The eight traditional sabbats (pagan holidays) mark the turning of the Wheel of the Year, allowing us to honor the passing of time with emphasis on seasonal change. Often though, more importance is placed on honoring the big picture, not the smaller, more personal human experience. We overlook the significance of anchoring the essence of these celebrations into our lives. When we equate the sabbats with the smaller, more personal stages and events that we experience on a daily basis, we start to approach the true meaning of the Wheel of the Year on a personal level.
Imbolc is a fire festival that marks a time to celebrate the first signs of spring. It honors hearth, home, milk, and themes of renewal, birth and rebirth. How can we translate this to a personal level? Imbolc is about pausing to review and integrate the introspections of the winter. It is about making positive changes truly part of our lives. Imbolc is very much about self-care, transformations, new beginnings and awakening that new light in our lives.
Now is the time for new goals and fresh intentions, the time to take those first steps towards manifesting the goals we planned out during the winter. This season is ripe with new beginnings and chances to shed anything from last year that no longer serves us.
Rather than making yet another corn dolly for Brighid, or lighting another candle to honor the fire festival, let's light that fire within ourselves. Take a milk bath to celebrate the nourishment of body, mind, and soul. While we soak, we set our spiritual intentions for the new year. Just one or two, we don’t want to take on too much and grind to a halt from overwhelm.
These seem like very small self-centered things to be doing. After all, we are constantly hearing about things we can do for other people, so why would we focus on ourselves like this? Because when we focus on healing what needs to be healed within us, we not only raise our own vibration, but that of the world around us. When we heal our own wounds, we change the way we react and interact with those around us, spreading more love and enabling others to heal their wounds. So why not take this day to set some intentions? You can do this through manifestations, meditations, or just writing them down in your spiritual journal or grimoire. Creating a vision board to align with your intentions is a wonderful way to help us focus on bringing them to fruition. Remember, it takes courage to heal. Don't be afraid to harness the power of this ancient holiday to make some lasting changes for good in your life.
I have heard Imbolc called a cozy day of relaxation and self-care, and honestly that works for me! This is a time to celebrate me and my growth. Imbolc is a day to plan, without criticism or blame, just how I am going to do one thing to support myself in the coming year. Spring is all about fresh starts and new growth; what better way to make the Wheel of the Year personal than to embrace and nurture our own growth and healing?
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