Happy Day-After-Imbolc! The light is returning. Everything is early this year. My snowdrops are pretty much finished. They were out and beautiful by the first week in January. So I’m sending you a cyclamen and a spring iris. The plants with buds are baby daffodils that will be out in a few weeks.
My snowdrops are in bloom and the hellebores are coming up. Spring is coming. Really it is!
Snowdrops. Ya gotta love ‘em. Dainty, pure white flowers that thrive in the coldest, darkest part of the year. In the Pacific Northwest they always arrive just before Imbolc, the festival of first light. They reassure us that winter won’t last forever. But for me, the arrival of these cheerful flowers triggers bittersweet memories. The snowdrops in the picture are growing in my front yard. They used to grow next door in Patty’s front yard. We were friends and neighbors for over twenty years, and we did a lot of talking during that time. The things we talked about most were gardens and growing things. Two years ago Patty lay dying of cancer in a hospital bed in her living-room, surrounded by grieving friends and family. But snowdrops were blooming in her front yard.
We had a very simple Imbolc this year. I’ve decided I really like simple. We looked outside around 5PM and watched our holiday lights come on while the sun was still shining. We’ll take them down tomorrow. We lit a fire in the fireplace. We took down the evergreen wreathes above the hearth and by the door and burned them. We played “Here Comes the Sun.” We put up our early spring wreath of purple, white, and yellow pansies. We watched the fire.
February 1st or 2nd , depending on who you talk to, is the Festival of Imbolc, or first light. This is the time of year when we begin to notice that yes, indeed, the days are getting longer. Bulbs are beginning to push up green spikes, and the snowdrops are in full bloom. It is a time of anticipation, new beginnings, and inspiration. Imbolc probably derives from the Old Irish i mbolg “in the belly”, which refers to the fact that this is the start of lambing time in Ireland and the rest of Europe. It is also a perfect metaphor for the season. The year is pregnant with the coming of the sun, which brings new growth. At this festival pagans honor Brigid: goddess of water and fire, wells and forges, healing and inspiration, smith craft and childbirth. I see the angel on the Temperance tarot card as a perfect representation of Brigid. He/she stands between two opposing forces and works to reconcile them… Read More »