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" One touch of nature

makes all the world kin "

William Shakespeare

Blessings of the Season!

February 1st, 2018

Whether you are celebrating Imbolc or Lughnasadh, may the blessings of the season be yours!

And for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, here are some lovely thoughts about those first stirrings of spring written by my friend Rhiannon:

There is a very quiet pot in our back yard. It sits there very still, by the step, unassuming.

I was assured that if I watched it closely, I’d be astonished.

I have been watching it, but nothing has happened. The winter has been hard, and dark, and cold. And long. Friends are weary, hearts are sad, bones are tired, and the nights are long. Winter has been long.

And then last week, out of nowhere, I noticed the first buds stretch above the soil in that pot. In the same week, a friend told me of the lambing at a local farm, and in the mornings, I can hear the early birds starting to build the opening bars of the dawn chorus.

Really? January? Yes! The hibernation of winter is already starting to bear its fruit.

At Imbolc, we can welcome the quickening of the year. Over the coming weeks, know that as you keep driving through the rain, keep swapping your bike for the bus, and keep boiling kettles for your hot water bottles…know also that the trees, bulbs and seeds are stirring. Know that the light is returning, and know Spring is coming. In the words of a good friend: the Earth whispers, but we may not always hear.

Have a little hope. Give a little thanks. Plant a little seed.

I don’t know what the buds will grow into, but at least I can see them now. I know that they’ll grow. And really, growth is nothing short of magic. And what is magic, if not totally astonishing.

Welcome, Spring!

~ Rhiannon

7 Responses to “Blessings of the Season!”

  1. And many blessings to you and yours. The land where I live is still in the icy grip of winter. I’m nonetheless raising a glass of very special ale to Sant Ffraid, in perfect faith that spring will come, even to this land where no snowdrops bloom.

  2. Good Morning Everyone, it is a chilly one and the Bore passed by a little while ago. Well, Spring flowers, a few hundred yards from my little bungalow we have a place named, “The Green” green and verdant it is too. Just after the New Year, little green shoots appear, snowdrops and crocus popping up to say hello. I always greet them and tell them how beautiful they are. The daffy’s will be next, such colour in contrast to the green and various trees. The other morning, walking by, the crows were making such a racket, “Good Morning” I shouted, silence for a minute or two. Who says one cannot have a conversation with Nature? Have a special day, much love, Margaret.

  3. Lovely observations especially the part about the birds putting together the first bars of the dawn chorus.
    Thanks.

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