Dear friends,
Imbolc is the first of the ancient turning points of the Celtic year.
It's a festival marking the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.
The days are getting longer,
Warmth and life are beginning to return to the earth as the cold and darkness of winter gives way to the hope and the promise of spring.
Imbolc has long symbolised hope,
Renewal and the feminine.
The word derives from the Gaelic im molch meaning in the belly,
Referring to a time of the year when sheep begin to lactate.
The ancient fertility goddess Bridget is celebrated at this time of new life and promise.
In the Christian tradition,
The 1st of February is celebrated as the feast of Saint Bridget.
Saint Bridget,
Along with Saints Patrick and Columba,
She is one of the three patron saints of Ireland.
Some historians suggest,
And with good reason,
That Saint Bridget represents the Christianisation of the Celtic goddess Bridget.
Bridget who is honoured as a woman who cared deeply for the earth,
For justice,
Equality and peace.
Since 2023 here in Ireland,
We have a new annual public holiday.
On the first Monday of February to mark Saint Bridget's day.
Let's come to a place of quietness and rest as we reflect on Imbolc and see the lessons which it might have for us,
Whether we are residents of the Celtic world or not.
So close your eyes if that feels comfortable for you.
Take in a deep life-giving breath and bring yourself into this present moment.
Breathing in and being aware that you are breathing in and as you breathe out with a great big sigh,
Let go of anything that might be worrying you just now.
At this moment,
All you have to do is to be here.
So relax,
Let everything just be and let everything else wait.
Allow your shoulders to drop and allow yourself to feel the support of the good earth.
Let's pause for one minute now to help you to come into presence.
And don't forget,
If your mind wanders,
Even in this 60 seconds,
Which it can,
Lead it gently and kindly back.
No recriminations,
No regrets about the lapse.
Imagine yourself guiding a small child by the hand.
Gently coming back into the present moment.
Embog signifies the midpoint between two quarter days.
Its arrival represents the promise of spring.
For the most part,
It is still cold when we step out in early February.
The fields are still bare,
Sometimes frost in the air.
Yet we believe that in the hidden places of the earth,
There is something astir.
This is evidenced by the fact that tiny snowdrops push their way up through the earth.
The promise of spring returning.
The noiseless,
Gentle and gradual arrival of the snowdrops is a reminder to us that change and transformation is seldom instant.
Transformation and change are for the most part gradual but persistent.
Maybe there is a lesson for us in that.
At Embog,
We see how many processes of the earth work quietly away,
Out of sight.
When we stop to think about it at the turning point of the Celtic year,
We realise that within ourselves as well,
There is always circulating the possibility of renewal.
This feeling that we need to renew begins quietly too.
It's a change from the noise and the busyness which surrounds us every day.
In an overdue period of quiet reflection,
We might ask ourselves,
Is there something within which is asking to be renewed just now?
Is there some latent talent which has been sleeping in darkness and is now ready to be released into the light?
Within each one of us,
We will find promptings for change.
Restless within,
Like the seeds of snowdrops,
Knowing it's time to appear above ground and make their presence known in the world.
Embog invites us to quietly begin again.
To wake up to the possibilities that a new season brings.
And just as the early snowdrops give way in their turn to more abundant signs of spring,
Crocuses,
Daffodils and so many more,
In the same way our new beginnings,
Our new resolutions,
Our renewed acts of kindness and generosity,
These can herald the arrival of a brighter,
Warmer,
More caring world,
As other people follow our own new beginnings.
So we ask ourselves,
Is there some germ of an idea taking root within us?
If so,
Let's nurture it and bring it to flower.
The world needs more new ideas,
More flowers.
The world needs more love.
Let's have a final one-minute pause now,
Time in which to make our resolutions for good,
Prompted by the Celtic festival of Embog.
Welcome back again,
And now to end our meditation,
This is a Celtic prayer known as the Enfolding Prayer.
Encircle me this night with your presence.
Keep joy within.
Keep bitterness out.
Keep generosity within.
Keep greed out.
Keep love within.
Keep self-seeking out.
Keep light within.
Keep darkness out.
Namaste.
