Year: 2022

Date: October 31 – November 1

Samhain – usually pronounced sow-een or sow-in – is a cross-quarter festival in the pagan Wheel of the Year that falls between Mabon (autumn equinox) and Yule (winter solstice).

Samhain is an ancient Celtic festival said to have marked the end of summer and the final harvest that has morphed into the modern celebration of Halloween that most of us know today.

Themes & Meanings For Samhain

Samhain is the last harvest festival on the Wheel of the Year after Lughnasadh and Mabon.

Since we almost always get a hard frost just before Samhain, Tracy and I are busy this time of year gathering the last of the herbs from our garden.

Samhain is also a time for the remembrance and honoring of those we loved who have passed on.

It’s also a time when Tracy and I reflect on our ancestors, our heritage, and our place on the Tree of Life.

For some, Samhain begins the new year, and is often nicknamed the “Witches New Year”. For others, Samhain begins seasonal winter – a time of reflection and self-care to prepare for the coming new year.

The themes that Tracy and I reflect on during Samhain are:

Ancestors & Loved Ones Who Are No Longer With Us

Samhain has a long association with remembering the dead, and connecting with ancestors.

The ancient Celts believed that the veil between the world of the living and the realm of the dead was thinnest this time of year, leading to traditions of wearing masks, leaving offerings, and lighting fires to both appease restless spirits and repel them.

Tracy and I place pictures of family members who have passed away on our Samhain altar this time of year. Sometimes, we cook their favorite foods, or simply take a few moments in our day to keep their memory alive.

Our Place On The Tree Of Life

Beyond remembering loved one’s we knew that passed away, we also reflect on our ancestors – the distant, unknowable relatives who’s genes have passed through generations of individuals to shape our bodies, our personalities, and our instincts.

It’s really fascinating to think that hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of years ago, there were distinct individuals from who we inherited DNA living day-to-day lives we can barely imagine.

Beyond my human ancestors, I find it fascinating to reflect on my place on the Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life is a model used by biologists to show the relationship of all life on earth. We humans are only one leaf on one branch of a vast phylogenic tree. We share DNA and a planet with all living things.

Self-Care & Drawing Within

Samhain corresponds to the waning crescent moon – a point in the lunar cycle for self-care and drawing inward.

Releasing & Letting Go

Samhain, with its association with death and the afterlife, as well as its position at the waning half of the year, marks another opportunity to release and let go of what no longer serves you.

As the last sabbat before Yule, Samhain is the perfect time for endings.

Perhaps it’s time for you to end a bad habit, or a toxic relationship.

Maybe it’s time to release something that you’ve clung onto, but no longer serves you.

Samhain is the perfect time to work burial, composting, and transmutation into your rituals in preparation for being reborn by Yule.

Facing Our Fears

Halloween is synonymous with spookiness.

If you’re like me, you enjoy curling up on the couch with a hot mulled cider and a scary movie.

While Halloween is all about having fun with ghouls, goblins, and characters from horror movies, Halloween (and Samhain) is a great time to reflect on your fears – and face them.

Do something that gets you out of your comfort zone – or even scares you.

Read about something that gives you the creeps. I’ve faced my arachnophobia by reading several fascinating books on spiders.

Journal and reflect on what scares you about your own goals and life dreams. What “goblins” block the path between your intentions and the manifestation of your dreams?

Correspondences & Setting Up A Samhain Altar

One of the simplest ways to celebrate Samhain is to create a simple altar that features meaningful elements of the season.

Candles: Lighting candles is a great way to bring light into your home as the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer and colder.

My favorite candle colors to use at Samhain are white, orange, black, and purple. Additionally, autumn colors like brown and rust are good.

Crystals & Stones: Labradorite is my favorite crystal to work with during Samhain. Labradorite is said to enhance intuitive and psychic abilities, which make it the perfect stone to work with when the veil is thinnest at Samhain.

Apache Tear Obsidian is another crystal that can be helpful at Samhain – especially while remembering and honoring those who have recently passed. This stone is my go-to to assist with grief and loss.

