Wheel of the Year: IMBOLC - Betwixt Winter and Spring
Ah Imbolc * sigh * - that delicious point in the middle of the long, treacherous trudge of winter just when we think we’ll forever be stuck as a pale, shivering, tensed-against-the-cold, vitamin-D deprived Gollum-type-creature (well at least here in the UK) we finally see glimmers of a spring that is to emerge… The days start to stretch and unravel, we feel like we have a little more energy and we catch the first glimpses of spring - snowdrops, daffodils and crocuses start to come out, like a little friendly reminder from the Earth herself that she’s waking up again after her long slumber. We start to sense the potential of the year ahead. In short, we start to feel more alive.
Imbolc is one of the four cross-quarter festivals in the Wheel of the Year - it falls exactly at the midpoint/’cross’ between Winter and Spring and is a festival of purification, planning, hidden potential, hope and renewal.
‘Imbolc’ is an old Irish term for pregnant ewes, literally translating to ‘in the belly’. It was traditionally the time of year to mark and celebrate the beginning of the lambing season and, fundamentally, the return of milk back into our ancient ancestors’ diet after the long, hard slog of winter living off dwindling larder supplies. A common ritual at Imbolc was to pour the first ewe’s milk on the ground to thank it for the return of the milk and bless the earth to ensure fertility for the coming season.
Imbolc is “Winter pregnant with Spring soon to come”, as Carmen Spagnola so poetically puts it in her beautiful Wheel of the Year book, The Spirited Kitchen, so energetically-speaking it’s a very fertile time for impregnation - of the coming season, of lambs, and, of fresh new ideas.
The energy of Imbolc is delicious because it’s just so darn filled with potential and anticipation. You can almost feel the sap energy just starting to unfurl itself and awaken under the earth after the deep rest of winter. Energetically it’s a potent time to sow the seed of new ideas, intentions and dreams, to make plans and begin creative projects that will grow into fruition as the year waxes.
Because it’s not officially Spring yet (that happens almost 7 weeks later at the Spring Equinox on 20th March which marks the beginning of day being longer than night) we’re not necessarily being called to jump in and start taking massive action quite yet. The earth is still gently, gradually sloughing off the slumber of winter and beginning to tip the scales from her more internal, restful, Yin time (see my Samhain post which marks the turn to the Yin part of the year) to Sun/Yang time.
Persephone, in her Maiden Goddess of Spring guise, hasn’t quite come up to the surface yet from her Queen of the Underworld phase she's in during Autumn & Winter. She’s preparing to. After nearly six months in the deep, introverted caverns of the Underworld, plumbing the psychic depths, mining the dream-world and alchemising her shadow in Cerridwen’s Cauldron, she’s mostly awake now, a bit groggy, hair a bit haphazard, sat upright in bed, nursing a cup of fantastically strong coffee courtesy of Hades (hmm or maybe that’s just me in the morning at this time of year 🤔), she’s psyching herself up to make her ascent to reunite with Mum Ceres, the Goddess of the Grain, agriculture and fertility so Ceres can once more bless the Earth with fertile crops.
This slightly liminal, sleepy-awakening energy of Imbolc I feel is beautifully encapsulated in this Awakening card from the Mystic Sisters Oracle Deck by Emily Balivet:
Keywords: Sprouting, New Beginning, Dawning
“The Awakening Goddess opens her eyes to a fresh world bursting with life. She sprouts from the Earth and is thoroughly grounded. However, she has been dreaming for so long, she finds she has become entangled in roots. New beginnings and awakenings simultaneously offer exhilaration and recognition of the substantial struggles ahead. Drawing this card suggests that you have found yourself in such a state, but trust that the momentum of nature is on your side. The spring Goddess encourages you to trust in your own innate abilities to make progress and have faith that you will push through.“
Another term thought to be associated with the festival is the old Irish term ‘Imb-fholc’ which refers to ritual cleansing. Imbolc marked the time of year to do a thorough clean of the home after so much dwelling in it over winter which is where the tradition of Spring-Cleaning originates from. It was a time of purification - a time to clear out any stagnant energies lurking around the home to clean and clear space so one could usher in the new energy of Spring.
