Athena Grey

 At this point on the wheel of the year, I should understand why I am moving forward, know that winter is half through, and be gathering my strength to spring forward.  I should be moving slowly, but free of encumbrance, as I make my way forward.

It looks something like that.  I landed here with a thump, and have been resting and refocusing.  I have been in imperfect health the past three weeks, but am finally on the mend.

I have a good idea of where I am headed on my creative path, and on my path toward home. I am less sure about the company I'll have for the extended journey. I certainly have had some of my burdens slip away. Amber cat is in a better place now, having left behind her frailness when she crossed over.  I no longer have to worry for her comfort.

Indigo cat is an easygoing one, asking little of me and giving much love. She'll be with me on the journey, sashaying along beside me as we reach foreard toward spring.

I am travelling lighter and with more ease now that G and I found our paths diverging last autumn. At one point we had dreams similar enough that they overlapped, but I am preparing to go live mine, and he talks of his dreams and maybe invests them in the next generation. I wish him peace on his journey.

There's a new G (please, can't we have a new letter?) but I don't know how she fits into the journey, other than to inspire me and make me smile. 

I've found a deeper compassion this winter, more personal and less theoretical. I've come to know and care deeply for people across the entire spectrum of the 99%. I've learned to trust my intuition more, and to speak out when I can make a difference.

In the practice of stillness, I have found my voice.

I wish you peace on your journey toward spring. I turn to the east and acknowledge this time of beginnings. In the south, I salute the sun that nourishes my spirit. I turn to the west and remember those that have gone before me. In the north, I honor all things steadfast and true. In the center, I reach up my arms to embrace the Goddess.  Have a blessed Imbolc.

 Blessed Imbolc, everyone!

It's hard to believe that life is stirring under all that ice and snow. The warm temperatures 
yesterday and today did help convince me.

In my snug little treetop Aerie, I have been in a frenzy of cleaning in preparation for the 
sabbat. It was time to get the staleness and dust of winter out of my life. Even last night's 
dinner had some of that clearing energy, as I turned out the larder and combined a lot of 
leftovers into rice pilaf with lentils and chick peas, and a mixed vegetable curry in a mild 
and creamy sauce.

My Imbolc celebration began at the hearth. I had saved a couple of sprigs of holly from 
Yule, and in my cleaning frenzy, found a small bit of fir that had fallen behind the fire 
screen when I took down the Yule decorations. As I burned these remnants of Winter, I 
chanted:

Winter begone!
Welcome the Spring!

Spring isn't so far away. The cross-quarter days remind us of progress. It's easy to see 
what is. The solstices and equinoxes are definitive. Progress is less easily seen, and it is 
fortunate that our highest celebrations of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain mark 
the otherwise imperceptible passage of time. We know the wheel of the year is turning, 
but we would not otherwise know exactly where we are.

The rest of last evening's ritual was a personal devotion to Brigid. I have spent a few years 
in Her service. I wonder if She will call my name again tonight?

Today promises to be quite busy. There's a blessing of the land that my mother and I 
always gave, involving a pail of milk and a besom. I will carry on the tradition.

Then, there are candles to be made, eight pairs of beeswax tapers to be dipped so that 
there is light for each Sabbat. Some years, I include the candle ends from the previous 
year in the pot, but this year I want the candles to be completely new. Change is on the 
air.

Bright blessings!
Athena

It has been a long time since I quietly slipped past the self-limiting role of the reluctant priestess. I'm still not going to be found declaiming high poetry to the gods, but I have found my ritual style, and I am comfortable in it. What works for me is having something practical to do, and a story to tell.

Our Imbolc celebration began with dipping candles on Thursday morning. I added a handful of beeswax to bring out the waxy, living texture that holds magic better than the slick brittleness of paraffin. The candles looked awesome. I've never dipped candles before, and expected it to be one of those crafts that takes a lot of practice. Call it beginner's luck, but eight pairs of smooth, stout tapers hung on the rack to cool. The one question remaining was, would they burn properly? Candles have to age a bit, so we wouldn't know until we celebrated the Esbat on Friday night. Yes, the eight pairs had been made with the Sabbats in mind, but there's no way we were going to wait until Ostara to use them. They would be blessed on Imbolc, and then one pair used to transition the altar from Imbolc to the full moon.

Part of the Imbolc celebration is re-awakening and re-dedication, starting fresh after winter's darkness has held you in it's grip. It is time for spring cleaning with a vengeance, getting the cobwebs out of the corners as well as out of the mind. We clean by earth, air, fire and water. I explained this to one of my sabbath-observant friends, who commented that it was like the ritual cleaning before Pesach(Passover). Yes, I agreed, but we clean four times over, by earth, air, fire and water. We really do use all the elements in a good spring cleaning. The iron skillets and cauldrons are scrubbed with coarse salt and oil. The chill air blows in open windows, sending the staleness out. Anything that can be scrubbed, is, and the water heater and gas-fired clothes dryer work extra hard to keep up. Most of this cleaning takes place in the days prior to the holiday. The last thing we do is clean and polish all our ritual tools. No, the very last thing we do is tumble exhausted into our hot, fragrant baths.