Petrified wood and other fossils are also wonderful to work with during Samhain. The ancient energy of these objects help connect you to your past, your heritage, and intuit the messages passed through generations from your ancestors.

Additionally, amethyst, black tourmaline, smoky quartz, and obsidian are also favorite stones and crystals to work with at Samhain.

Herbs: Mugwort is my top Samhain herb as it is associated with intuition, divination, and dream work.

Cypress is associated with death, the afterlife, and/or the underworld, so it’s a good plant to use when letting go and releasing, or doing any ancestor work.

I incorporate cypress into Samhain smoke bundles, or diffuse cypress essential oil.

Other herbs to work with during Samhain include any other Artemisias (like Mugwort, wormwood), rosemary, valerian, sage, and catmint.

Oak leaves and acorns are particularly sacred at this time. Acorns represent potential and are the perfect item to work with during any Samhain intentions.

Flowers: Marigolds (tagetes) not only display perfect Samhain colors of dark reds, oranges, and yellows, they also represent death, the afterlife, and are associated with grief across many cultures.

Scents (Incense/Essential Oils): Mugwort, sage, clove, mint, cedar wood, copal, and frankincense.

Foods: Squash & pumpkin, nuts, seeds, apples, pears, cider, and bread

Altar Decor: Pumpkins, acorns, nuts, colorful leaves, bones, and skulls.

Suggested Rituals

You do not need to perform a fancy ritual to “properly” celebrate Samhain.

1) Create An Ancestor Altar

During Samhain, Tracy and I place pictures of loved ones who have passed on our fall altar.

You don’t need to get too elaborate with this, simply placing a few printed images amongst your autumn altar will do the trick. Or you can add some mementos that represent the people you honor.

The purpose of incorporating pictures of ancestors or loved ones who have passed on is to remind you to pause this time of year to reflect on and remember their legacy, and how their legacy and memory may live on within you.

2) Carve A Pumpkin

Carving a pumpkin is a traditional Halloween custom.

Turning a pumpkin into a Jack-o-Lantern can be a fun activity, but you can also inject some mindful, spiritual significance into the practice.

Carve a scary face on a pumpkin and set an intention for it to guard your home from negativity during the upcoming winter months.

You can also carve a face or other symbol that represents something you want to release between now and Yule (the winter solstice).

Set the pumpkin outside on Samhain, and then move it to an area where it can be left to compost. As your pumpkin composts (or is consumed by wild critters), allow the thing you want to be released compost into something new.

3) Stimulate Your Intuition

Divination is a common practice at Samhain, as many believe that communication with ancestors and spirits is easiest at this time of year.

While my own beliefs do not include spirits or telling the future, I regularly use divination tools such as tarot or oracle cards in my spiritual practice.

Take some time to do a tarot or oracle reading. However, don’t reach for the booklet or read up on the meanings of the cards. Just look at the cards without preconceived ideas of what each card means. Just look at the images and try to form your own connections.

Once again, Mugwort is a wonderful herb to work with this time of year. Either use a Mugwort smoke bundle during ritual, cast a circle with a Mugwort wand, sip some Mugwort tea, or dab on some Mugwort oil to absorb the intuition-boosting magickal energy of the plant.

The summer slips away as hints of color begin to splash across the forest.

Animals are busy gathering food to stash away for the winter, and migratory birds are heading south.

The days begin and end with a chill in the air, as my thoughts turn to apple cider, pumpkin picking, and cozy, candlelit evenings sipping my favorite autumn teas.

The Wheel turns and we arrive at Mabon – The Autumn Equinox.

Themes & Meanings For Mabon

At the autumn equinox, day and night are in balance. After this day, the sun rises later and sets earlier, shortening the hours of daylight and lengthening the dark of night.

Mabon ushers in the so-called “dark half of the year” – which will persist through the Winter Solstice until Ostara – The Spring Equinox breaks the spell six months later.

