The next magical date on the fae-witch calendar is Imbolc, the cross quarter day between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. In the Southern Hemisphere, this day falls around the 1st of August and marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It’s when you see those wonderful signs of life in the garden emerging again, wildflowers burst into colour, and the sunlight returns. Also known as ‘The Feast of Torches’', ‘Candlemas’, or ‘Brigid’s Day’, Imbolc is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts, and cleaning out the old to welcome the new.
To fully grasp the significance of Imbolc, it is necessary to understand the life-and-death struggle represented by winter in any agrarian society. In a world lit only by fire, the snow, cold and ice of this season literally holds you in its grip, only relaxed with the arrival of spring. Although the Equinox does not arrive until later and spring is celebrated with Ostara and Beltane, Imbolc is the harbinger and the indication that better times are coming. For a sun lover like me, this pagan sabath brings relief from the dark days, and a glimmer of hope with every new wildflower I encounter on my chilly winter forest walks.
In Australia, yellow wattle flowers are a favourite decoration for the Imbolc altar, as well as other white, yellow and purple flowers like the gorgeous Warraburra. You can also collect gumnuts, and search in particular for ones that have a five pointed star on top. Imbolc signals the arrival of ‘Djilba’ season, named so by the original custodians of this great southern land. Djilba is a transitional time of the year that heralds a massive flowering explosion of yellow, white and striking violet blue wildflowers. As the days start to warm up, we start to see and hear the first of the baby animals appear. The woodland birds will still be nest bound, hence the swooping of the Koolbardi (Magpie) and even the Djidi Djidi (Willy Wag Tails) and the Chuck-a-luck (Wattle Birds). A walk through the wilderness at this time of year is a magical experience, filled with excitement as you spot signs of new growth and the arrival of spring.
Jumping back over to pagan traditions for a moment, I’d like to introduce Brigid, the goddess associated with Imbolc. Also long known as ‘The Mistress of the Mantle’, Brigid is a solar deity, blessing us with light, inspiration and fire. In the Celtic pantheon, the fires of inspiration, as demonstrated in poetry, and the fires of the home or forge, are seen as identical. Therefore, Brigid is celebrated as the traditional patroness of healing, poetry and smithcraft—a benefactress of vital energy, practical skills and creativity.
As the patroness of poetry, and filidhecht, the equivalent of bardic lore, Brigid, like ‘The Woman of the Fairy Hills,’ and the poet-seers of old, keeps our oral traditions alive. It is widely believed that those poets who have gone before inhabit the realms between the worlds, overlapping into ours so that the old songs and stories will be heard and repeated. Thus does Brigid keep these traditions alive by inspiring and encouraging us.
To celebrate Imbolc this year, I am planning to create an altar to Brigid, and I’d love it if you would join me! I invite you to take a ‘Sensory Journey’ into the forest to collect items to offer up to the goddess of Imbolc—one for each of the six senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing and intuition. Think of it like a wild treasure hunt or a game you can play with the faeries of the forest, and your inner child. For example, you might encounter some fluffy wattle blossoms for ‘touch’, wild violets for ‘smell’, or collect a feather to symbolise ‘hearing’ after listening to the enchanting birdsong on your walk. For ‘intuition’, simply search for something magical and curious that awakens your imagination… I found the most perfect witch’s broomstick in the form of a twisted, ghost gum branch that had fallen overnight in a wild storm.
Gather your items and create an altar to Brigid. On the night of Imbolc, you might like to light candles, burn essential oils of orange, frankincense, cedarwood, cinnamon or rose, and say this little prayer:
Mighty Brigid, keeper of the flame,
Sister of the faeries,
Daughter of the Tuatha de Danaan,
Blazing in the darkness of winter.
In autumn, the nights began to lengthen,
and the days grew shorter,
as the earth went to sleep.
Now, Brigid stokes her fire,
burning flames in the hearth,
bringing light back to us once more.
Winter is brief, but life is forever.
Blessed Brigid makes it so.
May your Imbolc celebrations be warm and wonderful, enchanted ones. And if you are in the Northern Hemisphere right now, you’ll be celebrating Lughnasadh (for which you could also create a Six Senses Altar). As The Wheel of the Year turns, I wish you all the most magical time exploring the faerie realms and the world between the worlds. I would also love for you to write to me in the comments below and share what you find on your ‘Sensory Journey’.
Blessed be xx