Merry Meet again friends. Hope all is well with all of you! Whew….I don’t know about you but I’m tired and energized at the same time! I have spent a couple weeks really deep cleaning my house..”Spring” cleaning as some say….to get my home ready for Imbolc. I have cleaned high and low, ceilings to floor, linens and curtains washed, ceiling fans cleaned, cobwebs and dust bunnies swept away. Closets, drawers, and cupboards are organized and de-cluttered. Furniture swept and cushions flipped and fluffed. Bathrooms scrubbed, floors swept and mopped…… Everything has been cleaned! My house looks great…the energy feels great and I’m ready for Imbolc. That is why I’m both tired and energized. I’m tired from the work….but so energized in what I’ve accomplished and how great my house feels!
Now…there is still a couple things that need done…and they will get done..just not by Thursday. LOL. Carpets are going to be cleaned but not til March or so..after our chance of snow is gone. My windows need cleaned ..the high ones we don’t do ourselves..and again, that will be done in the Spring. Now…tomorrow, I will be smudging the house in every corner. Placing my protection sigils all around the house, fresh salt in all the corners etc. The weather is going to be very Spring-like..near 60*! I’m going to take advantage of that. Opening windows to let that fresh air come in and the stale air out. Really, we have had an amazingly mild Winter this year. So many warm days and very little snow. I am still hoping for a good snow! The kind you get snowed in, fire going, jammies on and hot drink in hand, can’t go anywhere snow. Now that all my housework is done, I could just relax and read and work on my BOS and things I have a hard time finding time for 🙂 But the mild Winter has been very nice as well. As a matter of fact, I plan on going for a walk at our local nature preserve and enjoying that warm weather! There is a rescue raptor center there..and I love to go and visit the owls that reside there permanently. I adore Owls and need a fix!
I got my altar done today…thought you would like to see the pictures.
I went with pretty much a red and white theme, with a bit of gold and green thrown in. The red and white is traditional colors for the Goddess Brighid. This year, I’m using her colors to honor her. The green, shown in the live greens from my yard, and the green celtic knots on the votive holders..represent both her mantle of green, the seasonal greens that will be burned in a fire on Imbolc, and of course the green celtic knots represent the fact that she is Celtic. I chose a silver candle for the Goddess and a gold one for the God.
In the greens I put some red feathery stalks and will add red and white fresh flowers by thursday. I have all my usual altar reps for the elements, my tools etc. Ok…the Goddess statue is my new gorgeous Hecate statue. I do not have a Brighid statue so Hecate is standing in for her. Brighid is a triple Goddess as is Hecate the crone aspect of a triple Goddess. They both mean so much to me that I don’t think Brighid will mind 🙂 Isn’t she gorgeous? I can’t stop looking at her! My goddess is standing on a favorite book of poetry..a very old, fragile book of Tennyson poems..as Brighid was the Goddess of poets. There is a bit of silver in my pendants as well to represent her smithcrafting. Blessing oil for my re-dedication, some ribbons I’ll use for cord magick, my 7 candles…red and white..in a circle for another ritual I’ll do. Crystals, more candles, and my cakes and ale will round it out. I really like it! It feels good to me 🙂
No matter how much or how little you do to get ready for Imbolc, do something to recognize the day. If all you do is light a candle, take a walk, open a window, have a quiet meal with your family..whatever you please is just fine. But honor the day. So many people are not overly fond of Winter. Imbolc, lets us know that Spring is coming and it will be here before we know it! It’s a promise from the Goddess, Mother Earth, the Sun God. Enjoy the Sabbat…rest and relax for the rest of the Winter and I wish you all a Blessed Imbolc to you and your loved ones. May the Goddess Brighid give you Peace, Love and Joy!
Blessings and Light, Autumn
My Moonlit Path..... 
I am a new follower of your blog… new to the whole “witchy” thing… very much enthralled with and studying paganism… and am a long time student of history and theology. Folklore, olde tyme tradition, and pre-Christian roots are important to me. I sort of fell into paganism by deciding I was going to research Yule as a knee-jerk reaction to all of the “war on Christmas” BS put out by certain “news” pundits the past few years. It was the straw that broke the camels back this year and all I could think was “excuse me, Christmas warred on every other cultural solstice celebration for generations until it nearly wiped them out!”
