Today is Imbolc (pronounced I-MOLK), the ancient Celtic celebration that marks the midway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. The festival centered around the goddess, Brigid, who was the goddess of healers, poets, childbirth, fire and hearth. Celebrations included all households burning a fire in the hearth overnight, as well as other customs and rituals to welcome the spring and say farewell to winter. With the advent of Christianity, Brigid became St. Brigid, and for Christians, Imbolc became St. Brigid’s Day. I have an Irish friend who tells me some Irish folk still set out a dish of milk overnight […]
Month: January 2021
How to hold hope and fear
Over the weekend, I started a novel called Midwives which has caused me to reminisce about my own pregnancy 20 years ago. I so clearly recall the fullness of being at the precipice of an irreversible change and the effort it took to hold the opposite emotions of hope and fear. I feel pregnant with hope and fear today because of the impending birth of a new world. And still, I struggle to hold both feelings. On the one hand I am brimming with excitement that we are moving toward a time where we honor the sacredness of all beings and lead […]
The magical power of love
Last night, my daughter and I were watching the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them when I heard this line: “When the No-Maj (people without magical powers) are afraid, they fight.” So incredibly true. They also flee, and sometimes they become paralyzed. We may have had any or all of these reactions last week when we witnessed the unimaginable, despicable, criminal actions at our nation’s capital. We most certainly should never, ever tolerate such behavior. But whatever response we had at the moment doesn’t have to be the place we live. After my initial shock and horror, I started thinking […]
Fear, love & courage
I’ve been pondering my relationship to fear and love as we’ve entered the new year. I could have made a resolution to embody love more often, but I’m not a big fan of resolutions. I think they generally come from a place of viewing ourselves as bad or lacking in some way. However, I do feel a strong pull to notice how often I am in a fear state of mind as compared to a love state of mind, so that’s my focus at the moment. I thought I’d write a blog about it this week, but instead, this poem […]
Qoya: Dance Your Story
Qoya: Dance Your Story • Saturday, January 9 • 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. MST • on Zoom