Imbolc: Day of Beginnings

Imbolc is traditionally a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of spring. It is also Goddess Brighid’s special day when she is specifically honored and invited in to bless home and hearth. For many pagans and Wiccans, the Imbolc ritual is a time to make and renew vows, bless magickal tools, and make new beginnings.

For the Crow Women, this is considered the start of the new year, and is the ritual ceremony where we renew our commitments to our coven, our sisters, and our Wiccan path. We also dedicate to honor a particular deity, direction or element, and/or a spirit guide or totem.

Our Imbolc ritual is one of the most sacred and intimate ceremonies of the year. This ritual was Alane’s inspiration in writing the song Imbolc Vows which appears on the Crow Women latest album, Seasons: A Pagan Journey Around the Wheel. In this post, I’ll share our Imbolc ritual, step by step. As you read, see if you can spot how the song Imbolc Vows reflects the Crow Women’s Imbolc ritual described here.

Imbolc Vows

On Imbolc this day of beginnings
On Imbolc this day of deep vows
Within your forge, I transform
I emerge renewed
I begin again now.

On Imbolc I light a white candle
I lay magic tools out before me
I kneel before Bridget the Goddess
And dedicate them to Her duty.

I vow now to serve all my sisters
In my role in this sacred circle
I choose my direction to honor
For deep integration internal.

music and lyrics © Alane Susan Brown, ASCAP, 2019, recorded by the Crow Women on Seasons

We begin in our usual way with cleansing our space, casting the circle, and calling in the directions. We then call in Goddess Brighid by singing Holy Well and Sacred Flame.

Holy Well and Sacred Flame
Maiden, Mother and Crone
Bright One be here
Bright One be here

Holy Well and Sacred Flame, by Ivo Dominguez, Jr., based on a Reclaiming chant, recorded by Assembly of the Sacred Wheel on A Dream Whose Time is Coming, 2001

Next is the Sacred Bath portion of the Imbolc ritual. We have previously unclothed and dressed in bathrobes in preparation, and laid out our white outfits and special Crow jewelry to put on after our soak. (Having access to a hot tub is best for this part, and we are lucky to have a Crow sister who has one!)

We process to the door singing “Born of Water”:

Born of water, cleansing, powerful
Healing, changing, I am.

from a Women’s Workshop, Madison, WI, authors unknown. Recorded by Reclaiming on Chants: Ritual Music

Once there, we go out to the tub one at a time. As each sister approaches the doorway, she steps through the Croix Brede, a very large vine wreath that is held by the others. In this way she is symbolically ‘reborn’, and passes into Brede’s womb (the tub) to commune with the Goddess and others of the spirit realm.

Each woman has her solitary sacred bath, communing with the energy of Imbolc as dusk falls. Upon returning, the others sing to her You are Beautiful, inserting the woman’s name into the chant. It is a sweet moment of appreciating and being appreciated.

(name), you are beautiful
(name), you belong
Wonderful to be with as we go along
(name), hear our loving song

Amy, You Are Beautiful by Amy Beller, recorded by Antiga on I Dance To Be the Woman I Can Be, 1988

Once everyone is back, we change into our white outfits and crowns. We then sing Welcome Brid with everyone getting a turn to improvise her own words on the echo solos:

Welcome Brid (welcome Brid)
Oh Brid is come (oh, welcome Brid)
Brid is welcome, (be welcome)

words traditional Scottish, music by Sparky T Rabbit (c) 1983.

The next part of the ritual is the dedications. Each person goes to the altar and kneels before the statue of Brigid, placing a tool there as well if they have one to bless. We pledge our dedications to the group, our job within the group, as well as any Goddess or deity, direction/aspect, or spirit guide we have chosen (or has chosen us!) Here we sing Holy Water, Sacred Flame.

Holy water, sacred flame
Brigid, we invoke your name
Bless my hands, my head, my heart
Source of healing, song and art.

words by Diane Baker, music by Anne Hill, recorded by Anne Hill on Circle Round and Sing!

At this point, we pass on the stoles and emblems of office to each person for the new job they will be assuming for the group for the new year. For example; Crone Priestess, Mother Priestess, Maiden Priestess and several other more mundane offices, such as treasurer. We rotate all jobs to a new person every year–we have no permanent High Priestess. We take turns, as befits our egalitarian values.

Then, we raise energy with the chant Imbolc Round, singing and dancing with rattles and drums.

Quickening in the womb nearing birth
Quickening in the womb nearing birth
Welcoming our lives, turning in the earth
Quickening in the womb nearing birth.

by Marie Summerwood (c) 1998. Recorded by In Her Name on She Walks With Snakes

After sending that energy off to do good in the universe, we ground by reciting this lovely traditional Brigid’s Blessing:

I shield myself from every harm
With Brigid’s mantle soft and warm;
With Brigid’s candle crown alight
All shapes of shadow shall take flight.
With Brigid’s staff of sacred wood,
all evil I transform to good;
All that by Brigid’s girdle’s bound
Her protection shall surround;
In Brigid’s shoes I safely tread
And sleep in peace in Brigid’s bed.

-traditional prayer

After the directions and deities have been thanked and released and the circle opened, we enjoy our Imbolc feast of red and white foods, along with a green salad prepared by the out-going Maiden Priestess.

Imbolc (which is also sometimes referred to as Candlemas) is also a day when many pagans bless and consecrate their candles for the year, especially those who create their own candles.

Please comment below and let us know if you have any special rituals that are sacred to you on Imbolc. Happy Imbolc and Brigid’s blessings!