Imbolc

 Dear Reader,

Imbolc (it has a number of variant spellings but this is the one that I've been using since the 1990s) is the midwinter cross-quarter holiday on the Wiccan wheel of the Year. It is strongly associated with the Irish goddess Brigid. The meaning of the name of the holiday has been up for debate since the 90s as has the meaning of the holiday. Modern Wicca has generally settled that this is a festival of light and fertility.

Imbolc is close to when the ewes begin lactating prior to giving birth to lambs. The milk and cheese provided valuable nutrition during the late winter months when the other food supplies were running low. Today, we have the luxury of fresh food all year round and are a bit removed from this natural cycle. Celebrating Imbolc helps bring us back into alignment with the natural cycles of life.

Imbolc is considered by some to mark the very beginning of Spring. It is no small coincidence that it falls on the same day as Groundhog day. Divination is done during this time to figure out how much longer the bitter cold of winter will last (which is what Groundhog day is all about). People begin planning their gardens and looking forward to what tasks they need to do to prepare for spring.

After the darkness of deep winter that we saw at Yule, Imbolc is a breath of bracing, fresh air because we see much more daylight and the world is a bit more awake than it was during the Longest Night of the year.