A Kitchen Witch’s Imbolc: Candles and potato spells

Imbolc – The beginnings of Spring…apparently, although this can be difficult to connect with if you are still covered in snow.

When the earth begins to stir and life begins to awaken.  It is the time of year when livestock will start to give birth to the first young of the year.  It also marks the centre point of the dark half of the year.    The farmers start to plough their fields now in preparation for planting.

It is a time for purification, for renewal and new beginnings.  This festival is one dedicated to the Maiden aspect of the Goddess and it is often attributed to the Goddess Brighid (also called Bride or Brigit).

Symbols

Besoms, candle wheels, Brighid’s cross, acorn tipped wands (priapic wands), ploughs, lambs, white flowers wells and candles.

In the garden

Depending on the weather, which to be honest in the UK has been totally unpredictable recently! You may start to see crocus and snow drops appearing.

Herbs

Bay, iris, violets, rosemary, dill, basil, pine, cinnamon, rose, frankincense, myrrh and angelica.

Foods

All varieties of seeds, scones, all dairy products – milk, cheese, butter, onions, garlic, herbal teas.

Colours

White, yellow and pale green and pale pink.

Activities

Light lots of white candles to bring purification and renewal into your home.

Go for walks in your area to see if you can spot the first signs of Spring.

Meet with friends and ask them all to bring a candle, sit together and light the candles, reflecting on that which you wish to release and move on from and focus on what you wish to bring into your life.

Have a good ‘spring clean’ in your house, sweep through with a besom to clear away and stale or negative energies.

Cleanse and re-consecrate all your magical tools.

Incense

Bay, violet, myrrh, basil, chamomile, frankincense, dragon’s blood, cinnamon, sandalwood, dill seeds, orange peel, bergamot and rose petals.

Incense Recipe

Frankincense

Dragon’s blood

Sandalwood

Bergamot

Cinnamon

Oils

Benzoin, pine, cedar, orange, basil, frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, jasmine

Oil Recipe

Chamomile

Rosemary

Basil

Spell workings

Growth, renewal, re-birth, fertility, purification.  Releasing the old to make way for the new.

New Self Potato Spell

If there is an aspect of your personality that you would like to let go of then this spell is perfect.

What you need:

A potato

A knife

A slip of paper and a pen

Write what it is you want to let go of, the aspect that you wish to release onto the slip of paper.

Cut a slit into the potato large enough for you to be able to place the slip of paper into (you can fold it up).

Visualise that aspect being released and put the slip of paper into the potato.

Then take the potato and bury it into your garden.   This takes the aspect you want to be released from and consigns it to Mother Earth.