Imbolc often honors Brigid, the goddess of the hearth. Its also referred to as Candlemas, Brighid’s Day, or even Groundhog’s Day if you are so inclined. Last year I talked about small symbols and rituals you can do in your home to celebrate the sabbat and redirect energies within your home. (You can see that post here: Imbolc 2018). I did however, merely gloss over the opportunity of utilizing the energies surrounding Imbolc to strengthen and reaffirm New Years’ resolutions.

Given that this holiday usually focuses around the hearth/home, it is an excellent time to add a little more oomph to any and all of your New Year’s resolutions.  As the midway point between Yule and Ostara,  Imbolc is often on occasion referred to as the Festival of Fire. While fire, and lit candles, play an inclusive role in this sabbat, it should be noted that Imbolc is about the return of light more than general warmth. The vestiges of winter are lifting and we start to see the first signs of spring burst forth in nature. Just as spring begins to show itself, many find that it can be hard keeping those resolutions you listed a month ago.  While it can be easy to fall off the wagon, Imbolc is a wonderful time to add extra details in your life to ensure that you continue to make those desired changes.

Cleansing your personal space:  The energies surrounding this sabbat are wonderful if you’re looking to promote positive changes, increasing clarity and overall health, and banishing away darkness not just from yourself as a person but also your home.

You cannot always affect change at your job, but you can change the way you react to those forces around you.  Your home is your sanctuary, and banishing negative energies or providing protection from future forces is essential in maintaining a safe space: not just for your practice, but for your well-being. On the path to keeping your resolutions, start by creating a space or hearth where you can recharge after a trying day at the office or in your relationships.  Redecorate your altar, begin bringing symbols of spring, like seeds or scents, into your home to manifest and maintain positive vibes.

Free yourself from clutter and dirt!  Take time out of your day to really clean your space, not just your altar. Open the windows to air out the apartment, while also smudging your space to banish negative energy.  Donate unused items, organize those cabinets, and trash those broken objects. Even if you only manage one room, take the time to get your sanctuary back in order. Providing a safe space for you to focus on your resolutions is essential in keeping with them. Add some incense into your daily rituals: angelica, myrrh, rosemary are great additives to any space!

Try to DIY some goddess stones. Paint fertility, affirmation, or Imbolc-specific symbols onto rocks you’ve collected and place them among your altar decorations or along your window sills. You can also place them among your garden or in your potted plants to manifest your desires and affirmations.

This is particularly useful if you have resolutions related to your own personal growth.

• Are you getting over a bad break-up… or just a break-up in general whether platonic or romantic?
• Do you want to provide more emotional, mental or physical balance into your life?
• Do you want to eat better, live healthier?
• Do you want to increase your understanding and empathy towards other? Or even to yourself?

Ask yourself some additional questions.

• Do you have a “power” symbol?  Symbols that you gravitate too over and over? Do they provide you with strength, peace, determination?
• Do you want to promote love, inner peace, or clarity?

USE THESE images to your advantage!  Paint or draw those words or symbols onto the rocks while envisioning what you want from your resolution. Draw a stick finger holding his/her arms up in success. Paint a star, moon, sun, flowers… any symbol or idea that makes you feel empowered.  And incorporate this symbol, not just on the rock but also in your mind as part of your resolution. Add it to a ritual while envisioning yourself succeeding at your resolution and place them around your home or carry one with you as a reminder.  Maybe you want to be that stick finger celebrating his/her success in a month, or ten months. Maybe you want to bring light to those around you, like the sun. It doesn’t matter! Let those symbols remind YOU of what you want to accomplish this year! 

Bless some seeds. As the halfway point between winter and spring, Imbolc is a great time to think up ideas for the Green or Kitchen witch in your home. Bringing those first symbols of spring, seedlings (or starter herbs), into your home helps manifest the energies surrounding light and growth. Rosemary, dill, chamomile, and basil are perfect herbs to add to your home or start in your garden.   Don’t forget to bless your tools too!

Carry a little magic with you. Gemstones have a myriad of wonderful uses. While I don’t practice with them very often, I find that they make excellent additions to resolutions because of the forces they help promote.

While the gemstones associated with Imbolc change depending which sect of Wicca you are a part of, there are a few that are great additions to any Imbolc ritual. They also make great talismans!

• Moonstone:  A stone to assist in transitions or rebirth. Its also excellent to use in initiations or re-dedications! Moonstone encourages hope, and enhances mental sensitivity and intuition. Its also an excellent addition to rituals focusing on feminine energies. Moonstone is a gemstone of abundance, and added into rituals or resolutions can help enhance personal determination and fortitude when faced with difficulties.
• Aventurine:  A prosperity and good luck stone, aventurine promotes well-being for a person as a whole. If you are looking to include overall health (mental, physical and emotional) this is a great stone, but for areas of your life where you need specific energies, I’d recommend other stones.
• Quartz: Clear quartz is perfect for amplifying energies and awareness. But, be careful to ensure that you envision positive energies and are not directing negative thoughts at yourself or another. Use rose quartz to increase compassion and platonic/romantic relationships as well as promoting emotional healing.
• Sunstone: A gemstone for increasing confidence and radiance in your life! Sunstone is the gem to find if you are looking to  add growth, warmth and light to your resolutions. A motivating gem, sunstone will help encourage your dedication to the resolutions. It helps banish away self-destructive thoughts, and focus productive energies to succeed in your goals.
• Amethyst:  A beautiful, decorative stone, I find amethyst a great addition to my altar, and I also carry a piece of amethyst and tiger’s eye to use as “stress stones.”  Amethyst is a conductor to tap into a higher wisdom and clarity in your thoughts. It also assists in providing emotional or mental balance if you are stressed, anxious or angry. It’s a wonderful stone to have if you are making multiple goals for the new year but find yourself overwhelmed with your specifics details involved in your resolutions. Use amethyst to calm yourself and reorganize your emotions. As an addition to your home, the balanced energies of the amethyst provide a protection barrier against negativity.  Its great to use in protection sachets or spell work! (I have an amethyst pendant on my altar for this purpose).

Use the rebirth of energies to your advantage. Reaffirm your commitment to your resolutions. But mostly, have fun with it!

Blessed Be to all of you!