Today, we're going to explore the energy of Imbolc and how this subtle seasonal shift could positively affect our creative energy.
This week marked the ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc - that halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox.
Imbolc is believed to mean 'in the belly' or 'ewe's milk', with both potential meanings hinting at the springtime stirrings of new life.
Right now, we are on the cusp of a new season, and nature is at that midway moment between the snowy sleepiness of winter and the first stretch and yawn of spring.
But because we are so often the observers of nature, we forget to observe ourselves.
If we truly saw ourselves for who and what we are,
we would surely hear the birdsong that sings in our blood
and see the stardust that sparkles through our veins.
We are wildness in human form - and because of this, we, too, may feel a slight shift as we move from our own personal winter to the lightness and brightness of the coming months.
To me, February always feels more like the new year than January 1st. That moment in the year still feels too close to Christmas, to Yule, and to those dark, heavy days of December.
The pressure we put on ourselves to make new year's resolutions, to begin the year with a To-Do list bigger than we are just doesn't feel right somehow - and if we take our cue from the natural world around us, it isn't right.
When mother nature is still fast asleep and merely dreaming about what is to come, we're lacing up new trainers and pounding the pavement in an attempt to push ourselves 'til we reach peak perfection.
In January, we really need to take a leaf out of nature's book and allow ourselves to take the pressure off, and to rest and dream.
February, though, in my eyes, seems a much better and more natural point in the year to start tending to those seeds we have sown during our wintering dreams.
As the wheel of the year turns once more, now is the moment when we start to see those first signs of spring.
I have already seen the first snowdrops popping up cheerfully through thawing earth.
Soon the crocuses will spring up too, and then there will be gently lengthening, sunnier days and lambs frolicking in the fields.
There is something comforting and steadying about the
rhythms, cycles, and seasons of nature.
Spring follows winter, every year, sure as clockwork.
We can put our trust in nature.
When that first brave little snowdrop pops up to greet you on your morning walk, perhaps that's a gentle nod that now is the time for us to be brave too, to allow ourselves to begin the gentle, steady process of becoming and blooming?
February feels like a very creative, dreamy month to me.
This week, alongside Imbolc, we have also seen Brigid's Day - the Celtic fire goddess who symbolically stokes the flames of new life and creative power.
Over the next few months, the fiery sun grows more powerful in the sky, with daylight hours lengthening by a few minutes more each day.
I find that as the days grow longer, I feel more energised and more inclined to do the things that I most want to do - but, during winter, sometimes can't quite find the energy for.
And as the sun grows brighter and fierier, so, too, do we.
Those things that we are most passionate about become filled with zest and with more and more energy, and we find ourselves revitalised.
Our creative yearnings and desires become a fire in our belly that fuels us as we work on our creative projects.
What do you feel called to create and bring to life over the coming weeks and months?
Where is your energy right now, in mind, body, and spirit?
Can you feel a subtle shift yet?
Don't worry if you can't feel this yet - our creative energy ebbs and flows, arising in us when it's ready.
So, as we work and craft and create this month, let's do it with a sense of joy and not put any extra pressure on ourselves.
Let's channel our inner snowdrop
and bloom when the time is right,
without hurry or worry.
At this moment of seasonal shift, we can allow ourselves to simply enjoy being inspired by the potent symbolism of Imbolc, Brigid, and the qualities of fire.
We can remind ourselves that now is the time to dream and - if the time is right for us - to do.
Now is the moment when the new year truly begins and we can allow our heart's passion to fuel our life's work.
Now is the time.