Beltane Bash!

I'm sorry it has taken me this long to post again.  I have been doing a lot of research on Beltane and how it relates to the hearth and home.  I was also planning to host a very dear friend of mine for the holiday.  Back in late February/early March, my friend (whom I will call) WM suggested that our covens get together for Beltane this year.  Since I hadn't seen her since Yule, I jumped on the idea.  She piled her coven into two cars, and they drove down from South Central Pennsylvania to visit me.  Some people are so wonderful that you want them in your life on a daily basis and waiting even a month to see them feels like years.  WM is just one of those people!

Any way, we put together a really amazing ritual for Beltane, and our covens celebrated as one group.  It was truly powerful.  I won't bore you with the details of the weekend, but here are the fruits of my Beltane research:


BELTANE BY THE HEARTH

As a hearth witch, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the most obvious connection between hearthcraft and Beltane: Spring Cleaning.

In the past, when people kept their homes shut up tight against the cold winter weather, heated them with coal and oil, and lit them with candles, the coming of spring offered them a chance to freshen up their surroundings.  The windows could be thrown open, letting a fresh breeze blow through the rooms, removing the stale air of winter.  All of the furnishings and household possessions could be removed to the yard, and the house could be thoroughly cleaned while the possessions aired out in the warm breezes and sunlight.  Today, we do not suffer as much in the winter months.  While many people still heat their houses with oil, it is contained away from the living environment.  If we burn candles any more, it is mostly for aesthetic or ritual purposes.  Electricity and other modern conveniences might tempt you to think that spring cleaning, like coal fires and candle light are a thing of the past, but I would urge you to reconsider.

Our houses are even more air tight today than they were in the past.  They are filled with chemicals that our ancestors never knew, and our hectic lifestyles have the potential to prevent us from doing routine maintenance, which means that clutter and junk have a tendency to pile up.  While it is not the necessity that it once was, spring cleaning is still a very good idea.


Beltane & the Fairies

Beltane is next only to Midsummer in fairy lore.  Much of the literature regarding Beltane and fairies talks about protecting yourself from the fairies.  Don't let the Queen of the Fairies ride by on her white horse and see your face on Beltane Eve, or she will steal you away to Fairyland to live with her.  Daisy Chains, which are a traditional form of jewelry for Beltane celebrations, were originally placed around the necks of children protection from fairies.  There is an old custom that talks about feeding livestock dill weed to secure them against fairies.  It was customary to toss a hot coal into the butter churn to prevent marauding fairies from spoiling your butter.  There was even a taboo placed on asking to take a piece of the balefire home with you from a ritual.  In Ireland and Scottland, there was a strong belief that fairies could not start their own fires and that they needed human help for this purpose.  The Celts believed that fairies would attend the Beltane celebrations in human disguise, looking to take a piece of the fire home with them.  However, the fire, when freely given, would give the fairies a certain amount of power over the giver.  So, even though it was customary to take a portion of the balefire home with you from the celebrations, it was inappropriate to ask to do so.  Another protection against fairies is the ringing of bells.  According to the traditional sources, fairies dislike the sound of the ringing bells, and they will avoid them as much as possible.

Personally, my Beltane celebrations invited the fairies to party with us, and we didn't suffer any as a result.  Truth be told, I have no interest in keeping the fairies away.  In fact, I personally believe that the witch and the fairies are wonderful allies as long as some healthy boundaries are put in place.  Most importantly: build the relationship with respect.  Give it and expect it.  Be open to different customs and different manners.  The fairies have their own set of rules to live by.  Do not expect them to adopt modern day values and inhibitions simply because everyone else you deal with seems to have same value system.  If you treat your fairy encounters with basic courtesy (like you would with a stranger from another country here on the material plane), half the battle is already won.  Do not assume that all fairies are alike.  They may all share some basic similarities, but they have distinct personalities; they have preferences, and they have individual habits that are worth getting to know.  With that, I will leave you to explore your own relationship with them.  Trust your intuition.  It will lead you in the right direction.


Beltane in History

Traditionally, we tend to think of Beltane as a fertility sabbat, where we celebrate life and love, but some scholars believe the holiday takes its name from the Irish god of death, Beltene.  Some people claim that this festival is named for Beli, the sacred tree in the Celtic mythology.  Still others believe it is named for the Celtic fire god, Belanus.  One of the most popular beliefs among the Neo-Pagan community is that Beltane gets its name from the "balefire," which is often lit during this sabbat.  Even today, balefires are lit all over Celtic countries, just as they were throughout history.  In ancient times, it was illegal to light a balefire until the High King of Ireland had lit the one positioned on top of Tara.  Regardless of where this sabbat gets its name, it is filled with power and bliss.

