SECTION I - HOLIDAY LORE

Imbolic Solitary Ritual - StormWing
Candlemas: The Light Returns - Mike Nichols
Imbolic Word Search - Isha Arrowhawk
"All-turn-ative Calendar" - -Memory Red Wolf )O
Candlemas - Gina M. Pace

Imbolic Solitary Ritual
By StormWing

This Ritual should be performed at dawn or midmorning, or it can be done at dusk. Sweep area, starting in the North and moving deosil, with your magickal broom to cleanse the Circle area and "sweep away" any lingering negative energies. Set up the Quarter candles (North-Green, East-Yellow, South-Red, West-Blue) and/or other items symbolizing the elements at the Four Quarters. Set up your altar as desired, and face it to the North, covering it with a white, red or brown altar cloth. For this ceremony, decorate the altar with white flowers (silk are acceptable), many white candles (as many as you can comfortably fit on your altar - up to 13) or a Candle Wheel, and anything else that feels right. You will also need a Grain Dolly/Corn Dolly dressed as a bride, a Bride's Bed, a Priapic Wand and some acorns or other nuts. Place the Cauldron in the center, with a White candle to the left side of the Cauldron and a Green candle to the right. Along with your usual ritual tools and items, have upon the altar:

White, Red or Brown Altar Cloth

Many White Candles (up to 13, in holders) and/or a Candle Wheel

Grain Dolly/Corn Dolly - dressed as a Bride (to represent Brigid)

A Bride's Bed (a Basket will suffice)

Priapic Wand (acorn-tipped) and some Acorns (or other nuts)

White Flowers (in a Vase, silk are acceptable)
Cauldron - with a White Candle placed to the Left side (in holder) and a Green Candle to the Right side (in holder)

Imbolc Incense - blends of Frankincense, Myrrh, Jasmine, Camphor, Cinnamon or Lotus.
When all is set up, take a shower or bath for purification and don your Ritual Robe or other Ritual attire. Be sure to wear your Magickal jewelry, if you have any. Sit quietly and meditate for a little while - to ground and center. When you feel ready to begin, play some quiet peaceful music for the Ritual.

Cast the Circle... In addition to the God and Goddess candles, light the Candle Wheel. Keep all the other candles out until the appropriate time. Also have the Grain Dolly lying in the Bride's Bed (basket) with the Priapic Wand and the acorns nearby. Sit quietly meditating within the cast Circle for a little while... When you feel ready, begin your ceremony with these words:

"Blessed be this season of Imbolc, Blessed be the Goddess, waiting Bride of the returning Sun God.
Mother Earth stirs from Her long slumber.
The fields and forests hear Her whisper to awaken.
The creatures of Her realms answer Her summons.
Everything waits in anticipation for Spring."

Tap the altar gently, three times with your Wand, and say:

"This is the Festival of the Maiden
Who gives to all the breath of life.
This is a time of waxing light and receding darkness.
This is the season of purification, a renewing of life.
This is the time of the quickening.
At this time and in this place between the worlds,
I come into the presence of the Lord and the Lady
that I may gain wise and truthful counsel."

Now comes a time of silent meditation while you ask the God and Goddess for inspiration and guidance for the future... When you feel ready, tap the altar again gently with the Wand, three times and say:

"O Ancient Ones,
I know my life's path is within Your keeping.
Only with Your help and guidance can I hope to avoid any pitfalls
and reach my destination safely."

Light the White Candle on the left side of the Cauldron and say these words:

"I salute the glorious Maiden Goddess, Preparer of new life out of darkness.
This is Her Season of the Wheel of the Year
when She spreads Her blessings over the land."

Light the Green Candle on the right side of the Cauldron and say these words:

"Behold, the Lord of the Forests caresses the dreaming Earth.
As there is a renewal within the plants and animals,
so shall there be renewal in my life also."

Take up your athame and touch the tip of it to the heart of the Grain Dolly, and say:

"Groom of Heaven and Earth, come now to claim your waiting Bride."
Kneel before the altar, and using the Candle Wheel, light all of the many White Candles that are around you. This symbolizes the young Goddess turning the Wheel of the Year back to Spring. Then say:

"From this union comes the Light of the World. Be fruitful, oh Bride,and turn our Earth gently again to Spring."

