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          CompuServe on-line Imbolc Ritual, 1993
           
          (8-8,Jehana) You are sitting in your room, the computer before
          you... 
               You feel your own power and energy building, growing... 
               A pale blue light surrounds you... 
               It expands out and away from you, forming into blue flame...
               Growing, growing, reaching ever outwards... 
               Boston... 
               Boston blue flame ... energy grid... moving outward... 
               Connecticut... Shelton.... 
               Brookfield... 
               blue flame.... energy grid.. moving outward... 
               New York City.... 
               blue flame, speeding southwards... 
               Jersey City.... 
               Blue flame , spreading southwards... 
               Baton Rouge... 
               Westwards.... 
               Northwards... 
               Blue flame, energy, powergrid, connecting... 
               Detroit.... 
               Blue flame, racing back towards east... 
               Connecting Boston. 
               The Circle is Cast... 
               The Circle is fluid; those who seek to gate in late may  
               well expand this circle.   
               The Circle Is Cast.   
           
          (8-18,Tapestry) Guardians of the East. We welcome you. 
               Your breath of fresh air. 
               Your spring breezes. 
               Your new beginnings; 
               and their promise of infinite potential. 
               Be here now! 
               Guardians of the South.  We welcome you. 
               That spark of life that smolders within 
               the slumbering seed and the pregnant ewe 
               and the forsythia buds. 
               Your promise of Summer's heat. 
               The urgency of love's passion. 
               Be here now! 
               Guardians of the West.  We welcome you. 
               The melting ice, dripping from the eaves. 
               The spring rain that mistily drapes us with love. 
               The healing sound of water burbling from a spring. 
               Be here Now! 
               Guardians of the North.  We welcome you. 
               The rocks beneath the winter snow. 
               The roots of trees seeking earth's warmth downward. 
               The swell of the hills, the thrust of the great mountains, 
               The tracks of the wolf in the new-fallen snow. 
               Be here now! 
           
          (8-8,Jehana) We call upon Brighid, patron Goddess of  



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               the Fires of the Forge; 
               the Fires of Inspiration.   
               We call upon Brighid, patron Goddess of  
               the waters that give life 
               Giving life, transforming seeds  
               buried deep below the frost  
               into the amazing gift of Growth and Possibility and
               Potential.   
               We call upon Brighid and become like  
               the Sword, forged by fire, and tempered by water.   
               Hail, and Greetings! 

               (Here, any and all are welcome to mention their own 
               personal invocations) <ga> 
           
          (8-13,Babs) Hail Lady of the Forge. 
           
          (8-22,Lynne) I call white and golden light to the Earth for her
               healing 
               I ask Bridget to send a blessing onto the Earth 
           
          (8-13,Babs) Make it so. 
           
          (8-18,Tapestry) Hold a seed in your hand.  Project yourself 
               beyond the hard seed covering. 
               To the soft kernel inside. 
               At one end of the kernel is a tiny, sharp point. 
               The kernel can split in half and the sharp point 
               becomes a tiny germinal plant. 
               Imagine the seed planted in the soft soil of the garden. 
               The snow covering the ground insulates the seed from 
               the cold winter winds as it sleeps. 
               The tiny germ feels the gentle warming of the sun and 
               the moisture of the melting snow as it slowly wakens. 
               This wakening of the tiny, hidden embryo of the plant is 
               Imbolc - the first stirrings of Spring.  The time when 
               the tiny seedling thrusts roots into the soil, and prepares 
               leaves to capture the sun's future nourishment and warmth. 
               When the ground is soft, the snow gone, and the sun smiling 
               upon the land it will be ready. 
               Imbolc is the time when the pregnant mares develop bulging 
               udders for their foals, and about two weeks before they  
               deliver, the oozing colostrum dries into a waxy covering 
               on the teats.  When this happens, the farmer knows that  
               her time is near.  Spring will arrive soon, and both  
               the mare and the farmer will be ready. 
               This is Imb-olc.  The name comes from the "Oim" (ewe's) -  
               "olc" (milk).  The ewe's udder, like the mare's, 
               swells and prepares for the birth of twin lambs - usually 
               in late February or early March.  This sign was very  
               important for herdsmen in the north because ewes  
               usually look for a secluded place to give birth, and  
               if her time was near with a bitter cold snap or late  
               winter storm brewing, the results could be disastrous. 
               This is also a day one-third through the Celtic Lunar 



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               Month of Luis; the Rowan tree.  The celebration of  
               Brighid's (Breed) Day, or Candlemas, one of the 4 Great 
               Fire Festivals of the Celtic Year.  The others are: 
               Beltane, Lammas, and Samhain.  For each, a balefire,  
               bonefire, or candle was lit to mark the spiritual  
               beginning of the season.  It was seen as the rebirth  
               of spirit, the spiralling out again from darkness. 
               Let us go to sleep tonight thinking about these new 
               beginnings.  These new births, and the beginning of 
               our new selves.  To concentrate on our own beginnings  
               within the womb of the Mother.  How we begin anew with  
               the understanding, compassion, and love conceived within 
               her fertility. 
               Let us concentrate on maintaining a groundedness within 
               Her.  Concentrate on learning to focus ourselves to the 
               tasks at hand and complete them with the calmness of 
               knowing that She guides our every move and thought. 
               In so doing, we will become more caring and competent, 
               loving and assured. 
           
          (8-8,Jehana) (Pause to reflect and meditate on this) 
               Thank you, Brighid.  
               We accept Your gifts and Your blessings. 
               Hail and Farewell ! 
           
          (8-8,Jehana) Guardians of the East, we thank you. 
               For your breath of fresh air, 
               for your spring breezes,  
               for the new beginnings you bring us, 
               we thank you! 
               Hail and Farewell! 
               Guardians of the South, we thank you. 
               Reminding us of the spark of life that smolders within 
               the slumbering seed, the pregnant ewe, the forsythia buds. 
               For your promise of Summer's heat, 
               for the urgency of love's passion, 
               we thank you! 
               Hail and Farewell! 
               Guardians of the West, we thank you. 
               The melting ice, dripping from the eaves. 
               The spring rain that drapes us with love. 
               For the healing sound of water burbling from a spring, 
               we thank you! 
               Hail and Farewell! 
               Guardians of the North, we thank you. 
               For the rocks beneath the winter snow. 
               For the roots of trees seeking earth's warmth downward; 
               the swell of the hills, the thrust of the great mountains, 
               The tracks of the wolf in the new-fallen snow. 
               we thank you! 
               Hail and Farewell! 



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          (8-8,Jehana) The energy that surrounds us, contains us; 
               the blue flame... 
               See it... 
               Visualize the blue flames that surround this our Circle 
               See them flame brightly. 
               And now, widdershins, the blue flame starts to fade. 
               Fire seal the Circle round,  
               Let it fade beneath the ground 
               Let all things be as they were  
               Since the Beginning of Time. 
           



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