The Wheel Turns

[Goddess Husband]

As I have stated in my introductory bit, I have stated that I wish to learn more. So, let's begin with something small.

Feb. 2 is Imbolic, and I want to know how you celebrate. As this is the path i have chosen to take, I am mostly working on whatever research I can. That being said, I would appreciate any and all things you'd like to share, and, with your permission, I might even use some ideas.

Thanks in advance!  

[iKillCaustic]

I'm in the southern hemisphere, so everything is reversed for me and it's instead nearly Mabon. That said I'm happy to share the way I celebrate both sabbats.

So Imbolc...each year what I do varies depending on the time I have available to me as well as the people around me. I still live with my parents and brother, and while they're usually fine with me doing my own thing, having them around is distracting and annoying. Some years I'll sit in my room with some incense and a candle and just reflect on all that was and shall be. Sometimes I go to open circles run by a couple of friends. Other years I'll set up a temporary altar in the living room and fill it with seasonal flowers from the garden as well as appropriately coloured/scented candles, crystals, iconography, and offerings of food and drink.

I guess I celebrate all sabbats along the same vein, just with certain adjustments depending on the sabbat in question.  

[too2sweet]

Due to crazy life stuff, I've not been able to practice much over the last few years, but if you need some sources of info on the Sabbats in general, I would recommend the following...

Stations of the Sun - Ronald Hutton

Neo-Pagan Guide to the Sabbats

Personally though, Imbolc was the time when I started making plans for the year, clearing out the old stuff and getting ready for new things.  

[Korealia]

I hope that everyone had a happy Lughnasadh/Lammas.

This is the season of the first harvest, the celebration of efforts coming to fruition. How did you celebrate your holiday?

The ritual I attended was very potent to my being - one of the things mentioned was how the harvest, the death of the plant, the grain, is transformed to create sustenance - death gives life. This was particularly powerful for me, because my father passed away in October. I was going to use the money he left me to purchase a new vehicle for my husband, but a week after my father died, he got laid off - so about two weeks after, he decides we needed to up our timetable and just move - we'd been talking about moving to Kentucky for years, the coven just gave us more of a reason, so...we packed up what we could carry and came here.

In my father's passing....it has completely changed my life - I am in a new place where I hardly know anyone. But the change has been good. Peaceful. Right now is a time of reflection, of closeness between what is left of my family. It has been....quite an experience.

What things are you grateful for in this first harvest? What have you reaped? What does the first harvest mean to you?  

[Korealia]

*taps the mic*

This thing on?

Does anyone have plans for the Solar Eclipse coming up? We are travelling south with the coven to a park in southern Kentucky to watch it. 3nodding  

[too2sweet]

Unfortunately, the guild is pretty dead these days. There's a couple people still posting from time to time, but it's sporadic at best. sad

I've got some glasses for the eclipse, but not going anywhere so it will only be a partial here.  

[Korealia]

Yeah, I used to play here a lot and on Neopets. Same thing there. The trend rose then fell.

I was interested that since I was initiated, I remembered the idea that there were actual initiates playing this game online and wondered if they were elsewhere (because there's actually a few groups on facebook).