IMBOLC (IMBOLG)

ST. BRIGID'S DAY &

FESTIVAL OF FIRE

STOKING YOUR SPIRITUAL FIRE 

By Rev. Dr. Psychic Cynthia Killion

02-02-2023 

 

Dear Cosmic & Psychic Friends, hello there, and Happy Imbolc and Happy Groundhog Day too!  I hope that your year has gone well so far, and that your February is off to a fantastic and magical start. 

 

 February 1st and February 2nd together constitute the festival of Imbolc, also called Imbolg, St. Brigid’s Day and even Candlemas. This is an ancient fire-based holy-day and seasonal marker going back to the ancient Celts (and perhaps even further back then that) that marks the approximate half-way point of winter.  Although in some places where it is just a little bit warmer, it is thought to be the start of spring. I guess it depends on how long your winter is, smile.

 

 In any case, the GOOD NEWS is that with each passing day, from this point onward, those of us in the Northern hemisphere can look forward to it get closer and closer to spring, with tiny new signs of spring emerging more and more every day.

 

(Such as a growing increase in the length of day, and the earliest spring flowers poking up through the still somewhat frozen ground.)

 

Imbolg (or Imbolc) is a festival of the Goddess in her fiery, warming, passionate yet nurturing and purifying form.  Since in most places we still have a bit of winter before us yet, this is a good time for working with the element of FIRE to increase your PASSION and raise your energy & motivation….

 

 If you have a fireplace, firepit, chimea or other type of fire-container where you can safely raise up a fire, you might take some time to do that in the next week or so ahead, to help stoke your inner fires, as well as the fire energy within your element bodies. 

 

After you have lit your fire (in your fire-safe container), take a few minutes to gaze into the flames and commune with the fire spirits that you see there.  It would also be a good idea to thank the Goddess herself for imbibing you with energy, passion, strength, courage and motivation to continue to THRIVE, even in the most challenging of circumstances.

 

 If you don’t have a large fire receptacle, you can still stoke your inner fire and honor the Mother of Fire and Light by lighting a single candle, or even several candles, if you would like.  Once you have your candle lit (in the appropriate heat-proof container, of course), practice gazing at the candle flame and connecting with and strengthening your inner fire through its light.

 

Another way to work with the feminine fire energy of Imbolc is to go outside on a sunny, winter day and sit outside gazing at the sun and soaking up her light. (Although many places in the world think of the sun as a masculine deity, the further north you go on the planet, the sun becomes a FEMININE force of healing light.)

  

Whether you utilize a bonfire, candle or sunlight to commune with the spirit of fire, you may wish to sing or chant softly while doing your fire ritual. You can chant or sing whatever words or sounds you would like, and can focus on adding energy to whatever desire or life theme that interests you at this time.

 

Imbolc is largely a holiday of purification, cleansing and strengthening one’s vitality, creativity and passion.  So perhaps it might be a good idea to focus on one of these themes.