Happy belated Imbolc! I’m normally a bit more timely in marking my holidays, but this has been a busy week for me. This week I moved to a new apartment and that is is a big step for me. I won’t say specifically where I moved, but I can say that I’m somewhere on the eastern flank of the Driftless Area in Wisconsin. I did write two articles related to Imbolc last year so perhaps I can justify slacking a little bit this year.
It’s worth noting that today, February 4, is the astronomical cross-quarter. The sun has reached 15° Aquarius, which is the astronomical halfway point between the Winter Solstice at 0° Capricorn, and the Spring Equinox at 0° Aries. There is no evidence that the Celts calculated the actual cross-quarters in setting their fire holidays of Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasadh and Samhain,. But the cross-quarters have fallen very close to those dates. The date of the actual celebration likely varied depending on locality, so celebrating on February 4 wouldn’t be inconsistent with the intent.
It has been an unusually warm Imbolc here in Wisconsin High temperatures have been overing around 40° to 44° Fahrenheit (+4° to +7° Celsius). Neither Punxatawney Phil nor Jimmy Groundhog not seeing their shadows and thus they predicted an immediate spring. The accuracy track record of Punxatawney Phil is decidedly mixedand watch this space for further content.. I’m sure Jimmy the Groundhog has a similar batting average. Nevertheless this form of divination is ancient. The origins of the American ceremony lie with a German tradition using a hedgehog. People have consulted other animals as well, including a badger, a pig, a duck, a beaver, and a white squirrel.
So I hope you have enjoyed your Imbolc. The promise of Spring’s return began with the growing lengths of days after the Winter Solstice, and continues as we pass Imbolc.