Imbolc recollections in time for Spring

 It's snowing again.
Another day of no plans, no walking,
grateful for an indoors.

This season has been a lot of prayers.
A lot of breathing, slow and deep.
Heartache and fear
hand in hand
with joy and strength. 

Just keep going.


What does it mean to be here now?
Again the breath cycles
like Springtime.
Ice and melt and ice again.

I know the sun's daily path was so much shorter then,
rising due East of South
and setting barely West.
We have come to the place where we know
Winter will be gone,
even as we have new shoveling to do.

What a gift to celebrate Imbolc.
To be able to honor Bridget each day,
to anticipate her light.

With actual time to properly give to ourselves
as we properly give to others.
To honor all the aspects of ourselves
just as we do for all of our dear Bridget's skills.
We have known all along
of her renewal
and ours.

NOTES & PICS from then with some random thoughts now:

fire in the snow
people in the house

Bridget dear Bridget
how can we ever thank you enough
how can we express our gratitude
for your gentle guidance and love.

Letting go of what we thought
or planned
but sliding through with what we've got.

-smoke and smoke-

  in a field of smoke

 

thinking back to then so grateful for sunlight and warmth
and to have made it to Imbolc
we had no idea of the ice and storms to come

the frozen well
balanced on the center
falling
completely upside down
flipped over
but not on Bryan

the tree gently
coming towards me
with the circle of sweetgrass
from Bridget's girdle

 

make it new, there will be more seasons of harvest

 

 much thoughtful magical prep
and yet it seems never enough

we felt a bit awkward and wyrrd
thrown off kilter by distress
dealing with old patterns
of harm and love

 letting go
the deep primal hurt of family
accepting who you are 

 what you can give

the keening of release

taking prep time to calm and heal
clearing space in the total silence
of a land of snow and cold
digging out the firepit and building a small fire
not knowing how it might work
sliding back into the chair
time and again
wanting to be so joyous
working in the fragility of the moment

 And yet
everyone honored
the safety we feel from Goddess Bridget
how much we love her
and how that love
opens our hearts
and protects us

our fires as always expressive
 this one often with two separate flames

a duality of light

final sacrifice

Is it enough? Can it ever be enough?

 our Omens

from our Honored Dead: Nathuz - Need, what is essential

from the Spirits of Nature and Place: Kenaz -the Torch, the shaping of things

from the Gods & Godesses: Hagal - Hail, change and disruption

for the Season:Uruz- the Primordial Ox, the super strength

NKHU

yep to all of that
awareness of this as a seasonal guide
in retrospect was pretty spot on
don't take things for granted
do expect the unexpected
we are ready even if we are not willing
we are enough

Our Magical Working
passing through Bridget's girdle thrice
leaping or jumping,
carefully climbing,
helping each other
Renewed

rekindling our kitchen hearth  

dear Bridget,
let your healing love fill our hearts
and the world
let your kindness and blessing
continue to inspire us
to shine our light
without despair or shame or fear
to be strong in this life
in our creativity and passion and truth
and let your cloak give comfort and surety
and peace

Cold Light of Imbolc

This light rushes toward equal time with a blinding yet calming strength.

Bridget as muse and guidance supports us with love and wisdom.

It's been a frozen then oddly warm then bitterly cold season.

A real Winter is good and the longer until late Spring weather the better.

 This holiday is always special and joyful .
Birds sing, the stream flows through ice and the sun rises higher.
We indulge in gratitude for this life and its renewal.
Gathering in the warmth of the kitchen,
we open champagne and toast each other, Our Whole Grove and our blessed Grove Goddess, Bridget

2 Bridgets in the center as the table fills with food

a yummy and mostly gluten free brunch for Bridget!

 

us 4 adults go outside to begin,
teenager stays inside working on a paper for school,

inspiration calls in many ways.

Sharing ritual tasks is powerful.

Planning ahead spontaneous honoring as a dance of us with spirit.

Our dear long-time grove mate invokes the directions,

 I sit by the center and listen.

Our Whole (proto)Grove.

A good and easy fire burning in the snow.

 Right at the end of the meditation, they appear, all in black and smiling broadly.

"I felt like I was laying flat on the earth."

Young adults grown so much since back then,

she has a small heart drawn under her eye.

  Heartfelt sacrifice for our dear dear Bridget.

burning away Yuletide greens

 

 bacon and salami and smoked trout,
rose petals and tea and spirits and sweet grass and garlic,
last year's calendar and more

 it felt lighthearted and we welcomed an optimism

our Omens:

from the Ancestors: Fehu or fee or Cattle- our mobile wealth and property, whether debt or cost or inheritance.
I reach in my pocket and there is an old worn Bridget's cloth from Imbolc years ago .

from the Spirits of Nature & Place: Ingwaz- the seed growing, expanding, connecting.
Ing- like a verb, like doing or being, like Yngvi, like "Harmony & Unity"

from the Gods & Goddesses: Berkanu or birth, birch, beginnings.

Blessed Bridget, with your midwifery and healing skills, with your keening cry for our dead,
with your kindness and vision and inspiration and craft, lead us forward. 

for the Season: Algiz- posture of attention and caution and alertness and listening and being on guard. Stay alert, the world needs more lerts.

He took a homework break and came down for the waters, 

shuffling on the snow with old friends,
doing the magick work
of passing thru Bridget's girdle thrice.

Bringing Bridget to our Hearth

More food. So much food. Enough food.

 transdimensional resting