The midwinter season may bring a sensation of not knowing what to do with it. We came down from the holiday stress. Now the Christmas lights and decorations are gone. The long nights and short days of winter are back to being bare and cold.
Imbolc is celebrated from the sundown of 1 February until sundown of 2 February. Translated it means “in the belly”, in reference to nature being pregnant with the idea of spring. Nature is gestating with a rebirth in the horizon, until the sun makes it return further and further to the north. However, depending where you live, the further away you are from the equator, you might not feel the effects of the sun's return into much later in the year. Nevertheless, every day the Sun is making its way slowly, gradually, back to the northern hemisphere.
It is officially Imbolc when the Sun has reached 15 degrees in Aquarius. A celebration of fertility, rebirth and purification. Marks the mid-way point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Imbolc holds special ties to the celtic Goddess, Brigid. A time to gather with friends around fire, engage in nature arts and crafts and visit a natural water source to complete a cleansing ritual.
Take your New Years’ or Twelve Nights intentions and reflect on what skill you can now learn during the season of Imbolc until the beginning of the seasonal year with Spring Equinox.
Imbolc Ritual
Take a ribbon or a square piece of cloth. Meditate it with your hands over your heart. Whisper your intentions into the cloth. Tie it to a tree between 1 February - 2 February to receive a blessing from nature. Retrieve your ribbon and cloth that you can have with you in future rituals throughout the Wheel of the Year.
Reflection Questions
What skill can you learn and cultivate during this time?
Where do you desire to drift and dream towards?
How can you nourish your energy during this midwinter season?
꩜
Drift and dream this midwinter.
Blessed Imbolc.
About the writer
Inés Kelly is a trauma-informed space holder and integral guide in Human Design and astrology. Her multi-cultural background has gifted her with the insight of various rituals and traditions. Bringing the ancestral and the honoring of the natural cycles to the community is a deep value she holds.