RitualCelebration.tif

If you want to extend your Imbolc magick and celebration beyond simple invocations, you might consider a more elaborate ritual. While full rituals are generally more complicated in preparation and execution, they also provide a deeper, more effective experience. There are three different rituals in this chapter. The first is a Solitary ritual, the second is intended for couples, and the third is for covens or other groups. Although these rituals are carefully designed to be as flexible as possible, feel free to make whatever changes are needed to make them fit with your needs and beliefs.

The Fire Seed: A Solitary Ritual

Imbolc is truly a perfect time to take the flame we light as the earth turns toward spring and internalize it as well as celebrate it. The idea of a “fire seed” is to plant within you a burning energy that will grow and blossom in the spring or summer. My father might have referred to this ritual as “setting a fire under your backside” rather than a fire seed, but the ideas are essentially the same. This ritual is for a solitary practitioner, and with good reason.

Many of us have experience using magick as a tool to ask for things we want. Using magick to attract money is an ancient practice that is likely to continue as long as there is a concept of money, but it is often focused on want rather than need. A fire seed can be used for a want, but it serves very little purpose; you already have the drive and desire for the things you want. Fire seeds are more about what you need—but likely don’t want.

A perfect example of when to use a fire seed would be a habit you wish to break. They can be used for many different purposes, but breaking a habit is one use most of us can relate to. You might know that you should stop smoking cigarettes but in your heart you just don’t have the desire. Although you want to stop, there are times when other factors (like addiction) might pull you back to your habit. Maybe you are excited about taking a new college class but it is only available at 7:00 on Monday mornings. A fire seed can help motivate you to roll out of bed in time to make that class. Maybe you want to write the “Great American novel” but you can’t seem to find time to do it.

Using a fire seed will help create a “burning desire” within you that you can draw upon when needed. Imbolc is the time to plant seeds of any sort, and it is an ideal time for planting a fire seed within yourself. Fire seeds are often kept a private matter (unlike the traditional New Year’s resolution). If your fire seed is growing and helping you, the only change others might observe is a change in your habits.

A word of caution is warranted: you have probably heard the phrase “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” That’s definitely true with fire seeds. Don’t create a fire seed without thinking about all the possible effects. If you plant a fire seed to find time to write your novel, could it have a negative effect on your romantic or family relationships, for example? A fire seed can continue to have influence even when it becomes very inconvenient. You can sometimes extract or extinguish one, but it is much better to think your wish through in advance and never try to plant more than one fire seed at a time.

This ritual is best done within the confines of a magick circle. Even if you do not normally work within a circle, creating one is strongly advised for this ritual because you want to take care that no stray energies are present when you plant your fire seed. As with any magick, this ritual can be performed with no tools except for yourself, but it does benefit from the use of certain altar tools if they are available.

Imbolc is a perfect time to plant a fire seed, and at this time of year, Brigid is the obvious deity to ask for help and power in this ritual. You could certainly substitute (or add) deities from your own path, but asking Brigid on Imbolc certainly puts some extra power into the process. If you modify the ritual for another deity, be certain to rewrite the incantations to apply specifically to the deity to call to help you.

Clean and cleanse the space where you will perform the ritual. Physically cleaning your space is both a sign of respect to the deities you will invite into the space and minimizes distractions that might draw your mind away from the ritual. For cleansing, use a good incense or smudge bundle to expel all the unwanted energies from your space. Remember that negative or unwanted energies accumulate in daily life, so clean and cleanse the space any time you plan to work with a fire seed to ensure that no unintended energy is taken inside of you.

Place your cloth on your altar table, followed by the tools you need. The cauldron and chalice should be on the left (west) side of your altar table. Leave your cauldron empty. Your athame and/or wand should go on the right (east) side. Your (as yet unlit) candle should be placed in its holder in the center of the altar. Place the piece of paper with your fire seed desire written on it in front of the candle in its holder. Finally, add your liquid to the chalice. If using hot water or tea, be sure that it is not so hot that you will burn yourself. Do not fill the chalice to the top. You only need an inch or two of liquid, especially if you are using alcohol.

You may use the following Call to Quarters or use your path’s method for casting a magick circle. Remember that although we call them “circles,” they are actually spheres. This is especially important for rituals like this one where you will stand and raise your arms. You want to be certain that your sphere is large enough to allow you to raise your arms without touching its edges.

