New Years' Season - Imbolc

It’s the beginning of the year and there are a lot of feelings in the air. The holidays are over, inducing relief or dreariness; sometimes both. The New Year has rung in. Expectations are high and motivations stirred. Some will make their resolutions, while others’ scoff at the performance of this widespread tradition. Despite the best of hopes and intentions, this part of the year in my part of the world remains cold and dreary, with the potential to bring a winter’s most frigid days. Though the darkest nights have passed, we have a lot to endure before the spring.

In past years, I have found it extremely difficult navigating this end of the winter season. Despite feeling relief for the holidays being over, I have always felt off or misaligned during this time. The rapid switch from repeated celebratory events, abundance, and consumption, to intense self-reflection and serious lifestyle changes is a shock to the system at best. This intense winter holiday pattern and the mental emotional impacts I experience are a big part of the reason I sought out alternate holiday traditions. I ended up settling on The Sabbats, eight Pagan traditions equally spaced throughout the year.

Imbolc comes after Yule, the most widely known Sabbat due to its direct relationship with the Christmas traditions. The themes of Imbolc revolve around seeking out the light, purifying, and cleansing. “Seeking out the light” is a very literal sentiment as the daylight begins to return. Lighting candles, putting out mirrors, and finding other ways of increasing light production are traditional ways of observing the season. Modern “mood lamps” or “sunlight lamps” can also effectively help those of us who struggle due to the lack of daylight. Similarly, purifying and cleansing have practical applications. Mid-winter can be a good time to do thorough cleaning, to prevent illness and to remove distractions or clutter interfering with our lives or goals. In Pagan tradition, cleansing spiritually can be done with salt, smoke, crystals, and/or prayer. Another seasonal tradition is crafting and hanging Brighid’s Cross over the front door, intended to protect the home from ill health.

The season of Imbolc is most dear to me. If I were limited to observing only one of the eight Sabbats, I would choose this one. One reason the season of Imbolc is my favorite is because the western world failed to replicate it in any meaningful way, and because I feel it is so needed. The winter is cold, dark, long, and an emotional rollercoaster. I need the themes and intentions Imbolc brings into my life at this time of the year. Focusing on the light reminds me the winter doesn’t last forever, the light gradually returns, and the seasons will change again. The light keeps me going. Without something to look forward to, it’s hard to plan for the future.

Cleansing and purifying is a practice which acts as a grounding and calming tool for me. The few weeks after the holidays tend to feel overwhelming, and observing Imbolc helps me regain some stability as we begin the year. Cleansing with smoke is one of my favorite methods to use. Watching the smoke float and dissipate, combined with the soothing aroma, relaxes my body and allows me to breathe deeper. Getting rid of the clutter I don’t use or won’t benefit me allows me to think more clearly and move around more freely. Cleansing can include mental practices too, working towards kinder inner monologue or interrupting unhelpful thought patterns. It can also be as simple as pausing during the course of the day to take an intentional and refreshing breath.

The observance of Imbolc occurs on February 1st and tends to be more meditative than celebratory. My go to activity for any Sabbat is to have a small fire, give thanks for the lessons of the past season, and set intentions for the next. This season I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the intensity of focus and clarity of intention I have cultivated through the seasonal practices. I focus on the light, and in it are my dreams and goals for the future. I rid my life and my spirit of ineffective excess, and my path reveals itself in front of me. Looking towards the next season, Ostara, I will set my intentions towards readying for the spring and preparing for literal and figurative growth.

For me, Imbolc is the true beginning to the year, the “new year”. Yule marks the darkest nights of the year; it doesn’t feel appropriate to me to immediately observe the new year. By February 1st, the sun is beginning to return and the coldest days are hopefully behind us. We’ve had some time to rebound from the holiday chaos and the intensity of the darkness, and I now feel more ready.

Happy Imbolc and a Happy New Year! May everyone receive more light and clarity in their lives.

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