Unfurling into Spring: Imbolc Observances
February is just around the corner and with it, Imbolc. Marking the first signs of spring, Imbolc (or Imbolg- and honestly it seems there are a lot of ways to spell and say it) honors the first shoots of greenery and encourages an unfolding into the spring season. While this day is typically celebrated on or around February 1st, remember that these holy-days don’t need to be crammed into a single day. We can treat Imbolc like a season and notice how one part of the seasonal cycle seamlessly seeps into the next.
Some context! When I speak about Imbolc I’m referring to the Gaelic holiday and the Celtic Wheel of the Year. There are many different ways to look at seasons and their turnings depending on what culture you’re drawing from, what lineages you are working with, and where you are located in the world. The Celtic Wheel of the Year is largely used by people looking to live more cyclically (so there’s a lot of information out there to study- not all of it accurate though so be diligent) and a considerable swath of my ancestry is comprised of Celtic, Northern European, and Eastern European people. So this is what works for me, for now. Another component of this is to consider the land you’re on and the history of that land and its people. Learning how they cared for the land and what reciprocity looked like. And perhaps learning some of their customs for tending to and surviving on the land where you live.
Customs change with time and shifts in culture. We don’t need to follow traditional ritual structure to the letter- it wouldn’t be relevant to today. Instead, we mindfully weave in what feels important to remember, an understanding of how we are positioned societally (what responsibilities you have as a person who carries any privileges), the land we’re on, and we’re honest about what feels relevant and accessible now.
I practice these folk ways as a way to divest from colonialist structures, conceptualize time differently, and understand more about who (many) of the people I come from were before the concept of “whiteness” became so dominant, extractive, and damaging. These are some of my reasons. You will have your own depending on who you are and what intersections you live from.
Now Imbolc, for many of our ancestors, was a precarious time- a liminal time. It bears some similarities to Samhain in this regard. Survival was a key component of this transition time into spring. (This feels really relevant to where we are today and I find myself connecting with my ancestors who have been through prolonged plague and economic instability as a way of centering myself in the present.) At this time of year, weather was still poor and roads were icy. Food stocks were likely running low or at least beginning to. So Imbolc was a time of hope and fortitude. This particular stretch of time didn’t seem to include many large gatherings or feasts (though many of the quarter and cross-quarter holidays do)- it was dangerous to travel and nearly impossible to feed a large group. So there was an air of making the most of what you have while waking up to the possibilities of the coming spring.
With this were themes of protection, fertility/prosperity, and propagation. Brigid, the goddess of the hearth fire, the forge fire, and the muse fire -healers, makers, and poets- is attached to this festival time and many customs are enacted in her honor. She was later rolled into the Christian pantheon and given the day February 1st as her Saints Day- but in any case, Brigid and Imbolc represent the coming of spring and remind us to prepare.
You can choose to include Brigid in your cyclical observances or not depending on your relationship with her (or with deity worship in general), but you’ll see her name come up a lot during this time as she is an inextricable part of Imbolc festival activity.
The following lists some ways to observe this time of year- make this your own and feel into what’s right for you, your household, and your lineage.
Make a Brigid’s Cross- craft a Brigid’s Cross using materials you find around you- you’ll want a some strong grasses that haven’t entirely dried out yet. I’ve used strips of palm fronds in the past. As you’re making it, you can reflect on where you were at the start of winter (on Samhain) and what intentions you were setting then. Notice what has come to pass and what you’re hoping for/working towards in the coming year. Hang the Brigid’s Cross over the door that’s used most often for protection and blessing. Brigid’s Cross was often put in barns or stables as well as protection from fire. Something certainly needed here where I live in California. Here’s a great video that teaches how to make a Brigid’s Cross out of a variety of materials.
Brigid’s Cloth- this one is time sensitive! Hang a specially selected cloth out on St. Brigid’s Eve (January 31st) so she can bless it as she passes over. This cloth can be used as a sort of good luck charm but is also said to heal aches and pains. Personally, I’m setting out a cloth I wear while I work and a cloth I wear while I bleed to be blessed. I also always hang them on my holly tree since I have a relationship with that tree and it sits outside of my bedroom window. But you can hang yours anywhere that feels right! I’ve heard of people tying their cloth to the inside of their doorhandle and letting the other end hang outside of the closed door or closing a window so the cloth is half inside/half outside. There are varying accounts of how long to keep the cloth -some people say 7 years and then you replace it- or if you’re supposed to use the same one each year. I’ve been doing this for three years now and have hung out the same pieces each year- do what feels right for you. Don’t have a cloth? It could be a scrap or a piece of ribbon! This was something that was practiced widely by most layers of society- it doesn’t have to be ornate to be special.
