At the beginning of February, when the earth appears frozen and lifeless, there are stirrings below the surface and above us in the sky. The light is returning; today there is nearly an hour more daylight than there was on the Winter Solstice.
Mid-January through mid-February is when the Great Horned Owls start breeding and nesting. While the rest of us look out at the wintry landscape here in North Central Blogistan – and wait for spring, the owls are already beginning their nesting year.
(Don’t forget to hover* …)
The mother Great Horned Owl will sit on her eggs for about a month. The newly born owlets will stay in the nest for about 6 weeks (until around the Spring Equinox), then move to nearby branches where they start the serious business of learning how to fly. By Summer Solstice, they will be competent flyers and will learn to hunt and fend for themselves although they often stay with their parents until fall.
The pagan holiday of Imbolc is celebrated between January 30th and February 2nd. This cross-quarter marks the mid-point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and with it comes the promise of the light and more: the stirrings of life that remind us of the cycle of the earth.
We should start preparing ourselves for spring physically and mentally. Life will get busier and this may be one of our last chances to contemplate what we want for the new cycle. Goals for personal growth, new beginnings, dreams for the future and connections to one another.
To all my pagan friends, Blessed Imbolc! And to everyone, may the light find you and bring you the warmth of the early spring and the promise of new beginnings.
~
This post is a rerun, with revised dates, because the holidays – and their celebratory posts – are on an infinite loop … or more precisely, the Wheel of The Year. ;)
~
*Hover text for those on tablets and smartphones:
– Nesting Mother: “Owl take that cup of coffee now.”
– “I’m not cold … I’m not cold … I’m not cold”
– “Breakfast? I’ll have my eggs hover easy”
– “Don’t laugh! It’s quite warm under all this fuzz.”
– “Mommmm!! He touched me!!!!”
– “‘I rejoice that there are owls…. They represent the stark twilight and unsatisfied thoughts which all have. ‘ ~ Henry David Thoreau”
– “‘Less flapping, more flying!’ ~ Silvia Hartmann”
– “‘You wanna fly, you got to give up the sh-t that weighs you down.’ ~ Toni Morrison”
The light always returns – that is a promise.
Thanks, JanF. The owls reminded me of walking through the woods in the winter, when I was growing up. BTW: Love the hover captions :)
Thank you for this lovely Imbolc post, Jan! I enjoy it even though I’ve read it before, because it’s timeless.
One of the reasons I’m Pagan is the Wheel of the Year. I love being in touch with the seasons and having a connection with Goddess through nature. It instils gratitude in my heart.
Blessed be.
The Wheel of the Year is very comforting as is our strong connection to the Mother. When chaos swirls around us, we can put ourselves physically – or mentally – in nature to ground, literally.
I used to feel guilty for not doing a new post every year. But, really, there is energy in repeating and remembering. Plus owls! How could I ever top that? :)
Thanks Jan…..I love listening to Lisa Thiel singing in the changing seasons and reading your encouraging words……
The Wheel keeps turning. We had a crushing blow as we were moving into the last and deepest of the Dark. We hid in the Dark and started to regroup. We’re mobilizing as we move into the Light. So much work to do, but so much promise that we can do it. {{{HUGS}}} and White Light Love/Protection Energy to all.
Lovely post! Follower of Eris here. The owls are not what they seem!
They are magical, aren’t they? ;)
Hello, I’d like to join Motley Moose. I was sent here by reesetheone and other Village people. Can my username be yankeegrl ?
You will be added this morning! Thanks for your patience.
Thanks, JanF. I made it in today. I’m still learning how to use the site, but look forward to connecting with old friends and making new. I put in flower boxes at my house and went out to weed today. There are a few plants starting to come up! Woo Hoo! But, isn’t it too early? Still I’m excited to see what makes it, this is my first attempt at planting bulbs. Yes, the light is returning and the flowers will be blooming soon.
Howdy, exiled Villager here…not quite sure how to set up an account here — is there a link that I’m missing? Gracias!
Your account will be added shortly and you will receive an email from wordpress @ motleymoose.net. Check your email!
Thanks Jan. I missed those hovers!
Also I have an OT question- is there a way to get to recent posts? I can see it from my profile, but was looking for a quick link.
Raina, on the front page, once you scroll past the categories, all the Recent Posts show with blurbs. They also show as a list in a column on the far right-hand side of the screen – you have to scroll down a bit to see them. They are also available via the RSS feed (Recent Posts) but I know for a fact that RSS won’t work on certain smartphones. Another way is to sign up for MOOSE MAIL which sends you a link to every new post.
I hope that helps!