Frosty winds and bitter cold, snow and ice… yet underneath lay the first stirrings of spring.
February 2nd marks the Celtic Festival of Imbolc, or MidWinter, traditionally a time to honor the goddess Brigid. While many of us say Brid-gid these days, as she was the model for St. Brigid, the original pronunciation was closer to “breed”.
Brigid is both a Fire and a Water Goddess. As such she is a transformer, a change catalyst. She is also the figure of hearth and home in winter. She gives birth through inspiration as a patron of the bards.
Some celebrate her festival with a ritual fire, writing intentions to be birthed or aspects of ourselves we wish to leave behind. I have done this several times for both reasons and have found it deeply clarifying.
This year, there is a super full moon in Leo, sign of the passionate outgoing leader, think of The King and Queen of Wands in the Tarot, along with a lunar eclipse on January 31st followed by Imbolc/Midwinter on Feb 2nd. Yes, the same as Groundhog Day. Another tradition in which we go looking for spring in midwinter!
We are still under the deep chill here in the North but look at the trees and you’ll notice buds of future leaves on the branches around Feb 2nd. Make no mistake there are powerful forces of creation lying under the blanket of winter’s snow. This is what it is like to live in accordance with nature’s timings.
My Collegium group is working with the Winter Season, The Season of Silence and Rest in Our Lives and Voices. When we meet again live on Feb 9th, we will visit The Queen of Winter, The Queen of The North and The World of Manifestation. She is the one who lives in the glorious abundance of our Earth, within what looks to me to be a Magic Garden, the Queen of Pentacles. We will explore what her garden of possibility holds for us and how we can create a world of abundance as she has.
I hope you can join us. Click here for more information on Collegium.