Imbolc

Imbolc 🕯️

In the Northern Hemisphere, Imbolc is February 2nd. In the Southern Hemisphere, Imbolc is August 1st.

In all honesty, Imbolc is one of the sabbats that never grabbed my attention. Yeah, I had heard of it, and knew when it was, but I was never quite drawn to it. As it turns out, there are a few different celebrations that happen around that time that I also wasn’t quite familiar with before. Imbolc is a mostly Celtic-based sabbat, and goes by the name of St. Brigid’s Day in Northern Europe. The Christian’s are celebrating Candlemas, which honors the purification of the Virgin Mary, and the presentation of Jesus. Over in China, they are taking the whole week for the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival where they build giant, intricate snow castles. And, as everyone knows, February 2nd is Groundhog Day for the American masses. For the most part, all the celebrations going on at this time honor the same principles in nature.

We are at the halfway point of Winter, and as we look forward to Spring and the awakening of the Earth, we celebrate Imbolc to remind us of that hope. The God, having just been born, is growing up into a young man ready to plant seeds. The Goddess has been resting, and as light returns to the world, she begins to wake up bringing the beginning of Spring with her. It’s all in direct relation to the goings on in the natural world. Snow is beginning to melt, and green grass is peeking out. Seeds that fell in the fall, and were covered by Winter, are finally getting warmth from the sun, and will be sprouting.

The theme, as always, is this time in Nature. Decorate with white, for the snow, red, for the sun, and a little green, for the new growth. You could even incorporate a little bit of a pastel color palette to remind yourself of what isn’t too far in the future. Candles are NEVER a bad idea, especially when honoring the returning of the sun. If new flowers are starting to sprout outside, then it would be nice to use flower bulbs like daffodils and snowdrops. To go a more traditional Celtic route to honor Brigid, use her things that represent her like, Brigid’s crown, anvils, and knotwork. All you have to do is keep in mind that Winter doesn’t last forever, and will be over soon. Warm days will be here again.

"Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile." — John Howard Bryant

Samhain

In the Northern Hemisphere, Samhain is Oct 31st. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s on May 1st.

As it turns out, there are a shocking number of celebrations that happen around Samhain, and about half of them have nothing at all in common with it. For the Trick-or-Treater at heart, we have Beggar's Night, Books for Treats Day, and National Doorbell Day. The day before is National Candy Corn Day, though I’m not sure why there is a whole day for that mess. Two days before is National Cat Day, which is much more appreciated personally, and still fitting with the classic Halloween theme. During, and continuing for two days after, are the celebrations of Dia de los Muertos, and the Catholic All Soul’s Day. Samhain also shares its day with Magic Day, which falls during International Magic Week. Ironically, this has absolutely nothing to do with witchcraft or paganism, and instead is meant to celebrate Harry Houdini and like magicians.

Samhain is, at its core, a celebration of death and reflection. While some believe it to be the Pagan New Year, it really feels more like a time to gather, prepare for the stillness of winter, and look back on how far you’ve come with all of your strengths and weaknesses. It has the spirit of, if not an ending, then a long, deep sleep. As the last of the harvest festivals, it symbolizes preparing for the “Death” in nature. The Earth goes into hibernation. Our ancestors had to have harvested and stored their crops and meats before winter. In this end stage the Goddess has become the crone, she is wise and helps us reflect to move on. The God dies with the rest of nature, and symbolizes the animals that must die to keep us alive. It’s beautiful.

I get the feeling that, as a general rule, the best decoration ideas are the seasonal ones. For Samhain, traditional Halloween decor fits really well. Pumpkins and apples are seasonal fare, for both the table and door displays. Skeletons and ghosts are more than appropriate, as it ties in with the heavy concept of death and reconnecting with your ancestors. Lamps, jack o’ lanterns, lighted pathways are all different takes on the idea of guiding the souls back from the dead. I suppose you could make the same case for the cheesy zombie decorations, but it might be a stretch. Of course, I would not be any sort of self-respecting pagan if I didn’t also include the witch and magic related decor that is so popular at the time. 

Yule ❄️

In the Northern Hemisphere, Yule is December 21st. In the Southern Hemisphere, Yule is June 21st.

Like Samhain, Yule, also known as the winter solstice, is a rather large holiday in the Pagan calendar, but it is also has a large presence across the world. The biggest shadow looming over Yule is, of course, Christmas and Christmas Eve. It's the Christian celebration of Jesus’s birth, but we all know that it’s the Catholic church’s way of shoehorning pagans into celebrating Christmas. Those who are blatantly against the celebration of Christmas celebrate Newtonmas, which is the same basic idea, but in honor of Sir Isaac Newton and science instead. Alternatively, you could join the Festivus gang for people who are fans of Seinfeld. Other holidays include the Jewish Hanukkah, which honors the miracle of lasting oil, the Ancient Saturnalia, a festival for Saturn and the coming of longer days, and Kwanzaa, which is actually a holiday started in America to celebrate African culture and family in much the way Christmas does. There are also a number of other holidays of varying names, and religious backgrounds that all celebrate the same core idea of family, beliefs, the coming of summer, and giving back.

