Summer Garden

I love this time of year when the garden is full and lush and it's always a surprise when something begins to bloom that wasn't blooming the day before. A gardener must keep a constant vigil so as not to miss anything!

I hope you enjoy some pictures of my garden . . .

Imbolg ~ February 2nd

Here in the northern hemisphere, most of us are still in the grips of winter. For our ancestors, snow covered the earth, the nights were still long, and the festivities surrounding Yule and the Solstice are long since past. Food supplies were beginning to dwindle and become moldy and the promise of spring seemed far away. Yet with all this, they still celebrated. In the cold darkness, they found reason for hope, thus creating a holy day, a festival, a feast.

Imbolg became an important festival to the Celts who were pastoral herders. Imbolg (pronounced em-bowl/g) means 'in the belly' and refers specifically to the pregnant sheep and more broadly to Mother Earth who is beginning to show signs of life. Another name for this holiday was Oimelc which means 'ewe's milk', an important life sustaining beverage for the family. Because it was so important, an offering of ewe's milk would often be left overnight for the God/dess as a libation to encourage bounty.

Imbolg is also considered a great fire festival with the emphasis on the light of the fire rather than on the heat it gives. The sun's light is noticeably with us longer each day and is our assurance that the Wheel is turning and that spring and summer will return.

Other traditions observed during Imbolg are meditation and divinations to determine what a person should focus on magickally or spiritually for the year, writing poetry or weaving (crocheting for me) in honor of Brigit, rituals to ask Brigit or another personal diety for inspiration, or simply rituals of gratitude for the growing light. In many Wiccan traditions, Imbolg is also a time for initiation.

Imbolg is about the first signs of spring, the promise of returning life, about sunlight and ripening and the growing conviction that the community will survive another year. Perhaps so but in my neck of the woods we're expecting up to 13 inches of snow with wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles an hour over the next two days. Spring may be on its way, but it sure is taking its damn time about it!

Have a blessed Imbolg!

12 Days of Yule ~ Day 3

3rd Day of Yule – Remembering the Noble Virtue of Courage
December 22nd

"Courage is definitely an attitude of boldness, however, not the absence of fear. Courage is the carrying in spite of your fear. It is courage that allows us to live life in such a manner that we can be proud."

On this third day of Yule, I chose to reflect on the birth of the Sun-God and with him the coming of warmer days and of spring and summer. The Oak King has come forth and slain the Holly King, sending him into the netherworld.

It is a time for joyous celebration, of LIGHT, and of reflection over the past year. Because Yule exemplifies the adage, "The greatest darkness comes before dawn," it is an opportunity to embrace the darkness one last time before the growing light takes hold. In doing so, we also present ourselves with something else important; a time to purge ourselves of that which is no longer useful, and an opportunity to make room to receive all the gifts of the returning light.

Charge of the Sun God

I am the Light that bursts through the Darkness
And the smile on the young child's face.
I am the warmth that melts the winter chill
And the sparks that dance from the old fireplace.
I am the smell of oranges and apples
And the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
I am the holly, the ivy, the mistletoe ball,
And the jocularity of the Great God, Jove.
I am found in the twinkling of an aged eye
And in the hope of children everywhere.
Yes, joy and love and warmth am I.
Where kindness abounds, I, too, am there.
I am your brother, your father, the wise one
And I warm you gently in the light of my love.
I lighten your worries, bring good health and speed growth
By shedding my rays down on you from above.
But remember, my children, be grateful
For my brother, the Darkness, and winter's deep chill
For without them, there would be little reason
For this holiday season of peace and good will.

~ Dorothy Morrison ~