The turning towards Imbolc

As the snows still cover this wonderful island of ours, and the moon finally washes away to become new again. We feel the grip of the solitude winter brings trying its hardest, its last attempt at taking our lives away and although February can be a dark month,Winter is in fact receding and Spring is on it’s way.
For many the snow has heightened this annual feeling of isolation, of being drawn in on ourselves, and waiting like a seed and this is not a place of new beginnings, but a place of endings; a time of drawing conclusions and bringing closure. Embrace this last chance to to shed yourselves of the journey 2009 brought, speaking to many people this last year has been a hard one, one that has challenged and brought up many questions: forced us to look at where we are, what we hold dearest for ourselves, what is of value to us.

Like the Hanged Man of the Tarot, as he stops resisting; instead he makes himself vulnerable, sacrifices his position or opposition, and in doing so, gains illumination. Answers that eluded him become clear, solutions to problems are found. He sees the world differently, has almost mystical insights. This card can also imply a time when everything just stands still, a time of rest and reflection before moving on. Things will continue on in a moment, but for now, they float, timeless. he climbs a branch and dangles upside down like a child, giving up for a moment, all that he is, wants, knows or cares about. Coins fall from his pockets and as he gazes down on them - seeing them not as money but only as round bits of metal - everything suddenly changes perspective. It is as if he's hanging between the mundane world and the spiritual world, able to see both. It is a dazzling moment, dreamlike yet crystal clear. Connections he never understood before are made, mysteries are revealed.


Then as we turn slowly from the North towards the East, from Winter to Spring, Midnight to Dawn, Earth to Air, from conclusion to inspiration we meet with Imbolc halfway to the Spring Equinox. Imbolc is a time just before the dawn, a time of conception and gestation, of turning away from the past and looking to the Future.
Spring is not here yet, and it is not a time to put plans into action but a time to prepare and plan for the journey ahead. Shamanism has always been about the “in between “ places and the embracing of that moment, the stillness as the snow falls. Imbolc is the tipping point, the pivotal moment between the seasons. It also represents the movement from the element of Earth, and towards Air.

The element of Air beckons, and with the freedom and inspiration that brings let your soul be ready to migrate back to this land of ours ......

Love and Unrest /|\