Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.

– William Arthur Wad

There are certain key factors that have moved the progress of human evolution along throughout the course of history.

Stone tools, discovering how to turn raw metals into all manner of implements and adornments, the shift from hunter-gather cultures to agrarian ones, and scores of others.

One of those, unquestionably, was humankind’s ability to create and control fire.

As quickly as a warm spark hitting tinder, we forever changed who we were as a species and, perhaps moreover, what we would be able to accomplish going forward when this capability was discovered and utilized.

Evidence from locations such as Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa points to our distant ancestors harnessing the power of fire for their own purposes about one million years ago. Both there and at a handful of other sites around the globe, it thought that the purposeful use of fire may potentially stretch back as far as two million – or more still – years into the past.

There are various theories and schools of thought regarding how and when we stopped viewing fire chiefly as a threat in our environment (i.e., a blazing wildfire headed towards your small communal group’s present living or hunting area) and realized that we could not only use it for such revolutionary concepts as cooking food, but that we could – with a small number of essential components – create it on demand.

The hominoids that are believed to have first intentionally used fire were Homo erectus.

It would be a good many generations and developments on the journey to our present species (Homo sapiens), however, before we branched out from fire on the ground to taming this mighty force all the more and creating ways to generate light (and by extension a measure of warmth) in smaller, arguably more controlled, iterations.

It is likely that relatively soon after our ancestors discovered and began to make fires, they created and used torches not only to start new fires or rekindle those that were waning but to light their way through the dark.

Conceivably, creating torches or similar means of transporting fire (for example, by “collecting” a flame on a piece of wood, dried planet matter, etc from a small bushfire) may actually have led to the creation of things like fires on the ground that could be used to help keep wild animals at bay, roast a meal, or warm chilled bodies that were never far away from the elements.

It is almost impossible to adequately stress just what a profound turning point in our species’ history taming fire and putting it to work on our behalf was. Had that not happened, it is exceedingly likely we would not be even a fraction as advanced on countless fronts as we were today.

Fire not only blazed a path forward for our forebearers, it quite literally lit our way straight on until the development of artificial light sources such as gas and electric lighting.

In the interim, we came up with concepts such as lighting various oils as a means to create small, contained fires that could be used more flexibly than stationary fires.

We put flame to reeds and rushes, sometimes combining materials such as these with sources of fat from animals, seeds, and plants (including creating a product called rushlights that were used for many thousands of years in various parts of the world).

In many respects, rushlights and their kin were the precursors to candles. Though the two were often used concurrently in various locations throughout history.

We are unlikely to ever know who made the first product that we would today readily call a candle.

Historians debate when candles blazed their way onto the scene, but we know that cultures such as the ancient Egyptians were using rushlights and oil lamps at least 5,000 years ago.

Meanwhile, a touch later on in human history, the industrious Romans are often credited with being the first to create candles with wicks.

They did so by repeatedly dunking or dipping materials such as papyrus into heated and melted beeswax or tallow.

It is important to keep in mind that numerous other cultures – from China to India to some of the indigenous peoples of North America – also developed candles or products similar to candles as well. (In China, for example, rice paper was a key comment in their early candle-making process.)

From the distant days of those cultures and numerous others onward, many societies around the world have continued to utilize candles.

Even today, when a sizable percentage of the world has at least one form of artificial lighting in their home, a good many of us still adore, buy and/or make, and use candles for myriad different purposes.

The Pagan sabbat of Imbolc will soon be upon us again.

While it is safe to say that candles are a mainstay for many who observe the sabbats all throughout the year, perhaps no other sabbat is, in the Western Hemisphere, more associated with candles than Imbolc.

Yule, its immediate predecessor is another heavily candle-focused sabbat, as is Samhain at the end of October. Again though, it is Imbolc that is perhaps most closely linked to candles.

As I talked about in my recent Elegant Winter Meets Spring Colour Palette Imbolc Card post, though Imbolc may transpire when winter is still going strong in many locations, it is a celebration of renewal, rebirth, light, warmth, and the journey to spring’s majestic return.

Even many of the colours – white, cream, ivory, yellow, orange, and gold – linked to Imbolc relate back to the traditional colours of candles and of flames the world over.

At the beginning of February, those who observe Imbolc often chose to focus on the importance of light and warmth in our world.

We may live in homes that are heated by things such as electricity, coal, gas, and wood, but we are not so far removed from nature that we cannot appreciate the profound importance of light and warmth in the ever-turning Wheel of The Year.

In this post, beyond the brief overview of the role of fire in the development of our species, we are going to take a peek at what candle magick is and then delve into an extensive list of books on the subject of candle magick.

What is candle magick?

Humans have involved candles, rushlights and the like in religious and spiritual contexts for thousands of years.

Whether to light temples or churches, to burn offerings to deities, in ritual ceremonies or for various other reasons, something called to our ancestors to hold the power of a flame in great reverence and to combine that with the respect (and sense of awe) they often held for the gods, goddesses, or source of Spirit that they believed in.

Much as we do not know with exact certainty when the first candle was invented, it is as good as impossible to speculate when candle magick burst on the scene.

That said, it too almost certainly dates back for thousands of years.

As with many components of witchcraft, today’s candle magick may share points in common with that of earlier humans, but we cannot make any solid claims that the two were unwavering the same by any means.

Candle magick is one of the most commonly employed, best-loved, and easy to utilize forms of magick.

So much so, in fact, that candle magick has frequently been the first type of purposely undertaken magick utilized by many who are new to areas such as Wicca and Witchcraft.

Candle magick is inviting. It can also be peaceful, zen-like even at times – as can be the act of burning candles in general (aka, both inside and out of a magickal capacity).

Candles are an extraordinary representation of the Elements, as each is present in a candle’s form and function.

Fire, the most obvious of the Elements involved with candles, is there in the initial spark, the burning flame, and both the heat and light generated by candles.

As well, fire is one of the most powerful representations – and in some instances, literal forms of – transformation. This in turn is often the catalyst for important changes, personal growth, achieving our goals, and many other positives that we are well served by throughout the course of our lives.

Air, that most ethereal of Elements, enters the picture via the oxygen that is needed to both keep the candle lit and, if blowing it out, to extinguish it when the time comes to do so.

Earth, stable, ancient, malleable presents itself via the wax – as well as the wick (particularly if it is made from a natural material).

Lastly, while the Element of water might not be the first that one associates with candles, it too joins the team and is represented by the melting wax (a solid rendered in liquid form by the addition of heat) as well as utilized, in some instances, to put out a candle’s flame.

In addition, I personally feel that Spirit / the divine is present in candles as well. It is there in the history of this important source of light and warmth. In the connection to deities and Source that countless cultures and belief systems have long associated with candles (and fire in general), and in that enchanting element of mystery and magick inherent to candles the world over.

At its core, candle magick really just requires one or more candles, a heat source to light them with, and a specific intention or desired outcome that you wish to have come to fruition.

Beyond that, one can utilize candles for endless purposes when working magick.

They can be anointed with oils and/or herbs and/or spices (cinnamon, for example, is a much loved warm or “fiery” spice on this front), combined with small crystals (chips, tiny stones, etc), woven into colour magick, utilized as offerings, situated on one’s altar or other sacred space, used to represent fire as a whole, placed in windows to light the way for ancestral spirits, the fae, and many others, as well as being a common component on sabbat tables – including during dumb/silent suppers.

Some who employ candles in their magickal workings believe that candles used in such a context should be snuffed or doused out (with water) instead of extinguished with one’s breath. The logic behind this is that you may risk blowing away the intentions and/or energy of the spell that you have just undertaken.

I feel it is up to each practitioner of candle magick to determine if they sense this holds true for them personally or if they are okay with blowing out spellwork candles.

Candle magick also has the wonderful benefit of being a form of witchery that can be done quite discreetly. This may be particularly important to those who reside in environments where they want, or need, to keep their craft private.

After all, countless millions of people – a sizeable percentage of whom are not witches or Wiccans – the world over enjoy burning candles for a wide array of reasons, so this act is not overly likely to arouse suspicion in many types of settings.

