In celebration of Spring Equinox, here is a guided meditation to help you connect with the joyful spring energies of Mama Earth.
#spring
#grounded
#grateful
#joy
Celebrate Spring
Imbolc!
We have arrived at Imbolc – the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox.
Days are lengthening, seeds are stirring, animals are birthing. Mama Earth is beginning to awaken from her long winter slumber.
Celebrate that spring is on its way.
#Imbolc
#cycles
#seasons
#WheeloftheYear
Image: Imbolc – The Maiden Awakens
by Annie Louvaine
Elemental Blessing for the Darkest Night
As our Earth grows dark tonight
and the north winds blow,
As the fire dwindles to ash
and ice blankets the land,
May the light of our Sun
find its way home.
~Nancy Lankston
✨
#solstice
#dark
#light
✨
Image: Celtic Tomb,
Ireland
Samhain; Betwixt and Between
Originally published November 1, 2017
Certain times in our lives are filled with potency and magic. Twilight is such a time, as is dawn. These are magical moments when it is neither day nor night. Birth is another potent in-between time, along with death. These special times mark borders and transition zones. The in-between is a sacred time when magic is afoot.
Here in the northern hemisphere, we find ourselves on the boundary between autumn and winter. The light is slowly fading away as our Sun drops lower and lower in the sky and our nights grow longer. This is another potent in-between time. The ancient Celtic people would celebrate Samhain (Sow-in) at this time. Some tribes chose to celebrate at the 1st new moon after late harvest (November 4th, 2021). Other tribes celebrated at the 1st full moon after harvest. The celebration of Samhain was a beautiful way to honor the seasonal transition out of the light and into the dark.
The veils between the worlds grow very thin during this sacred in-between time. Loved ones who have departed this Earth are believed to be nearby. Many people in Mexico honor this by celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) at this time.
Samhain is the perfect time to acknowledge and celebrate the sacred cycles of birth – growth – death – rebirth that are an integral part of Nature.
🍁
Some suggestions for acknowledging and honoring the magical in-between time of Samhain:
Take a few moments to honor everything you have “harvested” this year.
Bow to your ancestors and thank them for giving you this life.
Offer love and prayers to loved ones who have transitioned.
Thank the brilliant light of summer and embrace the deep dark of winter.
Listen for spiritual guidance to help you in the coming year.
A Prayer for the Earth
May I trust in the wisdom of the plants and the animals and the water. May I hear the message whispered in my ear that is for me alone. May I live with confidence that my soul is eternal and my heartbeat and the heartbeat of the world are one. May I remember the Earth is my Mother. May I feel my hand in Hers and have no fear. May I welcome the gifts that come my way.
~Linda Heisel
Irish Waters by Nancy L
Seeds Are Stirring
Imbolc is upon us. Celtic stories tell us that the Cailleach—the divine hag Goddess who rules over winter and death—gathers firewood for the rest of the winter on Imbolc. If the Goddess Cailleach wishes to make the winter last a lot longer, she will make sure that the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood. But, if Imbolc is a day of foul weather, it means the Cailleach is asleep and winter is almost over.
The Cailleach was worshipped by the Celts as the sacred Earth Mother in her bare winter form. And she is not just a dark and evil hag who arbitrarily decides how long winter will be. The Cailleach is also the Bone Mother who collects the bones of the animals that die in the winter. The Bone Mother is said to sing or pray or sleep over the bones all winter long. She does this out of love, so that the animals will cross over and can return as new life in the spring.
There is a magic to Imbolc and the early days of February. It is there, running just beneath the surface. Can you feel it? Mama Earth holds the seeds of spring safe for us all winter. As the cold wind blows and the snow piles up, she holds them safe in her soil.
#Imbolc
#Bone Collector
#Hag Goddess
Late Winter Moon Message
There is confusion,
So much confusion
But try to breathe and trust
The green, the sprouting time
Is almost here.
This moment, this sacred moment
Is the dark just before dawn
Pregnant dark, promising dark
Luscious dark
That soon turns to light.
Breathe.
Breathe and Trust.
☾☽
Aries new moon