Imbolc 2014: From a Bonfire to a Candle
Imbolc/Midwinter is here.
Thank the Gods! But it always comes. It is part of the cycle, another spoke of
the Wheel of the Year. Imbolc is the 2nd sabbat in the Wheel. It marks
the halfway point of the Winter season, Groundhog’s Day, Feb 2nd.
Well, the scheduled day is always February 2nd. But the astrological moment when the Sun hits 15 degrees Aquarius (Astrological cross quarter) is often days later. This year it falls on Tuesday February 4th.
One of the biggest Witch’s tricks is aligning with the best of wherever you are in the solar & lunar cycles. It sounds so simple, but is not always easy. But hey, surfing the tides of nature is what being a Witch is to me. It is just wiser in my experience to align with the flow of nature & go downstream.
Well, the scheduled day is always February 2nd. But the astrological moment when the Sun hits 15 degrees Aquarius (Astrological cross quarter) is often days later. This year it falls on Tuesday February 4th.
One of the biggest Witch’s tricks is aligning with the best of wherever you are in the solar & lunar cycles. It sounds so simple, but is not always easy. But hey, surfing the tides of nature is what being a Witch is to me. It is just wiser in my experience to align with the flow of nature & go downstream.
Am I “24/7” about it? Is anyone?
Of course I’m not. I forget every day. But that’s why sabbats are significant for me. They are reminders in my calendar with strong symbolic power. I get to choose whether or not I remember to let go, find clarity & cast my spells into that flow.
I usually have 1 spell that I will start at Yule & repeat at each following sabbat for the year. I know exactly what I’m going to cast this sabbat & the following through the year.
I’ve found by teaching the Craft over the decades that it doesn’t matter at what point someone starts doing ‘sabbat work.’ The flow is always present, just slow down. Focus on where you are in the Wheel & tune yourself to it.
Each sabbat gives a different passage into that same flow, if you want it enough. The more you know about the sabbats, the more opportunities you get to access the flow.
Of course I’m not. I forget every day. But that’s why sabbats are significant for me. They are reminders in my calendar with strong symbolic power. I get to choose whether or not I remember to let go, find clarity & cast my spells into that flow.
I usually have 1 spell that I will start at Yule & repeat at each following sabbat for the year. I know exactly what I’m going to cast this sabbat & the following through the year.
I’ve found by teaching the Craft over the decades that it doesn’t matter at what point someone starts doing ‘sabbat work.’ The flow is always present, just slow down. Focus on where you are in the Wheel & tune yourself to it.
Each sabbat gives a different passage into that same flow, if you want it enough. The more you know about the sabbats, the more opportunities you get to access the flow.
All the sabbats are solar, so I work with the element of fire; the power of desire & will.
Will is about choice & decision. Think about the choice to light a fire
under your ass or to a decision to pursue your passion.
Because the magick I start at Yule is my seed intention for the year, I cast with a big ass Yule Fire. Yule is Birth & it takes a lot of energy to birth something. My coven builds a big pyre in our big fire cauldron outside. We cast our spells into it. Like the one I blogged about this past December.
Now at Imbolc, I work candle magick. A bonfire is nice, but personally, it’s way too cold to stand outside for that long. A candle is more focused than a pyre & easier to tend.
Imbolc is also called Candlemas by other traditions & religions, a day of blessing candles. So we have a gigantic group mind / thought-form momentum adding power. It is a big wave to ride.
Because the magick I start at Yule is my seed intention for the year, I cast with a big ass Yule Fire. Yule is Birth & it takes a lot of energy to birth something. My coven builds a big pyre in our big fire cauldron outside. We cast our spells into it. Like the one I blogged about this past December.
Now at Imbolc, I work candle magick. A bonfire is nice, but personally, it’s way too cold to stand outside for that long. A candle is more focused than a pyre & easier to tend.
Imbolc is also called Candlemas by other traditions & religions, a day of blessing candles. So we have a gigantic group mind / thought-form momentum adding power. It is a big wave to ride.
Imbolc is also associated with the 2nd Chakra, right below the navel.
- It’s our sex drive, creativity & ‘gut feelings’ in a very yes/no way. ‘Go with your gut’ is highlighted.
- In Sanskrit it is Svadhisthana: One's own place or sweetest abode.
- It is associated with Yesod the Kabalistic Sefirot from the Tree of Life, a phallic / creative power.
- The Christian Sacrament is Communion. Which to me is about seeing the sacred context within any 1 on 1 relationship.
- The corresponding Grace is Piety. A word we have lost the true meaning of.
- The Shadow is Greed which makes sense in dealing with the sex, money & power aspects of the chakra.
- For me, all of these are encapsulated in the Sacred Truth of the 2nd Chakra, “Honor One Another.”
So here’s how I boil it down for myself. Imbolc is linked to the 2nd Chakra which manages the power of 1 on 1
relationships: my relationship to other individuals, my relationship with
money, my relationship with The Divine is even highlighted here because the common name of the 2nd Chakra is The Sacral Chakra, indicating sacred.
It’s a lot to cast for. So I'm
taking the Aquarian route, since it is so astrologically available. Rise above it
for awhile. See the larger picture. Get clarity about what I want for the
whole. Cast for it, then go with the flow. It should be an interesting sabbat
as it is also Superbowl Sunday.
So, if you are going to bet, bet
with your 2nd Chakra.
Amongst all of this, I’m getting ready for New York Fashion Week this coming Thursday so… Yeah, I know what I’m casting for along with my spell for this year.
At the moment I’m writing this, it is just after New Moon on Thursday January 30th. So, the magick has already begun. I just did quite a lovely bit of spellwork at my altar & have a charming little talisman to conceal during NYFW. I do every year actually.
I’m not kidding when I say I’m a Professional Witch!
Every little bit of magick I can do now & through till next Thursday is only going to make this year's fashion adventure more fun than ever.
So I encourage you, take some
time before Sunday to slow down, chill & ask for clarity of desire. Get in
touch with what you really want for your life. Think about it. Focus your mind –
Aquarius – Fixed Air/Thought. Then zap it in a candle that goes with what you
want. Anoint it with oil that matches (Olive Oil works in a pinch) and
have at it.
Whether you are strengthening & focusing on what you started at Yule, starting something new, or coming your first time to Imbolc, really… Have at it! Feel the power of your own fire & it will illuminate steps ahead on your way toward it.
(I realize that last part is going to be interpreted in many ways, but I mean self illumination.)
Go with the flow folks. I wish you the best of the best of the season, because that’s what I want too. May it find you & wish me luck for Fashion Week.
Blessed Imbolc.
Rev. Mark A. Lyons, President
Drawing the Circle Productions INC.
DrawingtheCircle@aol.com
631-968-8307 @ProfWitch on Twitter
Whether you are strengthening & focusing on what you started at Yule, starting something new, or coming your first time to Imbolc, really… Have at it! Feel the power of your own fire & it will illuminate steps ahead on your way toward it.
Take the steps that feel best & then
light up again.
(I realize that last part is going to be interpreted in many ways, but I mean self illumination.)
Go with the flow folks. I wish you the best of the best of the season, because that’s what I want too. May it find you & wish me luck for Fashion Week.
Blessed Imbolc.
Rev. Mark A. Lyons, President
Drawing the Circle Productions INC.
DrawingtheCircle@aol.com
631-968-8307 @ProfWitch on Twitter
