I know very little about Imbolc but think some ancestors likely celebrated it. I appreciate your resources and your explanation of how it might be observed.
I'm sure some of your ancestors celebrated Imbolc, Christina. Back in the times before organized religion homogenized our relationship with the earth, knowing the seasonal rhythm mattered at the day-to-day level, as well as the spiritual. Hugs to you!
Thank you, Janisse. Saying their names out loud has power, I think. And it honors their lives. Blessings to you, Raven, Little Fawn, and your beautiful landscape.
I do believe that saying their names out loud has power, the strength of honoring their lives. And it occurs to me that I should have looked up the names for 2025 too, but I didn't think of it then. xo to you.
You can still look them up and just edit the post. That would do it! Saying people's names absolutely has power. I say the Mourner's Kaddish every year for the relatives/friends who've died, on the anniversaries of their deaths. xo
Thanks Susan. It is often helpful to use symbols in these difficult times and to remember the rhythms of our real world.
I feel a bit weird this year because we along the Salish Sea have seen little of winter. No hard freezes in November, just making it to 32 F in December a couple of times and two days of hard frost in January. No snow- in fact the snow level on the mountains seems no lower than 3000 ft! Along one of our side streets a Rosemary hedge has come into full bloom and the trimmed roses have inch long buds, with a few untrimmed still bearing a few blooms!
David, I can imagine how weird it is to not have had much winter, and to not have snow down low on the mountains. I'm sure it's easier on all of the wildlife, from the little ones in the soil to the snow geese on the Skagit (assuming they didn't get flooded out). But still, disconcerting.
Thank you, Susan. I really appreciate the "action" part of your post, something I can share with my teen who has been feeling very upset over what has been happening. I think it's the feelings of powerlessness that help undermine our courage.
I agree, Michele, powerlessness definitely saps our courage. Thank you for sharing the action ideas with your teen. And let me know if they have ideas to add. Blessings to you both!
Thank you, Susan for these lovely ideas for celebrating Imbolc. This year Imbolc comes when we most need hope. Green shoots pushing against hard ground to find the sun; the light lengthening the days. Hope and light, that's what I am reaching for. And the ritual of saying the names of those who have sacrificed the ultimate, resulting in the birth of changes we hope for, in the name of light we long to see.
"...In the name of light we long to see." What a heart-stirring image that is, Stephanie. Thank you. We are all aiming for hope and light (well, okay, all of us of good heart, anyway). Together, we can work against the fear and darkness. Spring will come. xo
I've been clocking the the time that the sun slips behind the western ridge from our lovely house sitting place in Manitou Springs. It was disappearing around 3:18 in mid December; two days ago it didn't slip below the ridge until 4:03:35. That's over 45 minutes more sunlight at the end of the day. Yes, spring will come - it is getting closer every day.
Isn't it a gift to have the light return in a tangible way? I take a 3.5-mile walk every evening, and I have been attentive to how much later I can begin my walk and still get home before dark as the weeks go by. Now I can leave at quarter 'til five; a couple of weeks ago, I had to leave at least half an hour earlier.
Jerry, Thank you, and I'm always careful when I climb and prune. When I was younger, I wasn't so careful, and I don't want to add to the tally of injuries! Blessings to you.
Wonderful ideas to honor people and celebrate the season. There is a movement tomorrow to protest nationwide with no work, no, school, no shopping. I think it could be a lot bigger if word got out sooner. It's not too late for some people to participate. One more way to take a stand if you can.
and we all hold our breaths and we say, Susan, beloved Susan, be safe up in that ladder, up in your tree. and thank you for reminding us that, beneath this foot of white ice and in these 0 degrees, spring yet cometh. xoxo
Oh, Beth! Spring will indeed thaw you out, both literally and metaphorically. And thanks for the reminder: I am always careful working on pruning and all of my house projects. There's only me to do the work, and the house and trees need me, so I've promised them to be here as long as I can. :)
This is powerful, Susan. Thank you. I'm sharing this with loved ones and intend to do the ceremony on Feb 1, including SAYING THEIR NAMES. Thank you thank you.