Mabon is also the second harvest festival on the Wheel of the Year between Lughnasadh (August 1) and Samhain (October 31.)

It is sometimes referred to as the “fruit harvest” (vs. the “grain harvest” at Lughnasadh), and “Witches Thanksgiving”.

Modern Druids call the autumn equinox Alban Elfed.

Caramel apples are a sweet way to celebrate the fruit harvest at Mabon.

The themes that Tracy and I reflect on during Mabon are:

Balance

Mabon is the autumn equinox – a day when the hours of daylight and darkness are in balance. Because of this, I like to reflect on balance in my life.

Since the autumn equinox corresponds to the waning half moon, or last quarter, it has a protective energy that encourages setting boundaries, and clearing space.

Clearing Space

As Mabon occurs in the waning half of the solar cycle, it’s a great time to release and let go of what no longer serves you. This can be physical items and clutter, but also beliefs, old narratives, and other mindset junk that needs to be cleared away.

It is often necessary to release something so that you have room to receive. This can sometimes be painful and cause a sense of emptiness or lack.

However, this is a necessary process. Just as the farmer needs to clear space in their barns and silos to store the harvest over the winter, so too do you need to clear space to receive what you wish to harvest.

Gratitude & Thanksgiving

As the second harvest festival on the Wheel of the Year, Mabon is associated with abundance, gratitude, and giving thanks.

Mabon is sometimes referred to as the Witches Thanksgiving.

This is the perfect time of year to host or attend gatherings with friends and family, share a meal of seasonal, local foods, and enjoy the many blessings in your own life.

It’s not Mabon without a fresh-baked apple pie

Rest & Self-Care

Autumn begins the busy season for many as summer vacations end, school is in session, preparations for winter are underway, and the holiday season is on the horizon.

But as you prepare to enter a new season, take a cue from nature. Trees are shedding leaves that no longer serve a purpose. Plants are dying back or going dormant. Many animals prepare for hibernation over the cold winter months.

None of this is seen as lazy in the natural world but as a healthy, necessary process in the cycle of life/death/rebirth.

Reflect on the theme of balance this season, but with an emphasis on rest and self-care. Challenge ideas and beliefs that rest is “lazy” or “selfish”. Let nature guide you to what your mind, body, and spirit need to heal and recharge over the coming months.

Mabon Correspondences & Setting Up An Altar

One of the simplest ways to celebrate Mabon is to create an altar that features meaningful elements of the season.

Moon Phase: Mabon corresponds to the Waning Half Moon, a time of balance, setting boundaries, and clearing space to receive.

Colors: My favorite candle colors to use at Mabon include deep reds, maroon, orange, yellow, gold, bronze, copper, and brown.

Crystals & Stones: My go-to Mabon stones include jasper, citrine, tiger’s eye, amber, grape agate, sapphire, lapis lazuli, and topaz.

Black tourmaline, and especially tourmalinated quartz, are my favorite crystals to work with during Mabon as they are grounding and balancing.

Herbs: Sage, cinnamon, mugwort, and clove are my favorite Mabon herbs. Chamomile, yarrow, and hops are also associated with this time of year.

Flowers: Asters, goldenrod, chrysanthemum, marigold, sedum, anemone, sunflower, turtlehead, and helenium are usually in bloom at Mabon.

Scents (Incense/Essential Oils): Cedar, pine, frankincense, clove, cinnamon, sandalwood, apple, nutmeg, pumpkin spice.

Foods: Apple, pear, pumpkin, wheat/grain, bread, grapes, wine, and squashes.

Altar Décor: Dried apples, mini pumpkins, multicolor corn, hay/straw, scarecrows, acorns, colored leaves, late autumn berries, mushrooms, and nuts.

Suggested Mabon Rituals

Here are some simple, quick ideas to help you connect to the season of autumn:

1) Bake (or Buy) Bread

The baking (or eating) of bread is a staple in many pagan festivities. Mabon is no exception.

Bread is one of the best foods to share, and so much symbolism can be baked into any loaf.