Magick circles are usually “called” by asking the four elements to join together. The elements are each associated with a direction on the compass. Some Pagans align their circles with true north (meaning pointing at the actual northern “top” of the planet) while others align their circles with magnetic north (which drifts from time to time). There are four “cardinal” points marking the boundaries of the circle. When going clockwise around the circle (often called “deosil”), the east is the element of Air, south is Fire, west is Water, and north is Earth.

To call the quarters, walk all the way around your altar once, staying near the outside edge but always within the circle. You may want to trace the outer edge of the circle using your athame or wand. If you use one of those tools, put it back on the altar table before moving on to the next step. Begin at the eastern quarter and walk one complete circle. When you return to the eastern quarter, face towards the outside of the circle, still standing within the circle/sphere. Raise your arms and offer the following (or similar) evocation:

Spirits of the East, great Powers of Air, I call
you to my circle tonight and ask that you join
me for the important work that I do here.

Please bring your wisdom and whimsy to this
circle and inspire my working here tonight.

Continue to the other quarters and repeat the process with these evocations:

Spirits of the South, great Powers of Fire,
I call you to my circle tonight and ask that you
join me for the important work that I do here.

Please bring your strength and energy to this
circle and guard my workings here tonight.

Spirits of the West, great Powers of Water,
I call you to my circle tonight and ask that you
join me for the important work that I do here.

Please bring your compassion and fearless
embrace of change to this circle and
enlighten my workings here tonight.

Spirits of the North, great Powers of Earth,
I call you to my circle tonight and ask that you
join me for the important work that I do here.

Please bring your power and reason to this circle
and enhance my workings here tonight.

Once you have called the quarters, continue around the altar clockwise until you are standing in the southern quarter of your circle. Turn and face your altar and offer this invocation:

Goddess Brigid, Goddess of Fire and Water, I call you
and invite you to the circle I have cast this night.

Goddess of the Sacred Well and Keeper of Flames,
I ask that you bring your power and wisdom to this circle tonight, to put your flame and energy into the fire seed
that I create tonight to help it thrive and grow.

Brigid, Goddess of the Forge, I honor you and ask for
your help and enlightenment in my work tonight.

Light the candle and say:

I come here tonight to ask for
change in the form of a fire seed.
Goddess Brigid, help me to form and implant
this seed, that great things might grow from it.

Pick up the piece of paper and say:

I create this fire seed tonight with the sole
purpose of [read what you have written.]

Read slowly and clearly to ensure there is no confusion about what the fire seed is going to do. Fold the paper into a triangle shape that is small enough to fit inside your cauldron but large enough that you can safely maintain your grip on the paper while holding it in the candle’s flame.

Once the paper is folded, hold it tightly in your dominant hand while you focus your gaze on the candle. Focus your mind on the fire seed’s goal. Visualize the fire seed inside of you, performing its task perfectly. See it in your mind’s eye as a small red sphere that glows brightly with Brigid’s flame inside of it. Continue to meditate and visualize until you feel the energy of the fire seed that you are creating. At the moment when you can easily feel the energy, place one corner of the triangular-folded paper in the candle’s flame while saying:

I call to you Brigid, Goddess of Fire and Water,
to set these words into the heart of my fire seed.

This fire seed shall not dim until its
goal has been fully realized.

So mote it be!

Place the burning paper in your cauldron. As the paper is consumed by fire, visualize your new fire seed rising from the ashes with heat and brightly glowing light. When the paper is totally consumed, the fire seed will be fully empowered and ready for tempering.

This next step will harden the outside of the fire seed to give it longevity. It will also reduce the heat from Brigid’s flame enough that you can safely take it within you. Tempering the fire seed will require you to move it, but you cannot physically touch the fire seed: it is a symbolic construction that does not fully exist on the physical plane. However, you can move it by placing your hands on either side of the cauldron that contains the newly formed fire seed.

With your thoughts focused only on moving the fire seed, lift your hands above the cauldron to draw the fire seed out. Move your fire seed slowly until you are holding it above your chalice. Then say:

The seed has been empowered with Fire, but may it also be tempered, just as the blacksmith tempers steel, and blessed with the powers of Water so that the seed will never burn me.

