Goodbye Winter

In the US, we know February 2nd as Groundhog Day. (As winter stretches ever onward, it can certainly feel a lot like the Bill Murray movie.) It's the day we find out how much more winter we can expect, via the divining tactics of a well known rodent.

In neo-pagan traditions, in the Northern Hemisphere, February 2nd is known as Imbolc.

Imbolc was a Gaelic festival, marking the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The longest, darkest night of the year is behind us, and the days are very slowly lengthening.

Imbolc celebrations vary, from the spiritual to the mundane, but generally mark the first stirrings of spring. I'm no longer an active pagan, I guess you could put it, but if I had an altar, it would be festooned with the trappings of the warming season.

We've had a cold winter this year and I'm looking forward to spring like a little kid looks forward to Christmas. I'm ready for sunlight and soft breezes and the smell of green things growing.

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