For our ancestors (who lived much closer to the land than we do), Beltane was deeply tied to agriculture.  It was a time to finish up the spring planting.  In order to ensure healthy and productive crops, fertility spells were cast in an attempt to combat the worst of Mother Nature.  Besoms (or brooms) were ridden over fields and pastures by women in a symbolic act of fertility.  If the women were menstruating, so much the better.  They might have taken a pregnant cow out into the field to birth her calf, imparting the successful fertility energies onto the field.  Ashes from the Beltane fire were scattered over the fields to bless and protect them.

Today, we take it for granted that the spring returns.  At most, we itch to get out of the classroom or office sooner.  We get antsy to leave responsibilites for the joy of enjoying our free time in our own ways.  However, to our ancestors, this was a significant shift, something to be honored and celebrated.  Modern convinences, such as electricity and refrigeration, remove us from the natural cycles so thoroughly that it is hard for us to fathom what they must have gone through.  Their food stores were running low.  What they did have to eat was probably the same exact thing they had been eating every other day that winter.  Even today people suffer from Seasonal Affected Disorder (or S.A.D.) during the winter months in harsher climates.  Imagine what our ancestors went through.  Their night started around 4:30 in the afternoon.  Perhaps they lit candles (if they could afford them) for a few hours, but they were in bed much earlier than we are today for the simple fact that there was nothing else to do.  Without light, you couldn't read, work on your sewing, or do much of anything else.  The coming of spring and the extending of day-light hours was just a pleasant shift from the way things had been all winter long.  It was genuinely a re-birth.  They stayed up later.  They were truly more productive.   They could get outside their houses and visit.  They had time to relax and be social with the rest of the community.




Modern Beltane in the Pagan Community

Next to Samhain, Beltane is the most important sabbat on the Wheel of the Year.  Together, they mark the beginning and end of the two recognized seasons.

For us, today, the agricultural associations are largely symbolic, having more to do with productivity, sowing the right opportunities so that we can reap the rewards later, and focusing in on relaxing a bit from our hectic, modern lives.  Our lives and our activities are not dictated to us by the elements as much as they once were.  Regardless of what time the sun sets and darkness blankets the land, most of us have a standardized bedtime.  We go to bed when the clock strikes a certain hour, not when the natural cycle tells us to rest.  Regardless of the amount of natural light, we continue to do our work well into the night, sometimes we even extend our productivity into the wee hours of the morning.  After all, we can produce exactly the amount of light we need through artificial means.  Regardless of the season we are currently experiencing, we do not have to do without.  We import exotic foods from all over the globe to fill our cabinets and refrigerators.  We can get strawberries in February or lettuce in August.

However, we still have need of the energies associated with Beltane.  Our career-focused mindsets and our overcrowded schedules remind us constantly that we are never as productive as we want to be.  There is always more paper work.  Taxes need to be filed.  The boss needs that report yesterday.  Your kids need you to pick them up at practice.  Well, you get the idea.

While you certainly won't be able to produce a 25th hour in your day or an 8th day to your week, you can take some of the pressure off of yourself by attuning to the energies of this sabbat.  Modern Pagans take time out to slow down, smell the flowers, enjoy the sense of community and joy that come with this holiday.  We understand that if you let go of your cares for just a little while, when you return to your work refreshed, you are more productive, more creative, and more resilient.



The Maypole!

It is impossible to think of Beltane without also thinking of the Maypole.  Traditionally, the Maypole was a fir tree that had been stripped of all of its branches (or all but the uppermost branches).  Often it was the trunk of the Yule Tree that was saved and used as the Maypole.  However, in modern times, the Maypole can be nearly any type of wood.  Some traditions use oak, others pine.  In a pinch, you can make due with whatever is available.  Some people have even used a flag pole for their Maypole.  The size of the Maypole can also vary.  It can be a few feet tall or as tall as you desire.

Regardless of the size or the make-up of the Maypole, it always packs a whallop.  Perhaps this is because the Maypole represents the divine union of the God and Goddess.  The pole, itself, represents the Male principle, and the wreath that sits atop symbolizes the Female principle.  The ribbons represent the sexual union of both together.

Traditionally, the May dance is done by 4 couples with the women holding white ribbons and the men holding red ribbons hopping, skipping, running around the pole weaving their ribbons in and out of each other.  The joy builds as the couples laugh and interact with each other figuring out who is supposed to go over and who goes under at each turn.  Regardless of how well you have it planned out, someone always manages to throw the order off, yet it always seems to work out for the best, making the finished ribbon-wrapped pole look vibrant and full of power.

Another way to look at the Vernal Equinox

It is said that the equinoxes are times of the year where the energies are so balanced that you could stand a broom upright on its bristles with no support.  (This same experiment has also been accomplished with an egg.)  Since we are coming into the vernal equinox, I thought it might be a good idea to post a little bit about the mythology and customs associated with this time of year.

Before I begin, I would like to tell you what you won't find in this post.  You won't find any information on Ostara or the Eostre Hare.  Personally, that stuff is a little too saccharine for my taste, and I believe that there is an abundance of information on it out there on the web.  If you are looking for information on the bunny, the Goddess Eostre, or egg dying, you will certainly find it.  You just won't find it here.

