Imbolc

Today is one of four, seasonal Celtic festivals-- Beltane, Lammas, Samhain, and Imbolc. Typical of our culture to downgrade its meaning, most know Imbolc better as Groundhog's Day. The early Christian church renamed it Candelmas (representing 40 days after Jesus's birth, the purification of Mary, and the presentation of Christ to the temple).

Imbolc is also known as the festival of waxing light-- meaning the days are growing longer. It's midway between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. This is the season where we all look toward the branches to see if the buds are starting to swell-- or we would if it wasn't snowing or freezing rain outside.

Some call this day Brigid's Day for the ancient Celtic goddess of water and fire. "She [Brigid] presided over smithcraft, poetry and healing-- all forms of sacred fire, inspiration. Her holy flame at Kildare was tended by nineteen vestals. Later, when the worship of the Goddess was disguised as the worship of the Saint, her priestesses were replaced by nuns." by Starhawk 2007 and in We'Moon '08.

Basically it is a day for us to think about justice, about what we want the growing light to bring to our world. One way to celebrate it is with water and fire. If I was a wiccan, which I am not, I might gather together with others who had a desire to see justice and healing grow throughout the world, and we would bring our water, light the fire and say words that had meaning to us.

My heritage is French Celtic, something I discovered in the family ancestry many years after I felt it in my heart. I have long been drawn to Celtic music and simple rituals, using natural elements, which add symbolic meaning to my own intentions both for my personal life and for what I hope to see manifested in the world.

Many of the so-called pagan ways, have more depth than what some today consider to be religious but instead seem to be empty of any meaningful symbols to help us focus on what we most need for ourselves and others.

"One by one, in tiny increments, candle by candle, gesture by effort, wish by prayer, concern by care, we feed the life-fires of the soul and light the infinite universe, little by little from within." by Donna Henes 2003 in We'Moon '08

So sometime soon, it's not so important what day (Imbolc can officially be between January 31st to February 3rd), gather the water of life and light the fire of intention for change in the coming year-- meaningful change that makes our own life and that of others on this earth better-- even though it might be bit by bit.