Liber ab Sol (Book of Sun)^145
“Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to
the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees
his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he
remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”—From the diary of James Morris’ (shopkeeper from Morgantown, PA)^2So what is commonly called Groundhog’s Day was a traditional Pagan rite of spring,
adopted by Christianity, brought to the United States, mingled with Pagan traditions,
and then introduced to a modern culture as folklore. It does seem like it would be an
ideal choice for inclusion in our post-modern religion. After all, the Wiccan commu-
nity has embraced the term Candlemas to refer to this Holiday, and that word is much
more of the Catholic Church than is Groundhog’s day.
Although this Holiday falls in the Dark half of the year, its name connects it to our
Lady rather than our Lord. Imbolg literally means ‘in belly.’ In essence, the child that is
Summer has entered the third trimester. Although not yet born, this is the point where
parents and doctors can relax, knowing the as yet unborn child has reached a point
where many developmental concerns are no longer issues. So pronounced is this stage
in development that even the strongest proponent of the pro-life movement shudders
at the idea of abortion in this stage of development. Indeed, this is the point where a
child has a chance of living outside of his or her mother’s womb.
This thought applied to the Wheel of the Year tells us that although Winter was
certainly hard that we can relax just a bit because we know that Summer will surely be
born at the next Holiday. Although they are not all visible, the signs of life are every-
where, just under the soil. The changing temperatures and melting snow have helped
seeds to crack their outer shell, and sprouts have begun exiting their shell, slowly but
consistently.Couples—This is an excellent time to plant seeds indoors for later transfer to your
garden. Done in Circle or in the kitchen, a couple that plants seeds together can watch
their relationship grow with the season, then harvest the fresh seeds for the next, sym-
bolically replanting the seeds of there love each year and harvesting the fruits of that
love on later Holidays.Coven/Household—In most parts of the world, it doesn’t really matter if that ground-
hog sees his shadow or not. Either way it is still entirely too cold for outdoor rituals. But
there is always the chance that the sun will be out and with a little bit of work, a group
can stay warm. Why not honor the old ways brought from Germany and plan the coven/
household celebration in two parts, one indoor and the other outdoors.
When everyone has gathered, break out a couple shovels and see if you can turn
the earth in your garden. If so, the celebration is outdoors and involves getting the
garden ready for planting. If not, then the celebration moves indoors where you can
ready seeds into peat pots to give them a head start indoors.p WB Chap 08.p65 145 7/11/2003, 5:52 PM