I am more interested in the natural elements of this time of year.  Day and night are balanced.  The winter is giving way to spring.  For some of us, that is a more dramatic transition.  Winter has been relatively mild in North Carolina this year, but for people further North, they got a lot of snow and cold weather.  Despite the promise of warmth and renewal that waits on the horizon, we are not yet actually out of winter.  There are still cold nights ahead.  We might even get more snow (even here in the Tar Heel State), but we can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In Celtic countries, the Cailleach Bheur is still wandering the land, tapping her staff along the ground, but her influence is waning.  The Cailleach is an aspect of the Crone Goddess.  She rules over darkness and winter and the cold winds that accompany it.  At Beltane, she will turn to stone and toss her staff under the root of a holly tree until it is time to return at Samhain.  This time of the year, when day and night (light and darkness) are balanced, is excellent for working with the Crone energies.  The world is slowly waking from its hibernation.  As the Cailleach moves towards her well-deserved rest in her stone tomb, ask her to take any problems or concerns you have along with her.  Ask her help in freezing those issues in stone and removing them from your life so that you can focus on your own re-awakening, your own rebirth during this productive time of new life.

This is also an excellent time of year to connect with the fairies.  Ted Andrews says "The gnomes are needed to build plants, flowers, and trees."  While it is certainly true that the gnomes, like the other elementals, are active all year long, their handiwork is most noticeable between spring and autumn.  This is the perfect time of year to begin cultivating a relationship with them.

As a hedge witch who is interested in hearth and home, contacting the fairies is an excellent idea.  While home is a place to relax, it takes a lot of energy to maintain a healthy, happy home.  The fairies can help lighten your load.  If you wish to connect with the gnome energies, work on being more spontaneously helpful and humble.  They will perceive your efforts as an invitation into your life, and you will see amazing results.  The undines, which are often thought of as mermaids or mermen, help us get in touch with our feelings and deeper emotions.  They also stimulate our nurturing abilities (a wonderful addition to the hearth and home toolbox), and they open us up to find healing compassion and intuition.  However, if you are going to work with the undines on a more conscious level, you must be prepared to adopt an attitude of gentle firmness or you may become more wishy-washy than you'd like.  Consistency is important when working with the sylphs.  Have you ever found a person who had his or her head up in the clouds?  This person has a strong connection to the sylphs and neglects to employ consistency in his or her dealings with them.  The sylphs are wonderful spirits of the air.  They can help inspire you and expand your wisdom.  They are wonderful to work with for protecting the home, because their energy is so strong that they can confuse possible intruders.  Every hearth witch should cultivate a relationship with them.  Just remember that, when dealing with the sylphs, routine is not always a bad thing.  The salamanders are spirits of fire.  Any where that there is heat, they can be found, so it is not difficult to see their connection to hearthcraft.  A good connection with the salamanders will stimulate vitality and loyalty.  They are also excellent companions for anyone who composes music or works with words, because they ignite our creativity and our passions.  In order to work with the salamanders effectively, you must be willing to remain receptive and still.  Be careful not to over-indulge in this relationship, though.  Too strong a connection to these group of spirits can bring about a lack of self-control and over-sensitivity.  (The sensitive artist comes to mind here.)

Aside from the elementals, there are fairies who share our homes.  They are referred to as "house fairies," and they can be excellent companions for any witch who is willing to provide a suitable home.

In Scotland, they have the brownies.  The house brownie is one of the kindest and most beneficial fairies a witch can connect with.  Edain McCoy says that he "looks for a deserving human to aid, one who is humble and gracious and is good to nature and other people.  And he hunts for a warm house, one which he feels he can be comfortable--that means one with no cats!"  The brownie always seems to appear as a small male fairy, and cats tend to mistake them for mice.  They tend to like the attic, the cellar, or the woodshed--out of the way places where they can stay warm and remain undisturbed.  They are most active at night, and will finish household tasks, protect your home, family, and pets.  They will also lend their energy to prosperity spells.

The bean-tighe (pronounced ban-tee), unlike the banshee, is a delight to have around the house.  She is also known as "Our Housekeeper."  They tend to look like small elderly women in old fashioned peasant clothing, with kindly dimpled faces.  However, no one has ever set a full description of this spirit down in writing.  If you are fortunate enough to have a bean-tighe inhabit your house with you, you will most likely find her watching over your children, hearth, or pets.  She will also finish up any household chores left undone by the tired mother.  Show your appreciation by leaving her fresh strawberries and cream by the fireplace.  While she will protect the house just like the brownie, she differs from the brownie in that she will lend her energies to any fertility spells you wish to cast.

