20 ways to celebrate Imbolc on the Wheel of the Year

Twenty fabulous ways to celebrate Imbolc

Plant spring bulbs such as snowdrop, daffodil, crocus and narcissus. white and yellow are good spring flowers to choose for the symbolizing of the return of spring. Bring white flowers into your home to symbolize purity and the hope that spring brings.

Make your own Brigit’s Cross. You can use wool for this if it is easier than finding straw.

Make your own Brighde doll. You can make your Brighde doll from pipe cleaners if easier than finding straw and make her a little bed to lie in.

Hold an Imbolc feast with family and friends, not forgetting to leave some food out for Brighde to ensure she blesses your home.

Light Imbolc candles in your home to celebrate the returning of the light. Orange yellow and white are good colours to use. As you light each one, focus on the flame and the energy behind it and imagine that energy pouring good luck and warmth into your home.

Make some handmade candles of your own, it is said to be lucky to make these on the day of Imbolc itself.

Light a fire and gather with friends and family, and reflect, share and laugh together.

Now is the perfect time for a good spring clean of your home. Get rid of anything that is cluttering up your home and stagnating the energy, and scrub all the surfaces down thoroughly.

Carry out a home purification (see my psychic protection pages ) www.astarte-moon.co.uk

Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate either shared with family or on your own. This delicious treat is a wonderful way of celebrating the dairy products that are a symbol of Imbolc. As you stir the hot chocolate think about your desires and goals for the coming month and stir these into your drink. If you are vegan, substitue for soya milk and dark chocolate.

Place a piece of silk or fabric on a windowsill or mantle piece overnight to be blessed by Brighde. You can then use this piece of fabric for something special, perhaps to carry crystals in or tarot cards.

Traditionally, Imbolc was a time for visiting holy water; a spring or a well, to both purify and bring fertility. If you have a well near you to visit that would be perfect, if not a spring or river would be wonderful. Being near running water is very uplifting and healing.

Begin a moon diary.  The moon puts us in touch with our emotional selves and balances our solar minds.  It can be very insightful to keep a diary of  how we feel physically and emotionally and how this may relate to the moon

Leave an offering outside for birds and other wild animals who may be having a trying time whilst the ground may be still hard and it is difficult for them to find sufficient food.

Walk the perimeter of your home with a smudge stick or incense in order to purify it and protect it.

Have a candlelit meal with your family. Ask each member of the family to light a candle ( if they are old enough and with supervision if required) and give a small blessing as they light it.

Weave an Imbolc Ring - made from stems of flexible wood such as willow, winter jasmine, honeysuckle, forsythia, dogwood. Create a circle the size of a plate, using the thinner end of each stem as a needle, weaving it in and out until it holds firm. Continue weaving in different branches until you build up the ring. As you work, focus on your desires and goals. When finished, place the ring in a shallow dish of water and it should leaf and flower giving new life energy to your  ideas and dreams.

Pour a little milk on the ground as a tribute to Mother Earth Gaia (soya or rice milk serves the purpose brilliantly if you are vegan!) Ask for growth and fertility in any areas of your life you may feel need it.  Drink the rest of the milk then or use in your cooking

Make an Imbolc lantern: using a willow frame cover it with coloured tissue, paint the outside of the tissue with watered down pva glue to make it strong. Weave a bottom so that you can have a jam jar with a tea light in it, leaving a space to hold a tea light. Never leave this unsupervised, as it will be very flammable.

Make snake sticks. Driftwood is ideal for this as it is already smooth but any stick will do, sandpaper it down then paint a face and snake markings on it. The snake represents healing and energy and is a perfect symbol for imbolc.

Sources Celebrating the seasons by Ashleen O'Gaea

Earth Wisdom by Glennie Kindred