Imbolc 2014

[The Madame X]

House of the Dreaming Members and Dedicants will be celebrating Imbolc this year with a special house ritual focusing on healing, fire, the warrior and the wolf.
Details coming soon. Let us know if you might have an interest in this.

[The Madame X]

House of The Dreaming Imbolc Ritual 2014
By Herr Wulfsunus, Madame X and Hesperus

Objective:

This fire based ritual focuses on the return home of the warrior/wolf after a long winter away as a symbolic representation of our fight to simply exist in the face of adversity. In this ceremony we release our emotional burdens, prepare to reintegrate with society in a constructive way, bringing forth our inner-light as we return to life and usher in the creative fires of Spring.
We will be performing this ceremony a collective in our respective corners of the Earth but can plan to join each other via Skype or Google Hangout.

Summary:

I: Don the darkness of Winter. Dress in all white before covering yourself in a black cloak/robe/coat. This symbolizes the warmth and light of Spring that will be revealed later once the dark cloak representing the dark days of Winter is removed.
II: Lay cold earth upon the altar. Cover the altar with barren soil.
III: Ring the altar with light unrealized. Surround the altar with six candles per person present and place milk and butter on the altar.
IV: Find the light of the altar. Light a single candle in the center of the cauldron, leaving the surrounding six candles unlit. This candle symbolizes Unity and our Family.
V: Face the world with Wolfen eyes. Go outside and get blooded about the face and meditate on the struggle of the wolf. This represents one's fight to simply exist in the face of all and any adversity.
VI: Gather and bind your pains. Collect some pine needles and twigs. Each represents a source of pain that you wish to banish or release. Wrap the needles with ribbon or twine to form a bundle.
VII: Enter and give voice to the Wolf within. Enter the circle of unlit candles with a Wolf howl, keeping in mind the ravenous and destructive aspect of the beast.
VIII: Invite an Ancient to your side. Each participant invites their preferred Fire Deity/Ancient/Universal Force and lights an outer candle.
IX: Sing of the Wolf. Read or recite your chosen wolf or warrior piece and light a second candle. Notice the increase of light and warmth with each newly lit candle.
X: Cleanse and anoint yourself. Wash the blood from your face with milk and anoint yourself with butter before lighting another outer candle.
XI: Commit your burdens to the flame. Ignite and burn the bundle of pine needles and twigs in the cauldron and light another candle. The burning of the pine will remind you of the past Yule, where you once were and where you are now. Release your pain with the rise of the smoke.
XII: Bring new life to the altar. Plant the poppy seeds in the altar's soil and light another candle. This is your future growth. Poppy is also the house flower and spice. It represents dreams and the planting of that seed is ones planting of one's self within the house and the rooting of your own personal dreams and aspirations.
XIII: Reveal your inner light. Shed the black cloak/robe to expose the white clothes beneath and light your final candle.
XIV: Give thanks. Thank your invited Ancient for their presence and empowerment of the warrior within you.
XV: Bask in new light and howl with the joy of Family. End with a Dog Howl, now with social, growth, and family intent. Now see how brightly you and/or the other participants glow, feel their love and warmth; give them a hug!

[The Madame X]

What a wonderful evening with Family and Friends. We celebrated Imbolc with a smoldering cauldron and a magic circle. Thank you Herr Wulfsunus, Hesperus, Blackwolf, Ookami, Tengu, Genoveva Rossi and Asif Murad for taking such an important part in our circle.
We celebrated the return to life and the fires of creation, parted our sorrows, shed our skins, emerged renewed, sowed our seeds and casted dreams, and welcomed the quickening spring with howls and bellows.
I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends beside me, in person and across the globe. May you never thirst!
For those of you that missed it, this was my offering: https://www.facebook.com/notes/madamex- ... 8318404637

[Wulfsunus]

So I really enjoyed the idea of this Imbolc ritual, and was happy with all that were involved, but I did not expect to be so taken in the way that I was! You should have seen the wolf mask that Black Wolf created for it, WOW. I wore it and did it ever put the soul of the beast in me, thx Black Wolf! And thank you all that were a part of it's planning and all that participated, for those of you that did not, well you do not know what you missed but hope to see you next time.

[Hesperus]

It was a resounding success on my end, as well I participated here in Virginia, the only body in the room, but feeling very much connected spiritually to the other House participants regardless of distance. Just as you described, Wulfsunus, I was moved by the ritual while reading over it, yet found myself surprised by the intensity of the ritual itself. This was my first ritual with the House (and my first since being accepted as a Dedicant), and the ceremony's focus on an emotional shift from solitary action to Family communion gave my desire to more fully integrate with the House a much-appreciated opportunity to express itself. Not entirely unrelated, I've recently begun the process of confronting some inner issues I've long ignored and pretended were less burdensome than they truly were; ceremonially gathering and relinquishing those concerns to the flame was immensely cathartic and lent itself perfectly to the ritual's spirit of liberating oneself from all that stands in the way of coming together with Family. I really can't thank you enough for inviting me to contribute to the Imbolc celebration and to share in this potent and immeasurably valuable experience.