Thank you for reading this, Brooke, and for tirelessly believing in the power of words used well and mindfully! I believe that our actions, our voices and our love all matter. Thank you for saying their names and for all you do to bring light to this world. Hugs to you.
Thank you, Jo. It may not seem like much, but I believe that honoring their lives matters. And the more of us who light candles and speak out, the more energy collecting for change.
Yesterday I took amoment to stare at the frozen world outside my front door. I spotted a squirrel standing in the Praire Dog pose looking out at the oak trees. Finally he disappeared beneath his feet to a hole he dug in the ice. He popped out and kep repeating the cycle. He knew where he hid his acorns for a time like this. Maybe one of his ancestors planted the acorn that has grown into a 20 foot Pin Oak in front of my house. Nature finds a way to survive. Eat an acorn, or grow a whole oak tree.
Thank you for taking the time to observe the living world, Judith. Just watching the squirrel stand lookout, and then disappear into the hole she or he dug to access their food cache is such an intimate moment of connection. And don't forget the Pin Oak, which was smart enough to evolve fat-rich, nutritious embryos that would attract consumers like squirrels to carry the acorns away from the parent tree and stash them in the soil where they can grow new trees. It's a great example of the interrelationships that form the living community that is this earth. Blessings!
I know very little about Imbolc but think some ancestors likely celebrated it. I appreciate your resources and your explanation of how it might be observed.
I'm sure some of your ancestors celebrated Imbolc, Christina. Back in the times before organized religion homogenized our relationship with the earth, knowing the seasonal rhythm mattered at the day-to-day level, as well as the spiritual. Hugs to you!
I will definitely do this ceremony.
Thank you, Janisse. Saying their names out loud has power, I think. And it honors their lives. Blessings to you, Raven, Little Fawn, and your beautiful landscape.
Thank you! This is one of the most hopeful times of the year for me! (I love sunrises more than sunsets…)
I hear you, Kathryn. And that could be a book title, you know (I love sunrises more than sunsets). :)
I love the practice of saying their names. Beautiful. Thank for all of the names. xo
I do believe that saying their names out loud has power, the strength of honoring their lives. And it occurs to me that I should have looked up the names for 2025 too, but I didn't think of it then. xo to you.
You can still look them up and just edit the post. That would do it! Saying people's names absolutely has power. I say the Mourner's Kaddish every year for the relatives/friends who've died, on the anniversaries of their deaths. xo
xo
I'll do that, but not today. Too much else to sort through on my desk! The Mourner's Kaddish is such a beautiful way to honor those we have lost. xo
Of course! I didn't mean you could do it right now...xo
Thanks Susan. It is often helpful to use symbols in these difficult times and to remember the rhythms of our real world.
I feel a bit weird this year because we along the Salish Sea have seen little of winter. No hard freezes in November, just making it to 32 F in December a couple of times and two days of hard frost in January. No snow- in fact the snow level on the mountains seems no lower than 3000 ft! Along one of our side streets a Rosemary hedge has come into full bloom and the trimmed roses have inch long buds, with a few untrimmed still bearing a few blooms!
David, I can imagine how weird it is to not have had much winter, and to not have snow down low on the mountains. I'm sure it's easier on all of the wildlife, from the little ones in the soil to the snow geese on the Skagit (assuming they didn't get flooded out). But still, disconcerting.
Thank you, Susan. I really appreciate the "action" part of your post, something I can share with my teen who has been feeling very upset over what has been happening. I think it's the feelings of powerlessness that help undermine our courage.
I agree, Michele, powerlessness definitely saps our courage. Thank you for sharing the action ideas with your teen. And let me know if they have ideas to add. Blessings to you both!
Thank you, Susan for these lovely ideas for celebrating Imbolc. This year Imbolc comes when we most need hope. Green shoots pushing against hard ground to find the sun; the light lengthening the days. Hope and light, that's what I am reaching for. And the ritual of saying the names of those who have sacrificed the ultimate, resulting in the birth of changes we hope for, in the name of light we long to see.
