Imbolc or Candlemass

Imbolc is the festival of the Maiden Goddess, whose associations include the dawn and the inner fire. This Sabbat is regarded as the Dawn of the Year. For this reason, many traditions consider Imbolc an ideal time for initiations and other new beginnings.

For Wiccans, Imbolc is the Festival of Light. At Imbolc we celebrate and encour- age the return of the sun, reborn at Midwinter. Days have begun to lengthen and, although in many places winter is still very much in evidence, the energies of spring are stirring. As a rule, you want to have as many candles for Imbolc as possible, since their flame represents the returning sun's energies.

The Imbolc Sabbat is often associated with the color white. In the Correll Mother Temple, Lady Krystel always set up the Imbolc altar with white altar cloths of lace and candle holders, offering bowls and chalice of glittering crystal. This created a very magical impression, which has never left me.

Some people like to make use of candle crowns, similar to those associated with Lucia Day in Europe. These consist of a number of lit candles rising from a crown of evergreen foliage and are meant to represent the activation of the crown chakra. These headdresses can be very exciting, but there is a technique to making them that is too long to go into here; if you are inter ested in trying it out, you can research how to make them.

Conversely, because it is also associated with the dawn, Imbolc decorations can also incorporate dawn's many colors: vivid golds, oranges, lavanders, and pinks. This gives a very different feel that can be quite nice.

Of course, one of the most famous customs associated with Imbolc is the groundhog oracle. Some temples like to enact this for themselves – using a hamster, guinea pig, or even a person. Others prefer to wait for the results of famous secular ground hogs such as Punxsutawney Phil or General Lee.

There are many interesting Imbolc customs you can research, but as always you want to use what makes sense to you and the poeple with you, and what helps your magical process.

Air

For this ritual we will cleanse the circle by ceremonial sweeping. Make sure the broom that is used for this has been consecrated beforehand as a ritual tool. The type of broom does not matter; it may be of any type from an ordinary household broom to a special ceremonial broom actually made from the broom plant.

When it is time to begin, have the people assemble outside the ritual space and wait while you cleanse the circle. After the space is cleansed they will be brought in one at a time.

You or whoever is going to cleanse the area should begin by sweeping tuathail. Sweep the ritual area thoroughly in this manner. Concentrate on sending out all negative energy from the ritual space, and imagine the negative energy rushing out of the area. Imagine the area being filled with cleansing yellow-white light. It might be appropriate to say something like:

I cleanse this space . . .
I cleanse this space . . .
I cleanse this space ...

When the space has been cleansed, turn and begin to sweep deosil. Now focus on blessing the area and preparing it for the ritual. Imagine the ritual area filling with blue-white light. It might be desirable to say something like:

I bless this space . . .
I bless this space . . .
I bless this space ...

Now place the broom at the altar and bring the people in one at a time. Have the people wait at the boundary of the ritual space until their turn comes. Anoint each person with consecrated oil, using the oil to make the sign of the pentagram or the crescent moon on their forehead or on their wrist. Check beforehand to make sure no one is allergic to scented oil. If anyone is allergic, use some- thing else like olive oil or consecrated water instead. Say something like:

May you be blessed  in the name of the Old Gods.
In perfect love and perfect trust be welcomed to this circle.

Then let the person enter and repeat the process with the next, until all have entered.

Now we will cast the circle. For this ritual we will cast the circle using a Shakespearean casting based upon an altered version of the “Black Spirits” passage of Shakespeare's Scottish play.

Begin in the east. Take up the athame and point it outward, visualizing a beam of white light shooting from the athame's lip  to what will be the outer edge of the magic circle. Now begin to walk deosil around the circle, imagining the beam of light „drawing“ a houndary of light around the circle's edge.

From the east, walk deosil around the circle, imagining a barrier of light being formed by the beam. Speak the charm:

Black spirits and red,
White spirits and gray,
Come ye! Come ye!
Come ye as come ye may!
Around, around, around about:
All good come in, all ill keep out!

As you walk, imagine the boundary growing brighter and stronger, becoming a wall of white light. As you come back around to the east, completing the circle, see the boundary become a solid circle of light around the ritual arca. Make this as strong as you can.

The circle is now cast.

Fire

In this ritual we will invoke the quarters through the forms of the Goddess. This can be particularly good for Grand (lunar) Sabbats, moons, and other rituals that honor the feminine polarity.

Begin in the east. Use a wand, sacred tool of fire, or if you prefer, use your fingers. Raise the wand, imagining as you do so a column of pure white light arising in the east, at the border of the circle. See the column as strong and pure and filled with energy. Say something like:

East

We call upon you, O Red Lady of the East!
You who took the first action and in so doing set the world in motion.
Lady of the Dawn, and of all beginnings!
Behold, we do invoke you O Lady of the East and with you the sylphs and spirits of the air!
Come to us! Join us! Lend us your aid and your inspiration in this our undertaking!

