2/2/2016 (Day 33) Blessed Imbolc

Quickening

Oh Blessed Imbolc,

Mother Earth's womb awakens, 

and so does our blood 

~Amie

Imbolc or Imbolg, also known as Candlemas, is one of 8 major Sabats that make up the Wheel of the Year. Sabbats mark the solar, seasonal calander and represent the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. Imbolg is the winter Festival of Lights, it represents the beginning of the new agricultural year and occurs at the midway point between Yule (6 weeks after) and the Spring Equinox (6 weeks before) and marks the transition point of the threefold Goddess energies from that of Crone to Maiden.  Traditionally, Imbolc marked the great festival of Brid or Brigid (Brighid, Bride, Brigit...pronounced ''Breed"). She is a Goddess of Fire, of the Sun and of the Hearth. She is a Goddess of healing, poetry and smithcraft...she brings fertility to the land and its people and is closely connected to midwives and new-born babies. She is the Triple Goddess, but at Imbolc she is in her Maiden aspect. The original word, Imbolg means "in the belly," which describes the underlying energy of the Sabbat. We experience a "quickening of the year" as the first stirrings of new life begin within Gaia's womb. As Spring draws near, the seed is prepared for sowing and there is promise of renewal, of hidden potential, of awakening as the life-force begins to stir within. There is a barely pregnant expectancy as new life is only just visible, if at all, like the gentle curve of a new pregnancy. It is the promise of renewal, of hidden potential, of Mother Earth awakening and the life-force stirring. As we welcome the growth of the returning light and witness Gaia's insatiable appetite for rebirth, there is Hope and stirring within that leads to action.

Energetically, this is time to let go of the past and to look to the future. To clear out the old, and make space in both your inner and outer worlds for new beginnings. The idea of ''Spring cleaning'' actually originated in the ritual of cleaning out of ones space to make way for new life to enter. So, you may watn to take some time this week to do a little physical and psychic housecleaning and to open your heart and mind to allow inspiration to flow into the newly cleared spaces. 

Blessed Imbolc, my friends. 

<3