We are smack dab in midwinter. I love that word midwinter, don’t you? On the ever turning Wheel of the Year, we are at the halfway point between the beginning of winter, or Winter Solstice, and the beginning of spring. It is a cross quarter day. The sun grows stronger in the battle between the light and the dark. Or maybe it is a dance between the two elemental forces.
The holy day is celebrated under various names, including Imbolc, Saint Brigid’s Day, and Candlemas. In Gaelic cultures Imbolc is a cross-quarter festival day, along with Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain. In olden times food and offerings were made to the goddess Brighid, and later to Saint Brigid. Supplicants journeyed to her holy wells to receive healing and restoration.
People have always relied on natural signs to determine how much longer cold weather will last. Our modern custom involves observing a groundhog and its shadow. The ancients had similar ways. The Celts in Ireland watched serpents or badgers to see if they emerged from their winter dens.
Imbolc, which means “ewe’s milk,” was the day the Cailleach or divine crone gathered her firewood for the rest of winter. If she wanted winter to last longer, she would make the day sunny in order to gather a plentiful amount of firewood. Folks, therefore, breathed a sigh of relief if the weather turned dreary on Imbolc because it meant the Cailleach was sleeping and winter almost over. The youthful, maidenly form of the Cailleach was the beloved Celtic goddess Brighid. She tended the hearth fires, and her nurturing power brought about spring and all the bounty to come.
Scholars say Brighid morphed into St. Brigid and Imbolc into the Christian feast of Candlemas. St. Brigid is a highly revered early Irish Christian nun, as well as an abbess and founder of the famous nunnery of Kildare in Ireland. Candlemas, which occurs forty days after Christmas, honored the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and traditionally involved the priestly blessing of candles for use throughout the year.
From the hearth and firewood of the ancient Celtic Bridhig to the blessing of candles on Candlemas and the national fixation with the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, for millennia people have honored the return of the sun’s light and the inseminating warmth of spring. It’s our natural cycle.
With spring on its way, the world brightens with hope and optimism, and the heart opens to new beginnings. It is a time for realigning oneself and reaffirming intentions for the current cycle. A month ago many of us made New Year’s resolutions or at least thought about what we wanted to achieve in 2018. Now the energy is fertile for a reminder and possible tweak of our goals. Today’s action creates tomorrow. What does the best tomorrow look like in your mind’s eye? What do you want it to look like? What steps can you take to narrow the gap?
Imbolc is a time for introspection and thankfulness for all our blessings. In mindset contemplation yesterday I realized that the best way to experience happiness is to express joyful gratitude. Not just before sleep as is my wont, but throughout the day to be mindful of life’s many blessings, large and small. How we talk to the Universe is how the Universe will talk to us.
What are you most thankful for?
Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic in Romance
Thanks for a great post, Flossie!
Thank you, Laura! I’m glad you liked it.
I love the word Midwinter, too, and once used it in the title for a short story I wrote many moons ago. Today, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter. Although I am not happy about that, I am thankful half of the bitter cold days are behind us. It was 21 degrees when I woke up this morning and snow is expected on Sunday. As a northern bird, I eagerly await the arrival of spring.
Excellent post, Flossie!
Ole Phil disappointed a lot of folks today. Stay safe and warm, Mae, until those rays get stronger. Thank you for the lovely comment.
Intriguing post. I don’t mind the winter and snow, though I don’t have to get out in it. Though we had one good freeze i would like another that last longer to kill off the bugs and stuff here.
That is a great attribute of winter, killing off the bugs, especially for you with all your beautiful plants. Thank you for commenting, Cathy!
Great blog, and full of information that I am going to horde away for a possible storyline! Thanks so much for sharing your vast knowledge of the Universe.
Linda, I hope you can use a tidbit of the blog’s info in a storyline at some point. Awesome compliment — wish I did have a vast knowledge of the universe! Thank you for stopping by and commenting. You are much appreciated.