Now move to the next quarter. Again raise the wand, and imagine a column of pure white light arising in the quarter. Say something like:

South

We call upon you, O White Lady of the South!
You who united with the God and ensouled the world!
Lady of noonday, mistress of fertility and of fecundity!
Behold, we do invoke you,
O Lady of the South,
and with you the salamanders and spirits of the fire!
Come to us! Join with us!
Lend us your aid and your inspiration in this our undertaking!

Now move to the next quarter. Again raise the wand, and imagine a column of pure white light arising in the quarter. Say something like:

West

We call upon you, O Gray Lady of the West!
You who govern the cycles of time and rebirth.
Lady of sunset, who gathers home the fruits of creation!
Behold, we do invoke you,
O Lady of the West,
and with you the undines and spirits of the waters!
Come to us! Join us!
Lend us your aid and your inspiration in this our undertaking!

Now move to the next quarter. Again raise the wand and imagine a column of pure white light arising in the quarter. Say something like:

North

We call upon you, O Black Lady of the North!
You who were before the first creation and who shall endure beyond all reckoning.
Lady of Midnight, you who are the darkness before the dawn. Behold, we do invoke you, O Lady of the North, and with you the gnomes and spirits of the earth!
Come to us! Join us!
Lend us your aid and your inspiration in this our undertaking!

Let the four quarters now be portrayed by four people. Since we are invoking the quarters as forms of the Goddess, it is likely that these will be four women; however, this need not be viewed as a requirement. A man may embody the divine feminine just as a woman may embody the divine masculine, since both polarities are present in all things. The four people may be costumed for the parts or not as desired. Most commonly you would have had these same four people invoke the quarters as well as personifying them in the dance that follows, but this, too, need not be a requirement. If you do not have four people to do this, then you should omit the physical dance and use only the spoken parts with one or two people taking all the parts.

Have the four quarters now come to the center of the circle and join hands. Let them dance deosil in the center of the circle singing an appropriate chant such as:

Air! Fire! Water! Earth!
Air! Fire! Water! Earth!
Air! Fire! Water! Earth!
We are one!
We are one!
We are one!

Now speak the charm:

Behold: four queens dance, and by their dance the world is formed! As it was in the beginning the dance of the elements sets the ritual in motion! Thought! Action! Reaction! Integration! An endless cycle of being!

Behold the dance and imagine the energy raised by its steps! See the energy arising between the dancers, shining white and radiating in all directions. See that light grow and expand. See it moving out beyond the dancers, expanding to encompass them, surround them, then expanding still farther! See the light fill our ritual space, growing brighter and brighter, expanding farther and farther until it surrounds the entire ritual space. See the light form a barrier all the way around us, a barrier of light. A circle of art to focus and to contain the powers we shall raise herein!

Behold! By our will so mote it be!”
All: “So mote it be!”

Now it is time to invoke Deity. Since Grand Sabbats are lunar ceremonies, the Goddess will be invoked first. In this case, we shall invoke the Goddess not in any particular personal form but in her archetype as Maiden. You will remember from First Degree studies that some personal forms of this archetype include Athena, Hathor, and Erzulie.

The priestess raises her arms to call upon the Goddess. She might say some- thing like:

Priestess: “Hail unto you, O Maiden! We do invoke you, O Maiden! We do invoke you, Dawn—Mistress, Lady of Renewal and Rebirth! Your many colors herald the return of the sun, and you share them generously with the newborn flowers that shall emerge with spring. Mistress of the rainbow and of all arts and forms of creation—we bid you hail and welcome!

All: “Hail and welcome!

Now imagine the Goddess entering the circle. Imagine it in any way that makes sense to you, perhaps by imagining the Goddess in human form or as a shower of glittering light, or as a ball or tower of light appearing in the circle.

Now let us invoke the God in his archetype as Hero. You will remember from First Degree studies that some personal forms of this archetype include Apollo, Mars, and Thor. The priest raises his arms to call upon the God. He might say something like:

Priest: “We invoke you, O God, in your form as Hero! Gentle Lord of the Rising Sun, of Spring and New Beginnings! Eromenos! Lord of love and beauty, passion and creativity! Your fire, reborn, only just begins to burn in this holy season, yet we welcome the flame! We bid you hail and welcome!”

All: “Hail and welcome!”

Now visualize the God entering the circle.

Finally, invoke the ancestors. You might say something like:

O mighty ancestors, beloved ones who have gone before, we invoke you and ask you to join us and to bless us! Ancestors of the Correllian Tradition, priestesses and priests, mothers and uncles of the lineage, spiritual family that aids and supports us—lend us your inspiration and your love, your guidance and your aid this night, we pray. Beloved ones, we bid you hail and welcome!

All: Hail and welcome!

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