CANDLEMAS: The Light Returns

It seems quite impossible that the holiday of Candlemas should be considered

the beginning of Spring. Here in the Heartland, February 2nd may see a

blanket of snow mantling the Mother. Or, if the snows have gone, you may be sure

the days are filled with drizzle, slush, and steel-grey skies -- the dreariest

weather of the year. In short, the perfect time for a Pagan Festival of

Lights. And as for Spring, although this may seem a tenuous beginning, all the

little buds, flowers and leaves will have arrived on schedule before Spring

runs its course to Beltane.



'Candlemas' is the Christianized name for the holiday, of course. The older

Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. 'Imbolc' means, literally, 'in the belly'

(of the Mother). For in the womb of Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane

sight but sensed by a keener vision, there are stirrings. The seed that was

planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year grows.

'Oimelc' means 'milk of ewes', for it is also lambing season.

The holiday is also called 'Brigit's Day', in honor of the great Irish

Goddess Brigit. At her shrine, the ancient Irish capitol of Kildare, a group of 19

priestesses (no men allowed) kept a perpetual flame burning in her honor.

She was considered a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry and

healing (especially the healing touch of midwifery). This tripartite symbolism

was occasionally expressed by saying that Brigit had two sisters, also named

Brigit. (Incidentally, another form of the name Brigit is Bride, and it is thus

She bestows her special patronage on any woman about to be married or

handfasted, the woman being called 'bride' in her honor.)



The Roman Catholic Church could not very easily call the Great Goddess of

Ireland a demon, so they canonized her instead. Henceforth, she would be 'Saint'

Brigit, patron saint of smithcraft, poetry, and healing. They 'explained'

this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was 'really' an early Christian

missionary sent to the Emerald Isle, and that the miracles she performed

there 'misled' the common people into believing that she was a goddess. For some

reason, the Irish swallowed this. (There is no limit to what the Irish

imagination can convince itself of. For example, they also came to believe that

Brigit was the 'foster-mother' of Jesus, giving no thought to the

implausibility of Jesus having spent his boyhood in Ireland!)

Brigit's holiday was chiefly marked by the kindling of sacred fires, since

she symbolized the fire of birth and healing, the fire of the forge, and the

fire of poetic inspiration. Bonfires were lighted on the beacon tors, and

chandlers celebrated their special holiday. The Roman Church was quick to

confiscate this symbolism as well, using 'Candlemas' as the day to bless all the

church candles that would be used for the coming liturgical year. (Catholics

will be reminded that the following day, St. Blaise's Day, is remembered for

using the newly-blessed candles to bless the throats of parishioners, keeping

them from colds, flu, sore throats, etc.)



The Catholic Church, never one to refrain from piling holiday upon holiday,

also called it the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (It

is surprising how many of the old Pagan holidays were converted to Maryan

Feasts.) The symbol of the Purification may seem a little obscure to modern

readers, but it has to do with the old custom of 'churching women'. It was

believed that women were impure for six weeks after giving birth. And since Mary

gave birth at the winter solstice, she wouldn't be purified until February

2nd. In Pagan symbolism, this might be re-translated as when the Great Mother

once again becomes the Young Maiden Goddess.



Today, this holiday is chiefly connected to weather lore. Even our American

folk-calendar keeps the tradition of 'Groundhog's Day', a day to predict the

coming weather, telling us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, there will

be 'six more weeks' of bad weather (i.e., until the next old holiday, Lady

Day). (*By the way - he saw his shadow again this year).  This custom is ancient. An old British rhyme tells us that 'If Candlemas

Day be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year.' Actually, all

of the cross-quarter days can be used as 'inverse' weather predictors,

whereas the quarter-days are used as 'direct' weather predictors.

Like the other High Holidays or Great Sabbats of the Witches' year,

Candlemas is sometimes celebrated on it's alternate date, astrologically determined by the sun's reaching 15-degrees Aquarius, or Candlemas Old Style.