Walk the Bounds and Grounds- walk the borders of your space and take note of what needs tending to and how you’d best like to do so. When I do this, I make a mental list of what needs to be picked up or managed in the yard and what upkeep needs my home has. I also consider how the rightful stewards of the land might care for it. For me, that means fire safety protocols amongst planning and planting ideas. I will often do this just before sunset and burn something I’ve dried from the garden (rosemary or pine). I leave offerings at the trees. This act reminds us that we are connected to the spaces we inhabit and we have a responsibility to them. It’s also an opportunity to notice the turning of the season directly with the land we’re on. If you don’t have yard space or live in an apartment, you can do this indoors. Take note of how the light has shifted and how the view outside your window is changing.
Leave Symbols of Prosperity in the Corners of your Home- traditionally, fishermen would leave shells and farmers would leave grain. But what signifies prosperity to you? Maybe you’re writing a book? So put a book in each corner. Or maybe you’re a woodworker- you could put your tools out. Whatever the symbol might be, leave it out in the corners of your home on St Brigid’s Eve so she can bless them when she passes over.
Have a Special Meal by a Fire- this can be anything. Ancestral foods, your favorite dish, or even just what you have. I always leave a bit out for Brigid and my ancestors. Sometimes I incorporate dairy since Brigid has associations with milk/dairy/cows. This doesn’t have to be big and elaborate, but it is a way to mindfully mark the passage of time. I often do this after I’ve walked the bounds and grounds and take time to reflect. Maybe this is a good time to do the Brigid’s Cross? And if you don’t have access to a fireplace/bonfire, you can light a candle! Any way you have to light a flame works, this is how you invite Brigid in. Ideally, I like to do all of the above on the 31st. But realistically, sometimes that just can’t happen. So I’m reminding you (and me!) that this is a season and we don’t have to be rigid about calendar dates. In fact, spreading it out might even be more impactful for our bodies who tend to need a slower, more repetitive approach.
Spring Cleaning- I love this part. Give away what you don’t need anymore and clean your space from top to bottom. I like to connect with my ancestors and the house spirits as I do this. For me, this is often a multi-day project and I make sure to schedule it when I have time, space, and honestly the energy. I make a point to do this from a place of joy rather than obligation- which sometimes means it gets put off a few weeks! This is also when I put away my big ancestor altar (I like to keep mine up from the Fall Equinox until Imbolc) and create a spring altar. I make a downsized altar for my ancestors in my office, but the altar in pride-of-place becomes one for the living in the spring.
Check on People- when I think about how this time was precarious for our ancestors, and acutely aware of how precarious things feel in the present, this feels like one of the most grounded and relevant acts. Things are hard. See if the people you love are in need. See if your neighbors, housed and unhoused, are in need. What do you have a lot of? Can you give it to someone who will appreciate it? This is is something most festivals ask of us, but this one feels especially poignant since we maybe haven’t yet reached that place of abundance after winter. I just learned this year, from Orlagh Costello, about a practice that’s died out in recent years but seems to be making a resurgence- Brideog is the crafting of a straw doll to represent a young St Brigid. Dressed in the finest clothes, she is brought from house to house by children who have dressed up to hide their identity (sound familiar? They’re mumming! Like during Samhain and Yuletide). The guised children bring the Brideog to each house to collect a penny- in return, the occupants of the house receive the blessing of the Brideog. This feels like community care- this is a built in way of connecting with our neighbors and checking in on other households. I don’t have a way to recreate this (yet?) but the act of checking in on the ones you love and those in your community is age old and needs to be remembered.
This is the time of year that the land begins to wake back up after having hibernated over winter. Perhaps the same is true for you and your body. Allow your body to experience this unfolding alongside the land by taking slow walks and noticing the shifts in your environment. Notice the changing of the light. Gather nettles (carefully, they sting!) and make them into a soup or dry them out for tea. Notice when the daffodils bloom.
Take some time to look back on the seeds you planted, or what you’ve been hibernating with, over the winter. What’s been germinating or gestating? How do you need to tend to it now so it flourishes? This is the start of the growing season (literally and metaphorically)- so even if you’re not living off of the land or your garden, our ancestors did. What did they learn from that relationship? Know that you can move slowly as you unfurl into spring. Tend to these seeds, dreams, and desires mindfully so you can ensure their growth.