Merry Meet and Welcome to you magickal souls!!!!
How is it that January is almost over already and February is about to start? It feels like only yesterday that 2025 got underway, but Imbolc is almost upon us. Imbolc is celebrated on or around 1st February, from sunset on 31st January to sunset on 2nd February, but it can also be celebrated for a total of four consecutive days.
But what is Imbolc? Well, it's a Celtic Irish and Scottish celebration dating back to at least the 10th Century. Imbolc is also spelled Oimelc or Imbolg, and all translations from Old Irish mean "in the belly", although there are some translations to "ewe's milk". These translations are believed to be associated with the fact that when bred naturally, ewes are pregnant and starting to produce milk in anticipation of their lambs. This would also lead to milk, cheese and other dairy products being available within the seasonal diet.
Imbolc is the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, a time of transition as the icy cold grip of winter is thawed and weakened, to the point that this is seen by some as the first Spring celebration within the Wheel of the Year.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe and gained strength, Imbolc became Candlemas and Saint Bridget's Day. Brigid was originally a Celtic triple goddess who was also celebrated at Imbolc while in her maiden aspect after defeating the old hag of winter and ending her reign.
Imbolc might be better known by those in the United States and Canada, and other countries, as Groundhog Day, the day when a groundhog emerges from its winter sleep and sees its shadow. The reaction to the shadow determines whether winter continues for another 6 weeks or if spring is beginning.
There is another name for Imbolc which is the "Festival of Lights", as it can be a time when the lengthening days are celebrated as the world moves from darkness to light. One part of this was the lighting of indoor hearth-fires which was focused on light over heat. This could be where Brigid comes in as She was/is the Celtic goddess of fire and poetry, amongst other things.
Some easy ways to celebrate at this time:
Lighting candles within your home (although make sure everything is fire-safe)
Playing an online video of a fire in a hearth that can only produce light
Cleaning your home
Writing some poetry
Making a Brigid's Cross of rushes/reeds to hang in the home
So there are plenty of associations for this particular Wheel of the Year celebration, but how can we make use of this time of year to improve our lives? Well, that's what I set out to do with this collective reading that I did using the Everyday Witch Oracle deck by Deborah Blake.
What in our lives needs nourishing and caring for at this time?
Make a Move
This card seems to be a bit romantic but can also be general advice.
The romantic element comes from making a move on whoever we like, having the confidence to just ask or do something nice for them is the essence of "making a move". If we don't make a move, we won't know what the answer or reaction of the other person is.
The general advice of this card comes from just trying something. If we don't try, then how can we know for certain that whatever it is doesn't work for us and our dreams?
This card could also be saying that we need to be more active and generally moving our bodies to truly nourish and care for our own selves.
How can we relight the fires of creativity in our lives but especially our homes?
Healing Waters
Water is the element most closely associated with healing but sometimes fire is needed as well.
There's something that we need to heal, possibly even cleanse within our homes, and we can use water to do that. We may not think it but whenever we mop or deep clean our carpets, we use water in some form. When we clean ourselves, water is a must, regardless of whether we make use of a shower or bath.
Perhaps we can use our emotions and the medium of poetry to cleanse ourselves of the emotional burdens of the past, to express ourselves and remove the weight of them, just as we are being cleansed of the last vestiges of winter now.
What darkness/shadow most needs to be cleansed from our homes?
Imagine and Envision
This card may not necessarily be obvious with regard to the darkness/shadow we need to cleanse from our homes. But it follows Healing Waters so water could very well come into play when putting them together.
All through winter, we've been busy spending time with our friends and families, so our thoughts may not have een quite as creative as they could have been. But our way of thinking does need cleansing to remove the lack of belief in our own ideas, imagination, and dreams.
Problems are likely to have been ignored or shelved so that we can find a fix some other time. If this is the case, now is the time to think of solutions.
Which area of our lives will show signs of growth at this time?
Follow Your Dreams
While this card has the title of "Follow Your Dreams", there should be very little doubt as to what will start to grow at this time.
It seems as if our ability to dream and follow them is going to grow.
Perhaps because by making a move, we have learned how to be confident.
Maybe by cleansing our homes of emotional burdens, we are able to put more energy into our dreams.
And now that we have removed those emotional burdens, we can put more brain-power into thinking up solutions to issues/problems that we face.
It is time for us to let our dreams fly and for us to grab our brooms and follow them because they are ours.
Well, it looks like Imbolc 2025 should allow us to rediscover our creativity, which is a huge association of this time. We can follow our dreams this year but we need to cleanse ourselves and our homes of the emotional burdens of this past year so that we can think clearly and come up with solutions to any problems that we face. We also need to bolster our self-confidence by taking the first step towards what we desire.
I hope this gives you some hope for Imbolc and the future. If you'd like a more personal look at how you can make use of the energies of Imbolc, my diary and inbox are open.
Peace and love to all!!!!
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