Script for our Kitchen Witch Online Imbolc Ritual
Make yourself comfortable, with your back straight and shoulders relaxed.
Close your eyes and take 3 slow steady breaths...
Visualise sending roots down through your feet and into the earth
Feel those roots reaching down through the floor and into the soil, down into the bedrock, through the underground caves and streams of water, deep into the Earth’s fiery molten core and into the crystal cave at the very centre of the earth. See your roots wrap around the largest quartz crystal which is filled with healing energy.
Feel a connection with the crystals powerful healing energy and draw it up through your roots, back up through the Earth’s molten core, the underground streams and caves, through the bedrock, the soil and the floor.
Draw this warm healing energy up through your feet and slowly up through your legs to your pelvis, your stomach and to your heart. Feel the energy rise to your shoulders and down through your arms into your hands and fingers. Then feel it rise up through your neck and into your head, grounding and healing every part of you.
Now see this grounding and healing light extend beyond your whole body, any excess pours back down into Mother Earth.
Draw your roots back up into your body, sealing the grounding and healing energy within you.
Keeping your eyes closed for a little while longer...
Visualise us all standing together in a forest clearing beside a small pool of clear water, fed from a natural spring. The water cascades down over flat lichen-covered rocks bubbling and babbling as it flows into the pool.
The sky is clear, and a weak winter sun shines down upon us.
We are surrounded by trees with the bare branches of winter, but if you look carefully, you will see leaf buds swelling along the branches. At the base of their trunk's graceful snowdrops and brightly coloured crocuses show their beautiful faces.
It is chilly but we are all wrapped up warm, you can see your misty breath as we make small talk amongst each other.
Somebody calls out, “it is time” and we form a circle, smiling at each other and holding hands.
You can now open your eyes and light your candle.
Take a deep breath in and a slow breath out, focus on the earth beneath your feet bringing grounding and stability to our ritual.
We welcome Earth
Take a deep breath in and a slow breath out, focus on the air, filling your lungs bringing wisdom and inspiration to our ritual.
We welcome Air
Take another deep breath in and slow breath out, focus on fire, the waxing energy of the Sun above us, bringing creativity and passion to our ritual.
We welcome Fire
Take one more deep breath in and slow breath out, focus on the sacred water beside us, bringing healing and intuition to our ritual.
We welcome Water
Brigid, keeper of the sacred flame and guardian of the healing waters,
We gather in this sacred space, heart to heart and hand to hand, to invite you to join us as we celebrate the festival of Imbolc
Lady of healing, poetry and smithcraft
Guardian of the home and hearth
We ask for your guidance and blessings this day and always.
Bright one, arise and reawaken the earth from its cold Winter slumber
We welcome Brigid.
Although the days are still cold and dark, the Cailleach’s power is waning, and the spring maiden is beginning to stir. The first brave flowers are showing their faces, including snowdrops and crocuses, and below the frozen surface of the earth more seeds and bulbs are awakening.
This was an important time of year for our ancestors. The stocks of food that they stored over winter would be running low by now, and just as they worried about starvation, the animals produced their young and their milk would be flowing, bringing much needed nourishment for all.
Imbolc is the promise of Spring, it may not feel like it yet, but the Sun is slowly growing in power each day. The festival of Imbolc celebrates the reawakening of the earth. The days are gradually growing longer, and it is the beginning of the agricultural year. Candles are lit at this time to represent the return of the light as the Sun’s energy increases.
This is the Sabbat where we honour Brigid, the goddess of healing, poetry and smithcraft, she is also associated with fire, creativity, inspiration, purification, fertility, midwifery, sacred springs and healing wells.
Imbolc is also associated with purification; it was the time when our ancestors would have cleansed and blessed their homes and barns after people and animals had been cooped up inside for most of the winter.
In keeping with the theme of purification, we are going to make small altar besoms which can be used to bring purification to your altar when needed.
Gather your pine needles (or whatever you are using for the brush part of your besom) around the base of your stick. Allow a few inches of the stick to go down into the needles, and make sure they cover it completely.
Lay the besom (top of brush part) on the twine and tie a tight knot. Do not cut the twine yet
On the back of the besom press a strip of hot glue/glue to secure the twine.
Carefully wind the twine around the broom a few times, pulling it tight as you go. Secure the twine with glue and trim the ends.
Trim the ends of the pine needles or whatever you are using if you want them even.
Decorate your besom if you want too, this can always be done later
Feast and chat time......
Close your eyes and visualise us standing back in our circle in the forest clearing.
Water, we thank you for lending us your gifts during our ritual.
Farewell
Fire, we thank you for lending us your gifts during our ritual
Farewell
Air, we thank you for lending us your gifts during our ritual
Farewell
Earth, we thank you for lending us your gifts during our ritual
Farewell
Brigid, Lady of the sacred flame and healing waters
We thank you for watching over us,
and for sharing your blessings and gifts with us during our ritual
Stay if you will, go if you must
Farewell
The circle is open but never unbroken.
Image from Unsplash