Release the fire seed to drop into the chalice. Take a deep breath and lift the chalice above eye level and say:

Within this blessed chalice the fire seed is ready.

I ask that all Powers gathered in this circle
tonight bless and empower this seed to help me to
achieve its goal while causing no harm to others.

The seed will now become part of
who I am, as I take its flame inside me.

So mote it be.

As quickly as you can, drink the liquid in the chalice. If possible, drink the liquid (with the fire seed inside of it) in a single effort. When you have finished drinking all of the liquid you can end the ritual:

The seed is within me and I feel its heat even now.

It will stay burning within me
until its goal has been achieved.

Thank you Goddess Brigid for sharing your
flame and your water with me tonight, that
I might make this change within myself.

I emerge from this circle a person reborn, with
this fire seed glowing inside of my very heart.

Return the empty chalice to its place on your altar. If you have other magickal work that you would like to do, you can continue using this circle until you are finished with all of your workings. You may then banish your magick circle using the techniques of your path. If you have used the circle calling that I have included in the ritual, you can banish the circle according to the following:

First release any deities you may have invoked (aside from Brigid) and then release Brigid herself:

Great Brigid, Goddess of the Flame and Goddess of the Well, I thank you for joining this magick circle tonight and for the energy and wisdom you have bestowed upon me.

I release you from this circle and ask only that you listen for my voice and rejoin my circle when next I call your name.

Walk around your altar deosil (clockwise) until you reach the Northern quarter. Facing outward from your altar, release the Northern quarter first:

Spirits of the North, Great powers of Earth,
I open this magick circle and release you.

Stay if you will, go if you must.

Then walk counterclockwise (also called “widdershins”) to the western quarter and repeat the process for the element of Water. Continue on to release the southern and eastern quarters as well. Finally say:

The circle is open but never broken.

Magick is afoot tonight.

Dispose of the ash in your cauldron into running water or bury it in your yard. For those who practice incense magick, you can also sift the ash and add it to your primary magickal censer.

New/Renewed Love: A Ritual for Couples

February is a month associated with love and romance as well as fertility. This is a ritual intended to affirm—or reaffirm—the love between two people. The ritual is written in a nongender- specific way so it can be used by any couple. Love is not bound by conventional wisdom or social influence, so it’s important that the magick of love is also unbound. Love can also exist as a platonic emotion, so you could even use this ritual (with some slight modification) for any two people, not just lovers.

As with all rituals you read in this series of books, you can and should modify the rituals to fit your spiritual path and personal beliefs. This ritual in particular should be modified to fit you precisely. The spoken portion of this spell should be rewritten specifically for you and the other person in your ritual. The words that follow are suggestions only since this is such a highly personal ritual. This ritual is appropriate for Imbolc itself, but it is also appropriate for any time during the Milk Moon (usually during Imbolc) or even on the secular holiday of Valentine’s Day. Choose a time when the two of you can be together without interruptions. That can be a real feat if you have children in the house, but a few minutes to devote only to your lover is a wonderful gift for you both.

For this ritual you will need the following items:

Performing this ritual in the light of the moon adds even more energy and excitement. You don’t have to wait for a full moon, however; the light of a crescent moon is still potent, and, of course the moon itself is a powerful symbol to many lovers. I recommend doing this particular ritual skyclad (no clothing), but don’t do anything in any ritual that makes you significantly uncomfortable. Going skyclad isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve never tried it before, this would be a good first skyclad ritual.

If you and your lover have never done magick together before, it’s a really good idea to have a discussion about how you want to proceed. This ritual can be done within a magick circle, but it is not a requirement. You may wish to invite your personal deities into the ritual or perform it just as written. As long as both of you are in agreement, you can make as many modifications to this ritual as you both would like.

Begin by dimming the lights and turning off your phones. If music is available, turn it on before starting. While this ritual is intended to be a gentle time between lovers (thus gentle music is recommended), if heavy metal is more the style for you and your lover, you might want to turn the music up a little louder. Although many Imbolc rituals can be performed outdoors (yes, even in February!), this one is really geared for indoors. An outdoor skyclad Imbolc ritual is only for the bravest and toughest among us! If you share a bedroom, that room is a good location choice as long as there is space for you to sit together on the floor.

