Sabbat Sunday - Imbolc - Candle Ritual

 Merry Meet!

As part of my Imbolc celebration, I do a candle ritual each year. It's super simple and can be adapted however you see fit.

Supplies
Glass or metal vessel
Incense or sage stick
Salt (any white salt will work for this)
Lavender buds (elf's leaf)
Green candle
Bay leaves
Writing utensil (I used a metallic Sharpie)

Ritual
Cleanse your vessel with incense or sage. For my vessel I usually use something green and glass. This year I have a jadeite bowl. Fill the vessel with salt, it doesn't need to be full, just deep enough to make a bed for the candle and the bay leaves. Seat your candle in the middle of your vessel. Sprinkle elf's leaf around the candle and over the salt. The salt in this ritual represents the snow and the elf's leaf represents the future spring buds. Take some time and ground yourself. Imbolc is about new beginnings and intentions for the upcoming year. The goddess Brigid is known for working with smithcraft and poetry and assists us with renewal and inner strength. Contemplate what you would like Brigid to help you forge within yourself to benefit both you and those around you. Choose three things and write one each on your bay leaves. Light the candle and speak the following invocation:

Brigid of the sacred flame
I come tonight to call your name
Aid me in my magical rite
Bless me with your presence tonight.

Speak each thing you would like Brigid to help you grow and develop then continue with:

Brigid goddess of the sacred well
help me grow these thing to you I tell
Keep my hearth and home with care
So I may feel your magic there.

Once you have completed your ritual, allow the candle to burn until it goes out on it's own.

Blessed Be,

Sabbat Sunday - Imbolc - Recipe

 Merry Meet!

As we prepare for our Imbolc celebration, one of my favorite (and simplest) recipes always comes to mind. Imbolc literally translates to "in the belly" and is a time when Ewes begin to get milk again. As such, milk and dairy products are often associated with this sabbat. My favorite recipe to honor Imbolc is a simple potato soup recipe. 

This recipe is soup simple, and also very adaptable. Feel free to make it your own.

Ingredients

2 pounds frozen southern style hash browns
1/2 pound bacon
4 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk
1 sweet onion, diced
1 (8 ounce) bag shredded cheese - triple cheddar
sour cream
green onion
croutons

Directions

Slice bacon into small shreds. Fry in a large dutch oven. Once bacon has started to crisp, add in diced onion and fry in bacon grease until translucent. Stir in frozen potatoes and allow to get some color. Add milk then stir in 4 ounces of shredded cheese (remaining cheese is added to individual bowls).

I like to serve this soup with some shredded cheese, green onions, sour cream, and croutons.

Blessed Be,

Sabbat Sunday - Imbolc Introduction

 Merry Meet!

As the Wheel of the Year continues to turn we find ourselves approaching the first fire festival of the year, Imbolc. Many refer to Samhain as the Witch's New Year (and if you do, I mean no offense by my differing opinion) however, this has never quite set right to me. Why is the new year celebrated as winter is approaching as opposed to spring? One of the most rewarding parts of being an eclectic pagan is the freedom to make one's practice their own. So, for me, I honor the midwinter celebration of Imbolc as the coming of the new year. 

Imbolc marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. Typically, this is just accepted as February 1st, however this year it falls on Tuesday, February 3rd. Personally, I feel like the sabbats are much more of a seasonal occurrence than an isolated day so I start preparing for the upcoming sabbat a couple of weeks in advance and let it carry through in my home for a couple of weeks after the actual day, much like how people celebrate Christmas.

Over the coming weeks I'll share more about my Imbolc celebrations and how I honor the wheel of the year with crafts, rituals, decor, and special recipes.

Blessed Be,

2026 Witch's Calendar

Merry Meet!

Happy New Year (for those who celebrate that with the Gregorian calendar). Though I don't really feel like new beginnings just yet, I do get pretty excited for new planner season. If you're like me and look forward to getting into planning long before you're ready for the energy of a full fresh start, here are a list of dates you might want to add in to that new planner.

January 3        Full Moon in Cancer (Wolf Moon) - Super Moon
January 18       New Moon in Capricorn
January 20       Aquarius Season
January 26      Neptune Enters Aries

February 1       Imbolc - Purification and Light
February 1       Full Moon in Leo (Snow Moon) - Creative Vitality
February 15     Lupercalia
February 17     New Moon Eclipse in Aquarius - Radical Change
February 17     Lunar New Year
February 19     Pisces Season

February 26     Mercury Retrograde Begins (ends March 20)

March 3           Full Moon Eclipse in Virgo (Worm Moon) - Deep Cleansing
March 19         New Moon in Pisces - Dream Magic
March 20         Ostara (Vernal Equinox) - Balance and Growth
March 21         Aries Season

April 2             Full Moon in Libra (Pink Moon) - Harmony and Justice
April 17           New Moon in Aries - Bold New Starts
April 20           Taurus Season

May 1              Beltane - Fire and Fertility
May 1              Full Moon in Scorpio (Flower Moon)
May 16            New Moon in Taurus
May 21            Gemini Season
May 31            Full Moon in Sagittarius (Blue Moon) - Truth and Freedom

June 15            New Moon in Gemini - Communication Spells
June 21            Litha (Summer Solstice) - Solar Power and Peak Energy
June 21            Cancer Season
June 29            Full Moon in Capricorn (Strawberry Moon) - Career and Rewards
June 29            Mercury Retrograde Begins (ends July 23)

July 14            New Moon in Cancer - Ancestry and Self Care
July 23            Leo Season
July 29            Full Moon in Aquarius (Buck Moon) - Tribe and Independence

August 1        Lughnasadh (Lammas) - Harvest and Gratitude
August 12      New Moon Eclipse in Leo - Power Reset
August 23      Virgo Season
August 28      Full Moon Eclipse in Pisces (Sturgeon Moon) - Releasing

September 11    New Moon in Virgo - Health and Ritual Habits
September 22    Mabon (Autumnal Equinox) - Thanksgiving and Darkness
September 23    Libra Season
September 26    Full Moon in Aries (Harvest Moon) - Protection and Action

October 10        New Moon in Libra - Peace and Beauty
October 23        Scorpio Season
October 24        Mercury Retrograde Begins (ends November 13)
October 26        Full Moon in Taurus (Hunter's Moon) - Grounding and Stores
October 31        Samhain - Ancestors and Divination

November 9      New Moon in Scorpio - Transformation and Mystery
November 22    Sagittarius Season
November 24    Full Supermoon in Gemini (Beaver Moon) - Clarity

December 9       New Moon in Sagittarius - Travel and Optimism
December 21     Yule (Winter Solstice) - Rebirth of the Sun
December 22     Capricorn Season
December 24     Full Supermoon in Cancer (Cold Moon) - Nurturing

I hope this list has proved helpful for you in planning your upcoming year.

Blessed Be,