The time between yule and imbolc can be cold, dark, and difficult in much of our country. Many of us suffer from post holiday blues, not to mention bills, which are definitely part of the blues!  The days are short, and even though they’re getting longer, we haven’t really seen the difference yet. It’s just cold, through and through, and by now we’re pretty tired of it. 

Many of us celebrate the Sabbats, but those are only eight days out of the year. How do we acknowledge and connect with the rest of the days of the year? And how do we transition from one to the other? The transition from Yule to Imbolc is both easy and difficult. Some transitions are subtle, but not this one. For Yule we tend to put up decorations and get together with family (whether we want to or not)–and then we take the decorations down and go back to being alone, and find ourselves plunged into the darkness of the post-holiday season.

This is why Imbolc is a truly important sabbat, even if it’s sometimes hard to relate to for those of us who live in the cities or the suburbs. We don’t see the lambs being born or the first stirrings of nature that promise Spring is coming.

Regardless, Imbolc can be viewed as sort of a waypoint on the journey to spring. It’s precisely in these dark days of transition, when it’s cold and dreary, and there’s not enough sunlight, that we need a definite signpost that we’re making our way to the light.

In the meantime, we’re sitting in front of the fire, biding our time, and waiting for that half-way point. Count your blessings, and find points of joy and hope — even in the dead of Winter this is possible.