Spread out the altar cloth. You can use a low table as an altar if you like, but this is a ritual that works well sitting on the floor (if you are physically able). Be sure that whatever surface you use is safe for candles. With a total of three candles and incense burning, a sturdy surface is important to keep your altar tools from tipping over. Setting your house on fire would not be a good way to show your love for one another! Place both white candles in their respective holders. Place one on the left side of the altar and the other on the right. Traditionally, the man’s candle would go on the right and woman’s on the left, but in modern magick you can alter that in any way you prefer. In same-sex relationships, the distinction between “male” and “female” sides of an altar might even be meaningless to you. The deities are more flexible about this sort of thing than most people, so adjust the altar to fit your particular circumstance. Simply decide who will be on which side of the altar, and lay out your tools accordingly. Using terms like “the person on the left side of the altar” may lack poetry but makes up for it with inclusiveness.

Next, place the red candle in the center of the altar cloth. If you are using essential oils, place a tiny amount of each into a small dish or bowl. Only a few drops of each scent are needed. Participants should place their oil next to the candle on their side of the altar cloth. If you are using incense sticks, participants should likewise place their incense next to the white candle that represents them. The empty chalice should be placed a few inches in front of the red candle. If you are using incense, the censer should be a few inches in front of the chalice. Finally, place the two small glasses on the altar, one on each side.

Before the ritual begins, light both of the white candles and partially fill both of the small glasses and place on either side of the altar. Ultimately, the liquids in the two small glasses will be combined and then consumed, so participants might want to keep that in mind when selecting a liquid. While you could put milk in one glass and vodka in the other, I can’t imagine that would create something drinkable. If the vodka were replaced with chocolate syrup, that might have a more pleasant result. If you are uncertain about a choice of liquids, you can never go wrong with pure, clean water.

With the lights and music adjusted, the door secured, and the candles burning, you can begin the ritual. If you want to perform this ritual skyclad, disrobe just before you begin. Both participants should sit in front of the altar (on the south side if your altar is oriented to the north) facing one another. Sit any way that is comfortable for you. Before you begin, take a few moments to clear your minds. When you are ready to start, look into the eyes of your partner to ensure she or he is also ready to begin.

The person sitting on the right (east if you altar is oriented to north) begins. Remember that the words that follow are only generalized suggestions. You should try and make your words as specific, personal, and meaningful to your partner as possible.

I have loved you since my eyes first met yours.

What might have been an empty and hollow life
has been brought into the light of your love.

You have filled my soul and my heart—
I would be incomplete without you.

[Point to the white taper candle on the altar’s right side]

This candle is the light you have brought into my life.

Your light forces away the shadows from my
mind and brings joy and security to my life.

The person on the left side responds:

I have loved you for just as long.

When you first touched my soul,
you set me alight with a bright flame.

You have filled my heart and my soul with
love beyond what I ever believed possible.

I didn’t know how empty my life was until your
light filled that dark, empty space within me.

[Point to the white taper on the altar’s left side]

This candle is the light you have brought into my life.

Your light has shown me love unlike
any I could have imagined.

Blending our lives has created a unique
flavor I could never have imagined.

Lift your glass from the left side of the altar and pour some liquid into the chalice.

The person on the right then responds:

Our life together is a flavor I never
could have imagined before.

Now I can’t imagine living without it.

Lift your glass from the right side of the altar and pour some of your liquid into the chalice. You can allow the liquids to blend naturally or you could stir them together at this point. Each of you should insert the index finger of you dominant hand into the chalice and stir the liquid together. If you prefer to keep fingers out of your drink, use a wood craft stick or coffee stirrer. Overlap dominant hands on the stirrer and both stir the mixture together. Now both people say:

Two become one and the one empowers two.

Using both hands, both of you hold the chalice at eye level. As the person on the right takes a drink from the chalice, the person on the left should say:

Tonight, my spirit is yours and yours is mine.

As the liquids meld, so do our souls.

As the person on the left takes a drink, the person on the right repeats the same words. Return the chalice to the altar. If you have chosen to use oils in the ritual, both people should “dress” the candle with the oil from their side of the altar. It’s important to remember that pure essential oils shouldn’t be handled with bare skin. If you are using an essential oil in carrier oil, it may be safe to apply to the candle with your fingers. Otherwise, apply the oil with a small cloth.

