Imbolc Despacho Ceremony

I am part of a wonderful circle of seasoned mediums, healers and shamanic practitioners. Each member of the group has at least 7 years of experience and some 30 years plus! Each time the group meets, a different member leads the circle so that we all benefit from the unique experience of each member. This past Friday, I led our circle through an explanation of Imbolc, a discussion on land spirits, an invocation to Brigid, two meditations, and a despacho ceremony.

For more information on Imbolc, See: https://vanessahanks.com/2020/01/25/clearing-blessing-land-on-imbolc-ahead-of-sowing-seeds-for-the-year/

Imbolc is a Celtic holiday, and a “despacho”… well, is not Celtic. So if you are purist or traditionalist, this may be a “no, no,” but I love weaving traditions with common threads across cultural boundaries. I am a European shamanic practitioner and my heart is in European traditions and practices, but I also learn from other shamanic paradigms as well. Years ago, I fell in love with the “despacho” ceremonies of the Andean shamans. It is a beautiful way to express “sacred reciprocity” – offering and asking, giving and receiving.

Below are pictures from the group despacho we co-created this past Friday with offerings to Mother Earth, Brigid, and our land and home spirits. We asked for clearing, abundance, joy, harmony, good health, and more to flourish on this Imbolc and through the reminder of the year.

As a Home & Hearth Healer, I believe that our sacred spaces of land and home must be tended to in order to keep them healthy, balanced and high vibrational. When we tend to the energy and spirits of our land and home, our “spirit ecosystem,” we create fertile ground for our energetic seeds to manifest and wellness to grow.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of our despacho ceremony below. If you are interested in learning how to create a simple despacho, the book “Living Sacred Ceremony” by Natalia Karoway is a good resource. We chose to burn our despacho, as opposed to bury it or send it down running water, to release our intentions, prayers and offerings to the Universe and Spirit. It seemed appropriate for the Celtic fire festival Imbolc! If you have time, look closely at the fire pictures – they contains spirit messages for the group. Can you see the “7” and Inguz rune? Fire scrying your offerings can provide meaningful guidance for the upcoming spring!