Wheel of the Year

Imbolc season can make you crazy. The time between midwinter and the spring equinox hits you with both the quickening of the Earth that yells, “Spring is coming,” and the desire of your body and spirit to stay in the restful renewal of winter. It’s why you might be busy planning this year’s vegetable garden while there’s still snow on…

It’s halfway through January and you may already be losing momentum for the things you jumped into on New Year’s Day. You are not alone. When my ambitious to-do list sends me spiraling into overwhelm, I’ve found that reconnecting to the energy of Yule Season and the intentions I set on the Winter Solstice brings me back to center. My…

The Wheel of the Year turned past the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere and we have entered Imbolc season. Acknowledging the eight “spokes” of the wheel of the neo-Pagan year gives you the opportunity to tune into and honor the Earth’s solar cycle, the natural world around you, and your inner cycles…

The Wheel of the Year is turning towards the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere and the corresponding celebration of Yule. Acknowledging the eight “spokes” of the wheel of the neo-Pagan year gives you the opportunity to tune into and honor the Earth’s solar cycle, the natural world around you, and your inner cycles of change and growth. While Wheel…

The Wheel of the Year has turned to a cross-quarter day, Lughnasadh, beginning the season of manifestation and abundance in the northern hemisphere. Acknowledging and celebrating the eight “spokes” of the wheel of the neo-Pagan year gives you the opportunity to tune into and honor the Earth’s solar cycle, the natural world around you, and your inner cycles of change…

To create the ritual for my upcoming Ostara ceremony, I revisited my research looking for themes. The vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, which is associated with rebirth, revitalization, growth, and fertility. The equinox is also the time of balance when the daylight and dark are approximately equal. And there is spring cleaning to be…

My year of Druidic studies was intended to be ecology-focused, but I find I am curiously revisiting the Celtic pantheon as well. The goddess Brigid, who is honored at Imbolc, was one I had gotten to know in 2013. I opened my journal from that time and saw that I had noted that after Imbolc that year I had been…

  I had wanted Yule and the end of the Gregorian year to feel magical and peaceful, but 2021 refused to leave quietly. Nor did hanging my new calendar create an instant reset. In addition to the kind of drama which is typical when the family gathers for holidays and our old house gets snowed on, surging COVID-19 cases, a…

A couple of days ago, Americans acknowledged the festival of Imbolc (or Candlemas) by practicing the art of weather divination. In other words, some folks woke up a groundhog and, because the groundhog saw his shadow, declared there will be six more weeks of winter bleakness. For the most part, I don’t mind winter and enjoy the snow, but sometimes…