Up: [[Wheel of the Year]] Created: 2022-02-08 Having now looked at a dozen or more Imbolc blog posts and videos, I have a new appreciation for [[Sharon Blackie]]’s scholarship. There is so much meaningless junk out there, comments that have been read, accepted without question or hesitation, and shared again and again. Here’s what I’ve learned that I trust: ## History of the Term ‘Imbolc’ Imbolc (pronounced Im-ulk) is commonly thought to come from the Old Irish imbolg meaning ‘in the belly’, referring to pregnant ewes. This would make sense because it was an agrarian festival focused on land, cattle, and sheep. Joanne Powell Colbert thinks of it as spring beginning to emerge from the belly of winter and compares it to the quickening a pregnant woman feels with the first flicker of a new life. Another possible meaning is again from Old Irish, but this time ‘imb - fholc’, meaning ‘to wash/cleanse oneself’. A ritual cleansing is one of the practices of this time. In Tiffany Lazic’s book *The Great Work* she says the name February comes from the Latin ‘februa’ meaning ‘purification’ or ‘cleansing’. It’s believed that Imbolc has been acknowledged since Neolithic times; that it started in Ireland and then passed over to Scotland. ## A Cross-Quarter Day Imbolc is considered a ‘cross-quarter’ day. It is the midpoint of winter. It’s usually thought to take place on February 1st, but Sharon convincingly argues that it would have been a multi-day event because the work with the sheep and cattle wouldn’t have been able to be done in a single day. Plus, our ancestors were focused more on seasonal cycles than they were on calendars. It is probably true that it began February 1st since that’s the time of the dark (new) moon and Celtic festivals are thought to have often begun in the dark. ## Imbolc as Metaphor Awakening of land from winter is a metaphor for awakening our souls. It’s not the full-blown resurrection of Spring Equinox. As a midpoint, it’s a time for cleansing, purifying and making vows. It’s a [[Liminal]] time, a time of potential. - [[I Want to Stay in the Dark at Imbolc]] - [[Bride is the Goddess of Imbolc]] - [[Christian Saint Brigid]] - [[Rituals for Imbolc]]