Imbolc and a Sapphire Moon
image, the author’s
Today, we celebrate astrological Imbolc, the cross-quarter between the Solstice in December and the Equinox in March, where the Sun makes an alignment at 15 degrees of Aquarius. Imbolc means “in the belly of the Mother” because the seeds of Spring are beginning to stir. We welcome Brighid into our homes and lives with our inner fire, mirroring the triple flame She nurtures. Imbolc is a quickening. Its opening into the heart of the Great Mother fans new flames of inspiration, love and joy.
A grand passage of birthing is upon us. Gaia is being infused with new light codes. These seeds of consciousness, flowing into the Imbolc slipstream, hold the beginnings of new architecture for what is being realized. Filaments of light flow into higher octaves of the icosahedron within which Gaia will thrive. Infused within flow, these filaments create new forms. Imbolc’s cosmic opening supports this inception.
I have always loved the celebration of Imbolc. First seeding / first sprouting, depending upon tradition. In some parts of the world snowdrops are a first-sprouting sign. A sign of what, in the other hemisphere, is showing up for first harvest. The signs are everywhere if we but look and listen.
Many years ago, my personal ritual of snow-running in the early hours of cross-quarter mornings led me to a grand discovery. As I ran, I played a game with the sacred land beneath my feet, as it slept under its blanket of white. I knew that the land supported my inner and outer journeys, capturing every nuance, every echo of my footfalls, regardless of my choice of footwear at the time.
It is said that rubber soles deny our feet a true sense of the trail. I heartily concur, and yet, was not about to lose my soft mocs in a few feet of snow. My boots and I, therefore, plunged off trail, mostly avoiding the tracks and flags set for cross-country skiers. I hummed as I pounded along beneath the trees. To say the hilly ground was uneven would be an understatement. Even so, I knew the snow would cushion much and began to let my awareness drift along those lines.
I saw a blossom-like light formation out of the corner of my eye. First, out of one eye, then the other, the image appeared. Then, as I stopped for a moment, it flared behind eyes closed entirely. Knowing the light show to be a sign from Source, I ripped off my sun glasses and moved forward again, a bit more cautiously. “What am I seeing?” I thought into the frigid air.
“A power spot,” echoed in my head. “Yes, this place is that,” I concurred, shrugging, abdicating my focus for the second it took for Gaia to land me on my bum. Oops! I had forgotten, momentarily, the rules of our game. I can run and run and be supported, so long as I give the place my full attention. My feet will be shown where to land, my awareness held within Nature’s oneness. If I let go of that focus, Gaia is free to illustrate that I have done so by allowing branches or spider webs to whip my face, or, if warranted, by knocking me down. “Silly!” I laughed out loud, as I made a snow angel amidst the grove of trees, letting myself love the feel of being embraced by the aspects of Nature surrounding me. What a perfect morning! What a perfect day-world-way of being.
And then I saw the blossom design again. It danced among the trees, lit up the sky, played hide-and-seek with the toes of my boots, and finally, when my focus had been re-absorbed completely, jumped into my heart. From there it radiated outward, encompassing worlds. I was given a vision of that blossom, a fractal of the flower of life, in every being. It lived within each tree, each snowflake, each sound, each frosty breath of breeze. I was mesmerized by the realization and the enormity of the perfect architecture underlying all things. I lay in the snow, immersed in ecstasy.
We are all “power spots,” I heard, ever so clearly. Nature responded with something like, “Righty-ho, ready to get up now?” I laughed, again, as the surrounding grove sent cascades of snow onto my face, into the hood of my parka, and over my boot tops. “Slow down now, and appreciate what is beginning to birth,” I whispered. “Message received. I’m listening.”
This morning’s realization, experienced over a cup of steaming tea while gazing at sunlight on ice crystals, was a recapitulation of my memory. First we experience by living it out, then again in consciousness, I recalled. “Message received. I’m listening.”
As with all new manifestations in Gaia’s realms, the Principle of Three is at work during this passage. Its presence in this moment is heralded by Brighid’s Day, Imbolc today, the sweeping force of new beginnings flowing inward to manifest outwardly in signals and glimmers, and the full Snow Moon on the 5th, showing us the potential benefits of an unimagined harvest. This cross-quarter is a triquetra of precisely aligned blessings, disguised as openings we surface-celebrate. Are you ready to go deeper? What signals and glimmers of a fresh start are you noticing? Are you ready to focus and become?
Slow down now, and appreciate what is beginning to birth. Are you listening?
May your Imbolc immersion bring the brightest of blessings and may you become each and every one.
If you missed it, I published An infusion of Sapphire yesterday in honor of Brighid. Enjoy!
Infinite love,
