I write to you from beneath multiple blankets, as the wind howls through my little urban apartment. Like many old buildings here in the city, our apartment (built in the 1900's) does not have control over the heat...it is off or on. So, this time of year we dance between feeling like we live on the face of the sun with the windows closed, or sliiiiiightly too cold but ultimately more comfortable with the windows wide and an extra blanket or two. Something about this Goldilocks temperature predicament feels very fitting for the energy of this time. I don’t know about you, but this past week I felt the full moon wildly woosh through me like the wind in my home. Nothing about it felt comfortable, and everything felt a bit prickly - but at the same time I just knew this was the journey I was meant to be on.
Monday through today felt like a rollercoaster of chaos - bright, beautiful moments of swirling playful optimism and utter, tear-inducing true love - for the people I care about and also for myself (woo!), followed by moments paralyzed with confusion, fear, anger, confusion and grief. All the while, though - with full knowledge that feeling all of it fully is not a downfall but a gift...a sacred teacher.
Themes of birth have been coming up fast and furious in my life. Not just birthing actual life (I’m not pregnant...but I know many who are currently!), but birthing true identity, new paths, clear understanding, boundaries, and purpose. As any human who has ever literally birthed a child will tell you - it is no walk in the park! The sustained contractions that lead to ultimate release are definitely not easy, yet they are a sign of something new approaching.
As we approach the Pagan celebration of the rebirth of Earth and the slow returning of light -Imbolc on February 1st/2nd - I want to focus on this energy of chaos to creation, pain to release and even fear to joy.
The new light is coming.
Imbolc, also known as Candlemas, comes swooping in on February 1st and lasts until the 2nd. This holiday celebrates the very first, rumbling and whispered signs of growth after a long, stark winter. Ostara (the spring equinox) is coming, but this very first inkling is just as magnificent and important.
I am a visual person - and this holiday manifests in my imagination as the thawing of cold, hard, icy dirt. The green sprouts of approaching flowers aren’t even seen yet but there is a preparatory feeling - the universe is creating the environment for expansion when the time comes.
Traditionally, this holiday also honored the celtic goddess, Brigid. She is the goddess of fertility, passion, poetry, healing and fire. She also is often referred to as the Hearth Goddess.
What are you hoping Grows in this new cycle? The bags of crypto your holding? or something deeper within ... leave a note in the comments.
With permission of EFM