Toss the acorns into the Bed with the Bride. (The nuts are a fertility symbol and are meant to seal the words you have just spoken.) Then gently lay the Priapic Wand across the Grain Dolly, forming an "X", and as you do, saying:

"Blessed be the Sun God, coming back to us this day."

Lift the Candle Wheel and carry it clockwise around the Circle with you at least three times, to symbolize the coming of the Light. Sit and quietly reflect or meditate on the meaning of this Sabbat to you. When you feel ready, continue by placing the beverage-filled Chalice upon the Pentacle for a few moments, then lift it high, saying:

"O Great Triple Goddess and Great Horned God,
Make my life fertile with insight,
good health, prosperity, and magickal power.
Honor to Thee, O Ancient Ones!
Merry meet and merry part and Merry meet again.
So Mote It Be!"

Drink from the Chalice, pour a Libation to the Lord and the Lady and save some to be put outside for the little people. When you are finished, proceed with the Cakes and Ale Ceremony. followed by Releasing the Circle in your usual manner.

Candlemas: The Light Returns
By Mike Nichols

This article may be freely distributed provided that the following conditions are met: (1) No fee is charged for their use and distribution and no commercial use is made of them; (2) These files are not changed or edited in any way without the author's permission; (3) This notice is not removed. An article may be distributed as a separate file, provided that this notice is repeated at the beginning of each such file. These articles are periodically updated by the author; this version is current as of 9/28/88.

It seems quite impossible that the holiday of Candlemas should be considered the beginning of Spring. Here in the Heartland, February 2nd may see a blanket of snow mantling the Mother. Or, if the snows have gone, you may be sure the days are filled with drizzle, slush, and steel-grey skies -- the dreariest weather of the year. In short, the perfect time for a Pagan Festival of Lights. And as for Spring, although this may seem a tenuous beginning, all the little buds, flowers and leaves will have arrived on schedule before Spring runs its course to Beltane.

'Candlemas' is the Christianized name for the holiday, of course. The older Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. 'Imbolc' means, literally, 'in the belly' (of the Mother). For in the womb of Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane sight but sensed by a keener vision, there are stirrings. The seed that was planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year grows. 'Oimelc' means 'milk of ewes', for it is also lambing season.

The holiday is also called 'Brigit's Day', in honor of the great Irish Goddess Brigit. At her shrine, the ancient Irish capitol of Kildare, a group of 19 priestesses (no men allowed) kept a perpetual flame burning in her honor. She was considered a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry and healing (especially the healing touch of midwifery). This tripartite symbolism was occasionally expressed by saying that Brigit had two sisters, also named Brigit. (Incidentally, another form of the name Brigit is Bride, and it is thus She bestows her special patronage on any woman about to be married or handfasted, the woman being called 'bride' in her honor.)

The Roman Catholic Church could not very easily call the Great Goddess of Ireland a demon, so they canonized her instead. Henceforth, she would be 'Saint' Brigit, patron SAINT of smithcraft, poetry, and healing. They 'explained' this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was 'really' an early Christian missionary sent to the Emerald Isle, and that the miracles she performed there 'misled' the common people into believing that she was a goddess. For some reason, the Irish swallowed this. (There is no limit to what the Irish imagination can convince itself of. For example, they also came to believe that Brigit was the 'foster-mother' of Jesus, giving no thought to the implausibility of Jesus having spent his boyhood in Ireland!)

Brigit's holiday was chiefly marked by the kindling of sacred fires, since she symbolized the fire of birth and healing, the fire of the forge, and the fire of poetic inspiration. Bonfires were lighted on the beacon tors, and chandlers celebrated their special holiday. The Roman Church was quick to confiscate this symbolism as well, using 'Candlemas' as the day to bless all the church candles that would be used for the coming liturgical year. (Catholics will be reminded that the following day, St. Blaise's Day, is remembered for using the newly-blessed candles to bless the throats of parishioners, keeping them from colds, flu, sore throats, etc.)

