Friday, February 03, 2023

Aquarius Cross-Quarter: Imbolg

 

Art by Ruth Sanderson

Aquarius Cross-Quarter:  Imbolg

(Sun at 15 degrees Aquarius- 2/3/23 @8:43pm CST)

 


Imbolg Origins and Variations

 

Imbolg is a Gaelic name for the cross-quarter fire festival celebrated at the midpoint between the December Solstice and the March Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere.  This holiday is also called Imbolc, Candlemas (the Festival of Lights), the Feast of St. Brigid, or (especially in the States) Groundhog Day.

 

Though the meanings of Imbolg and Imbolc refer to different things, the pronunciation is the same (both are pronounced ‘IM-olk’).  One of many old Gaelic language rules is that G is only pronounced like a G if at the beginning of the word…elsewhere in a word it is pronounced as a hard C.  Take the Scottish Gaelic word for Gaelic, for example, which is ‘Gaidhlig’ and pronounced ‘GAA-lik’.  Also, the B in Imbolg/Imbolc is silent (or a very subtle touch-and-release of the lips without a plosive sound), as in the word ‘limb’. 

 



Imbolg refers to ‘In the belly’.  Not only is this the 1st of 3 Spring Holidays, when seeds are stirring within the belly of the Earth and the first signs of life begin to spring forth, but this is also traditionally the time of year when dairy animals begin to give birth…such as the start of lambing season.  Because milk is plentiful at this time, dairy is often featured prominently in Imbolg feasts.  And, as far as human births go, if one was conceived in the lusty month of May (Bealtaine/Beltane), then they would be born around Imbolg.  Interestingly, the last name ‘Robinson’ comes from such traditions.  Because it was common for the mother of a child conceived in the throes of passion at Bealtaine to not know who the father was, the baby was said to be fathered by ‘Robin Goodfellow’ (one of many names, such as Puck, for the Pan-like Trickster of the Forest)…thus ‘son of Robin’ becomes ‘Robinson’. 

 

Imbolc refers to the word ‘folc’ which means to bathe, wash, or cleanse…a term that mirrors the purification and purgation roots of the Roman month of Februarius.  As such, Spring Cleaning or House Cleansing rituals are also ways to honor this time of year, as a way of sloughing off the stagnation of Winter in preparation for Spring. 

 

Candlemas refers to this time of year having many associations with lighting up the home with candlelight.  In celebration of the light of the Sun increasing in the Northern Hemisphere, householders would light a candle in each room of the house on the Eve of Imbolg. 

 



And as Brigid/Bride/Brigantia (Pan-Celtic Triple-Goddess of healing, smithcraft, fire, fertility, midwifery, and poetry) is the Goddess of Imbolg, she was eventually syncretized to Catholicism as St. Brigid…and this time of year, then, is also called the Feast of St. Brigid.

 

Imbolg is also traditionally a time of weather divination.  It is said that when the weather is bright and sunny on this day, the Cailleach (Winter Witch/Hag Goddess) awakens to gather firewood for the rest of winter.  If she wants winter to last another 6 weeks, she will make sure it is a clear and sunny day.  If the weather is otherwise, it means she slept in and winter is almost over.  Most times, Punxsutawney Phil (of Pennsylvania’s Groundhog Day traditions) agrees with the same pattern on February 2nd each year:  seeing his shadow means 6 more weeks of Winter.  This year, Phil ‘saw his shadow’ on this bright morning…heralding an extended winter. 

 

Astrology of Imbolg’s Quickening

 

In the Northern Hemisphere, where these customs originate, this is the time of year that daylight expands the Sun’s promise to Spring.  That growing Fire informs the chilly winter Air of Aquarius season to carry the message to Water.  As the ice crystals melt that watery message into Earth, the thaw stirs the seeds in Earth’s belly, quickening their growth. 

 

'Quickening Moon' by Erynnar


In February, which Imbolg heralds, one of the names for the Moon (and my favorite of them) is the Quickening Moon.  This year, the Quickening Moon is full on Sunday, February 5th (12:27pm CST)…less than 2 days after the Imbolg Cross Quarter.  All that was seeded at the contemplative Aquarius New Moon of January 21st is in full bloom with the expressive fires of Leo on Sunday.

 

Square to this Sun-Moon opposition is Uranus in Taurus, adding much need for improvisation in tangible materialization.  Balancing the head of Aquarius air with the heart of Leo fire requires an innovative approach now.  And Uranus can bring some unpredictability to any quickening, especially through the necessity of a square.  It can feel unsettling, so grounding is also necessary to keep your balance.

