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Imbolc - February 2
(The Children, Infancy to age 7)
Whereas the solstices are related to the solar calendar, the four fire festivals of the Druids are set off by lunar phases and represent feminine energy. Contrary to its ignoble position in the modern calendar as Groundhog Day, Imbolc (February 2) was a festival that celebrated the first inklings of spring. Agriculturally it was the time when lambs were born. In a sense it is a celebration of motherhood or midwifery. It is a time of celebrating dependency and honouring those that guide us toward life. Celebrating dependence may be a good corrective to our modern independent excesses. When this festival was brought into the Christian story, Imbolc was sponsored by St. Brighid whose particular interests were healing, poetry and midwifery. Imbolc is symbolized by candles glimmering on water perhaps representing the thaw. The church incorporated this symbol when it declared Imbolc as Candlemas, the time of the presentation of Christ in the Temple.
Imbolc is a time when we can contemplate the feminine image of God as Mother caring for her children. Perhaps we can learn at this time to consciously take on a stance of dependence realizing that we are sustained by the providence of something greater than our egos. Settling into the kindness of God would be a very healthy, though difficult, task for some of us since infantilism is a short step from adult child-likeness. The most poignant experience of the motherhood of God came to me when I was in a retreat with writer Walter Wink. We were told to enter into a contemplative state and simply wait for an image to emerge. As I lay on the hard linoleum floor, I felt as if I were being buoyed up in water and that this water was in actuality the blue robe of the Moira, the feminine aspect of the Celtic trinity. This image reminded me that no matter how old and cantankerous I get, there is a ground of compassion that I can relax back into when under stress. This experience symbolically reminded me that I will return to the Great Mother at death and perhaps be reborn within her.
In addition to allowing the lowly child to be born within, we might use this time to consider our responsibilities to those who are dependent on us. Questions concerning how much to nurture and how it is given may inspire us toward a more conscious approach to parenting.
Spring Equinox - March 21
(Later Childhood, ages 7-14)
At the equinoxes there is a sense of balance and intense change. The days and nights are equally as long. At Spring Equinox the forces of light are becoming more powerful; it is a time of blooming. If we are lucky in Winnipeg, the snow is beginning to melt and there is that special freshness in the air that is sometimes accompanied by memories of past springs. Spring Equinox can usher in a time of reception. We are receptive to the sights, sounds and and smells of nature awakening but, more significantly, we can be receptive to the principle of creation in and around us. Spring is more than beautiful; it is orderly, powerful and symbolizes that life can be disruptive. No wonder Aries the Ram is the zodiacal sign associated with the beginning of spring.
This is a time when we naturally, without thinking about it, get a haircut, shave our beards, or buy new clothes. Sometimes we start a new hobby or exercise program around this time. It is an invitation to abruptness. Time for the new. One problem is that Spring can be too verdant. Too much newness leaves us feeling like an overgrown garden. There is a need to consciously channel the energy of spring by beginning projects that are likely to be completed and that actually serve our circumstances. Discernment is a needed discipline at this time.
John and Caitlin Matthews, co-creators of the Arthurian Tarot, suggest that Spring Equinox be considered the time of the Sword. Here is part of their ceremony at Spring Equinox:
I stand at the gate of the year new born and welcome the dawning of the light. It cuts through the darkness and doubt of Winter and releases the Hallow of the Sword. From this portal stream forth the gifts of truth, innocence and justice. May all that is false, oppressive, unjust and illusory be cut away that all creation may benefit from the gifts of this Hallow.
Beltane - May 1
(Early Youth, ages 14-21)
During the feast of Beltane at mating season, the ancients had livestock pass between two fires for purification and protection against evil spirits. Ironically this practise may be the origin of the phrase to rekindle an “old flame”, in the romantic sense. Unlike the animals that participated in these rites, the human participants were called upon to become consciously aware of their sexuality and its place in their life together. Belenus, “the bright one” was the Celtic deity who was said to sponsor this feast. It was a celebration of the union of opposites and the creativity that that union produces. During the feast of Beltane the male and female energies were said to be restored through sexuality and the balance of nature was achieved. At Beltane the maypole was erected around which circle dances were performed. Naturally the stress was upon those who were young and of child bearing age.
