I have preparied the Imbolc Report on what occured in North America on this day. I observed several divinations on this day both personal and general to what was happening in our world. I created a Brideog or Brighid Doll and gave a bed for Briganti to sleep in while I read her poetry all night. I lit seven candles and prepared one very special candle for her. A long candle stick, often referred to as a “legitimate candle of the dead” by old Santeros from Cuba.
Candle Sticks are apparently the preffered offering for the Dead besides food. I first visited the cemetery I go to and left Oya a nice food offering for her and for Obbá and Yeguá the two Orishas who live inside the cemetery. The reason for this is because one of her festive days is Candlemas. So I asked her to reap all nasty energies. But I also asked her to bless me at the Market place with prosperity and abundance.
This day is used to chase away the spirits of the dead and dark spirits of winter back to the Underworld. So I gave food at the Cemetery as an incentive for the departed and other more dark entities to leave willingly. I asked Oya to take on the task of chasing away the ones who wouldn’t leave of their own accord. I then made my way home. Once I lit every candle, I took a single large candle stick, placed it in a white basin with a little holy water (to snuff the candle out) and then I began taking shots with my phone.
I do this as a form of spirit photography and Sciomancy. Sciomancy is Divination by shadows. The blessed candle will reveal things in the dark through the shadows and tell me the answers to my questions. The pictures revealed dark energies and what I can only describe as Shadow beings exposed by the candle. This had never happened before and I have tried to debunk it a few times by replicating the pictures in the same area with the same type of candle.
The effect could not be replicated. Also, when the candle is snuffed out by the holy water, it’s always gentle. It never makes so much as a hissing noise. This time it made a large pop like a fire cracker. When I took our the left over candle wax to divine, it took on the form of a nasty creature.
I didn’t bother to take a picture because it felt nasty.
I disposed of the wax and washed the basin out with more holy water. So far things were not looking good this year. Since then, more signs and omens started appearing even yesterday. That’s why it took me this long to post a blog on it.
So let’s start with the Weather.
On the actual day of Imbolc Eve, it was very sunny and fair. Which of course is bad. Because that means winter will stay longer. I prayed and prayed for bad weather. The same day, the US was marshaling their forces all around Venezuela and I expected to hear of an invasion at any moment.
But at Sunset when it officially became Imbolc, I felt tiny drops of cold water as a small, temporary, storm was taking place. It barely lasted a minute or two. But I gave a huge sigh of relief. It was enough to give me hope that winter might leave early this year. Not just so that the violence could stop, but so that the Polar Vortex that is afflicting parts of the country would leave.
People have already frozen to death and these poor animals are being afflicted as well. I wondered if colder weather would happen on Imbolc day. But on the actual day when I brought the Brighid Doll to a sacred pond to complete the festival, it was mostly sunny again. With only a little bit more cold rain drops falling at almost full dark. So, what does this mean? The omens state that it is the matter is inconclusive.
I felt when doing these rituals that the forces of Spring and Winter are still at war with each other. And a clear winner has not been chosen. We know spring will eventually win. But that’s it. Spring might come early, or winter may stay longer.
Only time will tell. This is in line with what the Quimbanderos and Umbanderos have said in this year’s divination. They said that “Fire and Water, Neptune and Mars” would reign this year. A struggle between opposites. I felt that the storm wanted to manifest more.
But something was holding it back. The darker forces of the old year are still holding on.
And fighting to remain here. That is why it is imperative that we all do whatever new year’s rituals and offerings there are to assure victory for the spring forces. Our collective prayers and offerings will decide whether the positive forces of change will win out or not.
We need to appeal to the Gods first and foremost and then ask them to empower the spirits of nature to give spring victory. When I mean spring and winter I am also speaking figuratively of Light and Dark, Good and Evil. We all need to get on board with helping the Light win this battle. Dark isn’t necessarily evil. But in this context, based on the divinations, malevolent forces seem to be using the dark of winter to achieve an objective.
And this can have ramifications for us in the future. Better to do our best to prevent this now.
Magic is only part of the solution though. We need to accompany faith with action. We need to make serious changes in our lives and do better.
We need to love and be open to getting involved in the world around us. No more hiding in our own little worlds. The good news is, at least those rain drops happened at all. I fully expected the winter to be the clear winner. So we just might kick it’s ass anyway.
We are now living in the Year of the Earth Boar in the Chinese Zodiac. A very good Blogger I follow here on WordPress wrote a great article on this :
https://ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com/2019/02/04/the-year-of-the-earth-pig/
He has some good news for this year which is very welcomed at this point. Also, Hobiyee Nisg̱a’a New Year started this month. This refers to a holiday where the Elders of this First Nation look to the skies and divine. They use the Moon to see if we will have a prosperous or poor year. Let’s hope for a prosperous year.
Good night everyone.
Adventures of A Mage In Miami 