How to Celebrate Imbolc
Imbolc customs are rich and varied, involving several practices that aim to welcome back the life-affirming energy of the sun. Here’s how to clean your house, make a Brigid’s Cross, feast appropriately, divine the future, and plan and set your goals—just a few of the best Imbolc customs.
In some ways, Imbolc is the ultimate introvert’s holiday. We’re inside our home with a cup of tea, away from the cold. It’s time to reflect on the past year and on our lives in general. We’re deciding on what to leave behind because it no longer serves us. We’re practicing divination, setting intentions and goals, and planning what we will plant, literally and metaphorically, in the coming spring. This is the journaling holiday! Let’s get started.
Clean & OrganizE
To prepare for the spring and let go of the past attachments we no longer need, it’s time to physically and spiritually clean our spaces. Homes are cleansed thoroughly; old and unused items are cleared out, symbolizing the shedding of winter’s past and the preparation for spring’s potential. Fresh candles are lit in each room of the house, their flames representing the return of the light as the days begin to grow longer.
To approach your home care with intention, check out The Hedge Witch’s Hearth or our collection of home care articles.
Craft Brigid’s Crosses
The making of Brigid’s crosses is a beloved Imbolc custom! A Brigid’s cross blesses and protects, acting as a defender against any harm that might befall the house it adorns, or its occupants. Crafted with thoughts of protection and well-being, the making of these crosses is a spiritual practice that calls on the goddess Brigid.
Think of Brigid as you complete the following steps.
1. Lay one reed horizontally on the surface in front of you.
2. Fold a second reed in half and slip it over the first reed. The second reed should point toward you.
3. Fold a third reed in half. Slip it over the second reed, underneath the first reed, pointing to your left.
4. Fold a fourth reed in half. Slip it over the third and first reeds, to the left of the second reed, pointing away from you.
5. Fold a fifth reed in half. Slip it over the fourth reed, above the first reed, pointing to your right.
6. Continue adding reeds until you are happy with the cross shape. Then tie the ends with twine.
Feast & hOLD Festivities
People celebrate Imbolc with feasts that feature the season’s first fruits and vegetables, honoring the earth’s first soft gifts as it wakes up from winter sleep. The menus at these events are full of foods that are both light and energizing, to match the energy of spring. Anything in a sun color or shape—looking at you, citrus fruits!—is also welcome. Other common ingredients in the recipes are fresh sprouts, dairy products, and seeds, which represent new growth and the earth’s vitality. These meals are a lovely tribute to the changing of the seasons. They are a tasty way to move from heavy, warming foods in the winter to lighter, fresher foods that welcome spring.
Brigid is the goddess of poetry, so if your feasts and festivities involve lively readings of poetry and beautiful songs, so much the better. Bring a light to the dark winter!
pRACTICE dIVINATION
If you practice any form of divination, this is a great time to look to the future. The veil between the worlds gets thin during this time. This slight thinning makes it easier for spiritual forces to flow through us and helps us hear messages from beyond. So use your tarot cards, runes, or pendulums to connect with this higher level of awareness and get the clarity that comes from being closer to knowledge from other worlds. Because of Imbolc’s association with water, scrying is a wonderful form of divination to try during this season. Enjoy!
Practice Meditation
Now is a great time for any activity that makes you think deeply and go beyond simple awareness. As the days get shorter, more people feel like meditating and focusing on their own thoughts and feelings. The spiritual forces around them can help them in this way. Many people who do these kinds of meditations report intuitive insights, visionary experiences, or feeling more in tune with their better selves. Here is a guided Imbolc meditation to help you get started.
Plan & SET goals
Imbolc is also a great time to set intentions and goals; the energy of renewal is strong and supports hopes and dreams for the next cycle. When you celebrate Imbolc, you enjoy the happy anticipation of spring while also celebrating the strength that can be found in the quiet of winter. Now is the time to make plans for the coming year, set goals, and dream big. When we align ourselves with the changing of the seasons, we connect with a strong flow of energy that helps us grow and feel better.
Here are lots of goal-setting resources and goal-setting downloads to get you started!
Want to explore more about Imbolc? Here are some places to start: