Coming to turn the wheel of the year again with a celebration of the alchemical element of fire and the poetic assistance of our Goddess Brigid. Unfurling in sacred sunlight, we are! Opening and receiving wisdom and ways of ancient ages for modern days. We are young dreamers here, and we have a lot to learn from the circle of time. As we remember our cyclicality, both within and without, now is a time to rejoice in the shifting of the winds and the inception of a new spring.
These are days to remember the inherent network of life in the natural world, and that we are inextricable aspects of it. These days are a call to put down our to-do lists and shift our linear mindset of time back into a cyclical sphere of seasonality. These days are a call to return to the fluctuations of time kept by Mother Nature. To tune into these shifts is to feel a real sense of place, of belonging, and of kinship with the elements that make us all up. Time is not merely an arrow, as our modern day planners lead us to believe. In its mystery, time is not the past, nor the future, unfolding step by step, as logic would want to have it. In its totality, time is not just a stream leading to the sea, but time is the sea — ever-fluid, all-encompassing, present-oriented and now. Mother Nature holds this remembrance, and when we settle back into her rhythms, we are eternal in time's embrace.
Whichever ways you personally feel called to journey through your year — to remember your cyclicality, to honor and reciprocate the essential gifts of life — doing so can provide stunning insight and connection into your ancestry both near and far beyond. I rise from strong Celtic roots, of which become more necessary to engage with as I grow. As a child, I knew on a soul level where my flesh had come from. Without reference or understanding, I fiercely gravitated towards Irish Dance as a means of creative expression, dedicating my free time, stamina, and a lot of my parent’s funds to the practice from age four through fifteen. It was my (albeit unconscious) way of remembering the music and movement of my ancestors, while growing up in this accelerated millennium. While I no longer dance as I once did, I still carry with me a longing to engage with the music and movement of my ancestry by coming upon these markers in time which serve to remind us of the ever-fluid, ever-transformative nature of life here. Imbolc is one of these markers — it is a time out of the every day rush of life to honor the season, honor the land, honor the elements, honor each other, and breathe intention to all the spaces in-between.
Imbolc is the first Celtic Sabbat in the calendar year, falling halfway between the Winter Solstice + Spring Equinox. At Imbolc, we celebrate the evidence that winter soon shall cease and fresh flower buds soon shall sprout. Imbolc is also associated with Goddess Brigid, who’s name means “Exalted One”. She is our Goddess of fire, fertility, healing, inspiration, and sacred waters. Here are a few simple ways to celebrate Imbolc and the coming of spring ↠
FIRE ⊹ ⊹ Celebrate the force of fire to both warm your body, your home, and your food, as well as to transform what is no longer needed into something new. Celebrate fire by honoring it’s very crucial and illuminating role in your life. Light a simple candle with a prayer or intention. Light many candles. Gather around a fire with loved ones. Make your shadows dance.
FEAST ⊹ ⊹ Imbolc is an old Irish word meaning “ewe’s milk” as this was a time when flock would have their offspring, which meant an abundance of milk for deep nutrition after many cold months of little fresh food. This is a time to feast! Gather with those you love for a good home cooked meal of offerings from your local environment. To feed the body well is to feel safe and to come into gratitude for all the medicines of the Earth!
CLEAN ⊹ ⊹ A little spring cleaning, if you will. Scrub into all those stale corners. Dust off lazy surfaces. Move things around to get a fresh perspective. On this day, open up all your windows and doors to let fresh air and energy in. Whether it be your own handmade cross of Brigid, or any other sacred object or art you love, place it over your front door, and any other doorways throughout your home in prayer and as a way for the blessings of the Goddess to grace the thresholds of your life.
HEALING WATERS ⊹ ⊹ Allow the cleansing + rejuvenating powers of water to awash your being in transformation! Get out to a stream or body of water. Spend a few moments in awe of melting snow. Take a warm and welcoming shower with awareness of the preciousness and the influence of this element on your wellbeing. Drink a glass of water or a cup of tea in grateful bliss for how it gifts you with relief of one of your most basic needs. Give the healing waters of your life your attention.
Imbolc Blessings!