As for the Goddesses of this particular festival, Imbolc is one of the few festivals that is specifically associated with one particular Goddess, the Celtic Goddess Brigid, a solar/fire Goddess of inspiration and creativity, healing, smith-craft and poetry. Imbolc is also a celebration of the Maiden aspect of the Triple Goddess who is linked with the new/ waxing phase of the moon and symbolic of awakening fertility, purity, new beginnings, independence and creativity.
As I’ve previously done with the Goddesses of the Wheel of the Year series posts, I’ll be doing a dedicated Goddess of Imbolc post on Brigid next Weds 7th Feb, followed by two other Goddesses who have come through for the Goddesses of Imbolc - sign up to my newsletter to receive these when they’re released.
IMBOLC RITUALS IDEAS:
MAKE AN IMBOLC ALTAR and decorate with early spring flowers - you could pick a few wild ones* if you can access a sustainable supply or buy a bunch of daffodils if the early ones are out. You could put some items associated with Brigid such as crafting a Brigid doll or Brigid’s cross or anything else that you personally associate with Spring such as a spring table-cloth / pictures and some crystals associated with spring and new life such as Blossom Agate or Chrysoprase. If you did a vision board or what I like to call a ‘Magical Board’ at New Year’s place it on your altar or create one - Imbolc is a potent time to do one also. Keep something fresh near the board such as a fresh bunch of flowers or buy a flower seed you have to plant in a pot-plant and continue to water to symbolise watering the seeds of your new life.
SPRING-CLEAN - carve out a day to sort through clothing and any household items you could sell or give-away (try the Marie Kondo method of asking yourself if any item is either useful or brings you joy and if not consider re-homing it) and both physically and energetically clean your space ready for the Spring (energetically through sage or palo santo smudging, salt cleanse or cleansing essential oils such as peppermint).
START PLANNING: Buy a fresh new notebook and carve out some time for a deep-dive planning session:
Do some stream of consciousness journalling to see what might need to be released and what creative ideas or dreams might bubble up from your subconscious that are calling to be birthed through you this year.
From there, craft your intentions around one or two of the ideas most calling to you and write them down as Intentions for the Year
Then break those larger intentions down into smaller ‘SMART’ type goals ensuring they’re specific, achievable and have time-frames when you’d like to complete the core components by.
Then planning - carve out time in your diary starting in the following weeks dedicated to beginning to take action on these goals. If they’re a solo project, negotiate with your partner/family or plan around work if need be for some alone-time to be able to complete these goals. For daily goals such as a meditation practice, set a daily alarm on your phone to remind you so you can jump straight in.
START A CREATIVE PROJECT or hobby, particularly something linked with arts and crafts
PLANT SOME SEEDS - either literally in your garden, you could plant some flowers or vegetables that would suit a late winter/early Spring planting or energetically - write your intentions down and plant them in the soil
CELEBRATE an IMBOLC FEAST featuring seasonal ingredients like dairy products and early Spring vegetables. Share a cheese platter with loved ones to foster a sense of unity or for dessert (or an indulgent breakfast) rice pudding or bread & butter pudding setting the intention to give thanks to the Earth (and to all those involved in the production of milk/dairy products) for a continuous supply of sustenance. (If you’re vegan or lactose free substitute for something like cashew cheese or a plant-based milk)
*Nb: some wildflowers in the UK such as some types of snowdrops and bluebells are protected so check before picking and for ones that can be picked only pick a very few from part-way up the stem in an abundant place. Uprooting the plant, picking a large amount or selling wildflowers for commercial uses may face fines/imprisonment.
RESOURCES:
Carmen Spagnola, The Spirited Kitchen
Mystic Sisters Oracle: Emily Balivet