I decided to celebrate Yule because I couldn’t take the propaganda anymore. But, it lead me to read more and more about historical and contemporary paganism. Which lead me to read more and more about other pagan holidays. And I have to say, these holidays have SO much more practical value than the Christian imposter holidays I was raised with.
I’ve been reading everything I can find on the internet about Imbolc for the past couple weeks. Your blog is very inspiring to me. Cleaning out the cobwebs, rejuvenation, organization, and fresh start is what I NEED very much right now, and as a regular reminder in life. These pagan holidays remind us of things that pertain to our regular lives. They don’t simply pay homage to some act that happened two millenia ago with only abstract philosophical applications at best. These pagan holidays connect us with our primal, ancestral past, as well as resonate with our every day contemporary needs in life.
Thank you for blogging and sharing. 🙂
Blessed Imbolc to you my dear Sister Witch! Your altar is powerful and beautiful! I love Hekate! And yes, I know that Bridget will be very pleased as Hekate encompasses All! Thank you for sharing! Hugs and love! Angelique
Blessings sister , you never stop amazing me with what you do . Brighid is my goddess that from the begging to today been here for me . I honor her everyday with the many things that are her in my home and her special place of her own . She has always helped me when asked and even when i do not ask she knows what i need or would like . She brings new meaning to life and wisdom for me . I have been cleaning as much as I can with all my extra duties going on . I too will do all the things needed to make my home be special for Imbolc and my goddess . I will be taking a new magickal name and renewing myself to the path that night with others that come to be part of our path . Tomorrow I will be making food and finishing the things needed for that special celebration . I wish for yo my sister many blessings and much love , for all you are and all you do for so many and for how I am so blessed to know you . Blessings and light hugs to all . BB )O(
Love this sis!! Got everything cleaned and set up here too. Blessed Imbolc!!!
and i thought i was just cleaning like crazy to prepare for making my aroma blends 🙂 – Lovely – your space and photos are beautiful and an inspiration . . . that being said my kitty Brigit and I have some playing with ribbons to do; blessings to you.
Great blog, beautiful altar!
Merry meet and have a Blessed Imbolc!
Edwyna
Hello! I’m kind of new to this – but I love it! How can I celebrate on the road? I must live in a hotel for 3 months for my work.
Thank you! And Blessings!
Hello Jaye. Oh a travel altar kit would be fabulous! You can celebrate any Sabbat, Full Moon, New Moon etc with a simple kit of a candle, white would cover everything :), maybe some incense, a favorite crystal or two, matches. I carry a small notebook with me that I write down simple prayers and charms..to help with what I want to say. Maybe you could try that 🙂
Let me know how that goes 🙂
Blessings!
Blessed Imbolc, Autumn! Love this! Your altar is beautiful! Blessed be.
Well, here’s my reality: my house is messy, I haven’t cleaned out my altar, there are dust bunnies under my bed, my daughter’s room is a catastrophy (I don’t go in there – It’s frightening), I’m so busy at work I can’t see straight, I have 6 community events in the next 2 months, and we spent today at Paul’s oncologist’s. But life is an amazing adventure! I pledge this Imbolc to enjoy living in the Mystery. Blessings to you, sweet sister! xxoxooxxoxo
Blessed Imbolc! Have my candle lit! thank-you for sharing your beautiful words and pictures!
Hello Jo. Blessed Imbolc to you and thank you so much for reading me 🙂
i have been an inactive pagan for many months, and you have inspired me! we gave our house its spring cleaning (cobwebs down, cabinets scrubbed) this past saturday, and now i know why. we’ve lit some candles, changed out my altar cloth, smudged & salted the house & each other, and now we await our pizza & beer, which is our traditional imbolc food! (hey, cunningham said that imbolc was a dairy ritual, so what better than pizza? and beer is, um, made from grain… at least it’s Celtic Ale brand for brigid!)
thank you for waking me up. your writing is lovely, and i’ve got you bookmarked now. 🙂
Hi Fai…LOL Your post made me laugh out loud! 🙂 I agree..nothing wrong with pizza and beer for an Imbolc feast! and it sounds to me like you are getting more active again with this very special Sabbat 🙂 I hope to hear more from you and that you re-connect with your paganism!
Thanks for the laugh! 🙂
Blessed Imbolc Sister )0( Your Altar is Beautiful as always..I love Bride too,She is Maiden,Mother,Crone in one Beautiful Goddess …….
You remind me Brighid dear Sister 🙂 Love you!!!