The Catholic Church, never one to refrain from piling holiday upon holiday, also called it the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (It is surprising how many of the old Pagan holidays were converted to Maryan Feasts.) The symbol of the Purification may seem a little obscure to modern readers, but it has to do with the old custom of 'churching women'. It was believed that women were impure for six weeks after giving birth. And since Mary gave birth at the winter solstice, she wouldn't be purified until February 2nd. In Pagan symbolism, this might be re-translated as when the Great Mother once again becomes the Young Maiden Goddess.

Today, this holiday is chiefly connected to weather lore. Even our American folk- calendar keeps the tradition of 'Groundhog's Day', a day to predict the coming weather, telling us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, there will be 'six more weeks' of bad weather (i.e., until the next old holiday, Lady Day). This custom is ancient. An old British rhyme tells us that 'If Candlemas Day be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year.' Actually, all of the cross-quarter days can be used as 'inverse' weather predictors, whereas the quarter-days are used as 'direct' weather predictors.

Like the other High Holidays or Great Sabbats of the Witches' year, Candlemas is sometimes celebrated on it's alternate date, astrologically determined by the sun's reaching 15-degrees Aquarius, or Candlemas Old Style (in 1988, February 3rd, at 9:03 am CST). Another holiday that gets mixed up in this is Valentine's Day. Ozark folklorist Vance Randolf makes this quite clear by noting that the old- timers used to celebrate Groundhog's Day on February 14th. This same displacement is evident in Eastern Orthodox Christianity as well. Their habit of celebrating the birth of Jesus on January 6th, with a similar post-dated shift in the six-week period that follows it, puts the Feast of the Purification of Mary on February 14th. It is amazing to think that the same confusion and lateral displacement of one of the old folk holidays can be seen from the Russian steppes to the Ozark hills, but such seems to be the case!

Incidentally, there is speculation among linguistic scholars that the vary name of 'Valentine' has Pagan origins. It seems that it was customary for French peasants of the Middle Ages to pronounce a 'g' as a 'v'. Consequently, the original term may have been the French 'galantine', which yields the English word 'gallant'. The word originally refers to a dashing young man known for his 'affaires d'amour', a true galaunt. The usual associations of V(G)alantine's Day make much more sense in this light than their vague connection to a legendary 'St. Valentine' can produce. Indeed, the Church has always found it rather difficult to explain this nebulous saint's connection to the secular pleasures of flirtation and courtly love.

For modern Witches, Candlemas O.S. may then be seen as the Pagan version of Valentine's Day, with a de-emphasis of 'hearts and flowers' and an appropriate re-emphasis of Pagan carnal frivolity. This also re-aligns the holiday with the ancient Roman Lupercalia, a fertility festival held at this time, in which the priests of Pan ran through the streets of Rome whacking young women with goatskin thongs to make them fertile. The women seemed to enjoy the attention and often stripped in order to afford better targets.

One of the nicest folk-customs still practiced in many countries, and especially by Witches in the British Isles and parts of the U.S., is to place a lighted candle in each and every window of the house, beginning at sundown on Candlemas Eve (February 1st), allowing them to continue burning until sunrise. Make sure that such candles are well seated against tipping and guarded from nearby curtains, etc. What a cheery sight it is on this cold, bleak and dreary night to see house after house with candle-lit windows! And, of course, if you are your Coven's chandler, or if you just happen to like making candles, Candlemas Day is THE day for doing it. Some Covens hold candle-making parties and try to make and bless all the candles they'll be using for the whole year on this day.

Other customs of the holiday include weaving 'Brigit's crosses' from straw or wheat to hang around the house for protection, performing rites of spiritual cleansing and purification, making 'Brigit's beds' to ensure fertility of mind and spirit (and body, if desired), and making Crowns of Light (i.e. of candles) for the High Priestess to wear for the Candlemas Circle, similar to those worn on St. Lucy's Day in Scandinavian countries. All in all, this Pagan Festival of Lights, sacred to the young Maiden Goddess, is one of the most beautiful and poetic of the year.

