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Snow on Imbolc
Ritual, renewal, and the slow return of light (Walking the Wheel of the Year, Part 2)
This post is part of my ongoing Wheel of the Year series, exploring seasonal ritual, meaning, and renewal. Read Part 1: Walking the Wheel of the Year.
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The view outside my window this morning is covered in fluffy, white snow. My friends up North would probably laugh at how excited that makes me, but here in South Carolina, it’s a magical event that hasn’t happened in decades. And for me, a girl who grew up in Minnesota and New York, it feels like home.
Waking up to it on Imbolc, one of the eight sabbats of the Wheel of the Year, feels like more than coincidence.
What is Imbolc?
Imbolc falls on February 1, marking the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. This sabbat serves as a threshold of sorts, a pause between the cold weight of winter and the first stirrings of spring.
Looking outside, winter clearly isn’t finished with us yet. It’s still cold in much of the country. But the light is coming back, a little more each day. Imbolc is a quiet holiday, mostly just reminding us to look for those first hints of change.