The domovoi is a Russian fairy who is very similar to the brownie.  They live in human homes, which they protect with a fierce loyalty.  Though they can be a bit crotchety, their bark is worse than their bite.  They are known for doing favors for their adopted families.  However, what your personal domovoi views to be a favor to you (stealing needed supplies from the neighbors, raising a ruckus to let the family know of approaching trouble, sobbing and wailing when death is coming to his home) may not always be appreciated by the family members.  If you are considering inviting a domovoi into your home, you must pay special attention to his jealous nature (especially where poultry meats are concerned).  He will protest loudly if you give a guest or another fairy a larger portion of meat than him.  His temper tantrums have been known to shake the very foundations of houses, but if you are willing to give him "his fair share" and you are willing to honor him with libations of grain at every sabbat, the relationship will be well-worth cultivating.

As I have said before, this time of year is perfectly balanced.  I explained how you might connect with the Crone Goddess energies to remove unwanted influences from your life so that you could focus on your own continued growth, but if we are going to take full advantage of the balance inherent in this time of year, you will also need to work with the lighter energies as well.

While Epona is best known for her association with horses, she has a dual expression of her worship.  She is also a goddess of Spring, healing, maternity, and prosperity.  One of her symbols is the cornucopia (the horn of plenty), a symbol of fertility and plenty, so she is a wonderful goddess to worship at this time of the year.

In her guise as a goddess of fertility, Epona was recognized as "the bringer of dreams."  This applies to dreams in both the literal and figurative sense.  She often appeared to her devotees in their dreams.  It is suggested that our word "nightmare" comes from Epona's Irish name (Mare).  She was recognized for bringing both good and bad dreams.  However, she is also the goddess to aid you in achieving your ambitions (wildest dreams).  She was the goddess who was married off to the king of the land, granting him the soverignty to lead his people.  If she could raise ancient kings to the height of their societies, she can do the same for us in our modern-day lives.

Appeal to Epona for protection and healing (especially for animals).  She is able to help you become fertile in mind, body, and spirit.  If you wish to enhance or simply remember your dreams, she is the perfect goddess to reach out to.  She can banish nightmares in children.  Her energies will aid you in your pathworking and in enhancing your abilities with divination.  She can help women who wish to be leaders in their communities, but she can also help women to accept, love, and become whole within themselves.  Any of these associations would be excellent places to work with her this Vernal Equinox.

My coven will be inviting Epona to work with us during the light half of our ritual this upcoming sabbat.  I have currently planted an herb garden in pots, which sit on my porch, and I am waiting until this weekend (when my coven will get together)  to bless and empower the earth and the plants for fertility in mind and spirit.

Though I am not the kitchen witch of my coven, I am learning to cook (and to enjoy it).  As every good chef I've talked to has told me, your cooking will improve with fresh, home-grown herbs.  I decided that I would take them up on the challenge and expand my hearthcraft specialization into the kitchen and the garden.

Valentine's Day . . . steeling more than just hearts?

As I progress with my studies in hearth and home magicks, I am struck by how perfectly Valentine's Day fits in with hearthcraft.  After all, if people weren't falling in love, we would not have future families to take care of and nurture.  There would be no reason to keep the home fires burning.  There would be no reason for celebrations of unity and community.  If you think about it that way, Valentine's Day can be seen as essential to the practice of hearth and home spirituality.

Unfortunately, Valentine's Day has become something of a benchmark or a sign of status rather than a sacred time for honoring ourselves and those we love--or want to love.  It has become something we allow to make us feel awful when we don't have a romantic partner to express love with us.  We're not good enough because we're alone on this very special day.  The truth is, that's hogwash.  Being alone on Valentine's Day could be seen as a great opportunity for some new magick to come into your life.  Single people avoid Valentine's Day like the plague.  They may stay in their houses and shut out the rest of the world, eating pints of ice cream and devouring chocolate while watching sappy love movies that remind them of what they feel they do not have.  (Cliche?  Sure, but there's a reason it's cliche, right?!)  Instead (at least in my opinion), they should get out and see what the holiday has to offer them.  Do something to draw love into your life.  Take a bath with love enhancing herbs.  Drink a special drink charged with loving energies to make you more lovable.  Take advantage of the holiday in some way that will bring new love into your life.  Love energies are high right now.  As Imbolc taught us, the light is coming back and, with it, animal urges are on the rise.  Single people could use that energy to their benefit.  Don't pine away and wallow in self-pity.  Work a powerful spell to bring you what you really want: a life filled with love.

The spirit of the holiday is so much more than the greeting cards, selling chocolates, and keeping up appearances that it has become today.  Before the Christians assimilated the holiday into their calendar, it was a Pagan holiday.  In fact, the Christians only chose to adopt the holiday because they were having such a difficult time getting their Pagan neighbors to willingly convert without it.  The original Christian religion was very stark.  There was no Christmas, no Easter.  The church expected devoted followers to pray and toil, toil and pray, and, oh yes, most importantly, give up every form of "earthly pleasure" that existed for the possibility of a "better" afterlife IF THEY WERE "GOOD!"  Very few people were willing to sign on for that stark asceticism, so the Church wisely choose to Christianize the holidays and allow people to continue with their already established traditions in a more "appropriate" way.