If you have chosen to include incense in the ritual, both people should light the incense on their side of the altar using the candle on their side. Insert both sticks into your incense holder side by side. Once you have the red candle dressed or the incense burning in its censer, both say:

Two souls become one just as two scents become one.

Two souls become one just as two flames become one.

Join hands over the chalice (person on the right uses left hand, person on the left uses right hand). Each lift your candle with your free hand and together light the red candle using both candles. Return the candles to the altar. At this point you will have created some pretty intense energy that can be celebrated sexually or enjoyed as extraordinary time together.

When you are finished, extinguish the candles as discussed earlier in this book. If the incense is still burning, it should be allowed to burn out naturally if you will be in the room. Never leave incense, candles, or anything else burning when you are not in the room to ensure you will be around for many more Imbolcs to come.

Uncoiling the Dragon: A Group Ritual

Imbolc is a time when the earth is beginning to wake in preparation for spring, which is just around the corner. It is the time of the earth’s “quickening,” when new life and new ideas begin to stir. Imbolc is also a celebration of fire and light. The dragon is a symbol long associated with both ideas, and it is also associated with Brigid and Imbolc. This ritual awakens the sleepy spirit from its winter rest and gives life and energy to the ideas that are about to take form on the physical plane. Just as hibernating animals begin to stir in the last of the winter snow, the dragon that lives within the world (and inside each one of us) also awakens. The earth’s dragon will walk with you until winter returns. At Imbolc it is ready to rise, stretch, and warm us from the inside out.

The focal point of the ritual is an altar draped with a yellow cloth representing the warming sun above us as well as the earth’s hot core beneath us. Coiled around these givers of heat lies the dragon of the earth. Ritual participants will build their own replica of the dragon and not only awaken him but fly with him as he lights a candle for each person. The person nearest the altar will light a candle that will pass slowly up the spine of the dragon to his head. With his fire restored after his slumber, he will uncoil from his warm bed and offer his fire for each participant’s goal for the coming warm days.

This ritual is intended for five or more people, but you can have fun trying it with fewer people if you’d like. Thirteen is a perfect number of people for this ritual but it can be easily adapted for much larger groups. While groups are often organized as covens, there are many times when rituals involve groups with less formal organization (for example, at a public ritual or part of a large festival). To cover all of those possibilities, let’s use the terms “lead” to refer to the person at the head of the dragon and “anchor” to refer to the person at the end of the dragon’s tail rather than the titles of High Priestess and High Priest. The anchor begins the chain of people who will form the dragon’s body.

This ritual does not have to be performed within the confines of a magick circle. If your group normally works within a circle you can still perform the ritual if you remember that you may need one larger than you would normally cast. You need enough space for your entire group to hold hands and form a large circle. An altar table can serve as the center point for this ritual, and if you’re going to do this outdoors, a small balefire could serve as the center point with an altar table adjacent to it.

You will need:

The altar should be covered with the yellow cloth with the white pillar candle in the center, along with the incense and censer. Light the candle before you begin, and if you are using charcoal to burn your incense, that should also be lit in advance. A stick or cone of incense can be lit during the ritual or when the pillar candle is lit. The white taper candle should be lying on the table next to its holder or lantern.

As participants come into the ritual area, they should place their personal candles (already placed in the candleholder) on the altar table. When you are ready to get started, everyone should stand in a circle in the same order they will stand when the ritual begins (the lead and anchor people will stand next to each other to close the loop). Everyone will face the altar table and hold hands while extending into the largest circle that is comfortable for the space. Once the circle is formed, everyone can let go of one another’s hands.

To begin building the dragon, the anchor will go to the altar, retrieve her candle and holder. She will then return to her place in the circle of people and place her candle into the holder where she had been standing. The anchor should then stand next to the altar (in front of the unlit taper candle) and face the white pillar candle. With the anchor in place, the dragon spirals out from the tail.

The person standing to the left of the anchor’s empty spot in the circle will retrieve her candle and return it to take her place in the circle. She should then stand to the right of the anchor, also facing the white pillar candle.

