I learned that February 2nd was a day to celebrate when I watched The Groundhog Day movie. It became my all-time favourite and I have even established a ritual to watch it every February 2nd with my friends and family, introducing the movie to different people every year. But only recently to my surprise, I learned that it was much more than asking the weather Punxsutawney Phil to forecast the weather .
Yes, I did it, too :) Here is me at Gobbler's Knob, Punxsutawney, PA
Different cultures have different names for honoring and celebrating the same time of the year. February 2nd is one of those times of the year. It symbolizes the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and widely celebrated across globe. It has different names like:
Imbolc (Gaelic)
Candlemas (Christian)
New Year (Tibetan, Chinese)
Tu Bi-Shevat (Jewish)
Goddess Festivals: Brigit, Brighid, Brigid (Celtic)
Groundhog Day (North American)
I like honouring the cycles of the earth, the sun, and the moon. I feel connected to my own intuition and human rhythm when I live connected to nature, to the elements, to the seasons.
Incorporating seasonal and earth-based practices into your own practice feels like being in harmony with universe and dancing with the cosmos. There has been a shift in my life once I started to live with the pulse of seasonal, lunar cycles. Therefore, I share them in this Dawn Light post /blog with you.
Imbolc or which ever name you prefer to use for this celebration day, marks the beginning of spring. The solar powers are on the rise. The days grow longer and warmer, and the sun shines brighter. It is the time for sprouting, healing, new beginnings, rebirth.
The word "imbolc" means "in the belly of the Mother," because the seeds of spring are beginning to stir in the belly of Mother Earth.
It is a celebration of the Celtic Goddess Brigid, and many of the traditions of Imbolc are linked to her magic as Goddess of fire, blacksmiths, wells, healing waters, springs, and poets. She is also linked to motherhood, fertility, and abundance.
Imbolc is a celebration of all things feminine; it’s a time to honour mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters. It’s also a time when we can be especially mindful of our own inner strength as women.
The festival was traditionally a time of weather divination. The old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens converted into North American Groundhog Day.
Across all the cultures,
it is a time of purification and renewal, when we can clear away the old and make way for the new.
It is a time of sprouting, healing, new beginnings, rebirth, planting seeds and dreaming.
It is a time of hope, with spring just around the corner.
Here are some rituals to honor this time of the year:
Plan a garden: It is a great time for garden planning!
Go for a nature walk: Go outside and connect with nature
Fire and Candles: To have more fire element in your home or garden will ignite your inner fire. Fire is a traditional aspect of winter traditions. Light candles around your house or have a bonfire outside.
Spring Cleaning and Cleansing Ritual: Cleanse your space to make room for new energy. Open the windows to let the fresh air in your home. Declutter your unused items.
Create an Altar: I always have a candle at my altar. Imbolc is very much about light. You may include milk, natural herbs and also add a Brigid straw doll or Brigit’ cross to your altar.
Without any special arrangement, Dawn Light's opening will take place at Imbolc on February 2nd.
Just like Dawn being a time of hope, with day just around the corner.
Dawn Light symbolizes a new beginning for me. It is a rebirth.
I could not have imagined a better day than Imbolc for the opening. The "coincidence" (if we could call anything a coincidence) represents to me how much my dreams are aligned with the universe. I feel humbled.
All these cycles represent that we too as humans have cycles, just like nature, just like the planets.
The more we are connected with Mother Earth and the universe, the more connected we will be with our own truth. It helps us understand our own cycles in our life.
The more we honour what is home to us, the more we honour ourselves.
We are the micro expression of the universe, and we also have an inner universe within ourselves.
The way we treat our bodies and mind reflect of how we treat nature and the universe.
The way we treat nature and mother earth reflects how we treat ourselves.
I wish February 2nd will bring you, your new beginning. A new dawn.
With Dawn Light opening its doors on this special day, it will become the space of purification and renewal. It will bring more light to everyone’s life.
A new Dawn is here. Dawn Light is here.
Love all ways,
Pelin
Dawn Light is modern-day studio of ancient teachings
To learn more about practices we offer at Dawn Light click the link below
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