The original celebration was called The Lupercalia in Rome.  (While it was not only celebrated in Rome, it is most famously remembered as a Roman celebration.)  It was a festival of fertility meant to honor the She-Wolf who nursed Romulus (the founder of Rome) and his brother Remus.  The Lupercalia began with the slaughtering of a goat and a dog in the sacred grotto of the She-Wolf.  After this was accomplished, the young men would run through the streets whipping women and crops with the flayed hide of the goat to promote fertility.  Our modern Valentine's Day celebration takes place on the night before the original celebrations occurred.

In ancient Rome, February 14th was set aside to honor Juno (Queen of the Gods and patroness of Marriage).  The 14th was also set aside as The Love Lottery.  The Love Lottery was simple.  All the young eligible girls would write their names on a slip of paper and throw it into a jar to be picked by an eligible boy.  Chooser and chosen would then be paired for the duration of the festival.  It was completely arbitrary, but the thing is that these arbitrary pairings often turned into lasting relationships that extended beyond the festivities.  Of course we could bring this custom back at a Valentine's Day party, but if you are the type of person to avoid those gatherings or you find them trite, this won't be of much help to you.  However, the idea of learning to something that is completely random isn't a bad one.  If you would rather stay at home and lick your wounds this Valentine's Day, you could always follow the spirit of The Love Lottery if not the letter of it.

Find a jar that screams love to you.  Maybe you decorate it with paper hearts and pictures of things you love.  Maybe some of those pictures are of people you are attracted to.  Maybe others depict things you want to do with your life.  Whatever you do, you should be proud of the jar.  Then take at least 5 strips of paper and write things you desire on them.  A vacation that you've always wanted to take.  A gift you've wanted for the longest time but have refused to buy for yourself.  A new hobby.  Things like that.  Focus on things that would enrich your sense of self.  Now, shake the jar around like crazy.  Get all your frustration out mixing those pieces of paper around in the jar.  Let go of your anger, your fear, your sorrow.  When you feel calm and steady, put the jar back down and pick out the first strip of paper you are drawn to.  Focus your energies on that thing instead of your hurt feelings.  Begin there and continue to build love for yourself.

Many people today seem averse to Valentine's Day because they feel that it is too wimpy or pulls too heavily on the heartstrings in an inauthentic way.  If the Christianized meaning of the holiday leaves you feeling a little flat, consider using some elements of The Lupercalia.  (Please don't sacrifice a goat or dog though.)

Hearthcraft Blessing

My coven celebrate Imbolc tonight.  One of my students designed and lead the ritual.  It was a truly moving experience.  I'm still on a ritual high.  In honor of Imbolc, I thought I would share the blessing that I wrote back in December for my hearth and home magick study.  I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you have a truly amazing Imbolc.  Blessed be.

Hearthcraft Blessing

On the fire and on the floor,

Hearthcraft power, rage from smoor.

Stoke the coals, raise flame from cinder,

Gone from here are the things that hinder.

Fortunes told through herbal tea,

Reveal the future now to me.

Mortar and pestle, besom and broom,

Help me now to cleanse this room.

Stove and kettle, scissors and knife,

These are the tools of a cottage witch life.

Powers of the hearth and home,

Comfort guests who stay or roam.

Hearthstone square and cauldron round,

Help me merge with this sacred ground.

Throw the herb on the household fire

To bring about my true desire.

With this knowledge, my way's revealed.

All my pains have been well-healed.

By the flame that burns in me,

This is my will, so mote it be.

A Hearthcraft Guide to Imbolc

Imbolc is the quintessential hearth and home holiday.  The goddess most closely connected with this time of year is Brigid--the goddess of crafts (including smithcrafts), poetry, hearth, home, and healing.  It is a time for strengthening family ties.  In the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, the Goddess nurtures the Sun King as he grows strong.  It is a time for cleaning both house and soul.  Ultimately, Imbolc is a time of possibilities.  Anything can happen with the coming of spring . . . or at least it feels that way.  This is the time to think about those rapidly approaching possibilities in our lives and to prepare ourselves.  Think about "planting" in all its forms--perhaps you are starting a new relationship, a new job, a new phase in your own life.  Now is the time to plant the seeds for success to come out of those new beginnings.  Whatever adventure you are embarking upon at this moment, this is the perfect time to begin it.

The History & Myths

Brigid did not suffer the same fate as other Pagan deities at the hands of the Catholic Church.  Though they tried to entice, threaten, and force her followers to abandon their worship of her, they ultimately had to canonize her and include her celebrations as Christian holidays.  (Imbolc in the Catholic faith is called Candlemas.)