Beyond bread, you can bake seasonal foods like cider donuts, apple cinnamon muffins, apple pie, or pumpkin bread.

Yes, gluten-free and box mixes are just fine! Or pick up some of your favorite cider donuts or a loaf of artisan bread at your farmer’s market.

2) Harvest – Go Apple/Pumpkin Picking

Mabon is a harvest festival, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t participate in this aspect of Mabon if you don’t have a large garden.

I absolutely love the farmer’s market this time of year, and I go every weekend to get local apples, apple cider, cider donuts, and just enjoy the autumn ambiance of an autumn farmer’s market bursting with fresh, locally-grown produce.

Additionally, activities like apple picking and pumpkin picking (or buying at the store) are perfect ways to participate in the harvest activities at Mabon.

Less literally, you can reflect on what is ready to harvest in your life right now. What efforts are being rewarded now? How can you reward yourself for all of the hard work you’ve done this past year?

Pumpkin picking is one of our favorite Mabon traditions. We will later carve these pumpkins for our Samhain celebration!

3) Gratitude Meal

Host a gratitude meal at Mabon. Much like a traditional Thanksgiving meal, you can do the same at Mabon.

Whether you lay out a spread of seasonal foods to share with friends and family, or you eat a simple dinner at home, put intention into your meal on this day and eat every bite with gratitude.

4) Prepare For Winter

Mabon may be the beginning of autumn, and one of the most beautiful times of the year, but it also signals that winter is on the way.

Mabon is a good time to refresh protection magick in and around your home, tidy up your altar(s), and take note of the more mundane tasks that need to be done around your home to ensure you stay warm and cozy when the temperatures dip and the snow begins to fall.

5) Mabon Simmer Pot

Craft your own magical brew in a simmer pot that will fill your home with a lovely fall aroma and your magical intentions!

We’ve really gotten into simmer pots lately. Simmer pots are super-easy to do and fill your house with a wonderful (all-natural) aroma of autumn!

Our favorite Mabon simmer pot includes sliced apples, cinnamon sticks, and clove. You can also add some sage and any other ingredients you want.

Let the simmer pot heat up on low (you can use a pot on a stove, or a Crockpot/Instantpot for this.)

You can reuse (reheat) the simmer pot for up to 2 days, and then dump the (cooled!) ingredients into your compost after.

Put intentions into your simmer pot while you add ingredients. Think of this as your magical witches brew to bring balance, positivity, and protection as you enter the new season.

6) Go On A Mushroom Walk

One of our favorite things to do this time of year is to walk in the woods and appreciate the stunning variety of mushrooms.

I always think of mushrooms as a symbol of Mabon, and autumn. They facilitate decomposition and help break down the old so it can nourish the year.

While the trees above show brilliant colors against the autumn sky, mushrooms and fungi are equally as stunning and diverse.

How do you celebrate Mabon? What ideas inspired you the most.

Take a little time over the next couple weeks to notice the changes happening in the natural world around you. What lessons does nature have for you right now?

Blessed Mabon!

Date: August 1 (Traditional) / August 7 (Astrological date, when Sun is 15° Leo.)

The summer stretches on and the heat of the sun is felt at its most intense.

Despite this, the days grow perceptibly shorter as goldenrod dazzles the fields and forest edges.

By now, the vegetable gardens and farmer’s markets are bursting with produce.

The Wheel turns and we arrive at Lughnasadh (pronounced: Loo-nah-sah), also known as Lammas.

Traditionally celebrated on August 1, Lughnasadh is the mid-point between Litha (The Summer Solstice) and Mabon (The Autumn Equinox).

This holiday is associated with the first harvest, and we reflect on themes like preparation, gratitude, abundance, and crafting.

Themes & Meanings For Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh represents the first harvest, and has traditionally been associated with the wheat harvest and baking of bread.

The themes that Tracy and I reflect on during Lughnasadh are:

First Harvest

A major theme of Lughnasadh is first harvest, or enjoying the “first fruits”.