 

There is great potential for brilliance to burst forth from the solid intentions of two weeks ago.  The Mars-Chiron sextile in Gemini and Aries offers a subtle, but substantial, safety net for any risk Uranus may incline us toward.  The key to this benefit is in communicating actional healing to guide the best possible expression of this quickening.  With this more harmonious approach, self-care can act as a bit of a shock-absorber for Uranian electricity. 

 

Celebrating the Imbolg Cross-Quarter

 

Many celebrate Imbolg on February 1st or 2nd…but because I’m an Astrologer, we tend to celebrate the cross-quarters according to the Astrological midpoints when Sun is at 15 degrees of each fixed sign (Imbolg/Imbolc- Aquarius, Bealtaine/Beltane- Taurus, Lunasa/Lughnasadh- Leo, and Samhain- Scorpio). 

 

So, for the Kavi Family, we’ll be celebrating from Friday evening into Saturday.  Kavi traditions at this time vary based on weather, timing, and what our family feels is needed each year.

 



When Alyrica was little, she used to act as Brigid for our family…lighting the first flame.  She also used to get out her doll bed and dress up her doll as Brigid…keeping her bed next to the front door on Imbolg Eve.  Now that she’s older, we do less of that…but she’s still our honorary Brigid of the House. 

 



When we can, we brave the cold and light up the fire pit…usually burning many of the dried flowers and leaves we’d been gathering throughout the previous year.
  Very often, we’ll do a House Cleansing ritual where we all participate in clearing out old energy from every room of the house.

 

photo by Michael A. Michail

Sometimes we make crafts for the season, such as Brigid’s Crosses.  Sometimes we plant seeds at this time.  We always have a feast and a candlelit ritual to ensure good health for our family (including, of course, our cats). 

 

And I, personally, love to immerse myself in self-care with a candlelit Brigid’s Bath…enlivening the senses with essential oils and bath salts.  I also, always, make time to play some music for the season and write some poetry.

 

Here is my Imbolg playlist on Spotify.

 

And here is a poem I wrote 13 years ago, which I change slightly each year to reflect where we are in the moon phase.

 

She Sings the Silent Song of Sun

By Felina Lune Kavi

 

The New Year outlasts January.

A dawning is vast as horizon,

In vivid watercolor light…

New dreams awakening from night.

 

She sings the silent song of Sun.

The light reflects in everyone.

 

Quickening Moon flushes February.

The Earth is moved by loving life,

She shivers seeds astir again…

Another cycle to begin.

 

She sings the silent song of Sun.

The life renews in everyone.

 


Remembering February

(recycled from last year’s Imbolg post)

 

Why is February the shortest month?

 

If you’re a word nerd like me, and you love etymology, you may have noticed that the names of September through December follow the sequence of the numbers 7 through 10. The Romans who named these months originally considered Winter to be a monthless period, so it was a 10-month calendar from March to December.

 

It wasn’t until around 713 BCE that Numa Pompilius added January and February as the last two months. February remained the last month (even more truncated back then, with an intercalary month occasionally following February to realign the year with the seasons) until about 450 BCE.

 

Under the reforms that instituted the Julian calendar, January became the 1st month, so February was thereafter the 2nd month…but it still remained the shortest month and held the additional day every ‘leap year’. The Gregorian calendar reforms made only slight changes, so February is still the shortest month to this day.

 

What does February mean?

 

Being long ago the last month of the year, February derives from Februa which refers to instruments of purification and purgation. Therefore, the (former) final month became a time of cleansing in preparation for the growing season.

 



In the early years of Februarius, the patron God of the month was Februus (‘the Purifier’) who was a personification of February’s cleansing festivals. And because of the association with the February festival of Parentalia (which honored the family ancestors), Februus was also a God of the Dead and was a chthonic deity equated with Pluto (‘Dis Pater’, meaning ‘Rich Father’), who was a combination of the Greek Gods Pluton (God of the Underworld and Afterlife, a.k.a. Hades) and Ploutos (God of Wealth, as mineral wealth was found underground). So February, holding an ancient association with finality, was also a time to celebrate the dead.

 



Later, the month was also associated with Juno (‘Bona Dea’, meaning ‘Good Goddess’), for which she carried the epithet Juno Februa (or Februtis). This epithet referred to her aspect of being a fertility goddess, the patron of midwifery and the purification processes involved in childbirth. In this respect, she represented the fertility and creativity that comes from clearing out the old to make way for the new.

 

Interestingly, many of these same associations are still alive today in the Celtic pagan traditions of February being the month of Imbolg (meaning ‘in the belly’ and referring to fertility and childbirth) or Imbolc (derived from ‘folc’ which means ‘wash’ or ‘cleanse’, referring to purification and purgation).

 

And…now you know even more pagan origins to the systems we still use today.

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

 

 

 

No comments: