Imbolc

The second of February marked calendar Imbolc, with Lunar Imbolc arriving with the new moon on the eleventh. I have been asked many times on how I celebrate this festival and honestly I had to sit down and think about it. I have been living with the seasons for as long as I can remember so most things have become as natural as putting the washing out to dry. Well for me anyway. I do however save any specific spell work until the lunar date. This then gives me plenty of time to make any preparations that are needed. Whether that be herbs, fluids , and any other items that will be required. 

I do not follow a pagan tradition you see, and I do not come from a long line of witches. My grandma is a Christian Wiccan but as far as I know that is a far as it goes. I do however come from a family of farmers and miners so following the seasons has always played an important part in my families lives for many generations. As far as I know I am the only one left who still grows their own food. We are not a very close family, in fact that is in itself is an understatement, so there may be more out there but not know to me, same as any fellow pagans or witches. 

There are so many jobs in the garden that need doing, you can usually smell when its time in the air and this is really getting strong by now. Spring is starting to show by now and it is the time when things really start to get going. It is time to start planting those seeds for the year ahead. The past winter has been spent reassessing what worked and didn’t work last year as life is and should always be evolving as we gain new knowledge, learn new lessons, and gain from both our own  and others experiences. This of course ties into all aspects of my life. So while I am assessing what areas of the garden grew the best crops, which areas need more work etc I am also assessing what worked and didn’t work for me in other areas of my life. This is now the time of year where plans are drawn up. So when I say seeds I do not just mean the physical but also the metaphorical ones.

The alter space in my front room pretty much has the same elements on it all year around, it is my grounding base line so to speak. Things that reflect the seasons are then added and taken away throughout the year. Right now I have a hyacinth growing quite happily in sight from where I sit. A nice reminder that life carries on and that summer (my favourite season) shall soon be here. Candles are placed and lit every day as part of my morning ritual, usually with a cup of coffee in hand to help me focus my mind on the day ahead. 

Eating seasonally is a great way of incorporating celebrations into every day life. I do not know if I am the only one who does this but I cook with intent. Intention is after all one of the most important parts of this way of “magical living” using herbs and other foods that represent your intentions for the year is a really easy thing to do. Culpeper’s complete herbal is pretty much my best friend for this. 

February in general is a really busy month, but things are different to years gone by, I no longer have the physical ability to spend a weekend in the garden getting all the main jobs done so that the easier jobs can be then done over a nice steady time span. This year I have to find help, not the best thing to need in a pandemic but non the less growing food is at the forefront of my mind right now and how I am going to make it all happen.