Imbolc
The Celtic Year Midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox
Patience darling,
it’s still too early
to trust the season
with that tenderness you hold
in your globed hands….
So hold your longing
a little longer
in the sheltered care of your body,
like soft green starts
on the windowsill of your heart….
~James Pearson, excerpt from The Wilderness That Bears Your Name
As we continue our journey around the ancient timekeeping system of the Celtic Wheel, we have traveled through the dark days after the Winter Solstice. The days are slowly getting longer, but we are not yet to spring. This is the time of Imbolc.
Occurring between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, Imbolc is a “cross-quarter” holiday in the Celtic Wheel. The fixed date is February 1, but the archaeo-astronomical date (the exact midpoint) varies. In 2025, it is February 3. As with all holidays on the Celtic Wheel, Imbolc is celebrated on the day (and evening before), and its energy carries through the following six weeks.
The Old Irish word Imbolg (Imbolc) means “in the belly.” It is thought to refer to the lambs that are growing in the ewe’s bellies and will be born in the next season. About a month before the lambs are born, the ewe’s milk arrives. It is one of the first indications of the coming spring.
Just as the cross-quarter festival of Samhain is winter’s threshold, the Imbolc festival celebrates the threshold of spring. In ancient times, Imbolc marked the start of the agricultural cycle. Imbolc also honored the goddess Brighid, mother goddess of the Celts (and widely believed to have been absorbed into the Irish church, becoming St. Brigid). She was the goddess of both fire and water, thresholds and transformation, a patron of poetry and metalworking, a healer, mother and protector.
Brighid is the only Celtic goddess who was a mother, a daughter, and a spouse to the gods, thereby fulfilling all of the roles of the divine female and making her a triple goddess. These roles are also known as the maiden, the mother, and the crone. At Imbolc, the goddess has transformed from an old woman to the maiden, continuing the cycle of renewal.
In the six weeks since the solstice, Nature’s energies have been concentrated within. The dark and cold of winter creates the ideal conditions for hibernating, dreaming, reflecting, and listening. In the northern climates, we literally retreat inside during the less hospitable weather. This is the time when we are (or used to be) attentive to our innermost selves and asking: What new beginning is arising? What is waiting to emerge?
As the prolonged darkness gives way to lengthening light, we begin to slowly shift our attention outward. With the sun gradually strengthening in the northern hemisphere, it is bringing rising energies. We also may feel ourselves beginning to stir. We may find that we have been pondering a number of dreams/goals/projects/desires that we are interested in pursuing.
However…
If we follow Nature’s guidance, we are not yet at the time for action. The shift to spring is slow and subtle. (All of the seasonal shifts are gradual if we’re paying attention.) Now is the time to start gathering and sorting through our hopes and dreams, discerning which ones are vying most for our attention, and focusing on those that we will be tending.
Not all of the seeds that are scattered or stored or buried underground will sprout. Those that have the best chance of surviving are the ones that have the right growing conditions. Imbolc season carries the same messages for us. We don’t have sufficient resources - time, money, capacity - to pursue everything. We need to be focused and attentive so that the dreams we have prioritized have the best chance of coming to fruition (i.e., fruiting! from the seed! I love this metaphor).
Like some seeds that mature quickly, some of our dreams may materialize without much lead time. Other dreams may require more patience - and more than one cycle - to be realized. Setting our intention or just hoping is not enough. We must continue to water, guide, perhaps prune back or otherwise adjust, and nurture our dream. It’s vital to know what kind of dream we’re pursuing (short-term, long-term), and how we must tend to it for it to become a reality.
As we learn how to honor and live in harmony with the natural cycles, we understand that Imbolc season occurs whenever something is arising out of a period of darkness and dormancy (not just at this time of year). We provide space and tenderness for the new beginning. We trust the gradual unfolding, not willing it to rush. We also understand that if we are too distracted or dispersed, we won’t be able to give attention to what is looking to be born. Maybe most importantly, we must sense when it is time to move on from the dreaming phase and have the courage to do so.
For the next six weeks, notice what is beginning to stir within you. To help align you with these energies, ask yourself:
What new paths or projects or possibilities have I been dreaming in since the winter solstice?
What seeds that have been biding their time are beginning to stir?
Which seeds will I plant and tend to in this cycle?
Written February 2025.