing some eHow Articles as well.

(See the box at the top of the page to find links to them.)

Here is a link to the newest one...

How to Clean Out and Organize Your Handbag

&

How to Craft the Perfect Handmade Valentine Card

the Men In Your Life

Thanks for stopping in to help support my writing-

and remember...

PLEASE Oh Please CLICK ON A GOOGLE AD

from my pages,

as that is how I get compensated & every little bit helps!

(And for any of you eHow or other writers-

send me your links

and I will always do the same for you.)
*
~Danae, aka...one very tired Crafty Mama!

My Children's Imbolc Activity ~ Releasing Frozen Mother Nature & Our Sping Goals

*

This was one of my children's Imbolc activties-

'Awakenig The Spring'.

Making our early Spring Goals

and

The Freezing & Thawing of Mother Nature by Father Sun

*

*
Here is the little clay Goddess that we used,
along with a photo of the whole setup-
The Imbolc Shrine, our Goddess, Spring Goals and the water.
I used a little plastic mufffin tin for freezing our Spring Goals;
that way we each could make and freeze 3 goals apeice.
*
*
Our Spring Goals were:
Mom's-
Love for our family, Protection & Abundance.
Makayla's-
To do well on the next state test
To pass my fluency test
To have good luck
(BTW- Sidenote Mommy Rant-
I despise how much imporatnce & pressure
they put on the kids regarding these 'State Tests';
and the lack of 'real teaching' that is the consequence
of their year long preparation...
otherwise known as 'teaching to the test';
and this influence is made even more obvious to me
by the fact that 2 of my daughter's goals had to do with these state tests-
as opposed to ' doing well in my clases' or learning to read better', etc.
Okay- Mommy Rant over! Thanks for listening. LOL)

Jeremiah's-

Love, Peace & Happy (happiness)

(Aww....)

*

*

After writing our Spring Goals in permanent ink, on the slips of paper;

I had each of us dab a bit of our saliva into the center,

fold them 3 times toward us, turning them clockwise each time,

and then visualise our intentions.

Then we placed them into their spots,

and filled the Goal tray and Goddess jars with the water,

and placed them into the freezer for the night.
*

*

Here they are- the next morning-

all frozen solid...

just like the Earth deep in the Winter
*

The kids were very excited to take them out of the freezer,

and get them out into the early morning Sun.

*

Here are the Goals and the Mother Nature Goddess

all thawed out in the afternoon Sun.

*

*

...And the children who they belong to.

(Who were very interested- but in a bit of a hurry,

as they had just gotten home from school,

and after finishing our Imbolc activities (& photo shoot)

I was taking them to the La Bre Tar Pits for a Family Feild Trip.

So they were eager to check out their melted goals & Goddess

and then get on with the rest of our fun day!)

*

We had a wonderful time with our Imbolc activities & Celebrations.

These would be great for any Pagan Parent to adapt for their own kids.

The symbolism was very meaningful

and it made explaining the Sabbat to them easier.

I hope you all enjoyed this little peek into my world.

Thank You for popping in to Crafty's Cuppa Coffee!

*Danae aka "Crafty'

Mr. Bump's Little Clay Goddess

Hello Friends in Blogland~

*

I have a little story about my 6 year old son Jeremiah, (aka Mr. Bump) that is just too cute not to share! I hope it warms your heart as much as it has mine.

*

I have shared with you all in the past, my Pagan Parenting stories and ideas- and several of our own projects and such. So you may remember that my little Jeremiah has a special affinity for Goddesses (and not for lack of introducing him to all of the various Gods either!) He is always asking me to pull out my Goddess Cards for him, or to help me make an altar to this or that Goddess, and even gone so far as to name some of his creations and 'bug pets' after various Goddesses. So Tuesday's little occurence didn't surprise me too much- but it sure did make this Witchy Mama proud!

*

I had made a little clay Goddess for one of my Goddess classes (which incidentaly got burned & bubbled in the oven and turned out hideous!). So, I was outside snapping a few photos of Her to turn in, when my 'little shadow' appeared to find out what I was doing. I told him, and after he examined Her, he dissapeared into the house, and I resumed my picture taking.

A few minutes later, Jeremiah returned, and quietly layed his own Goddess (made of flourescent pink Play Dough!) down next to mine. I tell you- I think my heart just about burst, I was so proud! He asked if I could take pictures of his Goddess, and turn the in with my own. (Awwww!)

*

So here are the photos of our 2 little clay Goddesses. I am sharing the here with you all, before turning them in.

It's funny sometimes how the best moments are the quiet, impromtu ones. Like all Moms, I worry that all the video games and ugliness in the world is jading my kids too much, and robbing them of the beauty in their spirits. And I worry that I may not be able to give them enough to balance and cancel it all out- but you know, at times like this, I think I may be doing okay. (Meanwhile Mr. Bump is in the living room sewing old socks together to make a 'rope' to tie up his sister's stuffed animals. Oy Vay!)

I hope everyone has a nice day & a terrific weekend!

~Danae, the Crafty Chick & Jeremah, aka Mr. Bump