Imbolc — FWM Wheel of the Year Open Ritual
Details
The Wheel of the Year is the cycle of eight seasonal festivals kept across the Western Mystery Traditions — eight turnings of the year that echo the seasonal rites of our ancestors.
This turning of the Wheel is IMBOLC.
Imbolc stands at the very start of the year's turning. The light has visibly lengthened, but nothing has greened yet — the change is happening underground, out of sight. The old name means something like in the belly: the quickening that has begun and cannot yet be seen.
It is the festival of the returning flame. The hearth is rekindled, the first milk comes in, and the smallest possible signs appear that winter is not permanent. Snowdrops come up through frozen ground with the soil still on them.
Our Imbolc rite is a rite of that returning light: flame passed from a single source, the naming of what we hope to bring to birth in the coming year, and the quiet business of setting down whatever the winter has finished with. It is one of the gentler turnings of the Wheel — inward rather than exuberant — and for that reason one of the easier evenings to attend if you have never stood in a circle before.
TICKETS
€15 plus Eventbrite booking fee online in advance (non-refundable), or €20 cash at the door. No cards — the door is cash only.
Book online here
The event and the ritual will be held in English unless otherwise noted. We sometimes have other groups host rituals, and sometimes they work in other languages. If that is the case it will be noted here.
Doors open at 19:30. The ritual talk-through begins around 20:00 and the ritual follows shortly after. Ritual length varies, but the ritual itself should be over between 21:30 and 22:00. Afterwards there is time to stay and talk, so plan to stay longer if you are feeling social and you can — and of course leave whenever you wish. There is a bar on site.
Attire: Street clothes are perfectly fine, but if you can, try to come dressed as much as possible in a single colour — black and white are best. If you have ritual dress (robes and so on) and would like to wear it, please do.
You do not need to have done anything like this before. Everything is explained beforehand — what will happen, what it means, what your part is, and what to do if you would rather simply stand and watch. Newcomers are guided through the ritual as it unfolds, so there is no problem at all coming with no idea what to expect.
Beginners, experienced practitioners and the merely curious are equally welcome. The environment is friendly and unpressured.
The Fellowship of the Western Mysteries is a Vienna community for the Western Mystery Traditions — Wicca, Paganism, Druidry, Ásatrú, Hermeticism and related paths.