the witches' compendium: imbolc
DESCRIPTION
The Yule installment of a Sabbats compendium featuring seasonal home decor ideas, spells and rituals, recipes and more.TRANSCRIPT
The Witches’ Compendium:
Imbolc
By Tenae S.
The Witch of Howling Creek
Copyright Information
The Witches' Compendium: Imbolc is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Feel
free to share the content in any way you like, just please
credit when you do.
Disclaimer
The author of this e-book has used their best efforts in preparing this e-book. The
author makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy,
applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this e-book. The
information contained in this e-book is strictly for educational purposes.
Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in this e-book, you are taking full
responsibility for your actions.
Tenae S. is a practicing kitchen witch from the West
Coast of the United States where she lives on a
small farm known as Howling Creek. She enjoys
emphasizing her Celtic heritage in her craft and
celebrating the Sabbats and Esbats throughout the
year. She writes “The Witch of Howling Creek”
blog and is the founder and editor of the free e-
magazine Pagan Living.
The Witch of Howling Creek Blog
Pagan Living Magazine
The Witch of Howling Creek on Twitter
The Witch of Howling Creek on Pinterest
Table of Contents
1 Foreword
Hearth & Home
3 Decorating with Natural Materials
5 Decorating for Imbolc
Magick & Witchcraft
7 Imbolc Correspondences
8 Imbolc Solitary Ritual
9 Ice Moon Ritual
10 Spell to Purify the Home
Honor & Celebrate
12 Ways to Celebrate
13 Teacup Chandelier Craft Project
Fete & Feast
15 How to Compose a Cheese Platter
17 Tea Magick
19 Imbolc Menu & Recipes
1
Foreword Imbolc is often considered one of the “forgotten Sabbats” as it tends to slip
through the cracks of life. I think one of the reasons for this is that many witches
simply don’t connect with the Sabbat because it can be difficult to understand.
Imbolc has its roots in old farming practices: weather divination to determine
when to plant the crops, the start of lambing season, etc and these just aren’t
ideas most modern people are familiar with.
Despite its somewhat confusing nature, Imbolc is still one of my personal
favorite Sabbats. Put aside the outdated aspects of the holiday for just a moment
and see the crocus buds pushing through the cold ground, see the shimmer of
moonlight on freshly fallen snow, see the pitter patter of raindrops in the
puddles.
Isn’t it beautiful? I hope the ideas in these pages will help you share my love for
this simplest of Sabbats.
Tenae S., The Witch of Howling Creek
2
Hearth & Home
3
Decorating with Natural Materials
Natural materials are abundant in every part of the year and winter puts all the
symbols of Imbolc right at your fingertips: early blooming flowers, ice, dairy
products, snowflakes and beeswax. Each offers a unique opportunity for infusing
the home with the winter season.
Early Blooming Flowers
Early blooming flowers such as
narcissus (paperwhites) and
snowdrops are perfect symbols of
Imbolc, heralding the coming spring.
Plant a few such flowers in simple
baskets or white pots and place in a
kitchen window.
Ice
Icicles and ice may not make for
long-lasting decorations but there
are many fun crafts that can be made
with frozen water including votive
holders. Freeze herbs such as
lavender into the mold for an
especially magickal candle holder at
your Imbolc ritual.
4
Dairy Products
Dairy products are not necessarily
the first things that come to mind in
terms of decorations but they are
deeply connected to Imbolc.
Consider using old glass milk bottles
or butter molds on your altar or as a
pretty kitchen vignette.
Snowflakes
Paper snowflakes are a fun project
that is appropriate for all ages and
can be hung up in a window or from
a chandelier as lovely winter
decoration.
Beeswax
Candles and fire are an important
part of Imbolc and there are none
more magickal than those made
from beeswax. This natural material
is both awe-inspiring and beautiful.
An array of different sizes and
shapes of beeswax candles would be
an excellent decoration on an altar or
mantelpiece.
5
Decorating for Imbolc
Not all decorations come from nature so here are a few more ideas (and
information) about how to decorate for this midwinter Sabbat:
The number one decoration for Imbolc is by far the simplest of any
holiday: candles. As one of the Fire Festivals, flames and candles are very
important to Imbolc (in fact, the Christian version is even called
Candlemas.) Simply fill your home with candles of all shapes and sizes
(just be extremely careful with all that fire!)
Imbolc has several themes but, as mentioned previously, one is associated
with old country practices involving springtime livestock: dairy products.
Honor the sheep, goats and cows that supply us with our daily milk and
butter by putting together a wildflower (or florist-picked) arrangement in
an old milk bottle and displaying it in your kitchen or on your altar.
Another theme that goes along with Imbolc is the weather, which tends to
be a bit tempestuous this time of year. Honor the raindrops by decorating
in shades of grey, whether it be a new throw pillow, a tablecloth on your
altar or even a fresh new accent wall.
The Celtic goddess Brighid is often associated with Imbolc so decorate
with her symbols, including bells and St. Brighid’s Cross.
Begin bringing out your spring decorations – after all, Imbolc is the Pagan
first day of Spring!
