Imbolc

The Earth's sacred flame has been re-lit ❤️‍🔥

Hello, my lovely.

Blessed (almost) Imbolc to you! There is now a freshness in the air and every dawn holds an extra sliver of brightness.

The much-awaited Pagan festival of Imbolc falls on Sunday 1st February. We are now at the midpoint between Yule and the spring equinox - a liminal time of frosty mornings and green-scented afternoons. Have you noticed the first signs of spring?

After weeks of being snowed in (and then too scared to let my Bambi legs cartwheel across the frost), I finally scampered back out to the woods last weekend. I was greeted by the first spears of daffodils, bobbing alder catkins, and a light that held more gold than ice. Yes, the trees are still showing their bare bones - bilberry bush skeletons creak on the moors - but there are also the early pairings of blue tits, jays and barrel-chested song thrushes.

Hope for the spring ahead is here.

Imbolc - or “Oimelc”, meaning ‘ewe’s milk’ in Old Gaelic - is a time when we celebrate the renewal of the world. The first lambs appear, fresh shoots burst through the soil. This ancient fire festival is when the goddess Brigid lights a sacred flame that will help us travel along the Wheel of the Year. And so, we celebrate with fire, intention-setting and a hearty wheel of cheese.

If you’re itching to get started with your Imbolc preparations, Laura Derbyshire and I have just published our latest episode of The Divine Void Podcast! Listen to “Snowdrops, Magic Cows and Getting a Goddess Into Bed” for everything we know about the folklore and practices of Imbolc.

In this Imbolc edition of The Green Witch, you’ll find:

• practical tips and ways to celebrate the festival of Imbolc

• something very special for the release of my book Underwing

• an exciting in-person witchcraft event

• an Imbolc spell to welcome back your personal light

I hope your own spark shines bright this Imbolc. Sending blessings your way.

Jennifer x

Currently reading: Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig & Milk by Alice Kinsella 📚

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Underwing: the countdown begins!

And you’re invited to a very special, exclusive event

WELL THEN! Underwing will be out in bookshops on Thursday 12th March - that’s less than 7 weeks away.

I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has shown their support for this book. As you’ll know, it lies exceptionally close to my heart.

And now, I have a very special announcement for you:

When you pre-order Underwing between now and 11th March, you are invited to an exclusive Zoom event with me on Thursday 19th March! Here, I’ll be talking with you all about green witchcraft and my own Pagan journey through magick and nature.

If you have already pre-ordered the book, this event is for you too! Pre-order a copy of Underwing and email your proof of purchase to amie@septemberpublishing.org by 23:59 on 11th March to get your invite to this online spring equinox event 🌱🤍

Grab your copy below, and I can’t wait to see you the day before spring begins!

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How to celebrate Imbolc

I, for one, feel life coursing back into my veins like chlorophyll right now. I’ll be celebrating Imbolc by:

• leaving an offering to the goddess Brigid. There would be no Celtic festival of Imbolc without the goddess Brigid. You may know her Brigit, Brighid or Bride. She is the goddess of sacred fire, poetry, blacksmiths, childbirth and cattle - with that last point making an ideal offering to her one of milk or cheese. Because of her many affinities, an offering to Brigid - which you could leave on your altar or below an oak tree - could mean a poem, a thick white candle, a horseshoe forged locally or a St Bride’s cross. Read all about (my obsession with) Brigid in last year’s Imbolc newsletter.

• … or another goddess signalling the first spark of spring. While Imbolc is the domain of Brigid, many other cultures across time have welcomed the return of the light and its inklings of green. If the Celtic pantheon is not for you, you may like to leave an offering to Persephone, Proserpina (Persephone’s Roman counterpart, pictured below), or Artemis, who all have links with the burgeoning spring.

Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash

• clearing a space in my garden. As we say on The Divine Void Podcast, Imbolc is still a time of rest (we’re in winter, after all!), but we can begin to move slowly forward into the light. This makes Imbolc ideal for making space in our lives to welcome the new. Mindfully clear a patch for new seedlings in the garden and nourish the earth with compost, thinking about what you’ll grow this year (I’m going for more marigolds and nasturtiums than veg this time!). Or do a mental clearout instead - make sure you’re in the best mindset to achieve the goals you intend to set this year, laying the groundwork and planting seeds of intention in your mind.

• making something incredible and creamy. As someone who was vegan between 2018-2023, dairy is something I’ve struggled to incorporate back into an everyday vegetarian diet. When I cook with it, it’s usually in something sweet and delicious instead! Why not try a banana-caramel cream dessert or this (insane-looking) vanilla, cherry and pistachio ice-cream. Or, if you can stomach another cheese board this close to Yule, now is the time to reignite your relationship with cream crackers (Brigid will thank you)!

