Today, Feb. 2, 2017 is Imbolc; also known as groundhog day, St. Brigid’s Day and Candlemas. It is a cross-quarter day, observed in the Celtic calendar and by others. Cross quarter days are half-way between the solstices and the equinoxes. Samhain on Oct. 31st, Beltane on May 1st and Lammas on Aug. 1st (the wheel of the year). Imbolc is the day that traditionally we start to move from winter to spring. The earth is stirring and new life is coming. Imbolc comes from the word for sheep’s milk because this is the time of quickening when the ewes start to lactate. The plants are stirring, even if we can’t see it, and seeds sprouting. It’s a fertility festival, for sure, when we celebrate the fertility of the earth, animals and people. Supposedly, St. Brigid made a cross out of river thrushes to explain Christianity to someone and so one symbol today is St. Brigid’s cross. Brigid was originally a pre-Christian goddess in the Celtic world and was “converted” or appropriated for a Christian saint later on. In her goddess identity she was the goddess of poetry, creativity, midwifery and healing. Other symbols for Imbolc are candles and bonfires celebrating the return of light. It’s a hopeful day, like the groundhog never seeing his shadow and starting to wake up for spring. It’s pretty cold and icy here in Boulder today, so it’s nice to think about spring stirring.
I have found that observing these days based on the earth, like Imbolc, is a way to keep in touch with the process of God and earth. It’s interesting to feel connected to our ancestors who lived in tune with the seasons and earth by necessity. It’s also amazing to see how growing food and living closer to the earth puts me naturally in touch with these celebrations. The Christian church claimed and changed these celebrations in order to move away from the pagan traditions, but they kept them under different names perhaps because the people were still dependent upon the earth and it’s seasons.
You see, I had been thinking about life stirring lately because it’s time to plant seeds in my greenhouse. It’s early for tomatoes, but I put in a bunch of snow peas, greens, bok choy, and some cucumbers which I hope will grow in the greenhouse all summer, gourds that require a longer growing season than this altitude provides and more spinach. I have this passive solar greenhouse that has a solar battery of earth tubes four feet down. We circulate air through these with radon fans to warm the place in the winter and cool it in summer. I also get some heat in winter from lots of water jugs painted dark colors and some phase change material on the walls. It’s been a cold winter, so it’s been a battle and I even added a heat bulb to the light fixture (which arguably did little to help) on the coldest nights. But the fig and lemon trees are alive, and the greens are doing fine. Having the greenhouse has been an important part of my wife and I trying to grow more of what we eat, which normally is pretty hard in the winter around here. It’s still hard and I am slowly learning what and when to plant in the greenhouse.
In the contemporary world we have mostly forgotten the earth based cycles of the year, though I can tell from the internet that many people are rediscovering them. I think the wheel of the year is a useful tool in relearning our connection to the earth. I am convinced that human thriving and regeneration of the earth depends upon us remembering this connection. Every ancient culture knew about these cycles and observed them. You can pick the tradition that speaks to you. It happens that my ancestors were from Northern Europe and the British Isles and I find I relate to the Celtic traditions and celebrations. In this season of Imbolc, which lasts until the Spring Equinox on March 21st, I will be trying to help my gardens and my psyche to wake up from the dark time of year and welcome new ideas and new life. I may have a bonfire tonight just for fun.