This article may be freely distributed provided that the following conditions are met: (1) No fee is charged for their use and distribution and no commercial use is made of them; (2) These files are not changed or edited in any way without the author's permission; (3) This notice is not removed. An article may be distributed as a separate file, provided that this notice is repeated at the beginning of each such file. These articles are periodically updated by the author; this version is current as of 9/28/88.

IMBOLIC WORD SEARCH
By Isha Arrowhawk
Isha

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C E T L R B M O I E M M J Q U Y W T T N
O O B I O Y D U F Q B L C H H D M F O N
C U T G Y K X I Z Z K J V D W A Q A S R
H S A H H L E Q T F S B E U 2 L J R X A
I N T T K S Y G D P X T V Y D D S C Z E
L D H O U J P S B W Y V R V G N Y H W Y
D U G F K Z Y Z A B F A M N Z A A T P E
S U I I D J B Q W M U W I H K D D I O H
U S L N I V B F M R D L F R Q R R M L T
N U G S W C C K B R A I B Z Q O E S G F
N B N P G G A E M E C D G O H L G S S O
M K I I K P F N H H N F O I X K N K V L
Q K X R O J O D D D P U L F R B O P I E
Q B A A Q Q Q E X L V Q Q W K B L L Q E
Q C W T U R Y X T K E M E V T W A M Z H
Y D Q I O Q I F I R Q M Y T S A L X S W
J P Q O G V C D W B Y D A N D C S S L U
D K M N P Z N R Q Z D M F S D E I Q M W
J L O P W N O I T A C I D E D E R Z K G
C P I O E R I F F O S S E D D O G C T P

BRIGIDMAS
CANDLEMAS
CHILD SUN
FEBRUARY2
GODDESS OF FIRE
HEALING
LIGHT OF INSPIRATION
LONGER DAYS
LORD AND LADY
POETRY
REDEDICATION
SMITHCRAFT
WAXING LIGHT
WHEEL OF THE YEAR

"All-turn-ative Calendar"
By -Memory Red Wolf )O(
alizon@earthaura.com

To the novice witch, remembering the intricacies and corresponding significance of each of the eight traditional Sabbats can present quite a challenge. Further complicating matters, is the fact that each of us usually spends only one specified time a year concentrating on the energies of a particular festival.

It is in the face of this challenge that I have developed a spiritually resonant memory device, the "All-turn-ative Calendar," which has helped me keep the holistic nature of the Wheel of the Year fully in mind as it cyclically moves onward. This project was born out of my desire to set up an altar for each of the four elements.

Through my work with the energies of the directions and their elemental correspondencies, I discovered various references that attached a season to a particular direction: North with winter; East with spring; South with summer; and West with fall. Therefore, I decided to add representations of these seasons to my elemental altars. In doing so, I began to realize that this otherwise intentional action was inintentionally becoming a springboard for a useful tool to help me familiarize myself with the Sabbats and their appropriate positions in the Wheel of the Year. Thus the elemental altars evolved into a Wiccan festival calendar. North housed the symbology of the Winter Solstice and Bride; East - the Vernal Equinox and Beltane; South - Midsummer and Lughnasad; and West - the Autumnal Equinox and Samhain. For the past two years now, I have rotated my elemental/directional focus with the turning of the year. For example, in the winter months, I focus my meditations on the richness of the fertile earth, the vibrations of its potential life and how this natural fact ties back into the theme of the Winter Solstice, a flicker of light shining as a pinpoint through the pitch of the longest night, and in turn how that flicker grows into the threefold flame of Brighid that inspires and thus insights further turning toward the next season.

Because I have been fortunate enough to have a room dedicated to my magickal workings, I have been allowed the space to create a vivid sacred setting for my exploration of the Wheel. I have been able to physically walk its path, and through this physical action, derive a metaphorical meaning while recognizing my role in the Center at the point of transformation*. It is in the Center that we each can exert our positive, magickal influence on the Wheel's turning. From this vantage point, I am able to view the year as it rotates around me, without me, and within me. I am better able to see where I have gone, where I am, and where I will be again and again as I cycle through the phases of this year and by extension this life.