Recipe by Kelly Gibney at Dish

• travelling to an Imbolc event. Pop this into your search engine and you’ll find bonfire events scattered around the country - even if they’re not quite on your doorstep 🔥 Get together with like-minded folk to dance around the roaring flames. Oooor, come and see me at Blackwell’s bookshop in Oxford on Saturday 31st January for an afternoon event to learn all about the sacred festival. Book your free ticket here.

• going a bit feral with fire. Can’t go to an in-person event? Light your candles! Crack open the fire pit! Stoke the log burner - safely, of course, witches. Please.

• making a Brigid’s Cross. Traditionally made of rushes and hung in the rafters or above a door to invoke Brigid’s protection, a Brigid’s (or St Brigid’s) Cross is the main symbol of Imbolc. While I’ve never tried to make one myself - I daren’t ever show my wonky craft attempts online! - I got my own Brigid’s Cross on a trip to Inishmore in the Arran Islands during summer 2023. This was actually the day I fell pregnant with Sky, so I hold this emblem of the goddess of childbirth close to my heart! See how to make one here.

• performing an intention-setting spell. Every year on 1st February, I like to light a white candle and write down the things I wish to invite into the year ahead. These are always in the present tense: for example, “My life is full of abundance in all areas,” or “I create meaningful and helpful connections with people when I write.” I read my intentions out loud, fold the paper towards myself and burn them in the flame one by one, sending them out to the goddess. It is a small but meditative ritual, but the sacred flame gives it a kick! You can also practice the candle ritual at the bottom of this post.

• creating an Imbolc altar. I’ll be sharing exactly how to do this on The Green Witch paid membership next weekend. Don’t forget to upgrade your subscription to receive this straight to your inbox!

For a closer look at the festival of Imbolc, pick up a copy of my book, The Wheel: A Witch’s Path Back to the Ancient Self.

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Come and celebrate Imbolc with me!

Join Laura Derbyshire and I at Blackwell’s Oxford, for the second of our four Sabbat Sessions!

This time, we’ll be sharing all our knowledge on the Pagan fire festival of Imbolc. Find out the ancient history, snowdrop lore and ways to celebrate the first budding of spring 🌱

Our Samhain event very nearly sold out and our Imbolc tickets are going fast. So don’t forget to get your free ticket! See you there on Saturday 31st January at 3.00 pm.

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A candle ritual to reignite your spark

I know I, for one, am emerging from the dark, candle-lit winter looking bleary-eyed and in need of a spring vegetable (there are no recent pics of me in this newsletter for a reason!). I’ve learned to love winter this year, but I cannot wait for those longer days.

I am consciously seeking out renewal right now.

And maybe you are too.

Photo by Vasilina Sirotina on Unsplash

At Yule, I shared this candle ritual for welcoming back the year’s light. But today, I want to give you a spell to bring back your own personal light, which you may feel has been dulled by the colder months. The herbs I’ve used below are all associated with the (sacred) Fire Element and are gently warming in their scents and flavours. They allow you to yawn and stretch in the light and calmly come back to yourself, with no unwanted kick up the bum!

Enjoy - and let me know how you feel afterwards in the comments.

You’ll need:

• 1 white candle (and holder if using a taper)

• mortar & pestle

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp dried basil

• 1 tsp dried rosemary

• half a tsp of finely sliced ginger

• around 5 tsp of carrier oil (grapeseed oil, olive oil etc)

• matches/a lighter

• 2 small dishes/bowls

• candle snuffer (to stop you from blowing positive energy away from you)

1. Cleanse your altar or the space you’re working in using your preferred way.

2. With your mortar and pestle, blend the herbs and spices together then add 3 pinches of this to your carrier oil in a small dish.

3. Mix well, then anoint your red candle by, first, putting a small amount of oil onto your hands. Rub this in so your fingers have a good coverage. Then rub the oil blend onto the candle from the top to the middle and then from the bottom to the middle, gathering the energy into the centre of the candle.

4. Sprinkle the remaining dry herb and spice blend around the candle in a clockwise direction to form a small circle. Then light the candle and look into its flame.

5. Repeat the following incantation three times: “Imbolc light, stoke me up; Imbolc light, fill me up. Light, I see your light; Light, I am your light. Like you, I am the flame that shines day and night; Like you, I emerge from winter’s shadow glowing bright.” Meditate on the refreshing energy that is now filling you up.

6. Snuff out the candle, then scoop the remaining herbs and spices into a dish. Place the dish on a south-facing windowsill for one month, so they are touched by the Element of Fire - another spark of Imbolc light.

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I'll see you on the next turn of the Wheel: Ostara will be here on Friday 20th March 2026 (the day after my special Underwing event!). Watch out for your newsletter a few days before. See you then!

Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate your ongoing support and feedback on my Substack. If you want to share some love or wish to support me, you can upgrade your newsletter subscription below ⬇️