Incidentally, some modern Pagan groups have recently begun calling the holiday itself

'Brigit', presumably as a shorthand for 'Brigit's Day'. This lexical laziness

is lamentable since it confuses a deity-name for the proper name of the

holiday. The same disconcerting trend can be seen in the recent practice of

referring to the autumnal equinox as 'Mabon', which is more properly the name of a

Welsh god-form. Another holiday that gets mixed up in this is Valentine's

Day. Ozark folklorist Vance Randolf makes this quite clear by noting that the

old-timers used to celebrate Groundhog's Day on February 14th. This same

displacement is evident in Eastern Orthodox Christianity as well. Their habit of

celebrating the birth of Jesus on January 6th, with a similar post-dated shift

in the six-week period that follows it, puts the Feast of the Purification of

Mary on February 14th. It is amazing to think that the same confusion and

lateral displacement of one of the old folk holidays can be seen from the

Russian steppes to the Ozark hills, but such seems to be the case!

Incidentally, there is speculation among linguistic scholars that the vary

name of 'Valentine' has Pagan origins. It seems that it was customary for

French peasants of the Middle Ages to pronounce a 'g' as a 'v'. Consequently,

the original term may have been the French 'galantine', which yields the English

word 'gallant'. The word originally refers to a dashing young man known for

his 'affaires d'amour', a true galaunt. The usual associations of

V(G)alantine' s Day make much more sense in this light than their vague connection to a legendary 'St. Valentine' can produce. Indeed, the Church has always found

it rather difficult to explain this nebulous saint's connection to the secular

pleasures of flirtation and courtly love.



For modern Witches, Candlemas O.S. may then be seen as the Pagan version of

Valentine's Day, with a de-emphasis of 'hearts and flowers' and an

appropriate re-emphasis of Pagan carnal frivolity. This also re-aligns the holiday with the ancient Roman Lupercalia, a fertility festival held at this time, in

which the priests of Pan ran through the streets of Rome whacking young women

with goatskin thongs to make them fertile. The women seemed to enjoy the

attention and often stripped in order to afford better targets.



One of the nicest folk-customs still practiced in many countries, and

especially by Witches in the British Isles and parts of the U.S., is to place a

lighted candle in each and every window of the house (or at least the windows

that faced the street), beginning at sundown on Candlemas Eve (February 1st),

allowing them to continue burning until sunrise. Make sure that such candles

are well seated against tipping and guarded from nearby curtains, etc. What a

cheery sight it is on this cold, bleak and dreary night to see house after

house with candle-lit windows! And, of course, if you are your Coven's

chandler, or if you just happen to like making candles, Candlemas Day is the day for

doing it. Some Covens hold candle-making parties and try to make and bless

all the candles they'll be using for the whole year on this day.



Other customs of the holiday include weaving 'Brigit's crosses' from straw

or wheat to hang around the house for protection, performing rites of

spiritual cleansing and purification, making 'Brigit's beds' to ensure fertility of

mind and spirit (and body, if desired), and making Crowns of Light (i.e. of

candles) for the High Priestess to wear for the Candlemas Circle, similar to

those worn on St. Lucy's Day in Scandinavian countries. All in all, this Pagan

Festival of Lights, sacred to the young Maiden Goddess, is one of the most

beautiful and poetic of the year.

by Mike Nichols

Beyond Tarot Cards and Runes

Looking at seemingly natural and random events in search of portents and

omens of the future is a practice as old as time. I'm sure you've heard of

tasseography, or the reading of tea leaves. Well, there are many other kinds of

scrying that are much stranger.



* Aeromancy - divination from the air and sky, particularly

concentrating on cloud shapes, comets, and other phenomena not normally visible in the

heavens.

* Alectryomancy - a bird picks corn grains from a circle of letters.

* Alomancy - using table salt.

* Austromancy - studying of the winds.

* Axiomancy - the observation of how an ax or hatchet quivers or

points when driven into post.

* Belomancy - performed by tossing or balancing arrows.

* Botanomancy - burning tree branches and leaves.

* Capnomancy - the study of smoke rising from a fire.

* Catoptromancy - an early form of crystal gazing with a mirror turned

to the moon to catch its light.

* Causimomancy - the behavior of objects placed in a fire.

* Cephalomancy - using the skull or head of a donkey or goat.

* Ceraunoscopy - draw omens from the study of thunder and lightning.

* Ceromancy - melted lead was is poured into cold water.

* Chirognomy - the study of the general hand formation.

* Cleromancy - casting lots, similar to using dice but with more

natural objects such as pebbles or sea shells.