One by one, each person will get her candle from the altar, put it in her place in the circle, and then join the others around the altar. As more people gather around the altar, remember that you are making a single spiral, not a series of circles. As the line of people wraps around the anchor, it should overlap and continue on as a single, unbroken line. Once in the spiral, everyone should face the altar. As people come up to get their candles, make a space for them to get through the spiral to reach the altar.

As you continue to add more people to your slumbering dragon, it will spiral out from the altar. If you could see it from above, it would appear as a counterclockwise spiral, but you will see that the dragon will emerge from it flying clockwise. Once the lead is in place the real fun begins. The “lead” is now the dragon’s head and the “anchor” the tip of the dragon’s tail. The lead should signal she is in place so the anchor can begin.

If you are using stick or cone incense, the anchor should first light the incense from the flame of the pillar candle. If using charcoal, add several pinches of incense to its surface. Then call the dragon into your ritual:

Great old dragon, guardian of earth’s
warmth, bringer of blessings, we call you in
to the spiral we have made in your honor.

The anchor should then light the taper candle on the altar from the pillar candle. If using a candle lantern, she will need to insert the candle and close the lantern. The anchor should loudly proclaim:

Great dragon, we offer you this flame from the
heart of our altar to rekindle your sleeping fires.

The group should answer with equal gusto:

Great dragon, awaken!

Using great caution, the anchor should pick up the candle and pass it to the person on her right, saying, “Blessings of the flame.” Continue passing the candleholder or lantern to the right with the blessing offered each time. Take care not to burn anyone if you are using an open flame. When the candle has been handed to the lead, that person then becomes the head of the dragon, saying:

We call upon you, great old dragon, to take the
flame we offer, that you may awaken from the
slumber of the dark days and bless us as we prepare
for the fertile days that are fast approaching.

The group should then chant “Awake! Awake! AWAKE!”

Holding the candleholder or lantern high, the lead calls, “The dragon has awakened and is ready to fly!”

Now it’s time for the dragon to fly! The dragon’s head turns 180 degrees, and with candleholder or lantern held at the front of the line, begins to move clockwise behind the rest of the dragon. As the head moves behind each participant, that person will also turn and join the flying dragon.

Continue uncoiling the dragon until the anchor has joined the flight. Once the anchor is moving around the circle with everyone else, the lead will continue around until reaching her candle sitting at the edge of the circle.

As the lead approaches that stopping point, the entire dragon should be slowed. As the dragon ends his flight, participants should be standing near their candle. The dragon’s flight is complete once all participants are standing at their own candles.

With everyone standing at their candles, the lead should remove the burning taper if a candle lantern was used. The lead should proclaim:

The dragon is awake and shall share the
good fortune of his warming fire with us all.

She should then kneel and use the taper to light her personal candle. Once the lead’s candle is burning, she should pass the burning taper clockwise. Everyone will light their candles in the same way, passing the burning taper clockwise. When the anchor’s candle is burning, the burning taper should be handed back to the lead, who will say:

We celebrate the awakening of the dragon
who heralds the approaching spring.

The dragon has given flame to our plans for the
spring and has given a blessing to each of us.

We thank you Great Old Dragon and hope
that you will grant us the strength of your
flame until the dark days return again.

We thank you for joining us and sharing your warmth.

From a tiny flame, great fires can grow.

The participants are welcome, even in a rowdy fashion, to bid farewell and give their thanks to the dragon of the earth. Everyone can enjoy the energy of the flight as their candles burn. If you share a feast with your group as part of your rituals, this is a great time to do that. Optionally, personal candles can be extinguished (keeping in mind the guidelines in “New Ways”) at any time and the participants can go their own ways. If you work within a magick circle, remember to properly banish the circle before any candles are extinguished.

Imbolc is a time when we can safely discard the things that are holding us back. It’s a time to embrace change. We can reflect on what was and what could have been. Imbolc is also a time of hope, and it is perfect for cleaning and preparing for the warmer days ahead. However, we are also required to discard and let go of whatever restrains us; new paths and ideas await us. This quiet sabbat might arrive in your neighborhood when there is still a thick blanket of snow on the ground, or weeks after the daffodils have burst forth with the colors of spring. Regardless of the weather around you, you can find ways to embrace and celebrate this sabbat’s subtle nature.

[contents]