Tracks, Tails and Stories by Jackie B. Steele

 

I walked through the door alone to hear the silence of the night before the Earth sings to the sunrise. Half Moon had just sank low in the West, observing in the hush of peri-dawn tracks in the snow from the night visitors to the feeding stations. I could see so many stories upon those snow tracks, a mouse whose run stopped abruptly where wing span is in the snow. Fox coming in, walking lightly on top, Deer prints heavy and many, they have created a trail highway, Squirrels, with their tails dragging, can be seen and their stories of bringing home sunflower seeds. Many little birds trails, Crow and pheasant stories in the dark quiet.  Probably yesterdays visit from Turkeys, whose tracks look like dinosaurs. Raccoon feet, the bears still sleep.

 

The silence of the enchanted stories of the trails was finally broken by the call of a Barred Owl, whoo hoo hoo hoo ahhh.

 I filled the feeders. The Sun started to rise, the Earth started to resonate, Good Morning songs.

Imbolc - The Quickening by Barbara Carvallo

 

Imbolc, or the Winter Festival of Lights, is celebrated on February 2nd. Thus it occurs six weeks after Yule and six weeks before the Spring Equinox. Now the Great Crone of Winter becomes the Maiden Goddess of Spring. In the Celtic Tradition She is called Brid or Brigit - Lady of fire, inspiration, healing and craftsmanship. She presides over the hearth, poets, craftspeople and healers.

This great Sabbat of Imbolc is also known as the Quickening. The life within the womb of the Goddess begins to stir, awaiting the fire of the sun and the inspiration of the rain to commence regenerating or healing from the barren winter’s freeze and to give forth the beauty of Nature’s unsurpassable poetry and craftsmanship. Brigit’s hearth is the living Earth.

Many Witches like me feel this stirring as a gentle pull toward the Earth magic of gardening. Soon the little seeds will push their heads above ground, the perennials will reemerge and take shape as they push toward bloom time. Trees will leaf out and smudge the horizon with a pale and perfect green. Then we will walk with the Fae in the rose garden, cultivate the herbs and the tulips. The Daffodils dressed in shades of yellow and orange will make way for the Delphinium, Shasta Daisies, Agastache, Sun Flowers and more that will follow as the sun grows warmer day by day.

This is a time of growth of new beginnings. The seeds in the Earth are analogous to seeds planted in our unconscious by the Crone at Samhain. We requested this planting, although we may not know it. There is a stirring in our spirit, a quickening as we feel the Goddess Brigit among us and know that the spring is coming on. We will tend these seeds as we care for their tender counterparts in our garden. We will water them with love and coax them with work until the Wheel turns full circle and Samhain comes again. Then we harvest the Wisdom given us by the Crone and make way for more seeds. This is my Way of the Witch.