Imbolc

A little history. Imbolc is the ritual that falls between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. It is the celebration of the noticeable lengthening of the days. In ancient times the festival came when the ewe’s gave milk since the lambs were (apparently) born at this time. Imbolc translates somehow into “ewe’s milk.” (Sorry, I’m a little rusty on my ancient languages!) (No doubt if its important to someone they'll correct me!)

To celebrate we’ll be taking a ritual from a little further north. The Norsemen, of Norway and that area, would wile away their dark nights with a “boast,” which was basically a ritualized drinking game. It is held in three (and sometimes four) rounds, as follows:

Round 1: A boast to a God or Goddess. Pick one that you like, from Jesus to Freya to Thor to the Triple Goddess… anyone! Keep in mind that this is a BOAST, and true to its name we are supposed to talk up the God or Goddess of our choosing. In days of old you were looking to curry favor so, if you’re feeling uninspired think about what you’re trying to bring into your life and find a god or goddess who stands for that. Sports event you’re looking to win – try a god of war. Looking for love? There’s always Aphrodite.

Round 2: A boast to a personal hero/heroine. Living or dead; fictional, literary, mythical, historical – anyone goes on this one. Who has inspired you?

Round 3: (The hard one for some) A personal boast. Something YOU have done that you are proud of. Now is not the time to be bashful. Lock that low self-esteem away in a closet for the duration of this round and boast yourself proudly!!

Round 4: (optional) A promise, declared in circle, to achieve something. A promise of something you’ll do, in theory, to boast about the next time. I’m guessing here is where the Norsemen of old would swear to kill a dragon or sack x-number of villages in a month. We're a bit more modern, so what would you like to fulfill before next we meet? (Time limit optional, as is the slaying of dragons…)

What do you have to boast?