That she was loved vehemently by her followers is readily apparent if you simply take a look at all the ways they appealed to her for assistance in their lives.  As I mentioned above, she is the Goddess of all crafts, poetry, hearth, home, and healing.  She is also the goddess of augury, which is divination through auspices and omens.  She is also a triple goddess ruling over all stages of a woman's life (the maiden in her youth, the mother in her prime, and the crone in her wisdom).  She has dominion over two elements.  She is a water goddess and a fire goddess.  She is a goddess of protection.

Blacksmithing has been called "the King of Crafts," and, while Brigid claims blacksmithing under her authority, she is not a blacksmith, herself.  That role is filled by Goibnu and Govannon in the Celtic cosmology.  She is, however, the source of inspiration that fuels the blacksmith's creativity and artistry, which brings us to another of her many talents: Brigid is a muse extraordinaire.  She grants creativity and inspiration in all the arts.

As you would expect from a muse, Brigid was known as "the fire in the head" of many storytellers, writers, poets, singers, composers, musicians, historians, and genealogists.  She has been known to grant great skill with an artistic ability to complete novices.  She was said to have done this with the sons of the Chieftain of County Limerick, who became great composers, bards, and harpists to many kings of Ireland.  If you desire to develop your own artistic abilities, there is no one better to connect with than Brigid.  Now is a perfect time to make that connection.

Her role as a goddess of hearth and home and her role as a goddess of protection seem to merge in many of her myths.  Her role as Goddess of the hearth extends back to her role as patroness of blacksmiths.  They saw her as the very forge and as inspiration, itself.  In fact, Brigid was seen most often connected with the actual fire.  She was seen as a fierce protector of women, children, and animals--all elements of "home."    

While the Goddess's role in this sabbat is undeniable, many Pagans forget about the God during this time of year.  As the Wheel of the Year turns, we follow the God's growth, and, in doing so, we learn more about our own nature.  He was (re)born at Yule.  He grows stronger at Imbolc as he ventures into adolescence.  This is the time when the God will be initiated, and, as such, it is also an excellent chance for Pagans to affirm their commitment to their chosen path through initiations into a tradition or self-dedications to the God and Goddess.  The God will meet the Goddess as an equal during Ostara, and they will unite in sexual union for the first time at Beltane.  Their courtship follows the natural cycles that rule over our own lives as well.  As winter fades away to spring, our own metabolisms kick into high gear.  We become more active, and so does the natural world around us.  There is beauty in the male mysteries associated with this holiday.  They are the promise of youth and the joys of wild abandon.  As modern day Pagans who are attempting to reconnect with ourselves and our communities, there are valuable lessons to be learned from the gifts the God brings to us during this sabbat.

Regardless of whether you focus on the gifts brought to us by the Goddess or the God at this time of year (or both), you will deal with issues of authenticity, of possibility, and of family and community.  What better way to strengthen family ties than through cooking?  Traditional Imbolc meals consisted of foods that honored hearth and home: breads, grains, and vegetables stored for winter, such as potatoes and onions.  Dairy is also traditionally associated with Imbolc, because this was the time of year when cows and ewes began lactating to feed their young.

Since my main focus as a Witch is hearth and home magicks, I am always tickled pink to talk about cooking foods and giving the family a reason to gather around the table.  Try some of these recipes at your next Imbolc celebration (or any ol' Tuesday, just because you feel like it).  I'm sure you'll enjoy them . . . and your guests will too.

Granny's Irish Scones
For cakes and ale, try serving scones this year.  The guests at your ritual will be glad you did.

I think the Irish Goddess would approve.  Don't you?

16 oz. self-rising flour
4 oz. Margarine
3 oz. Sugar
milk

2 eggs

5 oz. raisins or currants
1 tsp. baking powder

Mix flour and margarine together with your fingers until the mixture is fine; add sugar, raisins and baking powder.  Beat eggs and add.  Pour in enough milk to make mixture into a sticky dough (not too wet).  Lift out onto a floured board and flatten out to 1 1/2″ thickness and cut out scones with a biscuit cutter.  Place 6 on a greased baking sheet and brush tops wit ha little beaten egg (this helps them to brown).  Bake 15 minutes in a preheated 400° oven.

French Toast à l’Orange

If you have company staying over the night before the sabbat, as many of us do, you can always make them french toast in the morning.  Here is a wonderful version that will be good for your waistline as well as your soul.

