A thick blanket of snow covers the ground outside; close to two feet of cushion insulating the ground below. After 24 hours of non-stop snow fall, it feels like we are buried in winter. The front door barely clears the snow on the front stoop, the driveway hasn’t yet been plowed. I wonder if I’ll ever get out of the house.
At last the plow team came to clear the driveway, only the snow started again shortly after they left.
Winters — both literal and metaphorical — can feel this way: unyielding, unending, unrelenting.
At least, that’s how they appear from the surface.
Today is Imbolc, the ancient Celtic holiday that marks a minor turn in the Wheel of the Year, the midway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.
According to The Goddess and The Greenman, the original word Imbolg means “in the belly” — as in the gentle curve of a “just-showing” pregnancy. It is the promise of renewal, of hidden potential, of earth awakening and life-force stirring.
This is the turn that takes us from the emptiness of all possibility to the faint stirring of new life. Beneath the deep layer of snow, and beneath the ground it covers, life is beginning to reawaken.
Nature seeks growth. It is at work in ways we can’t see, even in the stillness and the darkness — especially then. The stillness is where the real work happens.
Deep in the bellies of the trees, persistent sap begins to flow, even as the tree tops shoulder the heaviness of nature’s gift.
In the barrenness of winter, Imbolc reminds us of what we truly need for growth: nothing more than the fire of our hearts’ desires, the seeds of longing that we carry within the deep chambers of our soul.
Imbolc is a moment of pause in the cycle of the year. As we prepare to plant the seeds of what we intend to grow in the coming cycle, we must clear out the old and create space — both inner and outer — for what is to come.
Regardless of what we see above the surface, new life is emerging, and we must prepare.
7 Practical Imbolc Rituals
Imbolc is a good day for cleansing rituals, for our bodies, minds, souls, or our spaces. The energy of Imbolc is not limited to one day, so give yourself a few days to a week to be in this energetic space of clearing and planting seeds.
What might this look like in practice? Here are some practical suggestions:
- Luxuriate in a long bath or cleansing shower and let the negative energy drain with the bathwater.
- Clean out your closets.
- Delete old files from your computer and clear your inboxes.
- Delete unused apps from your phone.
- Flush out your physical system with a good workout and by hydrating well.
- Plant seeds in your garden or, if you can’t access the ground, in an indoor pot.
- Set an intention for something you desire to grow this cycle and take an action toward it.
We may appear to be buried in winter, but spring’s thaw will be here soon enough.
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