* Cleidomancy - using a dangling key.

* Critomancy - the study of barley cakes.

* Cromniomancy - using onion sprouts.

* Cyclomancy - finding omens from a turning wheel.

* Dactylomancy - using a dangling ring.

* Daphnomancy - listening to laurel branches crackling and spitting in

an open fire.

* Dendromancy - using either oak or mistletoe.

* Geomancy - the study of figures on the ground and the influence of

the Earth's movements.

* Gyromancy - a person walks in a circle marked with letters until

they become dizzy and stumble at different points, thus spelling out a prophesy.



* Haruspication - inspecting the entrails of animals, popular with the

priests in ancient Rome.

* Hippomancy - the stamping and neighing of horses.

* Hydromancy - with water including the color, ebb and flow, or

ripples produced by pebbles dropped in a pool.

* Ichthyomancy - using fish.

* Libanomancy - the study of incense and its smoke.

* Lithomancy - using precious stones of various colors.

* Margaritomancy - using bouncing pearls.

* Molybdomancy - the hissing of molten lead.

* Myomancy - the study of the prophetic meaning of behavior of rats

and mice.

* Pegomancy - spring water and bubbling fountains.

* Phyllorhodomancy - slapping a rose petal against ones hand and

finding an omen by the sound.

* Pyromancy - any form of divination with fire or flame, often

assisted by substances thrown onto the flames.

* Radiesthesia - using a dangling tool such as a bob or pendulum.

* Rhapsodomancy - using a book of poetry whereby the book is opened at

random and a passage read.

* Sideromancy - burning of straws with hot metal, the resulting burn

marks having divinatory properties.

* Spodomancy - using cinders or soot.



* Stichomancy - throwing open any book and selecting a random passage.



* Tephramancy - using tree bark ashes.

* Tiromancy - using cheese.

All things Imbolc

Imbolc is a festival of preparing for renewal and growth. It’s symbolic of fertility and ridding of the old, making way for the new. Farm animals have given birth or will have their babies soon. This is the midpoint of the dark part of the year. It is the festival of the Maiden Brighid. Her snake emerges to test the weather, the basis for Groundhog Day. In many places, crocus flowers bloom, a sign of spring to come.




The celebration is also called the Feast of Lights, Feast of Torches, Feast of the Virgin, Feast of the Waxing Light, Festival of the Ewe’s Milk, Festival of Lights, Imbolgc Brigantia, Lupercus, Candlelaria, Snowdrop Festival, Greater Sabbat and Solar Festival.



Imbolc Traditions

Straw Brideo'gas (corn dollies), are created from oat or wheat and rest in baskets with white flower bedding. Girls carry them from house to house where gifts are bestowed upon the dollies.



Afterwards, older women make acorn wands for the Brideo’gas. Brighid's Crosses are created from wheat stalks and exchanged as symbols of protection and prosperity. Hearth fires are put out and re-lit. Besoms (brooms), are placed by front doors to symbolize sweeping out the old and welcoming the new. Lit candles are placed in each room to honor the re-birth of the Sun.



The plough is a traditional symbol of Imbolc. In areas where this is the first day of ploughing, a decorated plough is pulled from home to home. Costumed children follow, asking for refreshments or money. If they are refused, the house’s front garden is ploughed over. In other places, ploughs are decorated and whiskey is poured over them. Cheese and bread are left by the tools as offerings to nature spirits.





Imbolc Activities

It’s a time to hike in nature to find signs of the impending arrival of spring, perhaps a crocus or a robin. Priapic wands, symbols of fertility, are made from sticks, acorns, small bells and gold, yellow, green and brown ribbons or yarn. Bride's beds and Brideo’gas are created and ploughs, decorated. There’s feasting, candle lighting and bonfires aflame.



Of Things Imbolc

Symbols: white flowers, snowflakes, besoms, candle wheels, Brighid crosses, Priapic wands, Brideo’gas and ploughs.

Colors: white, light green, yellow, brown, pink, red.

Crystals: ruby, garnet, amethyst, bloodstone, turquoise and onyx.

Flowers: violets, wisteria, heather, iris and white and yellow flowers.

