A monthly journal of my spiritual journey walking with the Goddess.
As Imbolc Lingers
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Belated Blessings of Imbolc to You All!
I hope all of you who celebrate had a beautiful day, with rituals or ceremonies that inspired you, it already seems a long time ago now! I wasn't
actually going to write about Imbolc; Dolls Houses and Brighid were my planned musings for this month but after I ventured out today I changed my mind. I think Goddess may have had a hand in it, to be more specific The Cailleach. And there is no 'may' about it.
As most of you know, I'm a firm believer in the folklore
about the Cailleach collecting her
winter logs - a dry Imbolc predicting more days of winter ahead, and along with Punxsutawney Phil The Ground Hog at good Old Gobblers Knob, in Pennsylvania (who saw his shadow and legged it this year for the record) the Cailleach was definitely abroad!
My February the first wasn't necessarily bright
but it was definitely dry and then of course, less than a week later, like most of the UK, we've had more than a sprinkling of snow. So today I went out for
lovely walk - some of you may have seen my little video I posted earlier on my WWMG Facebook page - which you can see here - Woodpecker Woods Live - I took you on a little jaunt through the woods with me, but at the time I concluded that the woodpeckers had migrated, but guess what I heard as I walked back? Yep Woodpeckers! I looked it up and some don't migrate, they sit winter out in their nests!
So I've
included this little clip too! Dodgy cinematography I know, but it was the sound I wanted to capture!
I had a blissful, if freezing wander, I stood in the frozen wasteland of the old corn field, arms outstretched to ground myself and felt the reluctance of the Cailleach to give up her realm, felt her icy fingers in the wind pull at my hair and remind me that the maiden does not hold full sway yet. So I bade her come and join me. She didn't disappoint. As I walked back through the woods, The frozen snow on one of the trees and stopped in my tracks. For a minute it looked like an old woman, an icy Crone huddled against the tree as she gathered Her fire wood.... (and of course the old face in the tree?)
My Own Personal Cailleach!
Or perhaps I'd just been out there too long! Either way it made me smile and wonder - not for the first time, what message She had for me. My own personal winter is going on a little longer than normal, I'd love to be gadding about like a spring lamb - well when we can of course, but this year, winter is going on for a little longer for me, as I'm having a operation next week, much to my initial irritation - "like I have time for this!" lol, it's no big deal but it's going to slow me down... which I suspect is the plan! It was after I saw Her, that I heard the woodpecker and when I looked their meaning up, once I had defrosted, their spiritual meaning and symbolism? Wisdom, strength, opportunity, resilience and determination - don't mind if I do, please and thank you!
Grinning to myself at another lesson about to be learnt, I headed for home, and immediately had a more gentle reminder than Brighid hasn't completely abandoned us.
New life peeking through the snow..... She's biding her time.
Brighid's Reminder...
So that's me for now, I shall await the return of Brighid and ponder more on my Dolls House thoughts, allowing them to grow and take a deeper form, until they are ready to spring forth and entertain you all! Until then...
Well that was a long break.... To be fair it was a blooming long and difficult year last year! I'm sure it was for many people. Last time I wrote my blog I was recovering from my operation in February, so just to bring you all up to date, they found some nasty cancer cells (boo, hiss!) so I needed 3 months of chemotherapy in the early summer - but still managed to make Summer Solstice camp of course (and boy was I looked after by my beloved Pagan Family!) and of course our Maidstone Pagans Camp as well as all the online stuff... Solstice Camp As you know, I believe in many different types of healing and bounced out of both previous operations earlier last year like nothing had happened and I put it down to all the love, support, healing and prayers being sent to me. So when in November, I had my third and (hopefully last) operation I was pretty much expecting the same. However this time, despite all the prayers, healing and reiki that were coming my way, this one was a lot harder o
Sometimes I have amazing bursts of inspiration of how to celebrate the Sabbats and I come up with some amazing new and funky ways and rituals to do so. Other times, to quote my friend Jenny's turn of phrase, I am as about as spiritual as a stick. This Imbolc, my style and inspiration instead of being that of Sassy Spiritual Chic, I was more like Stressy Spiritual Stick. Snowdrops at St Margaret's Church So whilst muttering darkly to myself that none of my snowdrops had come up (probably because I hadn't got round to planting them) and that fact I had to work on Imbolc, I sat listening to my lovely friend Jacqueline on one of her Facebook lives and heard her talking about Brat Bhrides, or Bratog Brides, also known more simply as Bride's Mantles. Pieces of linen left out on a tree over Imbolc Eve or Imbolc Night for St Bridget / Bride / Brìghde to bless with healing powers for the year as she passed by. Up I jumped all Catherine Tate like, declaring I can do that! These
Blessings of Ostara and Spring Equinox To You All! I love the fact that here in the Northern Hemisphere it's a moveable feast and can be anywhere between 19th to 21st March. To me it feels very flexible and fluid and If I can't do anything in particular to mark it on the actual day, I feel quite at ease doing something a day or so early or late. Day and Night, Light and Dark are equal in hours, harmonious in perfect balance, it all has a wafty quality for me as though the Sabbat itself really is on Pagan Time! The aspect of duality always appeal to me, every year I say I am going to do some shadow work around this time but as usual what I think I am going to do ends up being a completely different experience to what actually happens! The Start Of My Ostara Altar This time of year, my altar always builds up slowly, adorned with gifts from the Earth Mother Herself as they are bequeathed to me, and this year was no different. Last Friday I found myself heading off with my lovely
Beautiful but I do wish you would warn me about the Knobblers Gob.
ReplyDeleteGobblers Knob Jen!!!
DeleteWish the Maiden would hurry up! Nice to hear woodpeckers though.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean! It was so wonderful to hear the woodpeckers just after I had spoken about them! I assumed they had migrated for winter x
Delete