1-2 February is Imbolc, a Celtic festival, marking the very beginning of spring, when winter starts to recede and we see snowdrops and other early flowers peeping bravely up out of the cold earth. I’ve seen gorgeous clumps of snowdrops emerging over the last week or so, and they have made me happy! These early, beautiful signs of growth feel like harbingers of hope. We know there might be cold snaps still, even ice and snow, the nights are still long.. and yet, we also know that the days are getting longer, the birds are singing again: Spring is round the corner and life will return.
Imbolc is said to derive from the old Irish word for the beginning of Spring. Another meaning is “in the belly” - which I love! Spring is gestating, but not here yet. The whole year is ahead, still unformed but starting to take shape. It is a good time to get clearer about what you want to achieve this year, and to be open to possibility. How are you getting on with formulating your dreams and intentions for the year ahead?
In the face of geopolitical uncertainty, crisis, and personal suffering, we can easily feel overwhelmed - but in the natural world, energy will be rapidly increasing now, as we approach the Spring Equinox. It will enable plants to burst back into life, lambs to be born, nests to be inhabited - and we can draw inspiration and courage from this. We are part of nature, and we can allow this rising energy to coax us out of hibernation, to help us emerge from the darkness and start to send up our own shoots of growth. Not too quickly though, remembering that it is only just the start of February, but the sap is rising around us, and this is an opportunity to begin building the momentum that will carry us through the year.
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Just what I needed to read today, thank you Frankie xx
Thank you dear Frankie