The Wiccan religion is fundamentally experiential, for that is the way in which we connect most assuredly with the sometimes hidden influence of our ancestral/descendant community. Through the intentional actions of magick and ritual, we learn to bypass mundane consciousness triggering our potential for communication between the worlds. The "All-turn-ative Calendar" is merely one contribution to the myriad of techniques that may allow us the ability to further journey through experience.

* As Starhawk refers to it in The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess, Harper-Collins Publishers, 1989

Candlemas
By Gina M. Pace

Candlemas.... Imbolc.... Oimelc.... Feast of St. Lucia.... Groundhog Day....

Groundhog Day???

We often tend to think of Groundhog Day in terms of Punxsutawney Phil, peeping out of his hole to see his shadow.... It's a media thing.

Then we start to think about how Groundhog Day is just the civilian world's way of covering up a pagan holiday with something nonsectarian, so that everyone can share in it, but that it takes the spirituality out of the day.

We may seek ways of interjecting that spirituality back into the day. It's not easy to do so. The Swedish holiday of St. Lucia is probably the closest thing to a contemporary Candlemas ritual.

We may remember Bill Murray's movie "Groundhog Day," in which his arrogant, obnoxious character is forced to repeat the same day over and over until he figures out a way to break the pattern. And we laugh, because it's a highly entertaining movie.

But how many of us realize the inherent spirituality behind this movie? Think about it for a moment: the act of reviewing one's behaviour, one's life patterns, over and over, until you see the true meaning behind everything you do, until you begin to see the beauty in the little things, in each part of every day, in each person you meet.... I can't think of terribly many rituals that are more befitting the Candlemas holiday than this.

However you wish to name it, Candlemas/Imbolc/Oimelc/St. Lucia/Groundhog Day is a wonderful opportunity for tarot meditation. I always think of the winter time as "down time" anyway. Biologically we are meant to spend more time indoors, more time in reflection, more time taking care of ourselves mentally and spiritually. When there are fewer hours of daylight, and colder temperatures, the body's natural tendency is to conserve resources and spend more time inwardly focused instead of outwardly.

When I meditate at this time of year, I have several strong associations which factor in. First, I start with the actual groundhog himself, good ol' Punxsutawney Phil. I'm speaking metaphorically, not literally, of course; I think of his coming out and seeking not his shadow, but the light itself. He breaks from his hibernation and comes out to see that the light is indeed returning. The media may have decided that he looks for his shadow to see whether spring is coming or not, but the truth is, at this point in the year the spring is always coming and it's always exactly six weeks away! So the search is more to take a break from hibernation to feel the sun on his face and appreciate his progress in surviving another winter.

I also think of my favorite book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. My favorite characters are the little girl Lucy and Mr. Tumnus the faun. I remember the scene where Lucy is working her way through the wardrobe, feeling her way through the dark, making her way through the snow. She pushes aside the heavy fur coats hanging on the racks, moving through the furry coats into the cold and snow towards the path in the forest. And at the end of the path is a lamp-post, shining brightly. I think of that lamp-post as a guide for her journey and equate it with the sun that Punxsutawney Phil is feeling on his face when he emerges from his cave.

And then I realize that the lamp-post is none other than the lantern that the Hermit is holding up for us, in the tarot card. Many different designs have been done for the Hermit but one thing is always there, and that is the lantern. No matter how else the card is drawn or painted, that symbol of warmth, light, illumination, and understanding shines through and calls to us. In this time of darkness, quiet, conservation of resources is important; we must also go within ourselves and push past the fur coats to find the lamp-post that guides us.

As with any meditation, it's important that you ensure you will not be interrupted. I usually prefer to lock myself into a private room; or if I'm home alone, the den will do nicely. However, for this meditation it is best if you do the meditation in the morning in a darkened room. I know I'm an exception, so you don't need to do it exactly the way I do; I perform this meditation at 4 in the morning with the blinds open so I can see the street lamps shining out onto the snow. Everyone has a "power" time, and yours may very well be in the morning or early evening. Whenever you feel your most secure.

