Up: [[Imbolc]] Created: 2022-02-08 Imbolc is celebrated from sunset on January 31st to sunset on February 1st. It’s evening to evening because the Celts treated sundown as the start of a new day. Imbolc is a midwinter celebration, halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s a a time to celebrate the gradual awakening of animals, birds, trees and humans from the darkness of winter as the days very slowly lengthen. It’s the **slowly** that is important to me, that I want to keep stressing. There’s such a desire in our society to get out of the darkness and into the light. We try to escape darkness just as we avoid solitude because both invite introspection. Introspection, in turn, opens us up to grief, to disappointment and embarrassment and anxieties. I do appreciate the quickening feeling that comes at this time of year. I feel it too. But I don’t want to hustle into spring. First, I don’t believe that’s even possible. There’s still a lot of winter left, at least here in Canada. And second, I don’t think it’s psychologically advisable. We need the challenges that the outer darkness and the inner [[Dark Night of the Soul]] brings us. We do ourselves a serious disservice when we pretend those challenges aren’t there.