February 2
Imbolc involves celebrations of banishing the winter and welcoming the spring. At the time of Candlemas, the newborn Sun God is seen as a small child nursing from his Mother. At this phase of the cycle, winter is swept away and new beginnings are nurtured. Some Wiccan groups favor this time of the year for initiations into the Craft. It is traditional at Candlemas to light every lamp in the house for a few minutes in honour of the Sun's rebirth. Marks the recovery of the Goddess after giving birth to the God. The lengthening periods of light awaken her. The God is a young boy, but His power is felt in the longer days. The warmth fertilizes the Earth, causes seeds to germinate and sprout. And so the earliest beginnings of spring occur. This is a Sabbat of purification after the shut-in life of winter, through the renewing power of the Sun. It is also a festival of light and of fertility. Once marked in Europe with huge blazes, torches and fire in every form. Fire here represents our own illumination and inspiration as much as light and warmth. Imbolc is also known as Feast of Torches, Feast of Pan, Brigid's day, and probably by many other names. Some female Wiccans follow the old Scandinavian custom of wearing or carrying crowns of lit candles (a symbol of the Wheel of the Year being warmed and lighted again by the returning sun), but many more carry tapers during their invocations. A good time for self-dedication rituals (performed or renewed). Represents new beginnings and spiritual growth, and the "sweeping out of the old." This is also a good time to look over your magickal cabinet.
