Everything Under the Moon

Ok, then let's try a visual meditation utilizing these symbols.
Have at the ready a tarot deck, make an orange studded with some cloves before you start to get the olfactory geared up.

These are the things we will be using in a tarot hygge meditation.

Magic mushrooms
Sun
Snowflakes
Oranges
Cloves
Bare trees
Holly
Spruce branches
Candles
Lights
Tree
Fireplace
comfy clothes
Poinsettia
Gingerbread house
Wreaths
Garlands
Hot chocolate
Eggnog
Shortbread/Gingerbread cookies
Boxed chocolates
Mixed nuts
Spiced cider

Read through this meditation to become familiar with the visual:

After several deep breaths, close your eyes and see yourself in the out of doors on mid-winters night. The moonlight on the snowy scene is peaceful and serene, snowflake flurries flit about. The snow glitters in the pale light, the sound of the snow crunches under your boots as you walk along a well-defined trail observing the play of light between the branches of the leafless trees creating patterns and symbols upon the snow-covered ground. You pause to observe these patterns, scouring the ground for symbols relevant to your situation. After receiving several messages from shadows cast upon the snow, you see a wee clearing at the base of a tree displaying a cluster of Amanita mushrooms. After a quick recognition of your God and giving thanks you pic one of the red with white spotted fungus and nibble at it thoughtfully wondering upon the season of change and rebirth when suddenly the sound of sleigh bells are heard in the distance. You follow the sound and see the sled being pulled by several reindeer toward a quaint house, where warm light glows from within, a string of colored lights line the perimeter of the roof and smoke is churning out of the chimney. As you get closer you see the front porch is adorned with garlands of cedar and spruce and the on the door hangs a holly leaf wreath with a big red bow, a large window reveals a beautifully decorated fir tree. Just as you are about to turn and head back into the woods the front door squeaks open and a friendly elfin like woman appears in the threshold. "Welcome!" she calls out to you, "come in out of the cold dear" and motions you to enter the warm and cozy house, as you step across the doorway the spicy sweet smells of Yule fill your nose and a sense of comfort sweeps over your body. Upon a table adorned with the firelight of multiple candle sticks is displayed several goodies to consume, Chocolates, nuts, dried fruits, short-bread cookies, Gingerbread cookies, with drinks of spiced cider, hot chocolate or eggnog and in the center of the treats is the most ornate gingerbread house you have ever seen. The elfin woman encourages you to take what you like then ushers you to the other side of the house where an enormous fireplace flanked with poinsettias is crackling away with the seasonal Yule log. The woman pulls up a table with a deck of tarot cards between the large armchairs in front of the fire and says, "I suspect you would like some insight on the year ahead?", Nodding you realize the mushrooms are taking their effect, you slump into the chair and the woman gives you a comfy blanket and soon you are swept away with the insights and stories the woman has to share.
Before you know it, the Sun is coming up and the woman touches you gently, and says we must greet the Sun. The two of you make your way to the door and as it opens the light floods the space and the energy of the renewed Sun fills the room and your soul with renewed strength and hope.
You thank the woman for her hospitality and hurry back down the path with much joy in your heart. Breathing in a deep breath, the scene suddenly turns in to your room at home and you have returned.

Do the Tarot reading now, or at the end of your visualization where the woman is doing reading for you.

BLESSED WINTER SOLSTICE TO ALL!!!

So what are we going to do for Imbolc? Any ideas yet?

It's a very busy time of the year for me, not only for the group but for me personally. Since 1987 I've been in the floraly industry and I am completely burnt out on Valentines day. Since I quit several years ago I thought whew! Done! But then I agreed to help a friend at his shop, and he's already hunting me down, I'd really just rather skip it as the money isn't worth my back. Damn, and I really love that work. Right now I'm helping my mom and haven't been in town, so I may get out of it. LoL

I think an easy thing to do for imbolg would be making a Brigids cross. Then perhaps we can stir up a little ritual for blessing it and placing it in the home?

Anyway it's interesting that the Imbolg season would mesh with Valentines day and Brigid feast day Imbolc/Imbolg and Groundhog day.
Valentines day was originally focused around the stirrings of young love and the quickening of the heart when near your sweetie. In the Earth there too is a quickening... the seeds are stirring getting ready to spring back to life, some animals are starting to have babies and the momma are downloading milk! Chickens have enough light coming into their pupils, triggering egg laying time, the groundhog Earth dweller knows that this is the crest of the spring season yet the will always be 6 weeks until equinox.
Aaaand I typed a bunch of stuff that bliped out, so I'm bliping out.

It seems that there are a lot of holidays that coincide in February and near Imbolc. The shadow is starting to fade and the light is becoming longer during the days. I celebrate this holiday with happiness, but as someone who enjoys darkness, i'm cringing. Lol.

Hi again, hope your observances wet well Anubisa, I had 3 days of zoom rituals, kinda getting tired of it as much as it has help with the continuity of getting together. It also is great on the aspect that I'm still able to attend/be there/lead from a distance from my home. It's been really hard to keep up around the board here since I've had to basically move 3 hours away to care for my mom who's been ill since early November, then suffered a stroke a few weeks ago when I had a moment to come home. My daughter was with her when it happened and called 911, the hosp was able to administer the stroke meds within the 4-4.5 hour window. But I had to turn right around and come back.
I apologize for not being more present around here.
But hey Eqionox is coming! My favorite time of year, everything is so green and beautiful around the normally brown landscape of Southern California. Best time for fertility magic, not necessarily for giving birth to a child but to a new endeavor.
Bb, Firebird

I hope your mother is better. I will keep her in my prayers. I wasn't able to celebrate Imbolc this time of year, however,I am going to definitely make time to celebrate our next sabbat. It just seems that something is always in the way lately.

LoL, frigging life can get in the way sometimes, huh.... she is doing as good as can be expected, thank you for asking.
So Ostara will be upon us before you can shake a stick...what-ever that means!
Let's start shaking our sticks!!!
bb, F

So what are we going to about Ostara since it will be coming up soon? Anything in mind?

Yepers, right fast it will arrive,
I'm planning To go camping the week before. Daughter will stay with mom.
But we could stir something up real quick.
Course eggs and seeds, pastel colors, new green grasses, rabbits, clicks and other newly born are the symbols of the season. Any other things you all can think of and what would you want to focus on for change?
Bb, Firebird

You know what they say about March...

Well, I have a spell if you like. It's rather fun but you need a body of water, preferably moving, like a stream/river.

Sounds good to me.

The closest I have to a moving body of water is a shower, lol. There is a river kinda close to me but it's frozen and I don't have any way to get to the river.

Oi, oh dear, um...we have used the toilet for banishing type stuff, but that just doesn't seem right for a spring spell.

Umm, toilet? I said shower.