Okie Wheel of the Year: Feb 15, 2021

Experiencing Imbolc in Oklahoma

Blooming Daffodils Feb 12 2017

"All the land is wrapped in winter.
The air is chilled and frost envelopes the Earth.
But Lord of the Sun,
Horned one of animals and wild places,
Unseen you have been reborn
of the gracious Mother Goddess,
Lady of fertility.
Hail Great God!
Hail and welcome!"
Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner(pages 130 - 131) by Scott Cunningham

bare feet in hammock Feb 11 2017

Oklahoma's average high temp in February is 55 degrees (F), with days reaching nearly 70 as frequent as days dipping closer to 32. On Feb 11, 2017, Oklahoma City hit 88 degrees and a record high was set in the west when Magnum recorded 99 degrees. In February! Add that to the fact that February is our second-driest month on average, right behind January, and it is easy to see how most years in Oklahoma it can be difficult to connect with the picture of Imbolc described in the words of Scott Cunningham above.  In 2021, we're already a week into sub-freezing temps and a historic winter storm that still has more snow to drop, and I can understand a little better how our northern European friends experience Imbolc.

This year's druid grove Imbolc ritual on Jan 30 had much the same weather as always: the sun shone, the wind blew, we were able to have the ritual outdoors even though we always prepare to hold it indoors in case of inclement weather. Plague precautions aside, everything went as usual. We called to Brigid "Come back, Lady, and bring the Spring!", and it felt as if she already had. In past years Imbolc has been the beginning of Outdoor Adventures Season for me. We've gone hiking near Quartz Mountain, Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, amd even Turner Falls. When the sun returns I'm eager to go out and play before the insects return. Some of my favorite camping trips have been in February. In warm, wet years, the forsythia blooms and asparagus emerges in February, and plum and peach blossoms aren't far behind. The redbuds might bloom before the equinox.

This has been Imbolc for me: instead of a blanket of snow, a blanket of last season's pale grass, instead of delicate green and white snowdrop flowers, sunny yellow daffodils and forsythia, instead of the last furious gasp of Cailleach Bheur, Queen of Winter, a rollercoaster of wind and wild temp swings as the Spring gets wound up for storm season. Not so much this year. I've found myself staring blankly at snow through the window, barely comprehending the numbers on the outdoor thermometer. With all my usual plans derailed, I have time to sit with the idea that this is how a large percentage of the northern hemisphere experiences Imbolc. All those poems that I skimmed because they didn't fit with what I see out my window begin to resonate. I've done all I can to prepare for yet another kind of natural disaster. Now I can slow my excited energy and sit with spring in a way not normally accessible to me. May we all survive the cold. Come back, Lady, and bring the Spring!

Snowy Cedars Feb 15 2021