Hello and welcome.
Today we mark Eamonk,
The liminal time when winter can feel most harsh,
But still those small stirrings of spring are happening around us.
Find yourself a comfortable position,
Allow your breath to settle,
Softly close your eyes.
Let your breath become long and slow and deep.
Allow yourself to arrive.
Scotland lies quiet now beneath winter's last breath.
Frost lingers in the hollows.
The hills are bare,
Yet watchful.
This is the threshold season.
Winter's grip still holds deep,
But spring starts to stir inside us and in the land beneath us.
You feel the chill on your nose as your breath flows in and out.
The air is cold around you,
Scotland's winter chill anchoring you in place.
From the east,
A pale dawn begins to glow.
Light stretches cautiously across the land.
Gentle fingers of light illuminating what has been hidden.
You start to walk.
The path feels familiar.
Past ruined dark stone walls lightened with lichen.
Towards a central space with a fire burning steadily against the cold.
Two figures wait there.
You know them both.
You've met them before.
The kayak and breeze.
Winter and spring.
Old and new.
What has been and what could be.
The kayak is wrapped in her dark cloak of deepest night and breathed in hers of white and gold.
Their presences feel clear and powerful.
The kayak is the creator of Scotland.
She brings the power of winter,
The power of rocks and earth.
She knows your past,
Your deepest desires and your fears.
Breathe as the guardian of spring.
Keeper of the sacred flame.
She knows your heart and hopes and offers the chance of new beginnings in life.
They look to you as the light on the land grows around and the warmth of the fire stirs your soul.
Winter teaches lessons,
The kayak says in a voice as hard as stone.
Have you heard them?
Breathe says softly,
Now is the time to set your intention.
Not yet to act,
But you can start to consider what will grow.
She lifts a small flame from the hearth.
It's bright,
Steady and alive.
It sits in the palm of her hand but yet it does not burn,
It only warms.
She offers it to you.
As you receive it,
Feel it settle within your chest.
Clearing,
Strengthening,
Renewing.
This is the fire of Imilk,
A flame of purification and promise.
Pause for a moment.
Feel the warm glow in your chest.
Breathe in and out.
Gently feel the warmth fill your body with the hope and possibility of what may come.
Breathe chases a symbol of blessing in the air,
A cross of reeds woven for protection and hope.
Carry this light,
She says,
Not to rush the seasons but to walk with them.
Carry this light to hold your intention for the spring to come.
You feel the land start to wake beneath your feet.
The pulse of energy as bulbs begin to grow,
As water starts to flow again and the light grows.
The kayak looks to breathe and she smiles.
Together they turn from you,
Both full of power.
The depth of winter teaching us the powerful essence while the promise of spring hovers in the distance.
Slowly their forms blend into the glowing light of morning.
The hearth fire remains,
Flames flickering and promising the warmth of the days to come.
You stand,
Warmed,
Renewed,
Ready.
Take an inhale.
Feel that flame within you still burning,
Quietly,
Faithfully.
And as you exhale,
Release the vision.
Let yourself slowly return.
As you let the practice go,
Take that flame inside you.
Perhaps light a candle and watch it flicker,
Feeling the gentle warmth.
And allow yourself to consider what this year may bring.
What spring will mean to you.
Maybe work with an intention you'd like to cultivate in your life.
The kayak and breed watch over us both.
Honouring the seasons.
Honouring the passage of time.
Honouring the turn of the wheel.
We are all part of the great journey.