If you have an herb or vegetable garden, give it a simple gratitude blessing and thank it for the abundance that it has given you this season.

The first harvest doesn’t need to have a literal interpretation, though. You can take this time of the year to reflect on what you can “harvest” in your life.

Reflect on the skills, knowledge, and habits that have rewarded you so far this year. What new year or new moon intentions have come to fruition – or are well on their way?

Take a moment to reflect on the blessings in your life right now. Give thanks for blessing that are on their way to you.

Lughnasadh is a reminder to enjoy the reward of your efforts, and to balance work with pleasure.

Gratitude

Lughnasadh is a harvest festival, and because of that, gratitude is a major theme of this time of year.

This is the point of the year when the Earth is most abundant. Take a cue from nature and check in with your own sense of abundance.

This is a great time of year to challenge narratives and mindset issues around money, abundance, and prosperity.

Start with gratitude, and reframe what abundance means to you. What are you abundant in right now? (There’s more to abundance than just money.)

Crafting & Sharing

Raw materials for herb crafting reach their peak right now as I am inundated with smoke cleaning herbs, tea herbs, grape vines, seeds, flowers – everything that I use in my green witchy practice is ready to be harvested, or already drying on racks. I’m just a couple weeks from harvesting mugwort.

For me, Lughnasadh is a time to let my inner-child out to create and play.

Make space for creativity during the waning summer days. Whether you paint, sculpt, create music, write, take pictures, herbcraft, or practice some delicious kitchen witchery, give your creative side some room to play this time of year!

Clearing Space

Each holiday on the eight-spoke Wheel of the Year corresponds to one of the eight major moon phases. Since Lughnasadh corresponds to the waning gibbous moon, letting go and clearing space is also a theme.

Now is a great time for end of summer cleaning. Donate gently used items to consignment shops. Declutter. Release obligations. Make space for what you wish to harvest in your life right now!

Correspondences & Setting Up A Lughnasadh Altar

One of the simplest ways to celebrate Lughnasadh, is to create a simple altar that features meaningful elements of the season.

Moon Phase: Lughnasadh corresponds to the Waning Gibbous Moon, a time of releasing and clearing space.

Colors: My favorite candle colors to use at Lughnasadh include gold, bronze, light brown, green, red, orange, and yellow.

Crystals & Stones: Any stone associated with prosperity and abundance are perfect to wear or set on an altar for Lughnasadh.

I especially like working with citrine, pyrite, green aventurine, and carnelian.

Herbs: Sage, dill, and fennel are my favorite Lughnasadh herbs, and I like to incorporate them into recipes and baking at this time.

Yarrow and calendula are also associated with the season.

Chamomile is a great way to relax during this time of year.

Make goldenrod tea as a ritual beverage to reflect on the abundance you have now, and the blessings on their way.

Flowers: Goldenrod, helenium, rudbeckia, yarrow, echinacea, sunflower, and summer chrysanthemum.

Scents (Incense/Essential Oils): Frankincense, copal, rosemary, chamomile, and sandalwood.

Foods: Bread is a symbol of Lughnasadh, and can be enjoyed in its many forms.

Summer produce like corn, zucchini, yellow squash, fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, and anything else that is in season at this time is perfect for a Lughnasadh feast.

Altar Decor: Wheat, grains, corn, bread, harvest symbols, cornucopia, berries, and nuts. Create corn dollies or human figures out of corn husks, wheat/grass stalks, or any vegetative material from your garden or yard.

Suggested Rituals

Here are some simple, quick ideas to help you connect to the mid-point between summer and autumn.

1) Bake Bread

Bread is a symbol of Lughnasadh, and as is typical of most pagan festivities, the baking and sharing of bread is often encouraged.

If you can, bake a simple loaf of bread and incorporate any fresh herbs from your garden. If you happen to have ripened sunflower seeds, use those. Or make a delicious zucchini bread from home-grown (or farmer’s market-acquired) produce.

