The festival of Imbolc has several elements which are of interest to the energy worker and druid:-
- It sees the return of the male earth energies that have been so weak as to be non-existent during the Winter months.
- It is the time when the energy form Brigid (or Bridget, Bride) can be felt, seen and interacted with at sites that are associated with her.
Some call this time of year The Quickening in recognition of the fact that the subtle energies and the life forces of this side of the planet are becoming more alive and vibrant. Astrologically the Imbolc event coincides with when the Sun crosses the middle degree of the constellation of Aquarius – the water bearer (or bringer of the waters for the Spring growth). The Moon will be just before Last Quarter on 2nd February, so there will be an average amount of female energy around this Imbolc.
Imbolc is associated in the Celtic tradition with Brigid, the virginal first form of The Triple Goddess – a complex mutating energy form that can be felt in various vibrational states during the course of the year. This female energy changes in tone and strength as the seasons progress. At the beginning of the year She is in her beginning form – bright, light and sparkling, but still quite weak in comparison to how she feels at Beltane in May.
In this form she is known as Brigid (amongst many other variations of this name and with many other names in different cultures). Encountering this energy form is exciting and inspirational, and I highly recommend that you visit a site traditionally associated with Brigid at this time of the year in order to feel this energy for yourself. I’m sure it will inspire you to actions that will only progress you on your spiritual path.
Perhaps she is called The Bride because Imbolc sees the first ‘marriage’ of the two energy polarities – the returning male energy and the ever-present female energy combining to create a vibrant and creative impulse which inspires one to action. Certainly, something special is happening at this time of the year, and celebration is the order of the day.
For me personally, I will be doing a number of activities to celebrate Imbolc. Over the course of the few days around Imbolc I will be:-
- Investigating and potentially re-balancing some dark energy from a known troubled area in the Derbyshire hills
- Renewing some previous work I have done to create healing energy at a sacred site by adding the Brigid energy to the circuit I created.
- Asking for a new Spirit Guide to work with for this year after the departure of my last one. I don’t know yet whether this is necessary, but I hope to find out at Imbolc.
- Confirming which branch of the Arthurian Cross I will be dealing with this year. Last year it was West/Gwalchmai and that related to the Water element (didn’t it just!?).
I’m very much looking forward to the start of the new year. I begin to get jittery at this point in the cycle, and Imbolc is such a good starting point to re-ignite a spiritual quest. Can’t wait!