In addition, one can involve candles as part of their meditation practise or for fire divination (for example, carromancy, which is divination involving melted wax), and you can even use a candle’s flame as a method of scrying.

I have a theory that part of the reason why we as a species have not parted ways with the use of candles even in the (glowing) face of artificial light sources is that there is something inherent to us as species that enjoys – and perhaps even needs – to retain the ability to create and safely keep fire in our homes.

Witches, Wiccans and others of our ilk are no different on that front and it is not the least bit surprising to me that candle magick is one of the most popular types of magick in the 21^st century.

Other components contribute to its widespread use as well. For example, many of us grew up in environments where candles were routinely utilized – be it decoratively, functionally or both.

We may associate candles with special occasions and settings. For example, the candles on a birthday cake, the small votives or tealights we ignite and place inside carved jack-o-lanterns, or elegant taper candles set out for a romantic dinner.

Candles are readily available in many parts of the world and while some high-end luxury brands cost well into the three figures apiece, many others can be had for less than the cost of a Starbucks coffee (and everywhere in between those two points).

As well, candles have a perpetual sense of mystery to them.

Even though in the modern era we understand the science behind how candles and fire in general work, they still continue to have an air of the unknown and of things both of and beyond this realm.

Indeed, in some respects, candles are liminal entities. The small space separating the flame and wax is an in-between realm that works as a conduit between the magickal worker’s intentions and the solidity of that desire (hopefully!) manifesting into being.

Naturally, candles are adored by countless individuals across the world. And while they are by no means the sole domain of witches, Wiccans, and Pagans, those of us who identify as such do often have quite the propensity for candles.

And, by extension for candle magick and candle spellwork.

In addition to the ways mentioned above to take candles beyond their basic state, one can also carve signs, symbols, words, numbers, and signals into the wax of candles before setting them alight.

Candles can be used (employing the utmost of fire safety at all times) to concentrate, cleanse, and symbolically burn away or banish unwanted elements from one’s world.

So long as safety, speaking of such, is employed (including keeping lit candles away from flammable materials, kids, and pets if there is even a minute chance that injury and/or the uncontained spread of fire could occur), there is pretty much no right or wrong way to work candle magick.

You can purchase small candles that are often called chime candles or spell candles in a multitude of different colours, use the largest pillar candle your town has for sale, create your own candles, source local beeswax offerings from artisans in your area, pick up a wide array of candles from dollar stores, shop for endless varieties (and scents!) of candles online, receive candles as gifts, and more.

As well, there is no shortage of candles on the market today that are specifically sold as “spell candles”. Premade creations that have been crafted with the intent of using them for a specific kind of spell or other type of magickal working. For example, love spell candles, money spell candles, good mojo spell candles, sea magick candles, and many others.

There are also zodiac sign-specific candles on the market, too, such as those from the immensely popular Etsy shop, The Madam Phoenix. Just as there are candles pertaining to things such as the sabbats, moon phases and esbats, different planets, ancestor work, chakras, handfastings, and various other witch/Pagan-centered purposes.

Much as with other types of candles geared towards witchy folks, places such as Etsy, metaphysical shops, Instagram and TikTok sellers, and in-person public witch/Paganism centred gatherings can be great places to find spell specific candles.

While some types of candles are, objectively, better suited to certain kinds (and durations) of spells, by and large, there are no set-in-stone rules. It is often the intention brought to, and energy created/strengthened during a magickal/spiritual working, that matters more than the colour, size, scent, etc of a given candle.

Indeed, many witches and Wiccans keep a healthy stock of neutral coloured candles (such as white or cream) on hand to use both in situations when they are specifically desired and for those when one might not have a certain colour or type of candle to hand.

White and cream colours are viewed by many as being universally acceptable for nearly all types of candle magick.

Beyond that, those wishing to engage in candle magick may want to pick up an array of different colours, including – but not limited to – pink, red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, black, silver, and gold candles.

Multicolour candles can be great too, especially if all of the colours they house correspond to the magickal working and desired outcome of one’s candle magick spell.

Many creative souls sell handmade candles, including plenty aimed at witches, Wiccans, and Pagans. Sites such as Etsy, various online and real-world metaphysical stores, and some craft fairs can all be excellent places to source candles that have been created with magickal folks squarely in mind.

Most, understandably, cost more than your average dollar store, big box, grocery store, or chime candle. The candlemaker needs to not only cover the cost of the materials involved and their time/labour, but to make a reasonable profit in the process.

Whether mass-produced or handmade, many people prefer to use plant-based and soy-based candles. These types of candles are sometimes more environmentally friendly (and potentially – though not always – contain less undesirable chemicals such as parabens and phthalates) than certain other types of wax such as paraffin.

Beeswax is another naturally sourced material that is popular for spellwork and witchy candle-related purposes in general.

Understandably, those who are vegans or otherwise prefer not to use candles made from animal-derived sources will want to forgo genuine beeswax candles.

Ultimately, you do not want to break the bank when buying candles. It can be lovely to splurge on candles made from high-quality ingredients, but at the end of the day, a plain white $1.00 votive candle can work every bit as effectively in a witchy context as a scented $50.00 wood wick soy candle.

And on that note, if you are sensitive to scented candles, opt for unscented ones or those that you have not experienced negative reactions to in the past.

By the same token, if you are sensitive to the burning of even unscented wax, LED candles can be used in some instances in lieu of wax candles.

Naturally, however, LED candles do have their limits in terms of candle magick. For example, they do not (or at least, they should not!) generate enough heat to burn anything involved with a given spell such as bay leaves or small pieces of paper.

On the plus side, they carry much less risk of fire, often have batteries that long outlast the burn time of a wax-based candle, and do not generate any smoke or discernible heat.

Another point in favour of candle magick is that it can be undertaken quite quickly in many cases and in turn, the outcome of one’s magickal working may make itself known fairly speedily as well.

Not always, of course, but certainly at times – especially if the spell pertained to something quite immediate.

Before beginning a candle working, it is generally a good idea to cleanse both the space that the working is being carried in out as well as the candle itself.

If you made the candle from scratch, the latter may be unnecessary, as far fewer hands – and in turn, other peoples’ energy, will – have come in contact with that candle. Though you can do so all the same either way. There is rarely such a thing as over-cleansing when it comes to magickal workings.

Given the widespread availability of candles, the fact that plenty are available for very reasonable prices, and the love that witchy folks tend to have for things with a sense of mystery to them, it is no surprise that candle spells rank amongst the most popular types of magick practiced in today’s world.

In turn, it should not shock many folks to learn that a decent number of books about candle magick have been penned over the years.

Most of these books delve into the spiritual significance of candles, ways to involve them in your magickal workings, and provide various candle magick spell recipes for readers to either follow to the letter or use as a jumping-off point for their own take on a certain spell.

In the spirit of Imbolc (and its Southern Hemisphere partner, Lammas) – when candles are lit to symbolically represent the sun and its radiant light – let’s take a gander at a considerable number of the books that have been written to date on candle magick.

Naturally, as with most lists of books, I am not claiming that the following selection includes every title on candle magick ever created (be it in English or any other language). And, of course, it stands to reason that more will hit the shelves in the future.

Candle magick is such a beloved and frequently used element of many witches’ and Wiccans’ practices that it is highly unlikely interest in this type of magick is going to be snuffed out anytime soon. (Pun intended. )

Candle Magick Books

Like a lot of us who came to witchery in the latter decades of the 20th century or start of the 21st, I cut my teeth in regards to candle magick largely based on personal experience, nuggets of how-to wisdom gleaned from various books on witchery and Wicca, and in the earliest years of the 2000s, Raymond Buckland’s now-classic offerings on the topic.

Other early entries in the field included D.J. Conway’s “A Little Book of Candle Magic” and Phillip Cooper’s “Candle Magic: A Coveted Collection of Spells, Rituals, and Magical Paradigms“. Both of which remain wonderfully informative and solidly useful decades after they were first released.

