#pagan sabbats

[kawaiigrimoire]

🕯️Imbolc Preparations 🌱

What an eventful winter it’s been!After a long period of rest, I’m really looking forward to Imbolc. Here are some things I’ve done to prepare:

🌲 Putting away all the holiday decorations

🌱 Planting seeds

📦 Re-organising and getting rid of old items

♻️ Recycling old paperwork/schoolwork

💻 Deleting old software and documents from school

📱 Deleting apps, photos, texts

👕 Repairing old clothes and buying new clothes

📓 Journalling and making plans to set in motion

🕯️ Making plans for Imbolc

[the-hermit-at-midnight]

Imbolc, also known as Brigid's Day, marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. This ancient Celtic festival, celebrated on February 1st or 2nd, welcomes the first signs of spring. Imbolc is a time to honor the Celtic goddess Brigid, associated with fire, healing, and fertility.

As the earth begins to awaken from its winter slumber, Imbolc is a celebration of new beginnings and the promise of life returning to the land. Traditionally, it involves rituals such as lighting candles to represent the growing light, and making offerings to Brigid to seek her blessings for the coming season.

In many cultures, Imbolc is a time for spring cleaning and preparing for the agricultural year ahead. It's a moment to set intentions, renew commitments, and embrace the energy of transformation. Many people create Bridgid's crosses, woven from reeds or straw, as a symbol of protection and blessings.

Imbolc reminds us to connect with nature and the cycles of the seasons. It encourages reflection on personal growth and the potential for renewal in our lives. Whether through simple rituals or more elaborate ceremonies, embracing the spirit of Imbolc can bring a sense of hope and anticipation for the brighter days that lie ahead.

[daphyswitchylibrary]

Ostara

Ostara, or the spring equinox, happens between the 20th and the 24th of March every year. It officially marks the beginning of spring, and so the warm weather coming! It represents rebirth and growth, but also balance.

Ostara is a good time to plan things for spring (like things you want to do this summer, or your garden. Some of us might even be able to start their garden at this time! It's still too cold here for me to do it), spring cleaning and, if possible, open windows for (probably) the first time this year! Also think of repotting your indoor plants so they can also start anew for this year!

Without really planning, you can also just write down your goals for this spring

Colors to wear, be it with makeup, clothes, or other accessories are pink, green, purple, yellow, white… mostly pastel colors!

Crystals to wear or to make spells with for Ostara are rose quartz, clear quartz, amethyst, bloodstone, carnelian, sunstone, agate and lapis lazuli Now for foods! Eat things with cheese, eggs, seeds, nuts, in-season vegetables and fruits, but most importantly: honey! I already shared it last year on my blog, but you definitely should try this easy honey cake recipe for Ostara!

And since I like Ostara a lot, I found this recipe for hot cross buns: turns out they taste amazing for breakfast or just a lil snack!

For activities, you can also light black and white candles for balance

You can dye or paint eggs in pastel colors!

You can eat chocolate rabbits and go take walks outside to see the change of seasons and how nature is coming back to life! You could also take a bath or keep yourself grounded by meditating outside (if it's not too cold!)

Of course, there's the usual divination you can do!

Blessed Ostara!

Sources: prickingofthumbs on Tumblr, witchoftheforest, wiccantips and witchytips on Instagram

[wicked-witch-dude]

Lughnasadh Blessings to everyone!

🌾🌾🌾🌻🌾🌾🌾

[herbalgrimoire]

I should share more of my practice/experiences

I thought this was special, a red chime candle I burnt on Imbolc. It burned all the way down to the very bottom and the wick curled up in a little pile with just enough wax to stay lit. Very encouraging and appropriate for a holiday with a heavy association to candles and fire.

[celticgrunehexe]

Happy Lammas/Lughnasadh!

_GrüneHexe

[genvieve-of-the-wood]

A Clouded Moon Sabbat

There are things

I will bury and

things to burn.

Words to be said

louder than the land,

my feet stomp, hips rotate

and roots feel me

as dirt shakes and

bones shift.

I miss your shine,

your cool observance

of my reverence

for cycles, for elemental life.

A sip of whiskey,

a pour to the ground,

a drop of blood

to bond

myself to this land.

The rain prepares me,

and petrichor

is my incense as I

ready myself

to walk with faith

in the order

and chaos

of nature.

My belief is right now,

and I am happy

in my temple

and congregation

of one.

The moon

is the secret heart

of the sun,

of me

and many others,

reflecting powerful fire

so we can walk

within our darkness.

Our shadow is

a relief

in the intensity of the light.

Tonight

the lesson of the full moon

is

we are not creatures

of darkness-

but of contrast.

Death and life

need each other,

this is what witches know.

We are called unnatural

for observing

what is truly natural.

@genvieve-of-the-wood June 13, 2023

[thequeerofdelphi]

My beloved altar on this beautiful Midsummer Solstice 2023

[kawaiigrimoire]

Hope everyone enjoys their Tu B’av, Super moon, Lughnasadh, Lammas, or anything else you celebrate 🌙🌳🌾🍇

[daphyswitchylibrary]

Imbolc

Imbolc (also sometimes named "Candlemas") happens between the 1st and 2nd of February every year. It marks the midway point between Yule and Ostara, also known as the winter solstice and the spring equinox It celebrates winter coming to an end, to leave space for longer days ahead, and for new things to happen (since nature has been ''dead'' for the last few months, it is now time for it to "rebirth"!) What to do for Imbolc? Cleansing, planning new things and starting new projects is a great idea! Colors for Imbolc are: white, pale yellow, light green, brown, lavender, pink. Wear them, paint them on your nails, put some on your altar! Crystals for Imbolc are: amethyst, selenite, turquoise, ruby, garnet, bloodstone and onyx, peridot, clear quartz, moonstone. Take one with you if you can! Make plans for the upcoming spring! Be it planning your garden or activities/travels you want to do, make a bucket list, anything that has to do with planning something

Bake some bread, or make some soup! Leeks, onions and potatoes are really good during this time. You can even try this potato leek soup for this sabbat!

Have a cleansing bath/shower

Start a gratitude/mood journal! Try to keep it up for the whole year so when Yule comes around again, you can look back on it and reflect on your year. Collect snow for snow water! We won't have snow around for long now at this time of year so take advantage of it!

Start spring cleaning! Start sweeping out the old energies to welcome in the new ones

Divination! Although I always mention it in every post about sabbats, what is special about Imbolc is that some say it's a great sabbat to try new divination methods, or just not use the one you always use. For example, I mostly use tarot cards, but I have Witches Runes that I might prioritize for Imbolc.

Sources: thewitchoftheforest, witchytips and wiccantips on Instagram

[fluffy-fedora-blue]

Fuck yeah - Blessed Be Imbolc, Sabbat of poetry, endurance and self care!

Bake some bread, eat some nuts or grains or cereal, write a short story, take a 35 minute long shower, clean out the fridge, do that skincare routine you did for 4 days last year before abandoning it. It’s spring soon and we fucking made it. We’re celebrating survival tonight bitches!

[herbalgrimoire]

Blessed Ostara! 🐇🪺🌷

[wicked-witch-dude]

This year's Lughnasadh altar along with a little corn dolly I made.🌾🌻🌾

[thequeerofdelphi]

My beloved altar on this warm Second Harvest/ Autumn Equinox