In a couple of weeks time, here in the Southern Hemisphere some of us Pagans would be observing the festival of Imbolc - the Gaelic marking of the beginning of spring.
In that system, this is when people start to move from the introspective quiet and relaxation of the wintry half of the year into the activity of the summery part of the year.
And before I get into that, I note that such a way of thinking comes from a time when holidays were marked by rest, not an increase in the frenetic pace of life …
But how would one observe this time of reawakening? By allowing oneself to see and/or sense the tendrils of reawakening energy in ourselves and the world around us? By doing some psychic or psychological stretching of “muscles” to wake them up? Letting any glimpse of sun help reopen chakras?
What sort of ritual activities would you and any of those around you who wish to use to encourage or honour that? In fact, do you wish to observe and honour what is happening at it’s own pace, or do you want to encourage or possible even direct the reawakening?
And, at this point, it is worth noting that the Kulin nation season of Waring (see https://nillumbiku3a.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ah5-the-kulin-seasons.pdf) also ends at around the same time - and will be marked by the flowering of orchids in the Dandenong Ranges, but that will not be the case elsewhere in the world.
If you’re not sure what Indigenous seasons were observed where you live, then perhaps observe what is happening with native plants and animals (including insects), and consider: if you were living from nature’s supermarket, what aisles would be opening now?
I should also note that the system which includes Imbolc largely applies in the temperate latitudes of the world. In my younger decades I lived in Queensland, north of the Tropic of Capricorn and thus in the tropics, and we thus had the sun directly overhead twice each year - as it travelled down to the Tropic of Capricorn, and as it travelled north from there.
Our seasons tended to be hot and moderately humid, with a shorter very hot and very humid wet season. The wet season, uncomfortable for humans and maybe other animals, was when plants received a super-recharge; the dry was when we recovered and also lived.
Beyond the Arctic and Antarctic circles, I would suspect (I have not ever been there, although I follow a few channels of people in those areas) would be dominated by the move from continuous or near continuous daylight to continuous and near continuous night.
I will not attempt to assess what that means, but I will note there are other climatic and natural world variations that may be far more relevant than the seasons that include Imbolc.
And then there is the greatest intruder on natural seasons of all: industrialised life - even without considering climate change, the imposition of a cycle of continuous work with a few weeks break (or a few shorter breaks scattered throughout the year) makes observing a cycle of rest and activity more challenging … but not necessarily impossible.
By being aware of and focused on the need for rest, could one, perhaps, do a ritual/observe/celebrate the start and end of quieter periods of introspection, healing, and recharge for annual holidays, with mini-observances for the start and end of weekends?
I am aware that people engage in activities to mark TGIF / the end of the week, but I don’t consider those the same - they tend to veer towards the increased frenetic pace of life category; they’re not a (to use a popular term) “mindful”.
But that leads us back to:
how do we observe/celebrate/mark the reawakening of more active life in two weeks time, if we will do a ritual for Imbolc or the local equivalent?
(And yes, those of you in the Northern hemisphere will have to store this for six months - sorry, not sorry :) )
Do we meditate on energetic channels refilling as dry creek beds do when a drought ends?
Use music or dance that progresses from slow to faster?
Plan what we want to do/accomplish for the season of being active?
Find a way to stretch our emotional, mental, psychological or psychic muscles as if we were stretching after waking? Have the equivalent of a quiet morning cuppa?
How do those in our life wish to observe/celebrate this? How can we incorporate or allow for a range of activities/ritual options?
And what do we do if we need more rest? How do we set the metaphorical snooze button?
On that last one, having virtually collapsed when I retired, after nearly half a century of work (and written a series of blog posts about the first part of my recovery), that is something I am well aware of: going back to activity before one is properly ready to do so.
How do we both continue the healing, and become more active?
I’m not going to try to answer these questions. If you plan to observe Imbolc, you have two weeks to consider them, and start to plan your ritual.
The first formal ritual I planned I spent about three weeks on, but I overdid it, so two weeks is probably a good time to have a gentle think and then a slightly more active planning.
Enjoy