Awakening is not for the faint of heart. It asks for great courage and bravery of the heart to meet life at the very edge of what feels familiar and safe. Yet it is precisely at this edge of the comfort zone that expansion happens, where growth stretches us toward new horizons. Every true beginning demands clear vision and steady focus, and with it comes the inevitability of challenge and surprise. Faith and perseverance are tested here, not as punishment, but as initiation.

This is a powerful moment to practice standing between worlds and to grant yourself permission to embody paradox, to shapeshift as needed, and to hold opposing truths without needing immediate resolution. Like all the Gaelic fire festivals, Imbolc marks a sacred threshold, the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. With one foot still rooted in winter’s darkness and the other stepping toward the light of spring, we learn how to straddle worlds, dance with contradiction, and remain present with the complexity of these times.Beneath the surface, life is quickening. Though little may appear changed outwardly, inwardly everything is stirring. We are like tiny seeds, long held in winter’s dark soil, now beginning to wake. What once felt safe and containing may suddenly feel too small. There is an ache to break free, a longing to reach toward new horizons and become who we are meant to be. The growing light and the Spring Maiden calls us forth from our slumber and we feel the summons deeply.

To awaken into new life requires showing up fully to what is calling us, and stepping forward without guarantees or assurances of outcome. The tremble within the seed is what creates the first crack. From that trembling, the first taproot is sent downward, anchoring us so we may withstand the storms of spring that will surely come. This is a time to sharpen focus, to keep our vision aligned with the light, and to persevere through the challenges that test the depth of our commitments.

Nature teaches us, through the slow turning of time, that change often happens gradually and sometimes so subtly we barely notice it. Imbolc invites us to pay close attention to these quiet, magical unfoldings and to deepen our presence in the here and now. As multidimensional beings, we exist between worlds by design. We are capable of holding the full complexity of what it means to be human and moving between fire and ice, carrying both sorrow and joy for the world at once, understanding that love gives rise to both. Imbolc reminds us again that awakening is not easy, but it is profoundly alive. It asks us to meet life courageously at its edges, where growth feels uncertain yet electric. The journey can be daunting, exhilarating, and deeply transformative all at once and it is one we do not walk alone.

We’ll talk about all of this and more at the Imbolc event, where we’ll explore these thresholds, paradoxes, and awakenings together, in ritual, reflection and shared presence.

Awakening is not for the faint of heart. Imbolc is the sacred threshold where Brigid’s flame is rekindled, where winter’s darkness begins to loosen its hold and the first sparks of spring stir beneath the surface. This is a time of courage, vision, and devotion of tending the inner fire and learning how to stand between worlds as new life takes shape.