Imbolc is the name of the first spring festival in the pagan calendar, representing “the first breath,” stirrings in the earth of growth to come.
Here in frigid New England, spring seems such a long way away, yet in “Old” England, lambs will be buzzing around the fields, snowdrops will be poking through any snow still lurking around, and crocuses are ready to bloom.
My memories of this time growing up in temperate southern England, is of warm sunny days after winter’s grey murk, the time of year to give the rabbets a good clean-out and search for the tortoise. He had probably already emerged from the compost heap where he hibernated through the winter, and was lurching around the garden, looking for new green shoots.
Sometimes he spent winter in a box in the attic, if we found him still out and about when it got really cold. We would know when he was ready to come down when we heard him rustling in his newspapers. Spring was really on the way when all this happened.
So take heart, spring will be here soon – you can feel the energies on the move if you just stay quiet and still, or walk around our beautiful campus.