Herbs and incense: Bay leaves, angelica, cinnamon, basil, celandine, myrrh, coltsfoot, laurel, vanilla, blackberry and tansy.

Food and drink: all dairy products, breads, cakes, scones, muffins, raisins, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, greens, bell peppers, onions, garlic, herbal teas, ale, mead and spiced wines.

Groundhog Day

Brighid’s snake appeared on Imbolc to test the weather. Over the years, the snake became a hedgehog or a badger. It was the immigrants from the Palatinate region of Europe, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, who brought the custom of Groundhog Day to America. Hedgehogs aren’t native to America and badgers are very aggressive. Groundhogs, also called woodchucks, were plentiful, so they substituted for hedgehogs.



The town of Punxsutawney Pennsylvania has celebrated the day since the 1800s. Phil, its groundhog, is probably the most famous of the predictors. On February 2, he emerges from his burrow. The question in onlookers’ minds is whether or not he’ll see his shadow. If he does, winter will last for another six weeks.



Sources:



Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft, Raymond Buckland, (Llewellyn Publications, 1990)



Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic, Scott Cunningham, (llewellyn Publications, 1989)

Money Bowl Spell

For ensuring a smooth, continuous flow of money for household bills and expenses, unforeseen circumstances, a special gift for a loved one, or for gradual improvements in your home or premises, create your very own money bowl. Take a brass or copper bowl and shine it up with some polish and cloth. Name it the “Bowl of Plenty,” and fill it with a handful of cinquefoil or five-finger grass. Add a fistful of silver coins, gold coins, and a few dollar notes. Say the following nine times each morning and each night at exactly the same hour each time:

O Bowl of Plenty!

Ever generously flowing to me.

And as I will,

So mote it be!

Each day, keep adding coins and bills until the bowl is full. Once a month, transfer the bowl’s contents into a cash box or piggy bank and begin this same ritual afresh.

~ S. Y. Zenith

(I have done a similar spell using a  cigar box - but I kinda like this one better, since you keep adding money to it, it kinda becomes a way to save)

What is Imbolc?

The name Imbolc probably means "in the belly" in Gaelic. This sabbat

celebrates the first evidence of the return of life. The Sun is slowly starting to

make its return and the very hardiest of plants will begin to grow again from

this day forth.



Imbolc is also the holy day of Brigid, who is the Goddess of fire, healing,

fertility and is the muse of the poets. It is a fire celebration, but the

emphasis is mainly on the light aspect of the fire and not so much the warmth.

It is seen as light piercing the dark (the slow return of the sun).



Celebrations during this sabbat are some of the most beautiful. They tend to

include a large amount of candles in addition to the bonfire. There is

typically many poems and stories told, in addition to music and art. Many tend to make St. Brigid crosses at this holiday. The crosses tend to be made from straw

and usually are of the Celtic variety with 4 equal-length arms.



In the Christian Calendar, this holiday is called Candlemas and all church

candles are blessed for the year.



This is traditionally a time of purification- - clean your house! If you

have any Christmas greenery lingering, burn it now.



Make your own Brighid's crosses and hang them up, especially in the kitchen

where her influence can bless your food.



Put out food-- cake, buttered bread and milk will do--outside your door:

Brighid and her cow walk through the neighborhood tonight, and will appreciate

your offering.



Leave a silk ribbon on your doorstep for Brighid to bless: It can then be

used for healing purposes.



Meditate upon what you would like to see grow in health and strength this

year: for yourself, your family, your community, the Earth, and ask for Bride's

blessing upon your prayers.



Source Unknown

Making a Dark Banishing Powder

There is always something we can banish from our lives to help us

function as more complete spiritual beings. Whether it’s a harmful

habit, attitude, situation, or illness, it’s inevitable that something

is almost always keeping us from metaphysical growth. For this reason,

it’s good to keep on hand a banishing potion or powder to use whenever

the need arises. Magic can assist in banishing harmful things from our

lives when used alongside necessary physical care and intelligent

choice-making.



To create a banishing powder, pulverize, grind, and mix

together any combination of the following: sulfur, snake skin, dead

bugs, black pepper, white salt, black salt, red pepper, snail shells,

graveyard dirt, anvil powder, black sand, iron, mullein, sage, and

“fiery” herbs. Keep the powder in a jar and store covered in black

fabric in order to keep energies contained.