And yes, making a simple batch of corn muffins or corn bread from a box of Jiffy mix is just fine, too! =)

2) Climb A Hill

One of the traditions of Lughnasadh that has survived from ancient times is to make a pilgrimage to the top of a hill. It is believed that gatherings were held on a hilltop to honor the Celtic god Lugh, from which the festival gets its name.

If you are able, an uphill gratitude walk is a fantastic way to honor the obstacles, struggles, and upward momentum you’ve persevered through over the past year. With each step, be grateful for the strength, wisdom, and opportunities that each one presented.

When you reach the top, look around and take in the view. Give thanks for what you’ve achieved or manifested so far.

3) Visit A Farmers Market

Nothing gets me into a grateful, “count my blessings” mood than visiting a local farmer’s market and seeing just how abundant the land around me truly is.

Regularly visiting farmers markets is also an excellent way to keep up with what foods are in season, and to connect to the land around you – even if you don’t have a backyard garden.

Make a point to try a new fruit or vegetable. Support a local farmer or artesian! It’s a simple way to give back to your community and the land.

4) Gratitude Meal

As a harvest festival, Lughnasadh is associated with gratitude.

Invite some close friends or family over for a meal of locally-sourced foods, or in-season ingredients.

Make gratitude the theme of your meal.

5) Set Intentions For the Autumn Season

While it’s still the middle of summer, begin to turn your thoughts to what you want to “harvest” in your life this fall.

What needs just a little more attention and nurturing?

What’s ready to harvest now?

What preparations must be made in the next six weeks to ensure you are set up for the coming autumn and winter months?

Date: Typically between March 19-21

Day and night are equal length for a day or two before the balance tips in favor of spring’s growing light and warmth.

The Earth awakens. Migrating birds return to fill the morning with song. Animals pair up and prepare for the breeding season.

The first flowers begin to poke through the once frozen ground – sometimes even popping up among the early spring snow.

The Wheel turns and we arrive at Ostara: The Spring Equinox.

What Ostara Represents

Ostara is the holiday celebrated at the Spring Equinox.

Modern Druids call this holiday Alban Eilir.

It is a time to reflect on balance as the day and night are of equal length at this time.

Ostara is also associated with fertility, and much of the modern Easter symbolism (eggs, rabbits), are co-opted from earlier pagan myths that feature these symbols.

Keywords: Balance, fertility, birth.

Ostara Correspondences

Moon Phase: Ostara corresponds to the First Quarter Moon, a time of balance, overcoming obstacles, and perseverance.

It also represents fertility and possibility.

Colors: Light green (new growth), yellow (sun), blue, and pastel colors.

Crystals/Stones: Amethyst, rose quartz, green kyanite, amazonite, aquamarine, jasper, serpentine, clear quartz, moonstone.

Herbs: Lemongrass, mint, dandelion, ginger, catnip.

Incense/Essential Oils: Ginger, sage, strawberry, lemon and other citrus.

Other Magickal Earth Items: Seeds, potted plants and bulbs (especially daffodils, tulips, crocuses, and hyacinth), solar symbols, colored eggs, images of rabbits, bumblebees.

Ostara Rituals: How To Celebrate Ostara

Here are a few ways we celebrate Ostara:

Pagan Easter?

Growing up in a Christian household, Easter was celebrate this time of year – complete with colored eggs, egg hunts, and candy-filled Easter baskets.

These symbols (eggs, bunnies, and baskets full of abundance) are all pre-Christian symbols that are associated with rebirth, fertility, and the awakening of spring.

I often light-heartedly refer to Ostara as “pagan Easter”, as celebrating Ostara aligns more truly to the ancient meaning of this time of year – celebrating the return of the growing season.

Dyeing eggs, leaving offerings of carrots or other vegetable scraps to your neighborhood rabbits, and surprising both children and adults with a small basket full of treats (it doesn’t have be be candy!) are all ways to celebrate the season and incorporate familiar traditions that you might have grown up with.

