Imbolc (Festival of Lights) February 2         Candlemas is the Christianized name for this holiday, of course. The older Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. "Imbolc" means, literally, "in the belly" (of the Mother). For in the womb of Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane sight but sensed by a keener vision, there are stirrings. The seed that was planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year grows. "Oimelc" translates literally as "with milk", the ability to nurse young. At the time of Candlemas, the newborn Sun God is seen as a small child nursing from his Mother.    The holiday is also called "Brigit's Day", in honor of the great Irish Goddess Brigit. She was considered a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry and healing. The Roman Catholic Church could not very easily call the Great Goddess of Ireland a demon, so they canonized her instead. Henceforth, she would be "Saint" Brigit, patron SAINT of smithcraft, poetry, and healing. They "explained" this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was "really" an early Christian missionary sent to the Emerald Isle.    Today, this holiday is chiefly connected to weather lore. Even our American folk-calendar keeps the tradition of "Groundhog's Day", a day to predict the coming weather, telling us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of bad weather. This custom is ancient. An old British rhyme tells us that "If Candlemas Day be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year". Actually, all of the cross-quarter days can be used as inverse weather predictors, whereas the quarter-days are used as direct weather predictors.    Imbolic involves celebrations of banishing the winter and welcoming the spring. At this phase of the cycle, winter is swept away and new beginnings are nurtured. Some Wiccan groups favor this time of year for initiations into the Craft.    It is traditional at Candlemas to light every lamp in the house for a few minutes as the sun sets in honor of the Sun's rebirth, the turning of the wheel, and the return of warmth and a new season of plenty.