Imbolc/Brigid - The Wheel Turns Again

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.

February 1^st we’ll have reached the half-way point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox also known as Yule and Ostara. As you will recall, Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. At the Spring Equinox day and night are equal. Imbolc is the celebration of light as the shift from the darkest night toward the balance between dark and light is clear.

This year the heavens are helping in the celebration of Imbolc. Not only do we have a Full Moon on January 31. And since our moon is closer to earth than usual it will appear brighter to us who have clear skies and can view it. In addition, this Full Moon is the second Full Moon this month so it is called a Blue Moon.

For those of you with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) you may find your symptoms decreasing as the hours of daylight increase. If you follow the seasons instead of The Wheel of the Year, you know that winter is coming to an end.

Right now when I look into my yard I see the signs of spring. Winter flowers in bloom, plants poking their green leaves above ground (of course those are mainly the weeds) and here in the Pacific Northwest our couple of weeks of warm weather (it is 61 degrees out as I write this) before Winter blows back in to remind us we’ve a few more weeks to go before Spring.

One of the things I love about the stories I write is that they do follow the seasons, the turn of the wheel. Each of the women in The Sacred Women’s Circle series marries on a Sabbat. Imbolc? That’s Gabriella’s special day.

If you’d like to know more about Imbolc, check out http://Starhawk.org and consider joining her and others from around the world in celebrating the light.

Your free copy of Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl is waiting for you. Just sign up for mymailing list and you’ll receive the directions for downloading your copy.

Learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshleyRomance.com

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2018 Judith Ashley

The Turn of The Wheel

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

For those of us who look upon the natural world around us as proof of The Divine, Winter Solstice is an affirmation that on some level all is right in the world. In ancient times, the people were connected to the land in a way that most of today’s population is not.

Can you even imagine being so in tuned with the world around you that you would notice the difference in the amount of light there was between the Darkest Day and the next?

There were no clocks, no calendars in the day of the hunter/gatherers or earlier.

And yet our ancestors learned how to mark the passage of time.

Winter Solstice marks the longest night and the shortest day of our year. For me, personally, it is my New Year’s Eve because it heralds the returning of the light.

If you follow the waxing and waning of the Moon, Winter Solstice starts the waxing of the Sun that represents light. From now until Summer Solstice, the Sun gains in strength. On the Summer Solstice that starts to wane as darkness becomes more a part of our lives.

One of the things that fascinates me is how our ancestors kept track.

Stonehenge and other stone and wood henges, The Great Pyramids of Egypt and pyramids and ancient temples are aligned with the stars, planets and the position of the sun and moon on particular times of the year like the Solstices and Equinoxes.

And when the Judeo-Christian religions took hold and grew, many of the traditions from earth-based traditions were incorporated. There are several books on the subject if you are interested in learning more.

For those people who celebrate life, Winter Solstice gives them a focus.

For those people who have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) it is a sign the days will lengthen and we’ll be out of winter soon.

For those people who prefer heat to cold, it reminds them that Spring/Ostara, the vernal equinox, when day and night are equal in length, and flowers are not far away.

In my Sacred Women’s Circle series, my heroines celebrate the 8 Sabbats, holy days that mark the turning of The Wheel of Life (Samhain, Winter Solstice/Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Summer Solstice/Lithia, Lammas, and Mabon). And, they each marry on a Sabbat.

Regardless of your spiritual path, I wish you all the light you need to show you the way to love.

To learn more about Sacred Women Circles, read my books. Start with Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl. In Lily, you can learn how to create your own Circle and your own Ceremonies.

Your free copy of Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl is waiting for you.

Go to JudithAshleyRomance.com and sign up for my occasional newsletter “Connections.”

Follow the prompts to download your own digital copy of the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series. While there, check out The Women to learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series.

Learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

I’m also on Facebook

© 2017 Judith Ashley