Following seasonal tides and energies has been a part of my personal practice since I was a teenager. Even before I was confident in calling what I was doing witchcraft, I was walking the woods behind my house talking to trees and listening to the land. The seasons are part of me, I ebb and flow with them as surely as the weather.
This year, something feels off. With everything going on in the world, yes, of course it feels off I keep saying to myself. We’re still in a pandemic, our politics are a freaking mess, climate change is wreaking havoc… and it goes on. So yes, for something to feel off shouldn’t come as surprise but it’s still left me unsettled.
Imbolc has always felt like the beginning of spring. Spring doesn’t officially arrive until the spring equinox, but by Imbolc, in past years, I’m feeling the quickening in the land. By Imbolc, I can feel everything beginning to wake up as if the embers of spring have been lit. There may be snow on the ground, but the days are getting longer, and everything feels full of potential.
Imbolc always represents a turning point; will we continue to make the same choices, leading to the same results or will we burn away what no longer serves and quicken the next step in our growth? My intuition tells me, this year, our choices will have cascading effects in our personal lives and in our community.
Blessing to you all this Imbolc.
Jennifer Bower is a witch, healer, and teacher in Charlotte, NC. Her background combines education and experience in psychology and social work, training and extensive work in energy healing, and research and scholarship in neopagan theology and philosophy. Jennifer is the owner of Tree of Life Personal & Spiritual Evolution and Liminal Spaces Mystery School where she also teaches several classes and is active in the local spiritual community. She leads a local coven in the Ignis Spirae Tradition.
