Thursday, January 24, 2013

What is February 1st?

Some call it Imbolc...Some call it Candlemas...Some call it Groundhog Day...

Imbolc is a funny sort of holiday on the wheel and its getting a bit of attention on the interwebs this week.  Here is a great article from Jason Mankey on what Imbolc means to him.

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What I find interesting about this (and some of the other articles I have seen on Patheos) is that we are coming to the conclusion that Imbolc is a personal holiday.  The sabbats all have a solid meaning but when it comes to "Spring Cleaning" isn't it really just about what YOU need?   Yes, you can craft a circle on just about any subject but your coven isn't going to clean out your closet for you.  Only you can see the dust-mites and skeletons in there.  Brigid may not be your personal Goddess (She is the patron of Imbolc - if you follow the Celtic Calendar) but you still need to make goals for the year.  February is a good time for that...to light a candle and to clean or prep.  Just because you aren't melting snow and having cheese doesn't mean that you can't have an Imbolc Circle...or maybe you need a break from the circles (for me personally that is this time as well as Lammas...when I take time to reflect and see where I am going and what I hope to work on this coming year).

Religion is about choices.  You can choose to have faith or not.  The Gods will still be there...waiting.  Which also means you can choose to have your circles your way...or not.  It doesn't make you less "witchy", it actually makes circles all the more special when you get to them.

Have a wonderful Imbolc (or not!)
Peace,
DM