The sphere of books about candle magick and candle spells has grown considerably since I was budding witchingly. Today, those looking to learn the fundamentals or explore more about the topic now have a fantastic selection ready and waiting to meet that need.

Below you will find a roundup of a good many books on candle magick and candle spells. Most are still in production, but the small handful of them that are not can often be found for sale secondhand on sites such as Amazon, Thrift Books, and Better World Books.

Advanced Candle Magick: More Spells and Rituals for Every Purpose

A Little Book of Candle Magic

Candle Burning Magic

Candle & Fire Magic: a Practical Guide Book to Rituals, Spells and Divinations

Candle Magic: A Coveted Collection of Spells, Rituals, and Magical Paradigms

Candle Magic for Beginners: A Complete Guide to Discover the Secrets of Candle Spells and Rituals to Attract Healing, Abundance and Love in Your Life

Candle Magic for Beginners: Spells for Prosperity, Love, Abundance, and More

Candle Magic for Beginners: The Simplest Magic You Can Do

Candle Magic for Beginners: Tips, Tricks, and Candle Spell Secrets for Love, Prosperity, and Abundance in Life 

Candle Magic the Basics: Transform and Manifest Your Life by Utilizing the Power of Fire

Candle Magic: Working with Wax, Wick, and Flame

Exploring Candle Magick: Candles, Spells, Charms, Rituals and Devinations

Fire Magic

Lighting the Wick: An Intuitive Guide to the Ancient Art and Modern Magic of Candles

Magical Candle Crafting: Create Your Own Candles for Spells & Rituals

Mastering Candle Magick

Pagan Portals – Candle Magic: A Witch’s Guide to Spells and Rituals

Practical Candleburning Rituals

The Big Book of Candle Magic

The Big Little Book of Magick: A Wiccan’s Guide to Altars, Candles, Pendulums, and Healing Spells

The Book of Candle Magic

The Book of Practical Candle Magic

The Candle Magic Spell Book: A Beginner’s Guide to Spells to Improve Your Life 

The Candle Magick Workbook

The Enchanted Candle

The Witch’s Book of Candle Magic: A Handbook of Candle Spells, Divination, Rituals and Charms

Wicca Candle Magic

Wicca Candle Magick

Do you know of any other candle magic/magick books that are not listed here? If you do, please feel free to share them in the comments below and I will update this post to include your suggestions.

By the same token, I will keep my eyes open for future candle magick and candle spellwork books and aim to add those that I encounter to this list as well.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine

(The fact that this line comes from a gospel song called This Little Light of Mine is not lost on me. I believe that one can enjoy and appreciate music of all kinds, regardless of their spiritual path and though an ardent witch, I have long enjoyed this beautiful Christians tune.)

Candle magick is a welcoming, versatile, effective, and often enjoyable form of witchery.

It does not have to give your wallet a workout, can be done (weather and setting permitted) both indoors and outdoors, taps into humankind’s long-standing utilization of fire for a wide range of purposes, has a great deal of versatility to it, and can be a very welcoming way for those who are new to spellwork to cut their teeth, so to speak, in this area.

Though it is, of course, not necessary for witches and Wiccans to undertake candle magick or to otherwise use candles in any capacity, a good many of us delight in doing so.

We could scarcely imagine our practice without at least a few basic candles at the ready. Just waiting for their moment to quite literally shine in a magickal context and to, in the process, keep the age-old act of utilizing fire in spellwork and/or spirituality shining brightly.

This Imbolc, why not treat yourself to a new candle, book on candle magick, or the materials required to make your own candles?

Or, simply take some time to gaze at a lit candle and reflect deeply on what the remainder of winter + spring’s upcoming return mean to you, your life, and your own beautiful spiritual path.

May you each have a glowingly warm and wonderful, Imbolc, dear friends!

Is Imbolc the sabbat that you most associate with candles? Do you involve candle magick in your practice or otherwise use candles in a spiritual context?

The post The Big List of Books About Candle Magick + What is Candle Magick? appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Yet, in many corners of the world, it began, two, three, or perhaps even as many as four months ago (I have, for example, experienced snow in September while living in certain parts of Canada) and that can mean that we are already more than a little eager for spring to return.

Alas, save for those lucky folks in some particularly warm and/or mild climates, we need to exert saint-worthy patience for a bit longer.

However, as entrenched into the bone-chilling heart of winter as many of us are, subtle signs of spring’s impending return are – or will soon be – perceptible again.

Not trees in bloom, perfectly tender asparagus and delectably sweet little strawberries perceptible, but the forebearers to those kinds of seasonal changes and many others that will greet us as winter takes its bow and exits stage left.  

In the 2 years and a couple of weeks that Witchcrafted Life has been online, I have penned 1 – 3 dedicated posts a piece so far for each of the Pagan sabbats. Such posts have focused on things such as the history, traditions, associations, correspondences, colours, foods, herbs, plants, animals, crystals and so forth of each of these sacred days.

You can bet your favourite winter scarf that I won’t stop writing those kinds of posts anytime soon.

However, as one of the guiding inspirations for this blog’s creation was to not “merely” share some posts that focused on paper crafting and others on Paganism/witchery, but to combine the two on various occasions, that is what I am planning to do more of throughout this year (and beyond!).

There have, of course, already been a handful of posts that combined both.

However, starting this month, I am on a mission to create and blog about at least one craft (be it paper or otherwise) project for each of the year’s Pagan sabbats throughout 2022/2023.

Ideally, continuing to do so on a fairly regular basis beyond then as well.

The first sabbat to transpire after the New Year, Imbolc (aka, Imbolg), is rapidly approaching again and as such I decided there was no better time to get the ball rolling on my roster of sabbat-focused projects than with an Imbolc themed creation.

Elegant winter meets spring colour palette Imbolc card

Much as with the seasons themselves, there are certain colours that are broadly associated with each sabbat.

Those which are – in the Northern Hemisphere – often ascribed to Imbolc include colours that echo both winter’s chill and the inaugural glimmers of spring’s upcoming return.

Fire, light, and sunshine are integral components of many an Imbolc celebration. This often leads to colours such as white, yellow, bronze, gold, and red being connected with Imbolc.

Others with strong ties to Imbolc include (but are not limited to) cream, pale pink, green, light blue, brown, grey, and silver.

As I envisioned the card at the heart of this post, I knew that I wanted to utilize a colour palette that tapped into both the dark heart of winter and the jovial, far more lighthearted (as a general rule) nature of springtime.

Imbolc is often viewed as being the first spring sabbat, even though it is housed at the start of February.

As with many sabbats, solstices and equinoxes, this perception stems in no small part from the days when our ancestors lived in tremendously close proximity with nature and the perpetual ebbing and flowing of the seasons.

Whether for hunting, planting crops, being able to dig into the soil to set posts or lay bricks for new homes or myriad other happenings, the seasons dictated and shaped a great deal of how civilization has unfolded.

Early February does not usually have the warmth or greenery of Ostara or Beltane, but it is far enough away from the Winter Solstice to afford it the title of spring’s unofficial start.

Or, if you personally feel that it is simply too deeply buried in wintertime proper still, then Imbolc serves as a midway wintertime sabbat celebration that embraces elements of the present season and the one that lies ahead in near equal measure.

The colours used on this card tap into both winter (black, grey, and white) and early spring (grey, white, and green).

Much like Imbolc itself, they serve as a reminder that it will not be too much longer until the world rouses from its wintertime slumber and slips into its springtime finery once again.

In addition to the colours themselves, this card represents the seasonal duality of Imbolc by the presence of both snowflakes and greenery (the bloom bedecked branches/vines).

Given that the snow in our backyard is still up to my knees and may very well rise higher again before winter officially throws in the towel, this chilly season component is one that I – like many of us – associate closely with Imbolc.

Yet even as I light a flock of twinkling candles, invoking both literal and metaphorical warmth and light back into the world once again, I am already daydreaming about the lush foliage and life-affirming properties of spring. These too are honoured come the year’s first sabbat.

I find the colours at play on this card to be very soothing and peaceful. They are not as bleak as the harshest days of winter, yet nor are they as vibrant and breezy as those of, say, late spring or early summer.

