All About Imbolc

Can you feel it? There’s a slight change in the air as we edge closer to Imbolc, the midway point between the Winter Solstice/Yule and the Spring Equinox/Ostara... The days are getting lighter and brighter, the birds are singing longer morning and evening, and spring begins to stir around us.

Between 1st and 2nd February, we observe and celebrate Imbolc (in the Northern Hemisphere) as we welcome back the return of the light as the days last longer and new beginnings beckon. Around us, the ground is silently preparing for what is to come, as she has done year after year on our planet. Soil is being tended to, seedlings are stirring, and there is a whisper of new life under every step we take.

Imbolc is a Celtic festival celebrating new beginnings, rebirth, and the return of the light as we slowly ease out of the darkness of winter.

Imbolc’s name means “in the belly” and is a time of observing the natural world around us as it opens up and begins the early process of new creation. There are many traditions and symbols associated with Imbolc. Let’s dive into them today:

Symbolism of Imbolc

• Brigid’s Cross - The goddess Brigid is closely associated with Imbolc, especially in Welsh tradition.

• Lambs - Signs of new life, new beginnings, hope, fertility, and rebirth

• Snowdrops - New life beginning to bud around us

• Fire - the light is returning, the sun’s power grows each day, warmth

Traditions of Imbolc

• Crafting a Brigid Cross - a symbol of protection, usually woven from rushes and hung in the home

• Cleansing & Purification - a time to declutter and cleanse your mind and environment, the earliest steps of a spring clean, making space and preparing and protecting your “soil” (in your home and goals and dreams).

• Ritual Baths - although this is probably a new, more elaborate tradition, it’s still lovely. Pick beautiful candles, lovely scents, and products (I’ve got you covered here!). Soak as you envision shedding anything you’re ready to let go of and begin the gentle workings of preparation, readying yourself for change and new beginnings.

• Spend time observing nature - explore the nature and lands around your home, observe the new life around you in the plant and animal world, and tune in to the feeling of the change in seasons.

• Imbolc journaling - have a cosy journaling session to begin closing out the winter, reflecting and having gratitude for what the winter has taught you, and readying yourself for spring. Work on loose outlines of your goals, things you want to feel, see, or experience, and begin to jot down your dreams. You don’t need to worry about full-scale planning (if that isn’t your thing); this is a time for preparing the soil; you don’t have to have it all figured out just yet.

Imbolc is a time when we begin to slowly awaken from the depths of winter, daring to peek out from our cosy, hunkered-down states to venture out into the coming spring. We can give thanks to the darker part of the year, for the time to rest and reflect, for comforting, rich foods, and all that we have access to that helps us survive and thrive through winter in these busy days through life. And at the same time, we can eagerly await and welcome the small and subtle signs of spring, buds peeking through, a change in the air promising life, warmth, and light. A renewal, a rebirth, a new beginning.

I’ll be sharing more about Imbolc over on Instagram this week, so make sure to follow along here to learn more!