6
Magick & Witchcraft
7
Imbolc Correspondences
Every Sabbat has colors, spices and other items associated with it, most of which
are based on the natural world and the current season. These items are
particularly magickal around the time of the Sabbat and are a great place to start
when designing rituals and spells.
Colors: White
Red
Yellow
Silver
Pink
Stones: Amethyst
Garnet
Onyx
Herbs, Plants & Spices: Basil
Clover
Heather
Willow
All yellow flowers
8
Imbolc Solitary Ritual
Sit skyclad or loosely clothed.
Light one or more white, red or yellow candles, focusing on cleansing your life of
negativity. Stand to place and light a small votive candle (contained in a votive
holder) in each window of the house, anointing the glass with salted water or
moonwater to purify.
Take a bite of buttered bread and a sip of tea, alternating until gone. Blow out the
altar candles; leave the window candles in place until they burn themselves out
(do not leave them unattended, however.)
Blessed Be.
9
Ice Moon Ritual
Bundle up nice and warm and take a white candle, a square of white chocolate, a
hot cup of tea, a small bowl and a scoop or spoon outside in view of the full
moon, now in its February “Ice” period.
Set the candle in the bowl and light it. Scoop some snow or ice into the bowl
around the candle and meditate on the flame.
Take a bite of the white chocolate and a sip of tea, alternating until gone. Blow
out the candle and gently carry the bowl of snow or ice into the house. Leave it in
a window for a few hours to melt and simultaneously be infused with the
magick of moonlight for an especially potent batch of moonwater.
10
Spell to Purify the Home
Drizzle local honey over the cut side of half a grapefruit and consume for
breakfast or as a snack. As you eat, set aside the grapefruit seeds.
Wash the seeds, rinsing with salted water to cleanse them. Place the seeds in a
sachet with sage leaves and eucalyptus.
Tuck the sachet someplace centrally located in the home such as a couch cushion.
11
Honor & Celebrate
12
Ways to Celebrate
Honor the aspects of Imbolc, including the coming spring and the light in the
darkness, with these simple, easy activities.
Hold a bonfire.
Take long baths imbued with herbs or flowers.
Make and anoint candles.
Make homemade butter, infused with herbs.
Leave buttered bread out for the faeries.
Clean your house top to bottom and perform a blessing.
Knit or crochet a wool scarf or other garment.
Build a fort in the living room out of white sheets and twinkle lights
(you’ll enjoy it just as much as the kids will!)
String white twinkle lights outside your house for a little bit of cheer in the
cold, dark nights.
Begin planning a moon garden or vegetable garden for spring.
Bake homemade bread, from scratch.
Try out needle felting and make a small, stuffed lamb.
Do a little weather divination and see if your results match Puxatony
Phil’s!
13
Teacup Chandelier Craft Project
Mismatched teacups
White spray paint
White satin ribbon
Metal craft ring or large embroidery hoop
1. Lay mismatched teacups outside on newspaper.
2. Spray teacups with several coats of white spray paint, being sure to turn
them to get all sides. Allow to dry thoroughly.
3. Wrap the metal craft ring or embroidery hoop in satin ribbon.
4. Affix the teacups at varying heights from the ring or hoop using satin
ribbon and hang over a dining table or in a bedroom.
14
Fete & Feast
15
How to Compose a Cheese Platter
Imbolc is often associated with dairy products of all kinds. A cheese platter is a
great social way to honor this aspect of the February holiday. Cheeses come in
such a vast variety of options that you can create an afternoon party focused on
only cheese, bread, wine and conversation, the perfect complement to this quiet
Sabbat.
Cheese platters should represent a wide mix of tastes and textures. Choose 3-5
cheeses, depending on how many people you expect. A good rule of thumb is
one of the following combinations:
1 sheep’s milk cheese
1 goat’s milk cheese
1 cow’s milk cheese
OR
1 hard cheese (i.e. smoked mozzarella, parmigiano-reggiano)
1 blue cheese (i.e. gorgonzola, stilton)
1 soft cheese (i.e. brie, camembert)
1 aged cheese (i.e. aged cheddar)
16
Pair the cheeses with a variety of crackers, sliced baguettes, breadsticks and other
breads as well as fruits such as red and green grapes, sliced apples and orange
segments. Nuts, meats and condiments like apricot preserves or orange
marmalade also give a cheese platter interest and dimension.
I like to lay out my cheeses and pairings on a large wooden cutting board with
typed labels so guests know exactly what they’re eating. Cheese “platters” can
also be done on ceramic plates, raised cake plates or glass serving dishes,
however.
17
Tea Magick
All over the world, tea is a ritual. Morocco, China, Japan and England all have
their own ways of preparing, serving and drinking it but no matter what, tea is
essential to their daily existence. A mid-afternoon snack is always enhanced by a
steaming mug of tea and breakfast just wouldn’t be the same without it. The
warmth of a cup of tea is especially poignant at Imbolc, this coldest and bleakest
time of the year.
The preparation of tea is a ritual in and of itself, watching the color slowly seep
into hot water, taking that first, tantalizing sip… Because of this, it is easily
integrated into cooking, magick and rituals. Depending on its ingredients, tea
can have a vast array of properties from calming and soothing (chamomile) to
bright and energizing (caffeinated black teas), much like herbs, stones and other
items used in magick.
