Imbolc Activities
Brigit Dolls
An additional craft for children is making Brigit dolls. Get some wooden clothes pegs, felt pens, glue, wool and material scraps. Take 9 lengths of wool, group into 3 sets of 3 and plait. Knot each end and tie to the neck of the peg to make arms. Glue hair onto the peg's head, draw a face and glue on the material scraps to make clothes. We keep our Brigit dolls out for the month of February, and then bury them with an invocation to Brigit to bless us as we return her to her home.
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Divine Spring Images
Why not encourage your children to paint pictures of the divine? Spring is a wonderful time for connection and wonder at the little things in life. You never know...you too may find the inner god or goddess emerging on the paper.
Anne S.
Eye of Brigit
Brigit is the origin of the Celtic Cross - a circle bisected by a cross. You can weave these from straw, or use a variant of the Native American "Eye of God". Take two craft sticks (or better yet go for a walk and find two slender straight twigs at least a hand-span long) and cross them. Holding them in the center, wind straw (soaked for a few hours in water) or colored wool around one arm of the cross. As you complete the circuit of the arm, take the straw to the next arm and repeat - continue traveling around the cross. I usually make enough revolutions of the cross to cover half of each arm. The result is a lovely Eye of Brigit to hang in your home. If you use wool, stick with colors suited to the festival - white, yellow and red.
Axiom
Oimelc Activities to Banish and Cleanse
Either alone or with a group have each person write on a piece of paper what he or she wants to remove from his or her life (bad habits, lose weight, etc). Each individual drops their folded paper onto the floor where they are. The leader of the ritual then gathers all the paper and burns them in a cauldron or the hearth fire.
Before feasting on Oimelc, take three hot coals from the hearth fire and place in a large ceramic or metal cauldron or pot (safe for the coals). Fill with water. Wash your hands in the water before you feast asking Brigit to protect your home. Water and fire are both associated with cleansing and purification.
Banish winter by removing winter solstice greenery from the home. You can burn a few sprigs of evergreen symbolically in a cauldron or have a huge bonfire outside. Plant seeds and nurture them until they are seedlings. Rosemary (protection, purification, mental powers, love, lust), dill (love and protection), chamomile (meditation, sleep, money), and red clover (protection, psychic awareness, strengthens other magick) are appropriate for Oimelc. When they are strong enough and threat of frost has passed they can be planted outdoors. Or give them as gifts of spring to friends.
BrighidsFlame
Popcorn
As Oimelc celebrates transformation, making popcorn is a wonderful activity with children. Heat up oil and popping corn and pop over a medium flame. Have the children dance about the kitchen to the sounds of the popping corn. If you want to add a little spice to your popcorn add a little cumin and chili powder.
BrighidsFlame
Salt Dough Candle Holders
You will need:
Combine flour and salt. Slowly add water kneading until dough is firm and the consistency of clay. If the edges split then it's too dry. Wet your hands as needed and continue kneading until dough is smooth. Once dough is smooth create your candle holders and decorate with symbols and imagery. Thickness of the dough should not exceed one inch or the inside will not dry.
Bake in a 250 degree F oven on a cookie sheet until dough is rock hard. Approximately 30 minutes. Shift your artwork half way through rotating or turning over so that it does not stick and dries evenly.
Dough may be stored for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure to bring to room temperature before using.
BrighidsFlame
Apple Wishing
Place a bowl of water out on the Eve of Brigit's Day (Feb. 1) and leave until the next morning - preferable a golden metal bowl, although ceramic is also good. Avoid man-made materials. As the sun sets, ask Brigit to bless the water for health and happiness.
The next morning take a perfect apple and slice it in half across the middle rather than from stalk to alternate end. This will create two halves with a star in the center of each. Slice rounds from each half and toss them into the bowl.
Offer up a prayer of thanks to Brigit, close your eyes and make a wish, and then pluck out the apple slices and eat them - still wet with Brigit's blessed water.
Iphegenia
Seasonal Fasting
I practice Seasonal Fasting - I eat foods that are predominantly in season for the area I live, rather than anything anytime. I also eat the foods of the area as opposed to imported goods. So when festival season arrives I have the choice of the equivalent to foods available to my spiritual ancestors or the bounty in the supermarket. I chose the foods available as I feel a large part of celebrating the festivals and observing the seasons is living in tune with them myself. There is something "out of tune" about devouring watermelon in December. It makes it harder as it would be nice to always eat what I want. But that adds to the meaning - I value what I eat at the time because of why I am eating it.
Imbolg, to me, is thus a time of eggs, dried meats, dried fruit, grains and beans and root vegetables. While the festival is about milk, it is not - to me - a time of great milk consumption. Spring has just started, so the animals are just bearing and those newborns need their mother's milk. I usually save the dairy for a small desert treat.
Callum
The Return of the Sun - a candle activity
If you live where it snows send the children (or yourself) outdoors to collect bowls of snow. A white bowl is best. If there is no snow, make some - make small ice cubes and place in a bad and hammer into fragments, or use a blender. Then place a floating yellow candle in the center and light it with an invocation to Brigit to share her fire with you and bring health to your home. As the ice melts the candle will begin floating and you will have a beautiful symbol of the Returning Sun (candle), Brigit (flame) and the spring (the bowl of water).
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