Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature with me Liz Scott.
I'm reflecting on Imolc which is part of the Celtic calendar.
Imolc is a quarter festival,
It lies between the winter equinox and the spring equinox and yesterday I was out reflecting on Imolc and my desire to mark this part of the turning of the seasons and I want to continue with this theme today.
Because as we see the shoots of spring starting to come through the ground and the earth,
That fresh greenness that is spearing its way through the ground,
For me this is a time to honour the earth spirit and even as I say those words they sound a bit alien,
I know they sound in the culture that we live in but bear with me,
For me the earth spirit is ever present and ever calling and when I go out into nature I feel it,
It feels like a tug in my soul,
It's as though I have an umbilical cord that is being tugged to the earth,
I'm being reminded of my place in the earth,
That I am part of the earth and for me that is the earth spirit calling.
If you feel isolated or separate or alone then is it because you have lost touch with the earth spirit?
I'm here out in nature standing beside a woodland,
The copse,
There are no,
I'm just looking at the twigs now,
There's no leaves on the trees at all but I think I can spy some buds starting to come through,
Budding leaves starting to come through on some of the twigs on some of the trees and isn't that about the hope of spring,
The hope of what is to come and the energy that brings the budding leaves into the trees is the same energy that will bring the shoots to come through the ground,
That will bring the flowers to grow,
That will ensure we can harvest food,
That will allow the fruits in the autumn to emerge from the blossoms.
That earth energy is extraordinary,
It's so miraculous and yet in our cosseted worlds we often neglect to honour it and to see it.
So today as we reflect on Imulk,
The time of year when it is that transition from winter to spring,
It is time to look within and honour the earth spirit within you,
The same earth spirit that animates the plants and the birds and the animals and the flowers.
This is a time of calm before spring erupts,
It's like the trickle of spring is starting but the floodgates will soon be opened.
This is the calm,
This is the time before spring leaps and rushes into action.
So for you too this is a time of calm,
To take energy,
To take stock and my request is that you acknowledge nature,
That you honour this spirit,
This earth spirit,
This energy of connection and oneness that we share with the natural world.
And also that you bring yourself to presence,
Bring yourself away from the rush of everyday life to that quiet calm space within you,
So you too can be present,
Present to the natural world and present to the spring that is also ahead in your life,
As you notice the energy arise in you too.
So remember Imulk,
A time of transition,
Of saying goodbye to the old,
Of opening up to the new.
It's a time of calm,
It's a time of spaciousness,
It's a time to be present to the future and whatever is unfolding.
