Calling In The Light

Hey there, I just want to take a moment to thank you for being here. This blog is a new venture for me and one that brings with it an inkling of vulnerability. Putting your words down on paper for the world to see is inherently daunting, but it's the direction I've been getting called in and it feels like it's where I'm meant to be. Moving my writings to a blog platform is just the slow, soul-centered shift I've been needing. It is my hope that I be of service to you by sharing what I know - my beliefs and practices - in a way that is gentle, as if I'm holding your hand and guiding you along your path to your Highest and Best. As my teacher Lindsay Mack would say, 'take what serves and leave the rest'. Bowing to you, my friend.

It was my *goal* to get this blog started by Imbolc, so I'm beyond happy that my Guides helped in making it a reality. The way my work flows is,

1. I'll get a download - a blip of an idea or project that comes to me fully (my Botanical Magick PDF for example) or in pieces that develop over time. These can happen while in meditation, while deep breathing or when my brain is on autopilot (like when I'm doing dishes or listening to an audiobook).

2. I immediately write everything down - sometimes they'll completely disappear if I don't write them down fast enough, though my teacher Lindsay refers to this as the changing needs of The Collective.

3. I meditate and write and tweak and take lots of tender care of myself until the work fully unfolds - this may take months or days.

4. Once "complete" I refer to my Guides via my tarot deck for their A-OK on moving forward/releasing to the public. I don't release anything until I'm sure it's in alignment.

So needless to say, my goal of hitting Imbolc was a shot in the dark. Thankfully everyone was in agreement because it means so much to me to release it on this sabbat. Imbolc marks the shift into spring, when life is just starting to break through the crust of winter and come out of hibernation, and man does that represent where I'm at in my life. If you're new to my journey, there's nothing like having your first baby at the beginning of a pandemic to pull you to the very depths of your center. It feels as if I've traveled to the Underworld and come back with this entirely new form of myself - one that is more true than any previous embodiment. Add on the fact that I've contact napped for nearly every single snooze of my sweet girls life and you could say I've had a *small* amount of time to ponder the inner workings of my mind.

The traditional word, Imbolg, means 'in the belly' - which I think is a beautiful representation of the life that teeters just on the edge of being birthed. The ground is still frozen, but the buds will be on the trees before long and the shoots will be pushing up from the earth, gracing us with green again. Reminding us of the never-ending cycle of The Wheel of The Year. I can feel the change in the air with every passing day. This is Aquarian time, folks, fixed air. Though Aquarius is marked as the Water Bearer, it's actually an air sign - they carry the waves of communication, especially when it involves community, revolution and change. Yet another reason why the timing was so synchronistic for me. It's fixed energy so we're laying the foundation - taking stock of our resources, going over all the ideas we've been dreaming up and setting some serious goals on how we plan to move forward. The land is waking up and our mind's feel the shift as well. We're stepping out onto our porches, putting our faces toward the sun with the brisk air nipping around us. Future projects are on the horizon and we can feel it. We crave the world again after a long time in reflection.

Brid is the shining Goddess of the season. Her name shows up in many forms, with alternate spellings and pronunciations.

"St. Bríd’s Day, aka Lá Fhéile Bríde (Law leh BREEJ-eh), aka Imbolc, is based on a misunderstanding of the pronunciation of Brighid. It’s pronounced “Breej,” or in some parts of Ireland, closer to “Breeds.” In contemporary Irish spelling, it’s spelled Bríd." - bitesize.irish

She is the quintessential Triple Goddess as she reigns healing, poetry and smithcraft. She brings fertility to the land and its people and is closely connected to midwives and new-born babies. It's said that she visits one's home at Imbolc from sunset to sunset (February 1st - 2nd) and bestows those that honor her with bounty for the season ahead. Praise her by feasting with those you love and leave offerings of whiskey, bread, milk and honey, as well as a warm bed for her to rest along her travels. Traditionally, clothing or fabric would be left outside for her to bless as she passed through and the item would hold her magick.

This season asks us to do some sacred cleansing. With the Aquarian energy we're thinking, pushing out of old paradigms, focusing on expanding the Collective Consciousness. And with that, there's this tendency to forget about ourselves, though the best way to teach others is to lead by example. The tarot card associated with Aquarius is The Star XVII and it paves the way for us to slow down. It asks us to head to the attic and unpack what no longer serves. It says, "Sit with your traumas and make space for healing." Literally carve out time to rest and regenerate before the larger expansions that are yet to come. Invite this energy in by cleansing your home. You don't have to scrub the floor boards if that's not your thing. Honor where you're at, and perhaps, do an energetic cleansing. It'll usher out the old and set the stage for calling in this transformation.

HOME CLEANSING SPELL

• Open a few windows and doors in your home. Preferably 2 of each so the energy can come and go.

• With a sacred broom, special feather, incense or just your very own hands 'sweep' your home in a counter-clockwise direction, starting at the door and moving around each room (I like to think counter-clockwise clears and clock-wise blesses).

• Repeat the incantation,

"Out the windows and open doors,

From dusty corners to dirty floors,

This stagnant energy dwells here no more,

My home's vitality, I do restore."

For some extra magick:

• Envision your home enveloped in lavender (or any of the colors listed below) light. Sit down, bring an image of your home to your mind's eye (don't stress on the details) and picture a bubble of lavender around your entire home. In your heart, conjure up the FEELING of protection/safety - hold this for a few minutes and release. Repeat on the evening of the 1st and 2nd for a little mini ritual.

• Use herbs to cleanse your home either physically or energetically. Allspice, anise, clove or sage (Aquarius) added to your mop water or coffee grounds (Uranus + Aquarius)) hidden on the kitchen table or in your room (in a decorative pot or small satchel) to encourage clear communication with your family. Wipe down your doorways with pine (Uranus) for its cleansing and protective qualities - know that every time you walk through your doorways you'll be cleared of what no longer serves you.

• Print out the sigil below or recreate it in whatever medium you favor and place it on your altar to call in Brid's energy. Hold it while you meditate to connect with her further - write down your experience in your grimoire or journal.

IMBOLC

Date: Feb. 1st to Feb. 2nd (dusk to dusk)

Ritual theme: Welcoming Spring, awakening the Goddess through a festival of lights, home and child blessing

Astrology: Sun in Aquarius

Quality: Fixed air

Tarot: The Star

Lunar correspondence: Waxing crescent

Altar: Candles, grain dolly + bed, Brigid cross, snowdrops, swan, serpents, sheep

Colors: Orange, white, aqua, lavender, magenta

Herbs: Blackberry, cinnamon, coltsfoot, ginger, anise, burdock, nutmeg, valerian, Queen Anne's lace, walnut

Activities: Spring cleaning, bonfire, planning seed planting, cleansing bath, make seed bread, visiting holy wells, divination, child blessings

I hope this season helps you get in touch with your center, your voice, and the gifts that you're meant to bring into the world. Let old beliefs blow away in the wind, send your troubles into the soil and keep your face toward the Sun, may it show you the light,

Darian

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DOWNLOADS

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Imbolc Cleansing Spell.pdf

Download PDF • 640KB

_I Call On Brid_.pdf

Download PDF • 829KB

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Spell is by @sproutholistic, please credit when using.

References:

https://www.bitesize.irish/blog/st-brighid-irish-springtime/https://www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/imbolc-candlemas

https://lindsaymack.com/

https://christopherpenczak.com/

https://IrishPaganSchool.com

The above statements are based on a neo-pagan viewpoint. I share with the intentions of deepening my craft and educating others as far as my personal study and experiences go, with no intent to appropriate. I bow to those that have come before me and give thanks to the many resources where I gather my information.