Imbolc - Halfway

Today is Imbolc.  Astronomically, it’s the day that lies halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.  It’s the day that marks the end of winter’s darkest days, and gives way to warmth that comes with more sunlight.  There’s a science to understanding it, I’m sure.  But for Pagans, Imbolc means more than numbers and dates and the Earth’s proximity to the sun.  Spiritually, Imbolc is a symbolic representation of the halfway point between the dark and the light; between where you were and where you are going.  Our ancestors viewed Imbolc as celebration of hope; a time where they hoped for the dark to wane and the light to melt the cold. 

It’s a very meaningful time to Earth bound believers.  Pagans celebrate this day in many ways.  Fire.  Water.  Prayer.  Cleansing.  Generally, we don’t dance naked on the beach, but sometimes, when the spirit moves, we do it anyway.  For the most part though, Pagans are very practical people.  So, usually, we worship silently; anonymously.  But on a few days a year, want other people to understand that spiritual celebration doesn’t come with a paid holiday or a greeting card.  Sometimes, worship comes when nobody is paying attention. 

Every year I celebrate the Pagan holidays as best as I can.  Every year I find a way to find a way to celebrate Christian holidays with some of my Pagan beliefs.  It’s the balance I try to find in my faith.  Because my spirituality lies in the universe, and not in the pages of a book.  It’s sometimes difficult to steady popular spiritual belief and an inexplicable feeling that somehow dictates a fortitude in your soul.  I don’t have a bible.  I don’t have words.  I just believe that feelings, desires and events may seem arbitrary to some, but to me, they make perfect sense. 

Today is Imbolc.  The halfway point.  The point that is directly in the middle of where I was and where I want to be.  I’ve been here before, and I will be here again.  Because life is a perpetual half-way point.  But for the first time in more years than I can remember, I can actually see that I am at the halfway point.  My Imbolc is between surviving and living. 

What is your Imbolc?  What is your happy medium?  Do you survive or do you live? 

-Inner Peas