Ritualizing anything to do with sexuality is looked on with suspicion nowadays. Sex makes us uncomfortable because it has the ability to override our consciousness and make us extremely vulnerable. We are also afraid of the power of sex as well as its illusion-making capacities. The very fact that we don’t acknowledge and accept the natural aspects of sexuality is the reason why we fall into its unconscious lure. In contrast to sleepy sexual indulgence, entering sexuality and creative activity under the guidance of the Bright One called Belenus wakes us up and causes us to be intentional in our creation of life and culture. Celebrating our sexuality and all acts of regeneration may in fact be a corrective to our repression\expression patterns.
Witnessing Nature’s drive to create life was a special part of the rural feast. Bev and I witnessed a poignant example of this in the spawning of thousands of fish under a bridge one spring. The river became dark due to the black fish. I thought of it as a shadow of life which swelled the river bank. Seeing this made me realise that we are part of a living flow that moves from non-being to being every year. That life urge must be channelled and taken care of. I can imagine that Beltane could be celebrated by going to Oak Hammock marsh to witness the return of the birds or to a salmon spawning ground, anywhere were nature is creating new life.
The fact that the participants at Beltane prayed for purification and protection is an indication of how they viewed creative and sexual potency. The calendar was used to restore their ethics of sex to a place of sacredness and conscious responsibility. The celebration of Beltane might take our present practise of Valentine's Day out of the deep freeze moving it from February to May.
Summer Solstice - June 21
(Early Adulthood, ages 20-30)
There is something bittersweet about being half way through a project or through a lifetime. Half way denotes a time of strength, of consolidation of skills, even a certain amount of acquired wisdom. It is a time of expression and confidence. At the same time there is a recognition that after we peak we decline; inflation is followed by deflation. Acknowledging the inevitability of death is not easy when we are at the height of our powers, and yet, it is when we are strongest and most confident that we are best reminded of our vulnerability.
Our year comes to expression on June 21. Spring has done her job and it is hard to imagine that the green and bountiful landscape will in time be replaced by an icescape. The longest day of the year is followed by ever shortening days until we arrive back at the longest night of the year. The Sun is at its strength but is waning at the same time. Summer then is a time for being active and alive.
It is strange that we have a cultural habit of considering summer the best time for a vacation. Those in a rural culture never saw it that way. It was time to get ready for harvest, a time to work and to play hard. Perhaps it is the stifling heat that leads us to the hammock in summer but it might be best to rest in Autumn where we can recollect ourselves. Summer has been stripped of its ritual significance through our refusal to celebrate midsummer, to make it a true holy day. Midwinter fairs much better with New Year's and Christmas. Midsummer is a more femininely oriented holiday. It is a time when Mother Earth is at her fullness. Our ancestors used to collect flowers and herbs during this season for the healing of the community. Marriages, usually performed in summer, were decorated with medicinal herbs and flowers. Fire was a part of midsummer as well. They would even throw flowers and spices like camomile, geranium and thyme into bonfires during summer festivals.
The flip side of healing is a funeral. Midsummer was celebrated in Russia by a mock funeral. The people would make a scarecrow effigy, called Kupalo, of straw decorated with flowers. This figure would be held by young people who jumped over the fire during a bonfire. The next day the effigy was taken to a river, stripped and thrown in. At the height of life and light there was an acknowledgement of death and the coming of winter. Midsummer festivals were incorporated into a little practised Christian festival called St. John the Baptist’s Eve. John the Baptist is to Christ as midsummer is to midwinter on the calendar, a forerunner, a reminder of what is ahead.
Restoration of this festival may include such activities as recognising the feminine side of spirituality through honouring God’s feminine side in Mary, Kali, Sophia and Istar and Buffalo Calf woman. Perhaps stories around the summer campfires could include tales of the feminine side which celebrate nurturance. Midsummer’s tone is expression; so, theatre and performance in natural settings may lend itself to the season, like Shakespeare in the ruins. Whatever we do to celebrate summer, we must reflect who we are at our strength in our more active poses. At the same time, we recognize that we are not here forever, any more than a good summer is.
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