Being Ready

We don't have snow at the moment, like in today's card, but it is has been bloody chilly for the last few days. This card depicts one of the eight Pagan sabbats, Imbolc, which is usually celebrated on February 2nd here in the Northern Hemisphere. From my understanding, it stands halfway between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. It represents the coming of Spring and the preparation that that entails.

I understand that the card could be interpreted as stagnation, but in my own mind, I see it as the beginning of the thawing of Winter, as it releases these two figures from their icicles. Somewhere beneath the layers of snow are shoots of greenery, waiting to pop out.

This kind of makes sense to me, since I began stripping the nasty old and stained floral wallpaper from my room last night and finished the job this afternoon. I did it methodically, moving my bed and computer out first, so that I could work on the wall behind them. I then returned them to their positions and pulled out my cabinet. I tried to keep the room as tidy and as less chaotic as I could throughout. With my bucket of water and scraper, I washed and scraped, and now the walls are all white. They are a little chipped in places and will need to be painted, but the room already looks far better than it did before. I am kind of proud of myself, since I have never done anything like this before. You could look at this in the same way as Imbolc, as my walls are now prepared for the next step. My boyfriend is going to help me with the actual decorating tomorrow.

I attended my appointment yesterday and completed the test. At first, it seemed so easy that I thought what they were offering would be pointless, but as I worked through it, the questions steadily got harder. I didn't do too bad, but the woman there referred me to a GCSE tutor, who has called and arranged my first lesson for next Friday. One to one tutoring would have been desirable, but since there were no available places for a while, I have opted for group lessons once a week; another example of preparation, as I work towards my goal. In one way or another, I feel as though I have been stood amongst the stillness of the snow for some time, just like the God and Goddess in this card. In Imbolc, new beginnings are promised, but we must be ready for them. This is what I am trying to do.


Illustrations from The Hidden Path by Mickie Mueller