Hello and welcome.
I'm Skylar Liberty-Rose and today I'll be guiding you through a simple ritual and meditation to welcome Imbolc,
Or Imbolc if you pronounce it that way.
We're at that point in the Wheel of the Year where in the Northern Hemisphere the light is slowly returning.
The ground is still frozen but underneath something is stirring.
Imbolc marks the point between winter solstice and spring equinox and it's a time when the first subtle signs of spring begin.
Modern life and climate change have stripped us of our deep connection to seasonal awareness.
In many ways we live the same way in February as we do in August,
Rigidly maintaining schedules and routines and we're increasingly disconnected from the rhythms that once guided our ancestors.
By making time to observe these meaningful dates and create simple rituals around them we're reconnecting with those who came before us and we're strengthening our relationship with nature and the land that surrounds us.
For those of us in midlife this festival might hold particular resonance.
We know what it's like to be in the in-between,
To be in a liminal space where certain seasons are behind us but we haven't fully arrived at the next season yet.
I'm half English and half Irish and in Irish tradition Imbolc is associated with Brigid,
The deity and saint.
Amongst other things she's the goddess of fire,
Poetry,
Healing and smithcraft.
She tends the eternal flame and watches over sacred wells and springs.
If you work with deities you might invoke Brigid directly.
If you don't think of her as the energy of sustaining yourself through the coldest part of winter as you pay attention to what's stirring and lay the foundations for what comes next.
Before we start if you're able to safely light a candle please do so,
Any candle will do.
If you can't safely light a candle where you are that's absolutely fine,
You can simply visualize a flame.
Also if possible have a small bowl of water or a glass of water to hand.
You may like to have a journal and pen close by as well.
Let's begin.
Please find a comfortable position.
Take a deep breath in and exhale slowly.
Feel your body settle.
Notice anywhere you're holding tension.
And let it soften a little more with each exhale.
With each inhale allow yourself to become more present.
Look at your candle flame if you have one lit.
Watch how it moves.
Notice its color,
Its steadiness or flicker.
If you're visualizing see the flame in your mind's eye.
This flame represents the light you've kept burning through winter.
The part of you that sustained yourself through the darkest months,
Through the cold days and nights,
The busyness of the festive season.
The flame resembles all the ways you fueled yourself.
Take a moment to acknowledge what it took to tend that flame.
What you did to keep yourself going.
Now as you watch the flame or hold it in your mind,
Consider what needs that light now.
What's ready to be illuminated?
What part of you has been waiting in the dark preparing and is ready for attention?
You don't need to force any answers.
Just create some space for anything that's ready to arise in your life.
Your consciousness.
Now shift your attention to the water you have nearby.
Pick up the bowl or glass and hold it in your hands.
Water was sacred to Brigid.
Wells and springs were places of healing.
Of offering.
Of seeking wisdom.
Feel the weight of this water.
Notice its temperature through the container.
What you see on the surface is still.
But this water travelled from somewhere.
It fell as rain.
It flowed through pipes or streams.
It went on a journey before being gathered in this container.
It's always been moving.
Always part of a larger cycle of life.
This is what's happening in you right now.
On the surface things might appear unchanged.
But underneath something is stirring.
Dip your fingers in the water.
Feel it on your skin.
As you do this,
Ask yourself.
What wisdom is flowing beneath the surface of my life right now?
What do I know that I haven't acknowledged yet?
What's preparing to emerge?
If you'd like to,
You can touch the water to your forehead,
Your throat,
Your heart,
Whatever feels right.
Marking this moment of paying attention to what's becoming.
Take a moment to sit with the flame.
And the water together.
Fire and flow.
Light and transformation.
Inhale deeply.
Pulling in the energy of lengthening days and returning warmth.
Exhale fully.
Releasing anything that now feels stagnant.
Breathe in what wants to begin.
Breathe out what's already ended.
Breathe in trust.
Breathe out the need to know everything in this moment.
Here are some affirmations for this threshold time.
Speak them aloud if you'd like to.
Or repeat them silently in your head.
I honor the flame I've kept burning.
I trust what's stirring before it breaks ground.
Light is returning and so am I.
I'm exactly where I need to be in this cycle.
When you're ready,
Bring your attention back to your body and the space around you.
In the days ahead,
Notice the small signs.
The shifting light.
The changing ground.
The ideas that start appearing.
When you're not trying to force them.
In bulk prompts you to pay attention to the subtleties of change and the promise of what's to come.
To trust what's preparing itself in you.
Please feel free to journal any thoughts or feelings or fragments of what's stirring in your heart.
Thank you for marking this time with me.
I'm sending love from my heart to yours.