Pendulum Divination

Pendulum Divination, also known as radiesthesia, dowsing, rhabdomancy, or water witching, is divination by utilizing human sensitivity to the subtle energies emitted by any source living or inert. Some folks believe that their spirit guides act as the source of energy in revealing secret information. The history of this pendulum divination can be traced back over 5,000 years to the ancient Orient. The pendulum is the main instrument used for this area of divination, although wooden rods are also used. This practice became very popular in the Middle Ages and was a favored practice of divination through to the early nineteenth century. The practice lost favor after that but then there was a great renewal of interest in the twentieth century. In 1933, the British Society of Dowsers was formed.

The pendulum is a simple tool. The basic design is a weight of some sort suspended on a fine chain or a length of chain. A dowser is a person who is sensitive to hidden information and uses an indicator, like a pendulum or a rod, to intensify that sensitivity. There are a few different ways to hold your pendulum while working with it. Most dowser's will hold the end of the chain directly between their fingers.

Just about any small weight can be used for your pendulum. Some people use a pendant necklace, or a ring on the end of a length of string. Coins, crystals, roots, or keys can also be used, as long as it is heavy enough to act as a pendulum. Quartz crystal is said to make a powerfully accurate pendulum. Some commercially produced pendulums are hollow and unscrew to give access to an inside cavity. You can place in here what is known as a "witness"- this would be a sample of what is being sought. For instance, if you were looking for water, you would put a couple of drops of water inside it. The recommended length of chain or string is approximately 20 to 30 cm.

It has been said that consistent use of your pendulum helps to forge a connection to your personal energy. It does take a bit of practice.


How to Use:

First, your pendulum should be cleansed from previous influences. This can be accomplished by either submersion into salt water, or by permeating it with the smoke of a cleansing botanical such as sage, hyssop, or sweetgrass. If you can't find a ready to use incense, use loose incense on charcoal and smoke it well. If you use salt water, leave it submerged for 2 to 3 hours and wipe dry with a clean towel or paper towel. Hold the pendulum between both of your hands until it is warm, to charge it with your energy.



Next, seat yourself comfortably at a table and start out with simple yes/ no questions. Fix in your mind the direction of "yes", and the direction of "no". Most people consider it yes when for vertical movement, and no for horizontal movement, but do what feels right to you.



Hold the end of your chain between the thumb and first finger- right hand if right handed; left hand if left handed- allowing the pendulum weight to be suspended about an inch above the surface of the table. Resting your elbow on the table, let the weight of your pendulum hang comfortably and ask a "yes" or "no" question. Although you attempt to keep the pendulum still, it will start to swing either vertically or horizontally. Dowsers will add other movement interpretations as they become more comfortable and use their pendulum more, such as swinging in a clockwise circle= yes, and swinging counterclockwise (or widdershins) as "no".



Some Dowsers suggest not having your elbow on the table. I don't recommend this as fatigue and unsteadiness may unduly influence the motion of your pendulum. It is crucial that you do not consciously try to make the pendulum swing. It should swing of it's own accord like the planchette of a Ouija board (Talking Board) moves without being manipulated.



If you are having any trouble discerning an answer, it may be that the question asked is too ambiguous and need rephrasing. It's also possible that the question cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. Consider the wording of the questions carefully. You do not have to speak the question out loud, just focus on it as you begin.



After you have worked with your pendulum for awhile, you might want to determine more than yes and no answers. This is where things get really interesting. A variety of things can be used in dowsing: maps, a calendar, pictures, there are even Talking Boards to use specifically in pendulum work. You can buy a Talking Board, or make one of your own by putting the letters of the alphabet in a semicircle on paper, and placing it on the table. I used a calendar to find the accurate date that my grandson would be born by laying a calendar on the table and suspending the pendulum in the center above it. Maps can be used in the same way for a number of questions- like finding something that has been lost.



Some Suggested Uses:



Finding out the sex of a baby before it is born



Determining the date of a future event



Locating lost objects  (My personal favorite - do it all the time, works great)


Finding the presence of ghosts/ spirits



Confirming a change in environmental energy



Can be used as a complement aid to help in diagnosing health problems (always consult a health professional first)



Water Witching (locating under ground water for wells, etc.)