An Altar for Imbolc

The season of Imbolc (pronounced IM-BLK), also called Brigid's Day, is a traditional Celtic festival marking the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, Imbolc falls on Tuesday, February 2nd. This ancient holiday honors the hearth (our inner fire), the growing light and longer days (new beginnings), and lambing season (birth).

Imbolc also honors the Goddess Brigid who is a kind of midwife deity to the Irish people. She rules over fertility, poetry, and metal smithing. Her element is fire and she definitely works as a creative alchemist, overseeing the work of blacksmiths, brewers, bards, and birthers. The Celts celebrate Brigid on Imbolc and all through the first weeks of February.

This year for Imbolc, I’ve created a tiny hearth on my altar using an abandoned nest as the base. I found this beautiful nest in October laying on the ground after a particularly high wind. For me, it represents home. I’ve slipped a little glass votive into the nest to represent Brigid’s hearth.

A copper bird tends the the fire, waiting for the right conditions to lay eggs, readying herself. (This is a nod to the creative pre-work that happens for me at this time of year.) I’ve also included a stone that reads “Imagination”. We can’t see the promise of spring quite yet, but we know that the root systems are starting to stir! It will be here soon, we simply have to have some faith and imagination!

Also on the altar: a bundle of dried sage, rosemary, and juniper next to a a wire sun representing the lenthening days with a sign tucked in the rays that says “we are roots”.

This is an altar dedicated to creative foundations, inner fire, inspiration, and the power of planning.

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Do you keep an altar for Imbolc or Candlemas?
What do you include on your altar at this time of year?