Having a meal with family and friends that incorporate fresh leafy greens, eggs, and seed or sprouted grain bread are also ways to align with the awakening energy of the Ostara season.

Garden Planning & Seed Starting

Ostara is the time when I finally start seeds for my garden.

As an avid gardener, I go all out – setting up my grow lights, cleaning out my pop-up green houses, and planting trays of herbs, flowers, and vegetables.

Depending on where you live, you might have already started your seeds, or if you live further north of me, you may need to hold off another few weeks.

Either way, starting seeds indoors is a much-anticipated annual ritual that helps me cope with the last stretch of wintery weather, and with my own hands, help usher in spring and new life.

Home Purification & Smoke Cleansing

As the temperatures warm and the sun shines brighter and longer, we get the urge to open up the windows and doors and let the fresh breezes of spring flow through.

One of my favorite ways to usher in a new season is through smoke cleansing.

After you have done this, open up the doors and windows allow the fresh, spring air to energetically invigorate your space.

Create An Ostara Altar

In addition to green, white, and yellow candles, our Ostara altar also includes dyed eggs, spring flowers such as potted hyacynth, tulips, and daffodils, and some of our favorite green crystals (epidote, serpentine, rainforest rhyolite, jade, green kyanite).

If it resonates with you, incorporate images of rabbits, ducks, songbirds, or other animals that represent spring to you.

Cultivate Balance

The Equinoxes are a time to reflect on balance. With spring, the balance tips toward light, fertility, and growth.

Take some time during Ostara to journal and reflect on where you need to cultivate more balance in your life to facilitate growth and fertile ideas.

Phenology Of Ostara

Phenology is the study of cyclical patterns in the natural world around you, and plays a major role in my own nature-focused spiritual practice.

As I celebrate each holiday on the Wheel Of The Year, I take note of the changes in the environment around me, which helps connect me to the land I live in.

While Ostara marks the official beginning of spring, it can still feel and look like winter. Temperatures still drop below freezing. A major snowstorm is fairly routine this time of year. And I still must wait almost two more months (until mid-May) before I can safely plant anything in the ground due to frost danger.

However, the bitter cold of winter is behind us. The sun feels warmer. It rises earlier and sets later each day.

By the end of March, coltsfoot is blooming along the edge of the property. Daffodils, tulips, dandelions, and violets, as well as other spring ephemerals like bloodroot are not far behind.

The river ice has melted, opening up places for migrating ducks and geese rest, find food, and pair up for the spring.

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)- The first wildflower of spring in my yard typically blooms during the last week of March, even while the weather is still cold or snowy.

Date: February 2 (Traditional), February 3 (Astrological).

Although the days grow colder, and the winter winds grow sharper, the days gradually lengthen. The Wheel turns and we arrive at Imbolc.

Imbolc is a fire festival on the pagan Wheel of the Year that is traditionally celebrated on February 1 and 2 – the mid-point between Yule (Winter Solstice) and Ostara (Spring Equinox).

The Astrological date of Imbolc occurs when sun is at 15 degrees Aquarius.

What Imbolc Represents

Imbolc is typically associated with the return of spring.

At this time of year, the days grow perceptibly longer as the sun’s path arcs slightly higher in the sky from where it was at the Winter Solstice.

It’s a time of hope, anticipation, and looking forward to spring and summer – the seasons of growth.

If you’re located in a southern climate, spring IS right around the corner.

For Tracy and I, however, it will be winter for at least a couple more months here in upstate New York.

Imbolc is a time to prepare for growth. It’s a time to connect to the intentions we set at Yule, or the New Moon in Capricorn, and turn those intentions into action as we begin another cycle of expansion and growth.

Keywords: Hope, expectation, preparation, action, hustle, birthing.

Imbolc Correspondences

Moon Phase: Imbolc corresponds to the Waxing Crescent Moon, a time of hope, anticipation, and taking the first steps toward manifestation.

Colors: Light green (new growth), white (purity), as well as the “fire colors” of yellow, orange, and red.

