Imbolc Blessings!

Happy Imbolc to everyone!

Yes, I know it was Thursday and it is now Saturday. But I had to work and the Goddess will always forgive.

I did do some stuff on Thursday. My broom, Endora, got some fresh ribbons and I used her to sweep the negativity right out my front door. I set out a bowl of cream for Brigid and a yellow candle. I also hung up a nice wind sock. I even made a little besom to hang by the door to welcome Brigid.

I left a white cloth out overnight so that Brigid could come by and bless it. I am saving it for a day I need Brigid’s help. I also made fresh, homemade butter.

Tonight we celebrated.

This morning I put out fresh buttermilk for Brigid, as well as some bread. (I made the buttermilk myself. It was left over from my butter making on Thursday.) I gave the house another good sweeping. I also put out some fresh spring flowers.

I made a variety of gifts to honor Brigid and for my friends and family to take home for this special day. I made bird seed bells to hang in the trees. I made a milk bath sachet to give to people and I made a Celtic Cream warming potion that was so good. I also made a potato cheese soup and bread pudding.

We lit white candles to honor Brigid. Once everyone’s candle had been lit by Brigid’s flame, we snuffed them and cooled them so they could be taken home to bless the homes of my friends and family.

And finally, one of our group was having a birthday and so we honored her with cake and gifts. You only turn 17 once. So happy birthday to you. We hope to see you and your mom at one of our services again soon.

All and all it was a pretty awesome Imbolc. Thank you Brigid for honoring us. I am already looking forward to this celebration next year. I have great ideas for crafts and new decorations I want to get.

Blessed be!

Book Review: The Magical Year

The Magical Year by Danu Forest

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really liked this book. It is definitely very Celtic and if you are not a Celtic pagan you might be put off by the over all Celtic vibe. But if you can get passed it, you can find a ton of useful information in this book.

This book goes over each of the main seasonal celebrations over a Pagan year. Each section gives you a basic over view of the celebration as well as ideas ideas for marking the occasion. Kitchen Witchery is included for each section as well as craft ideas and activities.

I personally used one of the Samhain recipes. I made the stew (with beef) for our Samhain celebration and it came out very good. It claimed to feed 6 and that is about right. Too bad there were 14 of us.

I also have made notes to use several of the ideas for celebrations in the future. I plan on coming back to this book a lot.

Finally, the meditations and visualizations are really great and can be used if you are leading a group. I plan to use them in the future.




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Spring: Myth or Reality?

Forget everything Game of Thrones taught you...

Spring Is Coming!

Happy Imbolc!!

(Also Happy Groundhog’s Day if that tickles your fancy.)

There are a ton of traditions that surround this fabulous day halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Legends. Tales. I could go on.

But I won’t. I am going to Disneyland. (Hey, there are fairies there. And it’s outdoors. And, true fact, Disneyland is also a botanical garden.)

This is a time of hearth and home. This is a time for spring cleaning. Traditionally, this was the onset of the lambing season. Also, one might look for the blooming of the Blackthorn. Fires and candles will be lit to welcome the return of the sun’s warming power.

Most Gaelic observers (both Pagan and Christian/Catholic) celebrate the day as St. Brigid’s Feast. And while I am part Irish, today I will regale you with the springtime story I have believed most of my life.

It is a belief of the Greek, and of me, that the Goddess Demeter (or Ceres for you Romans), is Mother Earth. She is the Goddess of Harvest, the Goddess of Grain. She is responsible for the fertility of our soil, for the green of the grass and the red of the desert. She is a very powerful Goddess.

She has a daughter called Persephone. She is said to be so beautiful that all the Gods wanted her so Demeter hid her away. Hades, God of the Underworld, wanted her for his wife and took her into the Underworld.

Demeter was distraught and looked for her everywhere. And the Earth plunged into despair. Nothing would grow.

Finally, Hades, plagued by the inhabitants of Earth who were begging for things to grow again, said he would give her back.

But before he did, he tricked Persephone into eating some pomegranate seeds. He knew that once she tasted the fruit of the Underworld she would never be able to leave it forever; she would always have to return.

And so the tale goes:

6 months of each year poor Persephone is bound as Queen of the Underworld. The rest of the time she could return to her mother. And so each fall as Persephone returns to the Underworld, the leaves fall from the trees, plants begin dying out as the Goddess Demeter is left in despair while Her daughter is gone and each spring as She anticipates the return of Persephone the fertility of the Earth returns with her.

Welcome Back Persephone.

Until We Meet Again...