Much like Imbolc itself, they are comforting and ancient, a marriage of two seasons that is, in fact, the precursor to the death of one and the rebirth of another.

Products used to make a festive black, grey, green, and white Imbolc card

-White or off-white (which is what I used) subtly textured or smooth cardstock

-Sage/light green cardstock – Soft Tones Cardstock from Paper Accents

-Dark (pine/forest/hunter) green cardstock

-Grey cardstock

-Black cardstock

-Green metallic cardstock – Foil Cardstock Paper from Recollections (Michael’s brand)

-Grey plaid paper – Christmas Festive Ornaments Paper from Carta Bella

-Pine tree print border strip of paper – Christmas Border Strips Paper from Carta Bella

-Fir/pine bough patterned paper (used in the center of this card) – Christmas 4”x4” Journaling Cards from Carta Bella

-Ornate circle die

-Snowflake border die (or a similar snowflake border punch)

-Two-part snowflake die (a single layer/part snowflake works just as well here, too)

-“Blessings” word die (or letter dies, stamps, stickers, wood veneer pieces, or rub that can spell out the same word)

-Small vine/branch with flowers die

-Fir/pine branch die – Fall Foliage Dies from Spellbinders

-Off-white and grey flat back adhesive pearls – Opaline Designer Half Pearls from Basic Grey

-Black and green enamel dots – Green Fields Enamel Dots from Alte & New

-Dark green ink – Memento Dew Drop Northern Pines Ink from Tsukineko

-Black and white tiny letter stickers (product not named but from the Stickah brand sold at Dollarama)

-White or off-white embroidery thread (very thin crochet thread could also be used here)

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make an elegant winter meets spring Imbolc card

Start by making a card base from either white or off-white cardstock.

Cut a piece of green metallic cardstock slightly smaller than the card base. Adhere.

Cut a piece of black cardstock slightly smaller than the green metallic cardstock layer. Adhere.

Next, cut a piece of the grey plaid Carta Bella paper so that it is slightly smaller than the width and about 60% off the height of the previous layer. Attach it to the top portion of the black cardstock layer, as shown.

Cut a piece of sage/light green cardstock so that it is slightly smaller than the width and about 40% of the height of the black cardstock layer. Attach it to the bottom portion of said black cardstock layer.

Die cut (or punch out) a border strip with three good-sized snowflakes from black cardstock. Use white or off-white embroidery floss to stitch through the edges of this piece (alternatively, you can use an opaque white pen or marker to hand draw stitching instead).

Adhere in the center bottom of the sage/light green cardstock layer. Top the center snowflake with an off-white and grey pearl embellishment.

From the Carta Bella Christmas Border Strips Paper cut out a pine tree border strip and adhere it roughly 2/3^rd to 3/4^th of the way down the center of the card layers that you have constructed so far.

Using both sage/light green and white/off-white cardstock, die cut two nesting snowflake shapes. Place the smaller white or off-white piece inside of the larger green snowflake piece. Adhere to the sides in the top 1/3^rd of the center panel of the card, as shown.

Top the center of each white inner snowflake with an off-white and grey pearl embellishment.

Use the Spellbinders fir/pine bough die to cut two branches from each the sage/light green, dark green, and metallic green cardstocks.

Starting from the darkest to the lightest colour, arrange these bough pieces around the edges of the center of the card, allowing them to overlap a bit with the snowflakes and the pine tree border strip. Adhere.

Die cut two flowering branch/vine pieces from black cardstock and another two from grey cardstock. Top the black pieces with the grey ones, off-setting them a little so for an added sense of dimension. Adhere both pairs together and then atop the center of the fir/pine bough area that you just created.

Using the Alte & New enamel dots, adhere green and black dots on the flower portions of the flower branches/vines, as shown in the photos throughout this post.

From green metallic cardstock, die cut an ornate circle shape. Using pop dots, foam squares, or another dimensional adhesive, adhere this circle to the center of the card front.

Cut out the winter foliage (with a dark grey background) piece from the Carta Bella 4”x4” Journaling Card paper, then this piece into a circle shape. Adhere it to the green metallic layer from the previous step.

Next, use the small white and black letter stickers to spell the word “Imbolc”, alternating between light and dark green cardstock, adhere and then fussy cut out each sticker so that it has a very thin border around it from either of those two cardstocks.  

Repeat the cardstock process again, this time alternating colours so that if the letters were first backed with light green paper, their second border (backing) layer is dark green and vice versa.

Arrange the letters in a playful slightly uneven (from one another) manner in the top portion of fussy cut circle created in the previous step.

Use the “Blessings” word die to die cut three identical words, one each from sage/light green, dark green, and white/off-white cardstock.

Arrange these layers starting with the sage/light green, then the dark green, followed by the white/off-white so that all three layers are slightly off-centre from one another for an added sense of depth.

Adhere the layers together and then beneath the “Imbolc” letter stickers.

Use three sizes of matching coloured off-white or white adhesive pearls to create a frame/border around the top and bottom portions of the fussy cut green paper piece, as shown.

For the final step, use three sizes of black Alte & New enamel dots to adorn the top corners of the grey plaid paper layer and three sizes of green Alte & New enamel dots to adorn the bottom corners of the sage/light green cardstock layer.

And just like that, you have a sophisticated, wonderfully seasonally appropriate handmade Imbolc card to send off or present in person to someone special.

Alternatively, if you use a different sentiment this same design can be used for various other wintertime (or summertime if you are south of the equator) events as well. For example, Yule, Christmas, New Year’s, winter birthdays and anniversaries, just because and thinking of you cards, and even as a very heartfelt sympathy card.

One foot in winter, the other stepping towards spring

As with each of the Pagan sabbats, those who choose to observe them have free range over when they opt to do so. Nothing on that front is written in indelible ink and those of both Pagan/Wiccan/witchy leanings and otherwise that make the sabbats a part of their lives can do so whenever they desire.

That said, a good many of us opt to do so on either February 1^st or February 2^nd.

As a general rule, I lean towards February 1^st. As with each of the year’s eight beautiful sabbats, however, aim to encapsulate the sacred day itself with at least a few more days on either side. Thus, instead of “just” one day, Imbolc and each of its other sabbat siblings become mini seasons of celebration unto themselves.

I adore Imbolc and while that is, objectively, true for each of the eight sabbats that comprise The Wheel of The Year, there are some that I feel all the more pulled towards.

Imbolc, situated as it is as the counterpoint to Lammas six months later (on this side of the equator), is a cozy, soulful period that invites us to reflect on where we have come not only since January 1^st of the present year, but since this point last winter.

As well, it taps into the return of new life + gentler weather that will soon pop back up much like a crocus exuberantly bursting through a mantle of snow to soak in the year’s first warm rays of sunshine.

I do not hate winter (far from it!) and can scarcely imagine living somewhere that did not experience a frozen segment of the year.

Winter – much like fall – stokes the fires of my creativity, my energy, my productivity and much more in ways that spring and summer are not always able to do to same degree.

Many is the year that I have felt a splash of melancholy as winter breathed its last. However, those post-winter blues are rarely long-lived as the endearing vitality and breathtaking colour palette (to say nothing of the scents, tastes, and sounds) of spring dance merrily across the landscape once again.

Right here and now though, in our wee corner of Western Canada, the mercury sits below freezing, many local bodies of water have ice on them that is thick enough to safely skate or fish on, and there’s plenty more snow forecasted in the coming weeks.

Come February 1^st and in the days that buffer it on either side, I will embrace winter while it is still here. And at the same time, I’ll steer the rutter of both my witchy workings and life as a whole towards springtime.

Each season and sabbat is a gift, and Imbolc – with its emphasis on fresh starts, new life, and finding light in even the darkest times (aka, the middle of winter) – is no exception.

Just as the wording on this handmade greeting card states, with all of my heart, I wish you each a blessed and truly beautiful Imbolc. May it, in due time, unfold into a low-stress, high enjoyment spring for all of us!

Whether you observe Imbolc or not, what do you view as the unofficial start of spring? Which colours do you most associate with this point in the year?