At its heart, the Solstice signals the coming of longer days and shorter nights. In the midst of the dark days of winter, Yule is the promise that it won't last forever  The God has been reborn, and as a symbol of the Sun, he brings a stronger one. A sun that will melt the snow and bring new animal and plant life. Now that the Goddess has ensured the survival of nature, she can rest for the remainder of the season. It is a time to celebrate hope and the power of community in surviving the hard times.

Traditional decorations really take the concept of the new sunrise and run with it. Bonfires, candles, Yule logs, and even Christmas lights all come from the same idea of bringing light back into the darkness. You could even be as obvious as hanging sun symbols and using citrus fruit in decor pieces. Pinecones and evergreens are included for the symbolization of being “ever green” and the hope of new life. We’re just looking for the general feeling of life going on through the winter, and bringing the sun back into our lives, also incorporating the standard “Christmas” colors like red, green, gold, silver, or even blue if you want to bring in the cold and snowy element.

Ostara

In the Northern Hemisphere, Ostara is on March 21st. In the Southern Hemisphere, Ostara is on September 21st.

Ostara actually falls around a number of different celebrations that range from a single day, up to forty days. It is the day of the Spring equinox, when day and night are at their most equal internationally, not to be confused with American Earth Day, and International Astrology Day. It also falls during the week of the Cherry Blossom Festival, which is probably the most “Spring-like” mental image you could imagine. Ostara will always fall somewhere during the time of Lent for the Catholics. However the most interesting one, in my opinion, would be the Indian/Hindu festival of Holi, which also falls somewhere around the same time. I had no previous knowledge of this amazing holiday, and now, with the emphasis on color and the positivity it brings, and the spirit of coming together leaving resentment behind, it might be my favorite.

Named for a Goddess of fertility, Ostara is here to celebrate the fertility of nature. Day and Night are equal, and from now on it looks like clear skies and warmer days. It has been progressively getting warmer, melting the snow away, and waking up the entire earth. The Goddess is back to her full strength, and spreading fertility to plants and animals alike. The God is growing up, and spends his time hunting and flirting with girls. The lethargy of winter is literally melting away, leaving behind a fresh earth growing more and more active. It is a renewal.

With the Christian Easter coming up, traditional Ostara decorations are everywhere. Really, all that’s needed is to take that spirit of newness and the bursting of nature, and follow that instinct. Use the colorful eggs and rabbits you can find at every single store around this time. The truth in the multiplying like bunnies metaphor is so real. Flowers and greenery are blooming, so get colorful when decorating with flowers. They’re new and bright. They also bring around a lot of bees, so working with bees and honey would be a fun addition. Ostara is also a celebration for the equaling of night and day, so a theme of balance would also be appropriate. For that, you could incorporate the feminine and masculine, light and dark, sun and moon, basically the yin-yangs of nature.

Goddess Symbol ♀️

This is where I am finally confronted with the first thing about paganism/wicca/etc that I don’t particularly like. When trying to find symbols for the "Goddess" in general, I was hard pressed to find one that didn’t link directly back to a specific goddess. I came to the conclusion that there are only two types of symbols for the Goddess in general. There are the symbols that link back to the Moon, and there are symbols that link back to the vagina. 

The Vesica Piscis is something I was completely unfamiliar with, so I figured it was the perfect symbol to research. It has its origins in sacred geometry, which in itself is an interesting concept. Everything, every shape, can be found in the Flower of Life, a set of circles overlapping each other over and over. One of the shapes to be found comes from two equal circles overlapping so that their outermost edges run through the center of the circle next to it. This creates a sort of cat-eye shape, some refer to as an almond shape, which is the Vesica Piscis. 

The idea behind the importance of the Vesica Piscis is that, in addition to being a part of the “building blocks of life”, this specific shape is the origin of life. As in it is the literal origin of life. Like how babies come from the vagina. It’s the womb, birth, creation at its most basic form. I suppose I can see the importance of that. How this would be revered and worshipped as a sign of the Goddess Divine. After all, for the majority of history, a woman’s role was to birth children, to further the population, to create a workforce for the family farm, to ensure that the family lineage continues on. For some women this would be seen as noble. The creation of life would be considered a Godly power. Personally, I have my own issues with pregnancy and birth, and am not a fan of the idea that it is our duty to birth children because we have that power. I can respect the idea of the Vesica Piscis, but I’ll be sticking to using the Moon symbols to symbolize the Goddess.