Imbolc - A Time To Divine

[Flar's Freyja]

Nice article on why this Sabbat is a good time for reflection and divination:

Imbolc Gives Us Visions
editorial
by Melanie Fire Salamander

Imbolc is a time for contemplation. There's a pause. Winter still encloses us, cold rain still comes down, but seeds stir underground. Some are brave enough to sprout. You may not be ready to move into spring; the season's grey can overwhelm you. Next page, I provide a ritual on inspiration to help shake off seasonal blues. But on still afternoons, between spates of falling ice-water, even the seasonally glum find hope in the coming spring.

Many traditions associate Imbolc with cleansing and purification. The ancient Romans did, celebrating it with a group of festivals that included Lupercalia, when Luperci wolf-priests ran through the streets brandishing wolf-skin whips. Women who wanted children stepped up to receive lashes. Lupercalia may have been an ancestor of Valentine's Day -- certainly it would be pagan to celebrate the day Luperci-fashion.

Wolf-skin whips are only one vision of Imbolc. The contemplativeness of this time, after the solstice but before hectic spring and summer, lends itself to meditation and to divination. Three different articles on meditation grace our pages this issue. Not only does Dianus remind us of meditation's benefits and give a refresher course on the basics, Lisa tells of the trials of a suburban mom trying to retreat for a few moments' peace. And Erika takes on the subject of Kundalini meditation, providing a safe place to start working with this rewarding but intense energy. If you're fighting insomnia or other emanations of misplaced life-force, you might read her article to learn to turn Kundalini off.

Divination, too, belongs to Imbolc -- a province of the goddess Brighid, or Brid, or Bride (known by another dozen spellings as well), a Celtic deity whose holiday traditionally falls at this time. In her honor, we present an early-spring bouquet of Tarot card reviews by Dawn and Sylvana, focusing on unusual and magical decks. Sylvana also gives us another review, on the Issaquah production of Bell, Book and Candle. Genevieve talks about Imbolc music, and Thea talks about the Imbolc stars.

Catherine rounds out this issue with an article on simple vegetable dishes appropriate for the New Moon. Imbolc is a time like the New Moon, or more properly like the new crescent, Diana's Bow; it honors the newly waxing sun. Pale, watery dawns grow brighter and earlier; sunlight strengthens. May the waxing dreams of Imbolc come to fruition happily, for you and for the world.


http://www.widdershins.org/vol7iss7/02.htm

[Flar's Freyja]

There isn't much info on divination appropriate for Imbolc. Here's a small paragraph from one site:

Though Druidic seasonal divination is usually performed on the solstices and equinoxes, Imbolc is also seen to be a holiday conducive to divination energy, especially for looking ahead to the coming Spring. The lighting of fires is important, whether it be candles, hearth fires, cooking fires, or campfires, as it is believed that the more fires that are lit and the more energy put into looking forward to Spring, the faster Spring will arrive.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3591/upcoming.html

[Mnemosyne]

Interesting note on Druidic seasonal divination. Remember that many people use this time to see what the upcoming weather will be like. Many people call Imbolc "Groundhog's Day" and use the little groundhog to help predict the weather based on if it sees its own shadow. Here's a fun article on the connection between Groundhog's Day and Imbolc by Peg Aloi.A Day to Divine the Weather

"From the time we are schoolchildren in this country, we are taught the folklore of Groundhog Day, one of the last surviving vestiges of weather divination from old European customs. If, on February 2nd, the groundhog (most notably "Punxsutawney Phil" in the small Pennsylvania town that bears his name) sees his shadow, we may expect six more weeks of winter. If he does not, good weather will arrive sooner. It is largely a meaningless holiday, since whether it is sunny or cloudy on this day has not been shown to have much effect on how soon spring arrives. But the history of Groundhog Day is far more complex than what it has become: a staged event in which poor Phil is observed in the glare of television cameras so our local meteorologists have a cute sound byte and a brief close-up of his blinking, bewildered groundhog face, a yearly ritual that appears on the morning news. The origin of Groundhog Day is derived from earlier celebrations held on the cross-quarter day of February 2, dates variously known as Brigid's Night in Ireland (festival of the Celtic goddess of poetry, birth, weddings, smithcraft, and healing), Oimelc/Imbolc/Imbolg in Scotland, and Candlemas in England. The cross-quarter days (Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasa) were always associated in ancient times with divination--the veil between the worlds is believed to be its thinnest, and the balance of energies between solstice and equinox was thought to be very significant. "

http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/imbolc/imbolchistory.html

[Flar's Freyja]

Bump

[Flar's Freyja]

We did something awesome at a public ritual I attended tonight. There was a large pot full of dirt on the altar and we each had to search through the dirt to find something - whatever we found was to be an omen to help us divine what is to come.

I drew a small ceramic tiger - to me that speaks strength, protection, composure, stealth..........and I'll be looking further into this totem.

Some of the other things people drew were keys, spoons, pens, shells, a miniature chalice and other animals.

[Mnemosyne]

Wow! I really like that idea, Mrs. Flar. :D

The ritual sounds kind of general. So I'm wondering can you do it any time of the year, or do is this activitity mainly meant for Imbolc?

[was]

thank you i did not know that

[Autumn Clair]

Thanks for the information Freya ............Question why where those things chosen to be put in the pot of dirt was there reasons behide it???????????

[Avalon]

:bumpsmili
I'd like to know more about this, too. Can you put any objects in? I would like to use this in my Ostara ritual, due to its obvious connection with seeds and planting, and I'm imagining it with stones...or even pictures of flowers (for Victorian flower divination)...