Imbolc

Writes Carl Neal in Imbolc: Rituals, Recipes, and Lore for Brigid’s Day:

When the dark days of winter seem to have gone on forever, the first sign of spring refreshes our souls. It is a promise that winter will not last forever and that warm and fertile days will come again soon. Even through snow, the daffodils will push their heads up with a startling flash of green and yellow against the otherwise unbroken glare of winter's white. While you can still see your breath like steam in the chilled air, the first taste of fresh milk means that new life will soon be born. Weary from winter's dark, it also means that the soul will soon be reborn in the growing warmth of the sun. There yet may be snow on the ground but there are new plants sprouting just beneath that protective layer. As bears awaken from their winter slumber, so too does the earth, and life everything reawakens.

Also known as "Imblolg," "Oimelc," and the "Feast of St. Brigid," Imbolc is the sabbat midway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. Imbolc is celebrated on February 1 and precedes the more recent Christian reinterpretation of Imbolc called "Candlemas" which is celebrated on February 2. Although you might often see the terms Imbolc and Candlemas used interchangeably, they are actually different holidays. Imbolc is the time when life begins to awaken from its winter sleep and prepare for the warmth and longer days that are soon to start. During the depths of winter, it can feel as though the warm sun and soft breezes of spring will never return and the cold might go on forever. Imbolc marks the turning point when life eagerly begins to look forward to the increasingly warmer days.

Imbolc is a time when new plans are made and new ideas are "planted." It is also traditionally a time to examine the people, objects, and philosophies in our lives. It is an opportunity to discard the things we don't need or that are holding us back. It is when we make new plans and improve old ones. In a sense, the Imbolc part of the Wheel of the Year is a winter cocoon. Upon emerging, we may be greatly changed indeed from the beings who celebrated Yule only weeks before.


Image: "Imbolc Hare" by Wendy Andrew.

See also the previous posts:
• Sacred
• Let the Spiral Turn and Turn
• Sol Invictus