"...In the name of light we long to see." What a heart-stirring image that is, Stephanie. Thank you. We are all aiming for hope and light (well, okay, all of us of good heart, anyway). Together, we can work against the fear and darkness. Spring will come. xo
Beautiful. Inspired and inspiring. I
will be celebrating
Thank you, Lynn. Imbolc blessings to you and yours!
I've been clocking the the time that the sun slips behind the western ridge from our lovely house sitting place in Manitou Springs. It was disappearing around 3:18 in mid December; two days ago it didn't slip below the ridge until 4:03:35. That's over 45 minutes more sunlight at the end of the day. Yes, spring will come - it is getting closer every day.
Isn't it a gift to have the light return in a tangible way? I take a 3.5-mile walk every evening, and I have been attentive to how much later I can begin my walk and still get home before dark as the weeks go by. Now I can leave at quarter 'til five; a couple of weeks ago, I had to leave at least half an hour earlier.
Yep, and right now we're gaining around 90 seconds every evening.
A minute and a half doesn't seem like much, but when you multiply it by a week, that's more than ten minutes more light. :)
Great information and advice. Thank you. Be careful in the trees!
Jerry, Thank you, and I'm always careful when I climb and prune. When I was younger, I wasn't so careful, and I don't want to add to the tally of injuries! Blessings to you.
Wonderful ideas to honor people and celebrate the season. There is a movement tomorrow to protest nationwide with no work, no, school, no shopping. I think it could be a lot bigger if word got out sooner. It's not too late for some people to participate. One more way to take a stand if you can.
Thank you, Penny. The nationwide protest against ICE is National Shutdown Day, and you can learn more about it here: https://nationalshutdown.org
I agree that word was kind of late getting out. I only learned about it this afternoon.
and we all hold our breaths and we say, Susan, beloved Susan, be safe up in that ladder, up in your tree. and thank you for reminding us that, beneath this foot of white ice and in these 0 degrees, spring yet cometh. xoxo
Oh, Beth! Spring will indeed thaw you out, both literally and metaphorically. And thanks for the reminder: I am always careful working on pruning and all of my house projects. There's only me to do the work, and the house and trees need me, so I've promised them to be here as long as I can. :)
And we need you, too! But how well I understand.
xo!
This is powerful, Susan. Thank you. I'm sharing this with loved ones and intend to do the ceremony on Feb 1, including SAYING THEIR NAMES. Thank you thank you.
Thank you for reading this, Brooke, and for tirelessly believing in the power of words used well and mindfully! I believe that our actions, our voices and our love all matter. Thank you for saying their names and for all you do to bring light to this world. Hugs to you.
‘Dark night of the soul,’
‘great turning’ are upon us.
What are we to do?
...
Honoring dead, dread,
fearful of forces that maim.
Faithful to life’s ‘yes!’
...
Honoring grief, pain,
hurting from wounds, old and fresh.
Healing with love’s ‘yes!’
Beautiful, Marisol! Your words are light a candle burning steadily in these dark times. Thank you.
I light a candle every day for those harmed by ICE. I will add saying their names.
Thank you, Jo. It may not seem like much, but I believe that honoring their lives matters. And the more of us who light candles and speak out, the more energy collecting for change.
Yesterday I took amoment to stare at the frozen world outside my front door. I spotted a squirrel standing in the Praire Dog pose looking out at the oak trees. Finally he disappeared beneath his feet to a hole he dug in the ice. He popped out and kep repeating the cycle. He knew where he hid his acorns for a time like this. Maybe one of his ancestors planted the acorn that has grown into a 20 foot Pin Oak in front of my house. Nature finds a way to survive. Eat an acorn, or grow a whole oak tree.
Thank you for taking the time to observe the living world, Judith. Just watching the squirrel stand lookout, and then disappear into the hole she or he dug to access their food cache is such an intimate moment of connection. And don't forget the Pin Oak, which was smart enough to evolve fat-rich, nutritious embryos that would attract consumers like squirrels to carry the acorns away from the parent tree and stash them in the soil where they can grow new trees. It's a great example of the interrelationships that form the living community that is this earth. Blessings!