On the journey through the Celtic Wheel there are 8 destinations……each an opportunity to pause, align with the earth, and move with the flow of Nature. There are 4 Solar celebrations of the solstices and equinoxes, and 4 Celtic Cross Quarter festivals that relate to the 4 growth cycles of sprouting, growing, fruiting and resting.

At this time,  we are directly in-between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, the cycle of sprouting and the festival of Imbolc.

Imbolc ~ Goddess Brigit ~ St. Brigid ~ Candlemas

Imbolc
Imbolc is an old Gaelic word meaning “surrounding the belly” and refers to the lactation of livestock, in preparing to birth the new babies in Spring.  These signs of new life meant the darkest part of the year was over and was great cause for celebration.

Goddess Brigit
Another name for Imbolc is “Eve of the Festival of Brighid” as this time was sacred to Brigit, the Triple Fire Goddess.  The ancient origins of the Goddess Brigit began in Europe, when the Gaelic people worshiped Goddesses rather than Gods, and when knowledge of healing, agriculture and inspiration was the responsibility of the women rather than men. Each of  Brigit’s 3 fires have different areas of responsibility.

Brigit, Fire of the Hearth,was Goddess of fertility, childbirth, healing, and intuition.
Brigit, Fire of Inspiration, was the muse of poetry, song history and protector of all cultural learning.
Brigit, Fire of the Forge, was patroness of crafts especially weaving and metal-smiting.

The ancient Celts saw Brigit’s 3 Fires as one and the same, and vital to their well-being.
The legend is that on the Eve of Imbolc, the Old Woman of Winter, the Cailleach, journeys to a magical isle to visit the sacred well.   At the first glimmer of dawn, she drinks the water that bubbles from a crevice in a rock, and is transformed into the Goddess Brigit, whose white wand turns the bare earth green again. This transformation is beginning to happen within each of us, as we experience the shift from an inner contemplative focus to an outer focus of conscious manifestation.

St Brigid
The Goddess Brigit  was so greatly beloved in Ireland that when Christianity became the accepted faith, the Goddess Brigit was transformed into Saint Brigid.  Many of the ancient legends of Brigit the Triple Goddess were soon to become the deeds and miracles of Saint Brigid.

Candlemas
Another name associated with the Imbolc festival is Candlemas.  The Roman Church often adopted the dates of the ancient Celtic festivals and invested them with Christian meanings to encourage conversions to their religion.  The Church changed the name “Imbolc” to “The Feast of the Purification of the Virgin” or “Candlemas Day” to be celebrated on February 2.

Candlemas was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and celebrated her return to the Temple, 40 days after the birth of Jesus.  This day was celebrated in the churches by removing the old wax and candles and replacing them with new ones.  These new candles would be blessed and used in candlelight processions.

Groundhog day
Imbolc is also traditionally a time of weather omens and predictions.  The old Gaelic custom was to watch to see if serpents or badgers came out from their winter dens. This practice was the forerunner to the Groundhog Day custom on February 2.

Imbolc Affirmation of the Light Within

On this day of Light and Inspiration, we honor the Divine Light that we are with an Affirmation to activate the Light of Imbolc within you.

Saint Germain says:
“When an individual sincerely uses affirmation, he brings about a full acceptance of the Truth of whatever he affirms; for its use is but to focus the attention of the outer mind so steadily upon the Truth that he accepts it fully in his feelings – because feeling is the actual God Energy released which manifests the Truth affirmed.”

Begin by surrounding yourself with Light.  Settle in and feel deep within to the center of your Being.  Sense the flame of Divine Light within you.  Bring breath to this flame and feel it’s radiance expand and fill every cell of your being.  Affirm out loud:

“I am Light.
I am protected and informed by the Light.
I am expressing  Light which ignites the Light in others.
I am at one with All Light”.
Take a moment to feel your expansive radiance, and then in closing, say out loud:
“In Sacred Light,…. (speak your full name here) “

Astrological Activity for February and March 2011

February 2   Chinese New Year (Rabbit)
February 3   Setsubun -Japanese Lunar New Year.
February 18 Happy Birthday Pisces!
March 20     Sun in Aries 4:21 pm PST  Spring Equinox The hours of the day equal the hours of the night.  A great time to examine the balance in your life.

Happy Birthday Aries!

Retrogrades
Saturn is retrograde in Libra now until June 12.  This is a 6 month period of slowing down and taking time to explore relationships, partnerships, contracts, commitments and boundaries.

Mercury retrograde in Aries   March 30- 1:18 pm PST- April 23- 3:04 am PST.

Shadow period of this Mercury retrograde is March 16 to May 11. Call me at 12listen or schedule a session and we will explore the Mercury Retro theme…what you are reviewing in your life during this time or missed opportunities that coming around again.

New Moons
2/2  in Aquarius 6:31 pm PST
3/4 in Pisces 12:46 pm PST

Full Moons
2/18 in Leo 12:36 am PST
3/19 in Virgo 11:10 am PST

Readings, Consultations, Sessions with Chris

• Akashic Record Readings.
• Astrological Consultation: Where, what, and how this current Cosmic activity is influencing your life.
• Private Mentoring Sessions: Developing your talents as an Intuitive, Tarot Card Reader or Medium.
• Spiritual Clearing Techniques: Teaching you how to clear discordant energies and protect the energy around your body, your home and your workplace.

You can email or call my office (303 758 9258) to schedule your in-person session.