Celebrating Imbolc Feb 1, 2024

"Oh, the glory of growth, silent, mighty, persistent, inevitable! To awaken, to open up like a flower to the light of a fuller consciousness!"

~Emily Carr

We're halfway there! Celebrating Imbolc, and the return of Spring

"A lesser known pagan holiday, Imbolc falls exactly halfway between the Winter Solstice (Yule) and the Spring Equinox (Ostara).  Daylight is increasing and spring is the air. While too early for planting gardens, Imbolc was a time to start thinking about what you wanted to plant and harvest in the coming year. Imbolc means “in the belly” and celebrates the pagan Celtic goddess Brigid, who is the goddess of inspiration and creativity, healing, smith craft and poetry. Other associated deities include Aphrodite, Eros, and Hestia."

~Mabon House

Born at the Exact Moment of Daybreak: Mythology of the Goddess Brigid

"Brigid is a triple Goddess with three identities: Lady of Healing Waters, Goddess of the Sacred Flame and Goddess of the Fertile Earth. Another symbol for the Goddess Brigid is the serpent, which represents renewal, new beginnings, the creation of new life and the beginning of spring.

"The goddess Brigid was also revered as the Irish goddess of poetry and song. Known for her hospitality to poets, musicians, and scholars, she is known as the Irish muse of poetry. ​Born at the exact moment of daybreak, Brigid rose into the sky with the sun, rays of fire beaming from her head. She was the daughter of Dagda, the great ‘father-god’ of Ireland.

​In Druid mythology, the infant goddess was fed with milk from a sacred cow from the Otherworld. Brigid owned an apple orchard in the Otherworld, and her bees would bring their magical nectar back to earth. ​It is said that wherever she walked, small flowers and shamrocks would appear. As a sun goddess, her gifts are light (knowledge), inspiration, and the vital and healing energy of the sun."

~GoddessGift.com

Ways to Celebrate Imbolc

~Make an offering to Brigid...Traditionally food offerings were left out on the eve of Imbolc, and on Imbolc she was celebrated with feasting and bonfires. People wove "St. Brigid's crosses" out of straw.

~Prepare your home for Spring's bounty, i.e. spring cleaning.

~Seek out writings of Awakening, Light, New Beginnings, and themes of Fresh Starts, Renewal, and Rebirth. We've included a small sampling below:

"Today at middle winter, I feel a stirring.
All around me, signs of life emerge
from beneath blankets of snow and ice.
Within me, life emerges too,
and I honor the return of the light,
strengthening my life force on this sacred day.
I light a candle to Brigid, goddess of the eternal flame.
I am grateful for Mother Earth and her gifts.
I invoke the radiant energy of the sun,
as I feel the days growing longer.
The sun's gentle return, the flame,
its rays spreading warmth across the land, across my heart.
I am the light. I share my light with others.
And in doing so, my light expands.
May all that I touch grow, bloom, and flourish
with love and in beauty, always.

Amen, A'ho, So it is."

~The Book of Blessings and Rituals by Athena Perrakis, Ph.D.

‍

“Together let us move from a place of restoration to a place of connection, celebration and exploration.
Now is the time to begin to flesh out our insights after a time of deep recuperation.
We trust the knowing and divine intelligence of Mother Earth, and soon we will sync ourselves with the energy of initiation and reinvention.
We must lean into the resilient practices of our ancestors to help us germinate our creative seeds.

In alignment with the spirits of our plantcestors, soon we will begin to access our potential energy and utilize that momentum to push through any obstacles around us to reach the light at the surface.
We must bring our personal gifts, purpose and knowing forward.
It is time to get to work with peace in the spirit and a compassionate heart.
Combine your ideas and hopes with the collective initiation of discover and open paths.”

~Karen L. Culpepper, excerpted from We'moon 2024: Luminations

‍

"I think that one's art is a growth inside one. I do not think one can explain growth. It is silent and subtle. One does not keep digging up a plant to see how it grows."

~Emily Carr

Learn More about Imbolc and Other Sacred Days

In her book, Walking The Wheel of The Year: Reroot in Nature, Reconnect Your Soul, holistic life coach and spiritual guide Emma-Jane Cross supports you to create your own spiritual and personal growth path using nature's seasonal rhythm as the catalyst for personal and spiritual growth. This book has been written to be used either as an inspirational tool to start living a lifestyle connected to nature's rhythm or you can use it as a workbook.

‍

"There is something bigger than fact: the underlying spirit, all it stands for, the mood, the vastness, the wildness."

~Emily Carr

“You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.”

~Thomas Merton