"Tomorrow is Imbolc. Time for meditation. Light a candle, dress in something white. So will I. Lets be in this wordless prayer together..."
-An email to my mother from her friend Ellada in Latvia.
Imbolc is a Gaelic festival that takes place in the very beginning of February. It is equidistant between Winter Solstice and Spring Soltice so one should focus on the future (spring) and not let the past (winter) interfere with the present. To illustrate this transformation, Christmas greens are to be burnt (or taken down) and replaced with flowers.
My mother made an altar and conceived of a ritual which we performed with her friend Linda.
Burning secrets from the past in order to put them behind us.
Our hopes for the future were imbued into pebbles and placed in the glass bowl with fresh flowers.
The candles were lit as Imbolc is a festival of light.
We slipped into togas for white.
My mother and I after the wine toast.
And a journal entry about the whole event. The left side represents the first part of the ritual and the right the second. Imbolc is similar to the Christian Lent so I used purples and blacks. Underneath the SECRET are the pieces of burned paper that were left over. I wanted to obscure them and the pictures to represent the past. The childlike painting is of Brigid (the goddess associated with Imbolc) and the green looks to spring.
It was so relaxing: calming music, good company, candles. I was shocked at the release I felt after the burning. It truly felt as if a weight was lifted. The togas were the most fun, second only to getting Linda to participate in our flight of paganism :)
-♥-
-An email to my mother from her friend Ellada in Latvia.
Imbolc is a Gaelic festival that takes place in the very beginning of February. It is equidistant between Winter Solstice and Spring Soltice so one should focus on the future (spring) and not let the past (winter) interfere with the present. To illustrate this transformation, Christmas greens are to be burnt (or taken down) and replaced with flowers.
My mother made an altar and conceived of a ritual which we performed with her friend Linda.
Burning secrets from the past in order to put them behind us.
Our hopes for the future were imbued into pebbles and placed in the glass bowl with fresh flowers.
The candles were lit as Imbolc is a festival of light.
We slipped into togas for white.
My mother and I after the wine toast.And a journal entry about the whole event. The left side represents the first part of the ritual and the right the second. Imbolc is similar to the Christian Lent so I used purples and blacks. Underneath the SECRET are the pieces of burned paper that were left over. I wanted to obscure them and the pictures to represent the past. The childlike painting is of Brigid (the goddess associated with Imbolc) and the green looks to spring.It was so relaxing: calming music, good company, candles. I was shocked at the release I felt after the burning. It truly felt as if a weight was lifted. The togas were the most fun, second only to getting Linda to participate in our flight of paganism :)
-♥-
2 comments:
wow!!! these look amazing! i like the idea of burning stuff from the past officially in a ritual. hummmm might need some of that.
the picture with your mom is beautifullll
:)
Brilliant!
I am a solitary myself and it doea feel lonely sometimes.
I would SO love to share my beliefs with my mum!
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