Imbolc

**Merry Meet**

Well Imbolc is fast approaching (Feb. 2) and I personally feel completely unprepared. Due to some recent room changes I no longer have an altar set up :( . Which may be the better idea for now until I have sufficient room to have my altar as well as room to cast a circle. For those who are not pagan or are new to it, I'm going to write a little bit about what Imbolc is, well for me anyway... You're view may be different from mine...

Imbolc is a festival of lights, and also of fertility, new beginnings, etc. It is the festival of the lactating sheep. It is derived from the Gaelic word "oimelc" which means "ewes milk".  This is a time of blessing the seeds for gardening and consecration of tools. The altar cloth should be of colors that remind you of the warmth of the sun. Some herbs you could add are: Basil, Blackberry, and also an assortment of white or yellow flowers. You may want to incorporate a large amount of candles as it is The Festival of Lights. I prefer to use tealights as they are smaller and you can add a whole bunch. I added crushed red pepper to my altar as well, I got that little bit of info from my teacher :) she is a really big help to me lol. Basil and Bay are some incense you can use as well. A lot of people like to include a Brighid's Cross since she is most celebrated on this day :)..
Some colors you could incorporate are gold, red, yellow, and sometimes white.

I'm including a recipe that is from my Witches' Datebook for 2013.

Imbolc: Candlelight Lemon Dessert
 1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts or hazelnuts
2 cups of frozen non-dairy whipped cream topping, divided
1 cup of powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
6oz. instant lemon pudding mix
3 cups of whole milk

Several hours before serving:  Combine flour, butter, and chopped nuts. Press into a 9 x 13 glass pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F; cool.
 Combine 1 cup of the whipped topping, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and a dash of salt. Spread over the cooled crust. Chill for 15 minutes.
Combine the pudding mixes and milk; beat for about 2 minutes. Pour over the chilled mixture in the pan. Chill for 30 minutes. Top with extra 1 cup of whipped topping. Garnish with nuts or thin lemon slices as desired. Cover tightly and chill several hours before serving. (Garnish is optional).

Hope you all enjoyed my extra "treat" :).

**Blessed Be**