Wow, what a month it’s been! Many, many changes…where do I start? Well, my conversations with Christians have continued…not surprising considering my high priestess converted! So that was a bit of an adjustment. It wasn’t easy to deal with the news, but above all she is my friend and I wish her well. Before she told me this I’d already made arrangements to work with a local druidic group, DCSG, and I went to their Imbolc celebration. It was truly fantastic. I felt very at home, despite the fact that it was a large group, and I’m looking forward to continuing my studies with them. I’ll be focusing on these studies now, strengthening my Celtic knowledge and building a foundation of druidic knowledge. That doesn’t mean I’m abandoning Wicca, however. At some point in the future I’d like to combine elements of the two traditions, but I need to learn more before I’m comfortable even starting. I guess the spirit of Imbolc, of new beginnings, is truly with me this year.

Working with such a large group was a totally new experience. Prior to this, the only time I had circle with anyone else present was with my high priestess (I guess I can’t really call her that anymore, but I don’t know how else to refer to her!) and that was quite a different dynamic. This group was very welcoming and very loving. We started by sitting in a circle outside (it was a group of about 25 or so) and talking a little about Imbolc and what it means. We went around the circle introducing ourselves and some grove members brought gifts for everyone. I was welcomed by several people and I felt very comfortable (for those of you who’ve witnessed me shrinking in large groups, I totally did not feel that way — it was surprising how comfortable I felt). We blessed cakes and ale (which was actually non-alcoholic sparkling cider), feasted and then had the actual Imbolc ritual, the crux of which was sacrificing something negative to make room for something positive (a new beginning). I sacrificed negative thoughts about myself to make room for self-love. It was intense. I’ll be meeting with a grove of techno-druids (computer geek pagans like me) for actual class in the next few weeks…I’ll let you know what I think. So far so good. =) Here’s to Imbolc and new beginnings…