Crystals/Stones: Clear quartz is my go-to stone at Imbolc.

I use the same quartz crystal that caught the first rays of light of the rising sun on the Winter Solstice, as it helps me maintain my clarity of intention as I begin the work of planning and manifestation at Imbolc.

Amethyst, garnet, ruby, and bloodstone are also good crystals to work with at Imbolc.

Herbs: Bay, basil, and rosemary are my favorite Imbolc herbs. You can also use lavender and chamomile at Imbolc.

Coltsfoot is traditionally associated with Imbolc, although where I live, it won’t bloom for at least another month.

Incense/Essential Oils: Cinnamon, frankincense, lavender, vanilla, myrrh, rosemary, and jasmine.

Other Magickal Earth Items: Brigid’s cross, white flowers, cauldron, potted bulbs, seeds.

Imbolc Rituals: How To Celebrate Imbolc

Imbolc is a low-key holiday for Tracy and I since we’re still in the midst of winter in upstate New York, and spring is still months away.

However, we notice that the days have grown slightly longer at this point.

It’s not unusual to get few days of unseasonably warm weather in February, and the stores have begun stocking up on garden supplies, seeds, and spring bulbs.

Here are a few ways we celebrate Imbolc:

Home Purification & Smoke Cleansing

Even though it still IS winter, and the urge to hibernate and slow down are strong, Imbolc gives us a nudge to re-activate our energetic flow.

One of my favorite ways to do this is through home purification and smoke cleansing.

Step 1: Clean and declutter your home (as much as you can).

Step 2: Light a smoke cleansing stick (aka “smudge stick”) made with sage and/or cedar and waft the smoke through your home. This helps to break up and move stagnant winter energy.

Light Candles

I light a LOT of candles over the dark winter months. Most evenings, I have at least one candle burning from dinnertime until I go to bed.

Light a red, orange or yellow candle to appreciate and give thanks for the returning sun, the lengthening days, and the coming spring.

Light a green candle if your intention for the coming growing season deals with abundance and prosperity, or something in your life that you wish to grow and expand.

Light a white candle to purify and cleanse your space.

Create An Imbolc Altar

In addition to white, green, and fire-colored candles, we decorate our Imbolc altar with evergreens, sun symbols, white flowers, and potted flower bulbs (hyacinth, amaryllis, etc…).

Set a geode half or a small cauldron on your altar and place a written intention or wish inside. This provides a symbolic place for your intention to incubate and be nurtured until it is fulfilled.

Brigid’s Cross

One of the most prominent symbols of Imbolc is the Brigid’s cross.

The Celtic goddess Brigid is associated with the spring season, fertility, healing, and poetry.

A Brigid’s cross is typically made with rushes, but you can make one with any materials you have on hand – even green construction paper.

Place the cross on your altar, or hang it over doorways and entry points to protect your home from negativity.

Turn Intentions Into Action Steps

Imbolc is a time to shift from intention to hustle. To avoid overwhelm or getting off track, spend some time breaking your big goal/intention into smaller steps.

Write down each milestone, or mini-goal, in your planner or calendar. Don’t forget to choose a way to reward yourself as you reach each milestone.

Phenology

Phenology is the study of cyclical patterns in the natural world around you, and plays a major role in my own nature-focused spiritual practice.

As I celebrate each holiday on the Wheel Of The Year, I take note of the changes in the environment around me, which helps connect me to the land I live in.

Even in my northern, Zone 5 garden, there are stirrings of life – little glimmers of what’s to come (still many weeks away). When I brush away the snow from around my perennials, there are green leaves poking out of the ground.

It’s not uncommon to see certain winter insects this time of year, like the Winter Dark Firefly, or winter stoneflies perched on sunny sides of trees.

Massive winter flocks of starlings and crows mingle along the river outside my window, and hawks are never far away – swooping in to catch a meal when they can.

While I begin to gather my seed starting supplies and browse seed catalogs, I still must wait to plant for another month-and-a-half.

Patience is also a theme that resonates with me at Imbolc.