• 1 medium naval orange
• 1/2 cup calorie-free pancake syrup
• 1 cup liquid egg substitute
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated skim milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 pieces of thin-sliced whole-grain bread
• Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray

This delicacy only has 3.5 grams of fat and 301 calories per serving.  Using a rasp or grater, remove 1 teaspoon of the zest from the orange and set aside for the bread.  Cut off the top and bottom of the orange.  Position the orange so that the flat bottom end is resting on the cutting board.  Using a sharp knife, cut the skin and the white pith off in a downward curving motion.  Continue cutting around the orange so that it is no longer surrounded by the skin and pith.  Cut the orange crosswise into 1/4-inch slices, and then cut the slices into quarters.  Transfer the orange quarters to a small saucepan over low heat.  Add the pancake syrup, and stir to combine.  Simmer for 5 minutes, and then turn off the heat and set aside.  In a large, shallow pan, add the egg substitute, the evaporated milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest.  Stir with a whisk or a fork until well-combined.  Dip the bread slices into the egg mixture. Turn to coat both sides.  Heat a griddle or a large non-stick sauté pan over medium heat.  (I use a regular pan.)  When hot, remove it from the stove just while you coat it with cooking spray.  Add the bread slices and cook, about 2 minutes each side.  Repeat with all slices.  Serve with orange syrup.

You can thank Rocco DiSpirito for introducing me to this recipe.  It can be found in his book "Now Eat This! Diet."

Rosemary Bread

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 egg, beaten (optional)

Directions

1. Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a medium bowl, and mix in the yeast. When yeast is bubbly, mix in salt, butter, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Mix in 2 cups flour. Gradually add remaining flour to form a workable dough, and knead 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl, cover, and allow to rise 1 hour in a warm location.
3. Punch down dough, and divide in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease paper. Shape dough into 2 round loaves, and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Cover, and allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
5. Brush loaves with egg. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 3 bacon strips, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Minced fresh parsley

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

Baked Stuffed Onion

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 6 large Spanish onions, peeled
• 1/2 pound spicy ground pork sausage
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a shallow baking dish.
2. In a saucepan bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Slice tops off of onions. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add onions and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and remove centers of onions, leaving shell intact. Chop centers and reserve 1/2 cup of the chopped flesh.
4. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving drippings, crumble and set aside.
5. In the reserved drippings saute green pepper and reserved 1/2 cup chopped onion until tender. Combine with sausage, egg, cooked rice, bread crumbs, oregano and parsley. Spoon mixture into onion shells and place in prepared dish.
6. Combine melted butter and paprika; brush or spoon over onions.
7. Bake in preheated oven, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Cinnamon-Streusel Coffee Cake
Ladies and gentlemen, you have Martha Stewart to thank for this last recipe.  What better way to finish off an Imbolc feast than with a cup of coffee and, you guessed it, another bread product?!

Ingredients

• For the streusel topping and center:
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Coarse salt
• 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans
• For the cake:
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Coarse salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• For the glaze:
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions

1. Make the streusel topping: Mix together flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small to medium clumps form. Mix in 1/2 cup pecans. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Make the streusel center: Mix together remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 cup pecans.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: Butter a 9-inch tube pan with a removable bottom. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl.
4. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Continue to beat until well combined.
5. Spoon half the batter into pan. Sprinkle streusel center mixture evenly over batter. Top with remaining batter, and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Sprinkle streusel topping mixture evenly over batter.
6. Bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Remove cake from pan, and transfer to parchment.
7. Make the glaze: Mix together confectioners' sugar and milk. Drizzle over cake, and let drip down sides. Let set for 5 minutes before serving.

Personally, I am not the world's greatest housekeeper.  I love cooking in the kitchen, but I hate the clean-up.  In fact, I am convinced it took me so long to get into cooking because the inevitable clean-up afterwards always seemed to be looming over my head.  Have you ever seen those kitchy signs that say something like "This house is protected by a thin layer of dust"?  Well if you haven't, they're a real scream, and, in my case, they tend to be true.  Unfortunately most people are unimpressed by the protective value of dust, and so it is probably a good idea to clean before you invite your family, coven, or friends over for your Imbolc celebrations.

Aside from the aesthetic value of a good cleaning, there are some wonderful magickal reasons to clean your house.  First and foremost, you will be releasing and removing all the negative build up that has occurred in your space while you have been shut in for those cold winter months.  Second, it will help you connect on a deeper level with your house.  Many home protection spells can be performed through cleaning methods, so it serves as a way to prevent negativity from coming back in once you have removed it initially.  Finally, it makes the rest of your magick more effective, because you are not fighting the clutter and dirt.  Everything (even the dirt) has energy.  You don't want it mucking up your magick.

It's unfortunate but true: before you can get down to the magickal cleaning of your house, you have to focus some time on the mundane tasks you normally associate with cleaning.  Scrub the floors, wash the windows, do the dishes, the laundry, change the sheets, you know . . . that stuff.  Once you have the physical space in order, you can begin working on the energetic feel of your home.  Here are some good starting places.

A common tool in the witch's magickal house cleaning tool kit is Florida Water.  It is a versatile recipe that can be used for a variety of functions from cleaning and protecting your house to purifying your own aura.  There are many recipes out there, so if you don't like this one, search for others.  You will not be disappointed.

