Imbolc 2010

I wasn't really sure what to do today, we've been doing a lot of work in the house recently, putting in a fireplace and moving the room around to compensate for it. We've knocked through the bricked in fireplace, chipped off the crappy old plaster, replastered, laid a hearth of poured concrete, laid a load of slate floor tiles to make it look nice again, used smaller slate tiles to go up wither side of the fireplace and grouted it all in. Today I took charge of Mum's aquarium, moving it across the room, fiddling with the substrate, adding plants etc etc. So in essence I've spring cleaned the fish tank! The rest of the day was spent moving around the furniture, tidying up etc.

I hadn't planned anything for an Imbolc ritual, just too busy! I do have some bulbs out in the garden ready to use in a spring flower arrangement but 8:30 at night was a little too late to turn it into a ritual. Instead I realised I finally had time for a shower and that was when inspiration struck. Before my shower I gathered together a few bits and pieces, some tea lights, some olive oil, jasmine oil, and an invisible floating candle kit. On my altar I placed my pentacle, then around the edge placed the eight tea lights and my medium shallow chalice making for a total of nine. In the chalice went some water then a layer of olive oil mixed with jasmine then on top of that the invisible wick holding thingy (basically a plastic disk with air pockets in it to make it float and channels to allow oil to reach the wick held in a little pinch in the plastic) I also placed a small statue of Sulis in the centre of the circle and put a small charm at her feet. Then I went to shower.

When I got back I put on a relaxing cd (Medieval Baebes), lit some stick incense, grounded and centred. I called the quarters in a very relaxed way, sitting before my altar I lit a coloured candle for each without getting up and circling round. Then I sprinkled water and salt and cast the circle with my athame by swinging it (slowly!) around my body creating a very small, intimate circle. After which I invited the lord and lady to join me. I spoke a little about the season and what it meant to me then I began to light the nine candles each one lit in honour of something; 1: the season of Imbolc, 2: the plants that are growing, 3: the animals who feel the change, 4: the lord and lady, whatever be their names, who guided me to this path, 5: my family, 6: my love, 7: my self, 8: my friends both past and yet to come, and 9: I can't remember.

Then came a prayer for Sulis, I can't remember what I said but it involved honouring her, thanking her, dedicating the small statue to her and asking for her blessing. I then meditated going to my usual inner world of a clearing in a forest. It was dark, lit by the mostly full moon and glittering with frost, here and there snow drops and green shoots poked through the grass. A rabbit watched me from the undergrowth and an owl from one of the trees. I followed a path through the wood and came to a new place, a hot pool in a clearing, steam was curling up from the green water. I removed my clothes and slipped into the water, delightfully warm in the freezing night. There I met Sulis, she sat in the pool opposite me and we spoke of various things. I asked her about a magical name I had been considering. It means water smith. I had already thought of the watery associations of emotions, fluidity, and tranquillity but she reminded me that water is also hard, hard as ice. It is strong as tsunami and patient, water will eventually prove stronger than stone. As for the next part of the name "smith" well apart from the obvious blacksmith the word also applies to other professions such as wordsmith etc also the archaic meaning is "artist." Sulis reminded me that everything I do is art, I try every craft and am gifted in that most crafts I try I seem to be quite good at, I use my art as a form of worship too. It is a fitting name for now.

After the meditation I thanked the lord and lady and the quarter guardians then took down the circle and wrote my new name in my BoS. I have not yet decided whether I will share the name with anyone else... for now it is between me and Sulis. :)

***

The day after my Imbolc ritual, I was at work (I'm a bookseller) and I decided to look for a book that mentions Sulis, after flicking through the index pages of a few titles I found there were two possibilities, one turned out to just be full of correspondences such as Earth and Health with lists of Goddess names underneath, not what I was looking for. The other had full pages on each Goddess, I randomly flipped it open.... right to Sulis! I got that tingly feeling and knew it was a gentle nudge in the right direction. Needless to say I bought the book!

That same evening I went to the local Pagan Moot where we had another Imbolc ritual in the pub garden. At the moot the subject of magical names came up, the coincidental nature of this made me feel comfortable discussing my recent acquisition of a name though I still only used the translation "Water Smith" It was a good conversation.

It was only this morning that it felt right to tell someone my name. I was browsing a magical names thread on this forum in bed before work and my fiancé cuddled up to me. I thought to myself if he asks me "do you have a magical name" I'll be able to tell him. A split second later he said those exact words and it suddenly felt so right. We discussed it and he agreed it suited me, he was pleased for me! :D