The post Elegant Winter Meets Spring Colour Palette Imbolc Card appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

In this world of sub-zero temperatures and slippery sidewalks, it can often be hard – at least if you live, as I do, in an area that experiences long, cold winters – to feel or see a sense of spring’s return yet.

Yet, the catalysts for this exciting happening are brewing. As she wears a mantle of white, deep inside Gaia’s womb, the seeds of spring are being nurtured. 

Each day brings slightly longer minutes of daylight. The frozen ground is still to the eye, but beneath its surface, a microcosm of activity is happening that will help ensure fresh blooms, green grass, and food for humans and critter alike in a matter of months. 

Imbolc – the first of the eight annual Pagan sabbats that comprise the Wheel of the Year – is rounding the bend again.

(Read more about the origins and meanings of Imbolc in my post on Dairy Alternatives and Menu Ideas for Imbolc.)

It will grace us with its presence on February 1st, a stirring and meaningful reminder that spring is not actually a million miles away at this point – even if it can feel that way sometimes. 

Inspired by my dear friend Willow from the stellar witchery blog Flying the Hedge, who has long posted about her own sabbat altars, today I’m going to give you a tour of my Imbolc 2021 altar. 

But first…

The Launch of Witchcrafted Life’s YouTube channel

Soooo, I did a thing this week.

Every now and then, usually seemingly out of the blue, I get what I like to call a sudden surge of moxie when it comes to the internet. 

A mighty force comes over me and my usually ridiculously shy, introverted nature receives a spark of extra boldness and extroversion. 

These sparks are few and far between, but I’ve long learned it’s best not to ignore them for they can lead to some pretty incredible things in the long run. 

This time around, the spark placed on my heart the fact that the time had come to launch a YouTube channel to accompany this blog and my current social media accounts.

I could list a million and one reasons, many of which are solidly legit, why I could have ignored the spark, put it to the side, debated at length with it in my mind.

But I didn’t do that. 

I didn’t listen to the fear or the trepidation. I didn’t even focus (too much) on the fact that I am not a huge fan of how my own voice sounds.

You see, I have a somewhat nasally sounding voice that is present in almost all of the women (of multiple generations) on the paternal side of my family. I also think my voice sounds many years younger than my age, though perhaps now that I’m in my mid-30s, that isn’t actually such a negative point any longer.

Nope, instead, in the wee hours of the morning, having just set up my Imbolc 2021 altar a few minutes prior, I whipped out my cell phone and shot a short video of said altar.

Is this video award-winning quality? Lol, no, not in the slightest. But it real and sweet and the first step on this exciting new journey. 

What can you expect from Witchcrafted Life’s YouTube channel?

Much like this blog (and my Instagram account), Witchcrafted Life’s YouTube channel is going to be a mix of posts pertaining to witchery and Paganism, as well as paper crafting and other creative pursuits. 

It is possible that additional types of content might appear there as well, but at his early stage in the game, I’m letting things unfold organically and trying not to stress or over-plan things too much.

On my YouTube channel, I plan to post crafting related video tutorials, project shares, occasional hauls, happy mail, reviews, an array of witchy and Pagan related topics, and likely other things, too, as time goes on.

I would be honoured and sincerely grateful if you subscribed to Witchcrafted Life’s YouTube channel. 

Thank you with a very grateful heart for doing so. 

I should note that this YouTube channel is not aiming to replace my blog or Instagram, but rather to accompany them and serve as an exciting additional way for me to share, support, teach, and hopefully inspire others all the more. 

My Imbolc 2021 altar 

(Further information about this altar…) I have multiple altars in my house. This one is located in what was originally designed to be a very small closet in the (likewise, quite small) room that serves as both my craft room and my primary witchy/sacred space.

This altar focuses on the Wheel of the Year, with a new set up generally being created for each sabbat (or, less often, for each of the four seasons). 

It houses a mix of certain items that are mainstays on this particular altar, coupled with pieces that are swapped in and out for each sabbat or season. 

Beyond what I shared in this short video tour of my altar, let’s delve into some of the Imbolc correspondences at work on this altar. 

Imbolc correspondences

With my wand, besom, and athame, I formed the shape of a triangle in the middle of the altar. 

These sacred magickal tools are ones that I use all throughout the year. 

Triangles are considered to be one of, if not “the”, strongest and most powerful shapes. 

After the year we just collectively endured, I felt like I needed to fortify both my Imbolc altar and my life + witchery all the more this sabbat. 

As well, triangles are intimately connected to the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water), which – along with spirit – I make a point to specifically recognize and honour at the sabbats.  

Triangles are also comprised of three sides or parts, with three being an extremely powerful number in witchery – not the least of which comes via the archetype of the triple goddess. 

Spirit, is honoured here in multiple ways, with the aged silvertone metal pentacle offering plate in the middle of the triangle being one of the key ways on this altar. 

Birds appear on this Imbolc altar in multiple forms. 

Two owls (owls are rife with magickal and spiritual connections such as clarity, the ability to see and survive in dark times, the ancients, ancestry, wisdom, strength, and the darker half of the year) appear on my Imbolc altar.

One in the form of a beautiful transparent ornament filled with glittery “snow”, the other sweet little owl figurine. 

Both of these items are gifts that I received over the years from cherished family members (who know that I have an unending love of owls and things that depict them), so they mean all the more to me. 

Atop the ceramic bell on the righthand side of the altar sits a sweet little blue jay. 

Blue jays are smart, focused, hard-working animals. Spiritually, the can represent many things, such as commitment, fortitude, bravery, assertiveness, faithfulness, opportunity, resourcefulness, and making the best of whatever life hands you.

If those aren’t traits and approaches we can be served well by at present, I don’t know what are! 

Last summer, while on a nature walk with Annie, I found the partial remains of a bird that had clearly been struck by a vehicle. Most of the poor dear had been completely obliterated, but one of its wings remained intact and I immediately felt a strong inner voice telling me to bring it home.

After properly cleaning and decontaminating it from any possible parasites, I held a vigil for the bird’s lost life, promised this part of its earthly body a safe and loving home, and have been working with the wing in various witchy ways ever since. 

In the deep, icy cold heart of winter here in Canada, we don’t tend to see a ton of different animals. However, amongst those that we do, birds, deer, and foxes are some of the most common. 

Deer are not directly represented on my Imbolc altar this year. Foxes, however, are in the form of an adorable little vintage fox figurine. 

Much like owls, foxes are an extremely magickal and spiritual animal who have been revered, honoured, and sometimes even worshiped since time immemorial. 

Foxes can represent a wide range of things such as cleverness and intelligence, strength, agility, guidance through tough times or decisions, privacy and secrecy, and a connection to liminal times and periods, such as dusk or just before dawn, as well as the periods surrounding sabbats and shifts in the seasons. 

In terms of colours for my Imbolc altar this year, I opted primarily for shades of white, silver, grey, blue, and earthy brown. 

These hues are ones that directly represent those that fill our snowy Canadian landscape at the moment, and which I personally associate a great deal with Imbolc.

Magickal correspondence for blue include: Serenity, stability, peace, hope, patience, stillness, devotion, truth, honesty, and healing. 

Magickal correspondences for white include: Peace, hope, acceptance, strength, possibility, newness, honour, beauty, versatility, and timelessness. 

Magickal correspondences for silver and grey include: Introspection, serenity, acceptance, history, ancestors, femininity, the moon, intuition, openness, and creativity. 

Magickal correspondences for brown include: Grounding, stability, strength, dependability, resourcefulness, nature, and home. 

These colours appear throughout the items on my altar, including the candles, crystals (clear quartz, sodalite, desert rose, and moonstone), the ribbon and charm on handle of the besom, the crescent moon ornament, and various candleholders. 

Candles are a must for me on just about any sabbat altar I construct, but are an especially apt addition at Imbolc.

Yule helped to start the ball rolling on the return of longer periods of daily sunlight, but it is at Imbolc that we really begin to focus on the returning light and the ways in which it will help to generate spring’s rebirth.