Find a place in the darkened room where you can sit comfortably. I like to sit on the floor with my back against the bed or against the couch if I'm in the den. It gives my back more support than just sitting in a chair or on the floor out in the middle. You'll need a blanket or quilt, a candle in some sort of safe jar (those Glade Air Freshener candles are perfect), some kind of white noise, and the Hermit card from as many different decks as you can find. If you don't own many decks, you can always go online and round up some scans of Hermits and print them out or even just look at them and study them right before you begin the meditation. Personally I have to limit myself to about six or so different Hermits. For my white noise I usually have the humidifier running. I usually like to use a soft gentle music for meditation but I find it distracting for this one. White noise allows you to focus on something other than the tunes.

Wrap yourself up in the quilt - not tightly, more like a snuggly blankie around your shoulders and back, so that you are comfortably tented within its warm folds. I like to have it halfway up around my head so my ears are covered for this meditation. Seating yourself in a comfortable position (it doesn't have to be a lotus position) and lay out the Hermits on the floor or table in front of you, so that they are all facing you in a semi-circle. Place the candle in the center of the semicircle so the Hermits are fanned out behind and around the candle. Light the candle (I have to remember not to take this part for granted! LOL)

With the white noise humming in the background, feel the warmth of the quilt surrounding you, and close your eyes. Feel yourself slowly going into your center, feel the coziness of the quilt becoming a cave which nestles and protects you as you are in deep "hibernation." As your body and mind slowly still, and the distractions of everyday life fade away, you'll hear the white noise becoming more and more a part of your surroundings. Become aware of the sound and visualize yourself going into the wardrobe and feel the coats brushing you as the snow falls silently on the ground. The white noise is the sound of the forest air humming as the snow falls. As you move deeper within, you slowly become aware of a light flickering ahead of you in the snowy forest night. As if guided by a beacon, you slowly emerge from your warm coverings and pull the quilt back from around your face to feel the cool air on your cheeks. You gaze at the flickering lamp-light and as your eyes adjust, you realize that there are several figures gathered around the lamp-post. You look at each of them and recognize these Hermits as your guides.

Look carefully at each one of them, see how he (or she) is dressed. Note the way each of them holds aloft a lantern to show you the way. As you address each one of them, you feel a calm assurance come over you as you know that each of them holds something very special for you to learn about yourself. The time has come for your guides to show you a way to simplify your life and remove some old habits that you no longer need. As each Hermit holds aloft his lamp, he shows you a recent image of yourself doing something that is no longer appropriate for the new life you have chosen. You may see yourself arguing with a friend or family member, smoking, or doing something else equally unhealthy; instead of recrimination, the Hermit's eyes are shining as he shows you that these are things which no longer are necessary in your life. Feel that their hold on you no longer exists, and know that as you leave the winter cave you will leave these things behind. Instead, the Hermit opens his lantern, and the light escapes it and becomes a star. With a gasp, you watch as this star enters you and know that the light shines brightly within you.

As each Hermit gifts you with the star of his lantern, you are graced with inner beauty and light, and a sense of spiritual peace. You no longer feel weighted down by the burdens of the past, and the dark of the winter takes on a healing regenerative power for you. Be sure to thank each of the Hermits for their gift of wisdom and inner light. With these lights shining within you, turn and head back into the warmth of the quilted cave. As you re-enter the coats and leave behind the forest lamp-post, you know that the time spent in the cave is when you make your preparations for stepping out into the light of day, emerging as a new, enlightened self.

When you finally come out of your quilted cave, turn to the window and open the blinds or curtains so that you can feel the sun's warm light shining on your face. Since I perform this meditation very very early in the morning, I often am just in time to catch the sun's first rays coming up over the horizon. Feel your kinship with the groundhog coming out to see the sun, and know that you are on the way to the new spring and the new you. The turning point has been passed, and the journey is assured.

I like to end this meditation with a song. My favorite song for this is "Morning Has Broken," by Cat Stevens.

"Morning has broken, like the first morning....
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird....
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,
Praise for them springing fresh from the world."

Copyright 2001 by Gina M. Pace
Wicce@wicce.com
Wicce's Tarot Collection
http://www.wicce.com