As we mark the center point of the dark days and look towards the approaching season of rebirth, growth, and renewal...

Abundant Blessings! :butterfly

Many Blessings to you too, Katie!

:heart:

Brightest Blessings to you and your families!

We do not celebrate Imbolc -- however,
this falls closest to our Feast of Fire, which we are currently still in. This is also, interestingly enough, isalso a Feast of Beasts (in general, but particularly the domestic beasts: kine and sheep and goats). In our Tradition everything tends to be multilayered in
meaning -- which explains why it can be difficult at times to discuss some matters, and even more difficult at times to be a Student of this path! The Feast of Fire falls, generally speaking, about the earliest date one can expect cows to calve.

As the protection of domestic beasts from harm -- particularly magical harm -- was one of the major functions of a Pellor, so one can imagine that this is a signigificant Feast, and it is. (One might also comment that the creation of the archetypal beast was not a lesser creation than the creation of humans... indeed it was one of the Great Acts of the "Highest of High", or so we Pellors believe.)

Our next Feast will be a Feast of the Earth and of Plowing -- and, indeed, all our Feasts have correlation to the agricultural year.

I do want to say BLESSED IMBOLC to all that do celebrate it however! Brighid is not necessarily a Pellor deity, but she is one very close to my Heart and Hearth. Today in our homeschool we studied "Groundhog Day" and its roots in Paganism. We covered Imbolc/Oimelc in England, Scottland and Ireland -- we made a gorgeous Brighid's Cross and a Bride's Bed, both of which are on our mantle above our Hearth.

Blessings of Light upon your Hearth, Home, and Family.

Grassaf,

Becca

I thought I'd also share this -- I homeschool my 8 year old son... and schoolwise, we're still taking it a little bit easy around here. He's still recovering from a sinus infection (and on prednisone - which is like placing a little boy on speed!!) and my eye is still blurry from the cornea tear. SO, I decided to cover Groundhog Day for school today!! (I also wrote a piece in my blog about it too.)

We took the time to cover this as sort of a unit-study -- topics for social-studies, history, literature, and comparative religion. My son really enjoyed learning about the roots of "Groundhog Day", all about Brighid; various customs; building a sacred fire; placing "prayer-ties" or "Brighid mantles" on his birth-tree in our yard; coloring pages, and send e-cards to family/friends for the holiday. We also watched the various webcasts of the two most famous groundhogs as they came out to look for their shadow. Georgia's groundhog, General Beau Lee, didn't see his shadow - so he predicts an early spring. On the other hand, Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog in PA, DID see his shadow, so he says six more weeks of winter! :D I guess each Cunning-Folk will have to decide which animal might actually be the bearer of a true augury!!!

We also made a Brighid's Cross, which is hanging on our mantle, and a miniature Bride's Bed with a wheat-dollie within it. It was a lot of fun!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/BecPellor/P1010221.jpg

Just wanted to share with all of you.

Blessings this day, and all days,
Grassaf,

Becca