1. Loose leaf tea, especially those found in specialty stores where you can
actually see the individual chamomile heads, rose petals or other
ingredients, can easily function as a potpourri or part of a charm bag.
2. Ground up and mixed into cake batter or cookie or bread dough, loose
leaf infuses your meal with a light, delicious aroma and flavor plus the
magick of whatever kind of tea you used.
3. Replace plain water with lightly brewed tea when mixing potions.
4. Simply enjoy a steaming mug or icy cold glass of tea instead of wine or ale
in your rituals.
18
5. Blend your own tea, pouring your intention into it. In this case, even just
drinking the tea in quiet contemplation or packaging it as a gift can be a
form of magick.
6. Make a cup of loose leaf tea in a small, white cup and read your or a
friend’s tea leaves.
7. Host a ‘Witches’ Tea’ and invite your coven or just a group of friends over
to enjoy a little midnight brew on your best china and mismatched
teacups.
8. Tea-dye white copy paper (strongly brew a few tea bags in a pot and then
drag the bags over the paper to color it) for your Book of Shadows or
spells and blessings.
9. Mix loose leaf tea into homemade soap for ritual preparation or just
luxurious baths.
10. Brew tea, especially those handmade with magickal intention, on the stove
or fireplace so that it perfumes your entire house.
19
Imbolc Menu & Recipes
Serve this unique, delicious menu filled with the flavors of winter and bright,
cheerful colors of the coming spring at an Imbolc feast
(or any other late winter special occasion!)
Penne with Mushroom Pesto
Yellow Carrot Ribbons
Simple White Bread
Honey-Yogurt Panna Cotta
20
Penne with Mushroom Pesto
Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10-ounce package fresh white
mushrooms, chopped fine
(preferably in a food processor)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon medium-dry Sherry
1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to
a paste with ¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
½ cup packed fresh basil leaves,
washed well and spun dry
1 pound penne rigate (ridged penne)
or other tubular pasta
In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta. In a 10- to 12-
inch non-stick skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot
but not smoking and sauté mushrooms with Worcestershire sauce, Sherry, and
salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated
and mushrooms begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
In a food processor purée mushroom mixture with garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan,
and remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Add basil and blend until chopped fine.
Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain
pasta. In a large bowl whisk together pesto and 2/3 cup reserved hot cooking
water. Add pasta and toss well, thinning pesto, if necessary, with remaining
reserved cooking water.
21
Yellow Carrot Ribbons
Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com
4 long slender yellow carrots, peeled
¼ cup butter
1 tablespoon lemon peel, finely grated
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
Run vegetable peeler down length of each carrot, shaving into ribbons. Melt
butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add lemon peel and ginger; stir 1
minute. Add carrots and bell peppers. Sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes.
22
Simple White Bread
Recipe courtesy of BHG.com
5 ¾ - 6 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
2 ¼ cups milk or buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter or shortening
1 ½ teaspoons salt
In a large mixing bowl combine 2-1/2 cups of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In
a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and salt just until warm
(120 degree F to 130 degree F) and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry
mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds,
scraping the sides of the bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the
remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to
8 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning
once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (45 to
60 minutes).
Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide
dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease two
8x4x2-inch loaf pans.
23
Shape each portion of dough into a loaf by patting or rolling. To shape dough by
patting, gently pat and pinch each portion into a loaf shape, tucking edges
beneath. To shape dough by rolling, on a lightly floured surface, roll each portion
into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Starting from a short side, roll up into a spiral. Seal
with fingertips as you roll.
Place the shaped dough in the prepared loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm
place until nearly double in size (30 to 40 minutes).
Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when
you tap the top with your fingers. (If necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 10
minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.) Immediately remove bread from
pans. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves (32 servings).
24
Honey-Yogurt Panna Cotta
Recipe courtesy of MarthaStewart.com
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean (or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
½ cup honey, plus more for serving
1/8 teaspoon salt
Place cream and sugar in a medium saucepan. With a paring knife, split vanilla
bean lengthwise; scrape out seeds, and add to cream along with empty pod (if
using vanilla extract, add to yogurt mixture in step 4).
Bring cream to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cover pan, remove from heat,
and set aside to steep, at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place 1/2 cup cold water in a small bowl, and sprinkle gelatin over
water; set aside to soften, at least 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk yogurt,
honey, and salt until combined; set aside.
Return cream to a boil. Remove from heat, and immediately stir in softened
gelatin until dissolved. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into yogurt-
honey mixture; mix until combined.
25
Divide mixture among eight 4- to 6-ounce ramekins. Chill until firm, at least 4
hours and up to 2 days.
To serve, unmold each panna cotta from its ramekin: Run a paring knife around
the top inner edge of ramekin, then dip bottom of ramekin in a bowl of boiling
water for 10 seconds. Invert ramekin onto serving plate. Holding ramekin tightly
to plate, shake firmly to release panna cotta. Drizzle with honey before serving.