The Sabbat of Imbolc
written by, Foxglove.

Preparing the Sacred Space
The coven gathers, grounds and center and performs a group breath.

“This is the feast of the waxing light. We now see the Sun grow strong as the days grow visibly longer. This is the time of individuation: within the measures of the spiral, we each light our own light and become uniquely ourselves. It is the time of initiation, of beginning, when seeds that will later sprout and grow begin to stir from their dark sleep. We meet to share the light of inspiration, that will grow with the waxing year.”

Guest1: Lights the Lamp of Art, and say, “The fire is lit. The ritual has begun.”

Guest2: Salt-water purification.
Take up the chalice of water and say, “Blessed be thou creature of water.” Then, take up the bowl of salt and say, “Blessed be thou creature of Earth.” Using your athame (or finger), mix the salt and water together in the chalice. Then, cleanse the circle by walking around it, sprinkling it with salt-water. Stop at each quarter and say: “With salt and water, I cleanse the North (East, South, West).”

Laurel: Charging with fire and air.
Take up the incense burner, sprinkling fresh incense on the charcoal, saying, “Blessed be thou creature of fire and air.” Take in around the circle, starting in the north, saying, “With fire and air, I charge the north.” Walk, swing the censer, to the east, then pause and say, “With fire and air, I charge the east.” Continue for the south and west.

Foxglove: Casting the circle.
Walking deosil around the circle, the circle is cast with these or similar words:
“I do hereby cast this sacred circle on the Sabbat of Imbolc. We are now between the worlds, beyond the bounds of time, where night and day, birth and death, joy and sorrow, meet as one.”

Invocation of the Elements

Dana: North/Earth:
“Hail, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North, Powers of Earth,
Hard-working gnomes, Black bull of Midnight,
North Star, Center of the whirling sky,
Stone, mountain, fertile field,
We invoke you and call you, To join our ritual,
Hail and welcome!”
Light the Northern Quarter Candle
Coven echoes, “Hail and welcome!”

Blackwood: East/Air:
“Hail, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East, Powers of Air,
Free-flying sylphs, Golden eagle of the dawn,
Star-seeker, whirlwind, rising sun,
We invoke you and call you, To join our ritual
Hail and welcome!”
Coven echoes, “Hail and welcome!”

Foxglove: South/Fire:
“Hail, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South, Powers of Fire,
Flame-leaping salamanders,
Red lion of the noon heat,
Flaming one, summer’s warmth, spark of life,
We invoke you and call you, To join our ritual,
Hail and welcome!”
Coven echoes, “Hail and welcome!”

Wolfwings: West/Water:
“Hail, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West, Powers of Water,
Graceful undines, Serpent of the watery abyss,
Rainmaker, gray-robed twilight, evening star,
We invoke you and call you, To join our ritual,
Hail and welcome!”
Coven echoes, “Hail and welcome!”

Dana: Center/Akasha:
“Hail, Guardians of the Center, Realm of Akasa,
Ancient spirits of the world,
Nameless ones,
Energy from within and without,
We invoke you and call you, to join our ritual,
Hail and welcome!”
Coven echoes, “hail and welcome!”

Invoking of Gods

Wolfwings- Goddess:
Hail Brigit, Maiden Bright,
Waxing Moon and growing light.
Hail Cerridwen, sacred Mother,
Under full moon meets her lover.
Hail Hecate, magick’s power,
Darkened Moon, Witches’ hour.
We now invoke the sacred Three,
As we will, so mote it be.

Blackwood- God:
Hail Pan, son of Earth,
Light of heart and full of mirth.
Hail Kernunnos, Horned One,
Guards the night and greets the Sun,
Hail Oghma, bard divine,
Fate revealed in song and rhyme.
We now invoke the sacred Three,
As we will, so mote it be.

Ritual of Imbolc

Blackwood: “Let us now, on this sacred sabbat of Imbolc, banish the darkness of winter and welcome the spring.”

Wolfwings leads the coven in a widdershins walk around the circle, starting and ending in the north. Coveners use brooms to symbolically sweep out winter. We go around three times, chanting:
“Out of Death comes Life,
Out of Darkness comes Light,
Out of Winter comes Spring.”

Dana: “Think now on the Sun. The days are growing longer and the Lord of the Sun is waxing in His power.”

Foxglove: “The Sun’s warmth is beginning to melt the snow. The rivers and streams are filled with the waters of life. The dormant seeds are being warmed by the Sun and nourished by the Earth, even though they may still be hidden under the snow.”

Laurel: “This is a time of new hope and expectations. It represents new life and new growth.”

Taking our candles, we leave the circle to go outside to the labyrinth. Wolfwings goes to the center and lights the cauldron, saying: “Amidst the darkness, the Goddess is stirring, gently awakening from frozen dreams. At this moment we welcome the Maiden, and Her promise of oncoming Spring.”

We now walk the labyrinth, meditating on what new seeds we would like to germinate within ourselves this coming spring. In order not to have a traffic jam, we will go, for the most part, one at a time, waiting until the person before us reaches the center before the next person starts. When you arrive at the center, use the flaming cauldron to light your candle. When you have exited the labyrinth, you may go back into the house and wait in the Circle. If you are the last person to leave the labyrinth, please extinguish the flame. When all are back in the Circle, we may share our experiences.

Cakes and Ale

Guest2 takes up the cup, and Blackwood takes her athame. Blackwood puts the blade into the cup of ale, and says:
“As the athame is to the male, so the cup is to the female; and conjoined, they bring blessings.”

Foxglove takes up the wand and Guest1 the cakes as Foxglove says:
“Lady of the Green Earth and Lord, we thank You for Your abundance at this Harvest.”

The food and drink is then shared around the circle.

Farewells

Blackwood: Thanks the God, saying:
“Great Triple God,
We offer You thanks,
Honor and Love.
Hail and farewell.”
The God candle is now extinguished.

Wolfwings: Thanks the Goddess, saying:
“Great Triple Goddess,
We offer You thanks,
Honor and Love.
Hail and farewell.”
The Goddess candle is now extinguished.

Thank the Quarters.

Foxglove: takes the sword and retraces the line of the circle. She uses words like:
“I draw back the energy of this circle, and return it to the earth. The space is once again mundane, once again of the world we know. May we take a piece of the sanctity of this place with us in our hearts.”

Wolfwings: Blows out the Lamp of Art
“The flame is extinguished.”
She blows out the flame.
“The ritual is done.”

All:
“Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again!”