 Florida Water

Spiritual Cleaner & Protective Agent

Two cups vodka or other alcohol

Two tablespoons Orange Flower water or hydrosol

One tablespoon Turmeric powder

One-quarter teaspoon finely ground Orris Root

Twelve drops essential oil of Bergamot

Twelve drops essential oil of Lavender

Six drops essential oil of May Chang

Three drops essential oil of Rosemary

Two drop Rose Attar

Two drops Neroli

Shake this formula vigorously to distribute the powder

Florida Water may be added to virtually any cleansing bath or floor wash formula as an added enhancement.  It is for external use only.  Do not consume.

Florida water is not only good for cleaning your floors.  It can provide the same benefits when applied to windows and other surfaces as well.  There is virtually no end the amount of uses you can find for it if you're creative.

The good here is that you do not have to clean every surface twice.  If you use the Florida water the first time around and you focus your intent, you can combine the mundane and the magickal cleaning into one simple step on most of your projects.

After you have the nitty-gritty taken care of, you want to focus on some of the niceties.  Freshen up the air.  If you choose to try any of my Imbolc recipes, your cooking will handle a large portion of that.  If not, there are other things to do.

One simple way to do this is to open up doors and windows (if you live in a part of the world where you can do that.)  Today was 67 degrees here, in the Tar Heel State, but if you are still experiencing snow fall, this may not be an option for you.  

If you have a small pan, crock pot, or potpourri heater, you could always scent the air with dried lavender by steeping the herbs in a cup of water and allowing it to simmer with the lid off.  Lavender is good for  love, friendship, peace, happiness, protection--all excellent things to fill our homes with.  If, however, you do not like the smell of lavender, you could also consider doing the same thing with cinnamon, which is good for creating a happy home, safety, healing, protection.  It is the ultimate hearth and home spice.

While it doesn't smell as "pleasant" as lavender or cinnamon, it is one of the best ways to purify and cleanse the energy of a space.  My recommendation would be that you do this after the mundane cleaning and before scenting the air with either the lavender or cinnamon.  However, if you like the smell of sage, you can do it any time.


You could also cleanse the space with sound.  I have a beautiful set of wind chimes on my back porch, and when they sing in the breeze, I always feel peaceful and more centered.  Soft, instrumental music can also be employed to the same effect (as can nature sounds, like running water).  Haven't you ever noticed that serene, peaceful feeling you get when you walk into a spa or yoga studio and you hear the soft music playing in the background.  It's not loud enough to still your attention, but its presence is always recognizable if you turn your attention to it.  You can mimic the same effect in your own home to change the mood and feel of the place according to your passion in the moment.


Once your space feels the way you want it to, and you feel comfortable and secure, why not consider taking care of yourself?  After all, if you don't mitigate your own stress levels, you will only have to go through the whole cleansing process again more quickly the next time.  By pampering yourself on a regular basis and keeping up with the progress you have made by trying out these suggestions, you won't have to work so hard next time you want to set your house to rights.

Why not pour yourself a cup of peppermint tea and take a bath?  Peppermint is good for purification, healing, and soothing.  


When it comes to your bath, I have always found that it is infinitely more fun to make your own sachet than to buy pre-made bathing supplies, and, honestly, considering how easy it is, I can't imagine why more people don't do it.  


First, assemble all the ingredients that you intend to use in making your bath.  (I am going to give you one option in this post, but it is far from the only option available to you.  In fact, you should feel free to look up herbal correspondences and create your own sachet recipe according to what your specific needs are.)  Add the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.  Combine the herbs with your fingers, pouring your personal power into them.


Side note: If you are new to magick and energy work, there is an easy way to feel your own personal power.  Rub your hands together (palms facing each other) for 10 seconds.  Rub them as fast as you can for the full time.  After 10 seconds has passed, pull your palms apart.  You should feel a tingling sensation between your two hands.  That tingling sensation is your personal power at work.  Mix the herbs together with your hands as they are tingling.  Think about what you want the herbs to do for you.  Ask them to help you with your goal.  Congratulations, you have poured your personal power into the mixture.  


After they are mixed, place a large handful of herbs into the center of a large piece of cheesecloth.  Tie up the ends and add it to the bath.


An excellent Imbolc bath recipe is:


3 parts Chamomile 
2 parts Lavender
1 part Catnip


Mix them all together as described above, and add them to your bath.  The chamomile will help you to relax, but it is also good for love and purification.  Catnip is in the mint family, which means that it is good for love, healing and protection in general, but it also provides beauty and happiness.  It is a wonderful herb to add to nearly any bath, because it enhances the very reason why we go to the tub in the first place.

Imbolc is one of those holidays that stirs the imagination and really engenders participation in the Craft of the Wise.  There are so many ways to celebrate it and to honor the God and Goddess as well as ourselves that there is no way we could ever incorporate all of it into one celebration.  I have chosen to focus on Imbolc and the ways to celebrate it through Hearth and Home Magick.  However, there are other paths, other methods that are equally valuable, and I would love to hear how each of you has chosen to celebrate this wonderful holiday.