As well, we turn to the light and heat of things like candles, oil lamps, and bonfires as meaningful representations of the inner light and strength it can take to power through another long winter. 

In terms of crystals, I incorporated the following four stones into my Imbolc altar:

–Clear quartz: Each of the elements, the soul, energy, psychic abilities, light working, protection, clarity, tranquillity, harmony, versatility, strength, healing, positivity, abundance, hope, banishing negativity, and balance. 

–Moonstone: Water (which we have plenty of in the form of snow and ice in early February), ancient wisdom, spirituality, abundance, clarity, personal growth, insight, giving, peace, nighttime, serenity, timelessness, femininity, mothering, child birth, new beginnings, and, naturally, the moon. 

–Desert rose selenite: Earth and air, grounding, aligning (including of the chakras), dreams, light working, harmony, fortitude, creativity, stability, newness, past and future lives, insight, safety and security, wisdom, creativity, awareness, deepening one’s abilities, motivation, and bolstering self-esteem and positivity. 

–Sodalite: Water, intelligence, psychic abilities, equality, trust, clarity, intuition, perception, emotional balance, calming, restfulness, meditation, bolstering self-esteem and self-acceptance, and restfulness. 

These stones were selected first and foremost for their properties and meanings, which I feel align well with Imbolc as well as the current troubled times our world is enduring. Their colours have the lovely added bonus of working well in the context of winter and Imbolc. 

I will conclude this tour of my Imbolc altar by mentioning the gorgeous circular wooden Wheel of The Year plaque that rightfully nabs the limelight here. 

It was purchased about four years ago from a fantastic European seller of handmade magickal, altar, and ritual products called Pandora Witch Shop. 

I cherish the eight-times-a-year act of literally turning this circle, or wheel, to align with the next sabbat. And cannot recommend picking up one of Pandora Witch Shop’s offerings for yourself highly enough, if the idea of doing so resonates with you as well.

Imbolc (and Lammas) blessings from my heart to yours

Whether you observe Imbolc or not (which, it is important to note applies primarily to the Northern Hemisphere, as many Pagans and witches who live south of the equator celebrate the first of the harvest sabbats, Lammas, at the beginning of February), it can be beneficial to take some time to celebrate the start of February.   

We’re not quite through winter yet, but we’re not at the start of this chilly season anymore either.

February 1st is an excellent time for grounding, balancing work, goal planning (or checking on how your current goals are doing), embracing coziness, savouring the peacefulness that winter can impart, new plans, and beginning to prepare for spring. 

On the new plans front, I’d say the launch of Witchcrafted Life’s YouTube channel definitely qualifies! 

I’m elated about this new start and look forward to hopefully sharing many fun, informative, and inspiring videos there with you as time goes on. 

From my heart to yours, happiest blessings for a serene, beautiful, regenerative, and very safe Imbolc season, dear friends!

The post Imbolc 2021 Altar Tour + The Launch of Witchcrafted Life’s YouTube Channel appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Frequently observed on February 1^st, Imbolc is a traditional Gaelic festival which celebrates and honours the start of spring.

While in many parts of the world snowy weather is still out in full force and an event that gets the ball rolling on the coming season may seem a tad premature in early February, that is all the more reason why mid-winter is an excellent time for Imbolc.

Imbolc’s ancient past

In connection with Beltane, Lammas/Lughnasadh, and Samhain, Imbolc (or Imbolg, as it is also spelled) is one of the four Gaelic festivals that were observed throughout the British Isles by the ancients.

It is believed that the goddess Brigid was strongly connected to Imbolc, which is further evidenced by the fact that as Christianity spread across the area, Imbolc was reworked by the early church to become Saint Brigid’s Day.

If observed on February 1^st, Imbolc is immediately followed the next day by the Christian holy day of Candlemas (the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ) and by, on the same date, the more secular observance of Groundhog Day. 

While some of us might enjoy the good-natured fun of Punxsutawney Phil, the Christian observance of Candlemas is not something a great many contemporary Pagans and witches observe.

Yet Imbolc itself is a day to celebrate and give thanks for the longer hours of daylight that are gradually returning to our world.

This point is one of the first signs that spring isn’t quite as far away as the present icicle covered weather may have us believe.

Newness is an overriding theme at Imbolc. It relates to the lambing season, to the first stirrings of spring, to the prospect of brighter days ahead, and to making the most of the blessings of mid-winter.

Fertility, vitality, reunification, growth, optimism, fresh starts, hope, abundance, comfort, caring, light and love (including that expressed through the rejoining of the god and goddess at Imbolc) are just some of the themes and meanings that people have long imbued Imbolc with and derived from its happening alike.

These are all excellent points for the modern observer of Imbolc to incorporate into their magickal workings, spiritual practices, and daily lives.

Why is Imbolc associated with dairy foods?

Imbolc is deeply connected to themes of hearth, home and livestock. While far fewer of us today raise our own sheep, goats, and cows for dairy production, the connection to the calving season and to the historical significance that the return of spring had on the diets and daily lives of many earlier peoples ties dairy products to Imbolc.

Further, dairy was often a key source of vitamin D, something that the diminished sunlight fails to deliver in potent enough quantities to those living in more northerly parts of the world, including Ireland and Scotland, during the colder half of the year.

Thus dairy, which contains this vital vitamin, was one way to help to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D until spring and summer returned.

The modern dairy industry

To go even slightly in-depth into the workings, practises and atrocities of the modern dairy world is beyond the scope or intended key focus on this post.

It warrants mentioning, however, that the ways in which milk is generally obtained from cows, how the calves that are produced to trigger (or sustain) the production of cow’s milk are treated/dealt with, and what problems can accompany dairy products differs radically in many respects from how small scale milk production was often achieved in centuries past (particularly those before the industrial revolution and widescale shift towards city living).

I am not here, however, to judge or criticize those who opt to eat dairy. We must each make our own dietary and ethical decisions based on a myriad of factors, and this post is not about telling you why you may not want to eat/drink dairy products.

Instead, it suggests alternatives for those who cannot, or do not wish, to consume milk and other animal-derived dairy foods, whatever the reason(s) behind such a decision or dietary requirement.

Why bother with milk alternatives for Imbolc?

Firstly, I should point out that there are, of course, no hard and fast rules that say you “must” consume dairy – or any other specific type of food – for Imbolc. You can eat whatever your heart desires on this beautiful sabbat celebration.

Dairy and dairy alternatives are logical choices for this special day, however. They represent the calving season, as well as the bond between mother and baby (animals and humans alike)

In addition, milk and dairy-free alternative milks are often white or cream coloured, which corresponds with the snowy landscape that is common in many parts of the world in early February, as well as newness, peace, hope, and possibility. All themes that jive marvelously with Imbolc and the promise of spring’s return.

If you cannot, or choose not to, eat dairy, that does not mean that you have to forgo foods that pay homage to the meaning and historical importance of dairy at Imbolc and throughout the coming spring months.

Imbolc is a time for hearty foods that dig into our modern-day winter caches or which represents those held by the ancients.

Rich, filling, stick-to-your-ribs fare is a common theme at this time, as are warming/spicy foods that represent the returning light and increased temperatures of spring.

Although lighter menu options are no less appropriate for Imbolc, as well.

Reasons to choose dairy substitutes for Imbolc

There are numerous reasons why someone may not, or cannot, consume animal-based dairy products.

These include, but are not limited to, the following:

-Medical reasons: Including allergies, lactose intolerance, digestive disorders, and various other serious health issues.

-Religious or cultural reasons.

-Dietary reasons: Whereas some vegetarians (including lacto-vegetarians) will consume dairy products, others, and all vegans and plant-based eaters eschew animal-derived dairy products.

-Ethical reasons: Similar to the entry above, though there are some people who consume certain animal products (for example, meat, fish, or game they’ve hunted themselves) yet do not eat/drink dairy because of their personal views on the modern dairy industry, milk’s potential to cause health issues, or other reasons.

