Imbolc: The Threshold of the Year

Hello sacred soul,

I welcome you into my wild heart with some further musings on another festival of the wheel of the year.

Imbolc, a word that means “in the belly” is also known as Brigid’s Day or Candlemas. It is the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and as such it also strikes at approximately 15° Aquarius. Though most people celebrate it on February 1st or 2nd (which would be about 5-6 days before).

This special time of the wheel is when the snowdrops begin to dance upon the snowy landscapes, the sheep have their young and whatever sustenance we can cling to to carry us through the remains of winter comes to the forefront of our awareness to bring us a sense of hope. A light in this otherwise very dark time of the year.

Years ago when I tapped into the energy of Imbolc I felt myself in an in-between. Not quite here, not quite there. I was in the threshold of a doorway between the dark and the light and that’s exactly how I’ve come to embrace Imbolc. As the threshold of the year.

Mother Earth who has been placing all of her power, resources and strength in her roots, resting and hibernation now begins the process of rebirth again. Nature is awakening and with it comes our own innate desire to awaken once more.

Maybe you naturally observe this in yourself or your community? January is a slow and gentle month with not much happening. Many people often feel their social batteries are kaput and need time to recover - January is that month. But once February comes along we start to emerge and explore the world again. Seeing friends or gently returning to some structure.

Imbolc serves us by reminding us that the light is returning. It is a beacon of hope, healing and illumination as we gently look ahead to the spring that is coming to greet us soon enough.

In the northern hemisphere from November 16-Jan 22 we have the ten darkest weeks of the year with the winter solstice in the middle of them. A time when you feel the intensity of the sun’s lack of movement and you hope for more sunshine ahead. Imbolc grants us that hope. It is the candle in the dark.

Though this is still very much an internal time of taking things slow and reflecting, below I’ve outlined some practices you can enjoy to integrate the medicine and magic of Imbolc.

Nature time

Though it might always be a given to be in nature when exploring your personal celebrations for the wheel, I think it’s important to mention it because it is so easy to neglect going outside in the wintertime. Especially if you live somewhere like I do where the temps get into the -20°C range and the effort of going outside is intensified with having to put on layers (and in my case doing it all with a kiddo too who isn’t a huge fan of the cold).

People ask me all the time how they can more easily and readily align with the wheel of the year and my simplest answer is go out into the wild. Spend time in nature, let her hold you, love you and show you how she is transforming throughout the year. That is the easiest way to not only put yourself in alignment with the constant changes of the wheel but to also let the wheel nurture your soul and awaken within you those primal, wild and innate parts that nature has awakened in us since time began.

One thing I like to do with my nature time around Imbolc is to see where I recognize life returning to the land. It is oh-so-subtle so you definitely have to pay more attention to it than you normally would and be very slow and steady with it, but if you take the time to pause you will find it. This would be nice to do with kids to see where they can see green or a flower or little shoots coming out of the earth. Make it fun!

Cleaning house

Of course cleaning is great at any time of year as cleansing the physical and energetic aspects of the home always makes space for more of what you really want to fill it. With Imbolc I find this greatly enjoyable because I seem to notice a lot more in my house with the return of more natural light and it makes it easier to clean overall.

My favourite cleaning practices around this time are dusting and mopping. Dusting because I feel like I start to see everything I didn’t see in the dark of winter around my house (where the heck did all this dust come from?!? Haha) and mopping because it gives me an opportunity to mop with some kind of homemade tea or oil blend.

To make a mop infusion is very simple: start with a small pot on your stove with water and add whatever herbs you want to it. I personally love combinations like rosemary and mint, cinnamon, orange and clove, lavender and rose. You can always explore what each herb represents for you or just roll with it intuitively. You bring it to a boil then let it simmer for about 20 mins on low. Strain it then take that water (add more water if needed) and use it to clean your floors. You can always add some vinegar to the mix, essential oils for a stronger scent or a little bit of neutral cleaner like Castille soap. I use the norwex system so no other additives are needed. Then mop it all up and enjoy the freshness of the scent and of your clean home.

Live by candlelight

This one is near and dear to my heart for the reason that it adds so much charm to a space and to my memory. I started doing this a few years ago with my husband and now we do it with our son and I just love it even more.

When you engage in any activity together where it is safe and effective to have a candle lit, I invite you to do so. We light candles for bath time and dinner time and I find the ambiance just really feels like a warm hug, especially after a long day.

Having a candle light pierce the darkness is so wholesome and effective at bringing a sense of magic to the space. I invite you to do this at any time if you are alone, with family, with your love, with a friend… and enjoy the gentle nurturance of the candlelight. Remembering to that our ancestors lived by the light of fire for so long! This invocation of candlelight naturally, again, awakens something ancestral, primal and innate within us that artificial light will never be able to touch.

I hope this Imbolc awakens in you your own innate light, joy and beauty. May you walk this path of remembrance and embrace of the wildness of another spoke of the wheel.

From my wild heart,
Emily