And, again, all vegans and strictly plant-based eaters avoid dairy in any form. Whereas not everyone on a plant-based diet may do so from a purely ethical standpoint (dairy avoidance thus being a by-product of their chosen animal product-free diet, which may be adopted for health, weight management or other reasons), vegans typically refuse to eat/drink any animal products on the grounds of ethical reasons.

-Unavailability of dairy products: Sometimes, a person may not have immediate assess to dairy foods where they live, simply be out of them at home that day, or have a food budget that does not allow for some/all dairy products at present.

-Dislike of dairy: Common as dairy products are, not everyone enjoys eating them, even if they are technically able to do so from health, diet and/or ethical standpoints.

12 plant-based milk alternatives for Imbolc

-Almond milk: For those who are able to eat nuts, specifically almonds, almond milk is a wonderful alternative to dairy milk for Imbolc, especially since nuts and seeds are often associated with this sabbat, housed as it is in the depth winter, when, traditionally, by and large, only foods could last for months on end were available to those in many parts of the world.

As well, almond milk is low in calories (roughly 30 calories per 240 ml of unsweetened almond milk), very low in carbs, and, I’ve personally found, one of the easiest alternatives to substitute for dairy when cooking and, especially, baking.

Magickally speaking, almonds have a rich history around the world and are associated with the element of Air, quite a few different gods and goddesses, and on the magickal working front abundance, psychic abilities, luck, love, banishing, fertility, hope, healing, prosperity, and clarity.

-Cashew milk: Someone of a newcomer on the mainstream alternative milk scene. It is generally creamy, somewhat earthy flavoured, fairly interchangeable with almond milk, low in calories (some brands are as low as 25 calories per cup) and carbs, and great, I find, for sweet and savoury dishes (especially those involving sauces, Asian and tropical flavours).

Cashews are linked magickally with love, communication, prosperity, career, travel, adventure, and stability.

-Coconut milk: A stable of many household cupboards, both in the homes of animal product eaters and non-animal product eaters alike. Commercially prepared coconut milk and its associated products, such as coconut cream, have become fairly easy to find in some parts of the world over the past couple of decades in particular.

Coconut milk is lovely, creamy, versatile, and a good alternative for those who cannot eat, or dislike the taste of, nut milks. It is, however, more caloric on a cup per cup basis than most other dairy milk alternatives, with pure coconut milk averaging around 230 calories per cup.

In addition to coconut milk and cream, coconut oil can be a great choice for Imbolc, used in place of dairy fats, such as butter or ghee.

Magickally, coconuts are linked with water magick, the moon and lunar magick, purification, travel, happiness, protection, summertime, and revitalization.

-Hemp milk: An increasingly popular alternative to dairy milk, hemp milk (which averages about 80 – 90 calories per cup) is a good source of plant-derived protein and while it does come from the same type of plant that produces marijuana, drinking hemp milk will not cause one to get high as it contains only trace amounts of THC.

Hemp has been a vital crop in various parts of the world for thousands of years, its fibres being used for everything from rope to paper, wicks to clothing. Magickally, hemp is linked to many of the same things that pot itself is, including grounding, visions, happiness, prosperity, peace, serenity, meditation, removing negativity, relaxation, healing, helpfulness, and love.

-Flax Milk: Earthy, mild and pleasant tasting, flaxseed milk is low in calories (25 calories per cup of some brands), low in carbs and fat, and is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

On the magickal front, flax seeds are associated with areas such as physic visions and abilities, protection, hearth and home, guarding, protection (especially of babies and children), luck, interpersonal relationships, increasing the accuracy of divination, and weaving things into being/reality.

-Macadamia milk: A gentle, appealing flavoured nut milk, macadamia milk is somewhat higher in calories than almond and cashew milk (50 – 70 calories per cup, on average), but still lower than certain other dairy milk alternatives, such as coconut milk and hazelnut milk, respectively.

Macadamia nuts are connected magickally with areas such as protection, love, friendship, communication, and protection.

-Oat milk: Oat milk is similar in calories to (what is known here in Canada as) 1% milk, at about 130 calories per cup. It has around 2 grams of fibre and 4 grams of protein per cup and is a rising star in the dairy milk alternative field.

While delicious – and terrific in everything from hot cereals to baked goods – it is important to note that oat milk may not be suitable for some people with gluten sensitivities, gluten intolerances, and celiac disease.

Certain brands of oat milk are made from gluten-free oats, however, the risk of cross-contamination with gluten may still be present. In addition, not all celiacs (myself included) are able to eat gluten-free oats. One reason for this is the presence of a protein in oats called avenin which has a similar amino acid structure to that of gluten itself, which some with gluten sensitivities and celiac disease are sensitive to as well. If oats trouble you for any reason, then you’ll naturally want to opt for a different dairy milk alternative instead (I’m partial to almond milk myself).

Oats are a stellar choice from Imbolc from a spiritual and magickal perspective, as they have longstanding ties to the goddess Brigid. Corn dollies, for example, which are sometimes used to represent Brigid or the goddess/feminine divine in general, are a traditional part of Imbolc celebrations. Despite their name, they often created from wheat or oat straw, which makes oat milk an especially apt choice for Imbolc.

In addition, oats are linked to prosperity, abundance, helping to harvest the seeds of your efforts, comfort, the sacred feminine, healing, nurturing, ancestry, support, fortitude, mindfulness, tradition, and both fall and winter.

-Quinoa milk: Quinoa has emerged, over the past decade or so, as a beloved and widely used super grain far outside of its native region of Lake Titicaca. It’s not surprising then quinoa milk would quickly spring into being at a commerical level and enter the dairy milk alternative sense as one of its fastest rising stars.

Quinoa milk has about 70 calories, 2 grams of protein, and 12 grams of carbs per cup. It is taste is generally mild, fairly neutral, a little earthy, a touch nutty, and great in both cooking and baking.

Magickally, quinoa is a handy grain (or grain-based milk) to utilize in magickal workings pertaining to strength, well-being, harmony, wholeness, clarity, serenity, stability, bonding, and abundance.

-Rice milk: Back in the day, when I first started adapting my diet for medical reasons, rice milk was one of the few dairy alternatives that existed in many parts of Canada (soy and almond were the other two biggies at that time). These days, as this list highlights, many other options exist, but rice milk remains popular and for good reason.

Rice milk has about 110 – 120 calories per cup. It is awesome for drinking as is, cooking, and baking; naturally subtly sweet tasting, and produced by a wide range of brands.

You can also easily make your own rice milk at home if you’d like (the blog Simply Vegan has a simple three-ingredient rice milk recipe, for example, if you’d like to give doing so a shot yourself).

Rice is one of the most abundantly eaten grains in the world and it has strong cultural and spiritual ties to, and for, many cultures around the world. Magickally, rice is associated with a number of different areas, including good fortune, love, fertility, wealth and money matter, abundance, tradition, stability, commonsense, stick-to-itness, keeping unwanted spirits at bay, wellness, blessings, mothering and motherly energy, and cleansing.

-Soy milk: Another long-time player on the dairy milk alternative shelf, soy milk is great for adding to warm beverages, drinking on its own, cooking and baking with. It is more caloric than some other milk substitute options, coming in at about 130 – 140 calories per cup. While I do not generally drink soy milk myself, my husband (who also eats a plant-based diet) loves frothing it and adding it to his daily coffee.

In terms of its magickal connections, soy is linked to many things and, much like rice, has been an integral part of many traditional cultures and diets, particularly in Asia, for thousands of years. Use soy in your magickal workings when you’re focusing on areas such as psychic abilities and awareness, protection, strength, balance, unity, creativity, newness, spiritual health and wellness, being flexible, and grounding.

In recent decades, we’ve seen an explosion in the number of non-dairy substitutes and alternatives hitting supermarket and health food store shelves in many parts of the world.

As well, more and more people are appreciating the cultural significance that non-dairy milks and the foods made from them have long had in the traditional diets of scores of different cultures.

If you wish to make your own dairy milk alternatives, recipes abound online and in various cookbooks nowadays that can help novice and veteran cooks like create healthy dairy-free milks at home themselves.

The act of doing so can be a wonderful way to incorporate further kitchen and hearth/cottage witchery into your Imbolc celebration.

It is also a terrific activity to get kids (and non-Pagan household members, too) who are old enough to help out involved with.

Of course, store-bought or farmer’s market sourced versions are great choices, too, and it is by no means essential that one creates their own non-dairy milk alternatives for Imbolc.

In addition to drinkable liquid forms of dairy substitutes and alternatives, there is an ever-increasing number of foods such as cheese, butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, condensed milk, whipped topping, and eggnog available nowadays.

Such products can make for great options at Imbolc, either as standalone foods or to be used as ingredients in recipes for this festive Pagan occasion.

Other foods that are associated with Imbolc (and that make great Imbolc menu options)

In addition to dairy, and as we’ve discussed in this post, dairy-free milk alternatives, numerous other foods have both long-standing and more contemporary connections to Imbolc.

Many represent what was available to earlier peoples at this time of the year, long before the modern, life-changing invention of things such as refrigeration, global food transportation, and supermarkets were mainstays of most peoples’ lives in the industrialized world.

Some other tasty, meaningful options for Imbolc include:

-Bread: Especially breads with Irish (including Irish soda bread), Scottish, British or otherwise Northern European roots, those made with traditional recipes, and options that include one or more of the other foods listed in this post.

-Pancakes and crepes: The shape and colour (light golden brown) of pancakes and crepes represents the returning sun. Plus, both pancakes and crepes can include other foods on this list, such as dairy/dairy alternatives, eggs, oats, dried fruits, preserved fruits, warm spices, or certain root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc).

–Oats: Harvested in the golden sunshine of late summer and early autumn, oats, when properly stored, can keep well for many months.

Their connection both to the warmer months that we’re eager to usher into our lives again, as well as the traditional diet of the Scottish people, plus their pale, creamy colour and nutritiously rich composition make oats (as well as foods such as oatcakes) a natural fit for Imbolc.

Enjoy oats in oatmeal and porridge, cookies, muffins, crackers, breads, as a coating for other foods, cakes, smoothies, granola and muesli, crumble toppings for fruit dishes, dumplings, and numerous other recipes.

-Root vegetables: Onions, potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, garlic, beets, turnips, carrots, parsnips and other vegetables that, when properly stored, helped many of our ancestors to survive the long winter months when food stores and sources were often scarce and the threat of starvation could be a frighteningly real possibility.

-Preserved fruits and vegetables: Canned, tinned, frozen – you name it! Now is the time to put those tasty warm weather produce items that you preserved or purchased to good use.

-Dried and dehydrated fruits: From raisins to apricots, currants to dates, dried fruits are another food that tends to hold up well during the long months of winter. Their sweetness suits the optimism of Imbolc and their culinary abilities make them a tasty standalone treat or addition to other dishes spanning rice puddings to salads to baked apples.

-Dried legumes and pulses: Again, another traditional form of food preservation that helped generations past to endure the fresh food shortages of the cold half of the year. Lentils, especially yellow and orange varieties are a beautiful – and nutritious way – to represent the light, warmth and revitalized energy that we welcome back into our lives at Imbolc (chickpeas and hummus do the job there wonderfully as well).

-Rice and pasta: Hearty, versatile, easy to store and keep fresh, as well as often being vegetarian and/or vegan in their natural states (some pastas though, for example, include animal products such as eggs, milk or squid ink), these are wonderful ingredients to combine with dairy or dairy alternatives or enjoy as is at Imbolc.

-Warm spices and hot foods: Think cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, turmeric, curry, cumin, fenugreek, mustard, horseradish, wasabi, chili peppers, cayenne, paprika, lemongrass, and pepper (including white, red and pink peppercorns).

These are ingredients that bring much-needed pizzazz and warmth or heat to dishes, something that is often welcome in the dark heart of winter that Imbolc calls home.

Again, these are awesome options to help impart kitchen magick into your dishes and have the added bonus of often residing already in a witch’s herbal collection.

-Saffron: By far one of the most vibrantly golden yellow naturally foods that we can eat, saffron is a brilliant – albeit, somewhat pricey – option to include in your Imbolc dishes (though a small bit goes a long way, which can cut down on the cost per dish).

From creamy risottos to a silk pasta sauces, saffron – which is harvested from the crocus sativus, or saffron crocus – is a beautiful addition to your Imbolc menu.

-Nuts and seeds: Are you noticing a trend towards foods with long shelf lives, high nutrient content, and versatility?

Nuts and seeds often excel on that front. While the oil content in some does mean that you need to keep an eye on their expiration dates, in general nuts and seeds are hearty and relatively shelf-stable.

Both, but particularly seeds, are a mightly apt representation of the seeds from which countless new plants with soon grow again come springtime.

As well as symbolizing the agricultural process in general, renewal and rebirth, and the germination of new ideas, prospects, hopes and dreams that we can plant and nurture at Imbolc.

-Eggs: If you eat eggs, they are a sound choice for Imbolc dishes (as well as magickal workings and altar setups), as they represent new life, rebirth, faith, hope, and warmth. Their iconic colours of white and yellow also correspond excellently with the hues of both wintertime snow and the returning sunshine of spring.

-Honey: While some people (myself included) tend to think of honey as being associated more with Litha and Lammas, its long shelf life, warm gold and amber colours, health-giving properties, ability to be substituted for refined sugars in many dishes, and ancient history all make honey a natural partner for Imbolc.

Naturally, those who eat animal-product free plant-based or vegan diets, or who are unable to consume honey for medical reasons, will want to bypass its usage.

Interestingly, and excitingly, more “vegan honeys” are hitting the shelves these days.

Much like dairy alternatives, these products generally do not include any actual animal products or by-products and are honeys simply in name. Examples include Vegan Honae and Blenditup Bee Free Vegan Honey.

Additionally, you can make your own vegan “honey” from various commonplace ingredients, including apples, as this YouTube recipe for vegan honey demonstrates.

-Chocolate and cacao products: Store cupboard staples and beloved foods alike for many of us, chocolate and cocoa are terrific choices for Imbolc.

Their sweetness, richness and near-universal appeal make chocolate (both dairy and dairy-free versions) a great choice for the chilly days of Imbolc season, representing the pleasures of bright, warm spring days ahead.

These are just some of the possible culinary options that can help you to celebrate and honour Imbolc.

In addition, various herbs are strongly associated with Imbolc, these include basil, pine, dandelion, lemon verbena, tansy, bay, violet, angelica, blackberry leaves, and jasmine.

Dive into your favourite cookbooks, personal recipe collection, or online recipe sources (Raven and Crone has a lovely list of Imbolc recipes, for example) and let your creative juices flow as you mindfully put together an Imbolc menu – be if for yourself, two people, a group, your coven, or any other gathering – that helps to honour the first of the three springtime sabbats.

Imbolc is more than just what’s on the menu

As much as food can be a key component of our sabbat celebrations (and/or altars and ancestor or spirit ally offerings), there is more to Imbolc, of course.

This chapter of the year invites us to honour Brigid, the sacred feminine/goddess in general, to light a proverbial spark inside ourselves for the changes we wish to create in our lives, to cleanse and refresh ourselves and our homes, to reflect on what the heart of winter means to us, and to prepare for spring’s return.

It encourages us to be patient and remember that even the coldest winter will eventually pass.

Imbolc is an excellent time to lean into hygge, to use the dark nights as times of either peaceful rest or busy productivity, and to begin activity keeping an eye out for the shifts in nature that will facilitate spring’s return.

Whether you involve real dairy, dairy alternatives or neither of these types of food in your Imbolc happenings, this sabbat can be a time of warmth, rekindling, hope, positivity, and joy.

Bust out the candles, light a fire, create a new altar setup, whip up a festive feast or humble, hearty meal and activity look for ways to let your own inner light shine brightly as the current year embraces its second month and all that remains in store for us between now and the end of December.

Blessings of warmth, love, happiness and serenity to you at Imbolc and always, dear friends!

Note: This post is not sponsored in any way. My household purchased all of the food used in the photographs above. These foods are shown for illustrative purposes only.

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