The Nudge - Dispatch 18 | Imbolc 2024
“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time. It is your business to keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others. Keep the channel open.”
— Martha Graham,
Choreographer
Martha: The Life and Work of
Martha Graham
by Agnes De Mille
Welcome to The Nudge | Imbolc 2024
This seasonal care package has been prepared by Kathy and the team at The Trailblazery.
Dear Friends,
We are delighted to prepare our monthly care package, The Nudge, for you as we approach the festival of Imbolc - a pivotal point on the ancient Wheel of the Year. As the Great Wheel turns we find ourselves slowly re-emerging from the dark embrace of winter and welcoming the portal of Imbolc. The season of Imbolc marks the very first signs of springtime. An older version of this festival's name is ‘Imbolg’, which translates as ‘in the belly’. In the Wheel of the Year, this is a time of emergence and renewal. It is said that True Imbolc occurs at the astronomical midpoint between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, which varies each year. The cross-quarter date for Imbolc in 2024 falls on February 04.
This seasonal threshold of Imbolc is midwifed by the exalted one, Brigid, otherwise known as Breo-Saighit - the Fiery Arrow, Triple Goddess, Matron Saint of Ireland and Keeper of the Flame. She embodies the energy of new life and of new beginnings: she is the fertile aspect of the divine feminine energy, which emerges from the dark feminine energy of Samhain. At Imbolc the Cailleach of winter shapeshifts into Brigid who embodies both the passion and compassion of the feminine and the clarity and courage of the new rising masculine.
Artist: Caroline Maniere
In Ireland, the festival of Imbolc is affectionately known as Lá Fheile Bríde. This festival celebrates the re-awakening of the fertility of the land and the inception of a new cycle of agricultural activity. There is a beautiful metaphor to describe this time as ‘winter pregnant with summer’. The seeds of summer are still hidden deep in the earth, in the womb of the Goddess and while the worst of the winter darkness is over, Spring has not fully arrived. It is a time of hope and possibility. The land is growing fertile again, the days are lengthening, and life is beginning to stir deep inside the earth. Life force is rising, the sun is strengthening. It is the perfect time to take stock as we travel through transitions in the landscape and within ourselves: this is why Imbolc is often celebrated with various customs, such as making Brigid's crosses, lighting candles, and engaging in purification rituals. Imbolc gives us pause to notice the stirrings in our own internal landscape - to feel and embody the quickening. It gives us an opportunity to ask ‘how can this fire in my belly be kindled ’ and ‘how can the inner creative stirrings be harnessed’?
At The Trailblazery, we have been tending to these fires of transformation. We are witnessing an incredible weave of interconnections between our ancient traditions in Ireland and the wisdom of indigenous knowledge systems around the world. Our mission has brought us from Éire (Ireland) to Bali (Indonesia), Bundjalung country (Australia), New York, Asheville, Los Angeles and now Tallahassee on Turtle Island (USA). It is a great honour to travel to the ancestral land and traditional territory of the Apalachee Nation, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida to participate in Talamh agus Teanga: Land and Language in Contemporary Irish Art curated by the inspirational Kristin Dowell at Florida State University.
We are also thrilled to be introducing a new programme 'Tending Our Roots' which opens tonight at The Hedge School which honours this moment of quickening. These times are hard and it has never been more important to explore the burdens and gifts of our ancestral inheritance and what it means to be a good ancestor, so that we might find our place in ‘the family of things’. Remember we were made for these times and we are here walking with you, committed to keeping the channel open.
Credits: Christian Schloe and Woman Rising Mystery School - Priestess
Journal Prompts to inspire you at Imbolc:
🌱 Reflect on the metaphor of "winter pregnant with summer." What areas of your life represent the possibility of new beginnings, and how can you cultivate a sense of renewal at this time of Imbolc?
🌱 How can you align with the 'quickening' and increasing energies available at this time? This is what the great poet Dylan Thomas called 'the force that through the green fuse drives the flower'.
🌱 Notice the creative energies awakening within you. How can you bring these inner stirrings to fruition? How can you keep the channel open?
🌱 In what ways might you call on Brigid this season as a guide, ally and keeper of the flame?
🌱 In what ways can you embody both the fertile and fiery aspects of Brigid’s energy as you face crossroads in your life?
🌱 Is there a special place, holy well or sacred site associated with Brigid that you could visit at this time, either physically or through the power of your imagination?
🌱 How can you nurture a deeper connection to your roots and ancestral heritage, and in doing so, foster personal growth and resilience?
🌱 What rituals or practices might connect you with the spirit of Imbolc and help you tend your inner fire?
🌱 How can you help to kindle the collective fires of transformation on our planet at this time?
What’s coming up over the next
6 weeks at The Trailblazery:
As the Great Wheel turns, we are invited to pause and remember what we have travelled through together. We are excited to let you know what the future holds for our community here at The Trailblazery.
Tending our Roots
Sundays; Jan 28, Feb 04, 11, 18
Thursdays; Feb 01, 08, 15
7pm Ireland | 2pm ET | 11am PT
Course price: €166
Tending our Roots is an invitation from the soil and soul of Ireland to walk together through the season of Imbolc; a time of emergence and renewal on the ancient Wheel of the Year. This season offers a potent portal for an exploration of ancestral remembrance, reclamation and re-generation as a route to personal, collective and cultural restoration.
Led by a host of extraordinary guides, artists and ancestral medicine keepers from Ireland and beyond, this 3-week immersive online journey will explore the burdens and gifts of ancestral inheritance and what it means to be a good ancestor so that we might find our place in ‘the family of things’. Over 7 sessions from Jan 28 - Feb 18 we will gather in a collective enquiry to learn and unlearn by sharing stories, experiences, practices, artistries and resources in community. Tending our Roots starts tonight and all sessions will be recorded, so you can still join us without missing a beat. For more information, go to our website here.
talamh agus teanga: land and language in contemporary irish art
We are delighted to announce that Kathy will be leading a live Imbolc-themed Immram in Talamh agus Teanga: Land and Language in Contemporary Irish Art at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts in Florida this February. This exhibition will explore the Irish language's role in contemporary creative practices and will feature renowned artists such as Kari Cahill, Ceara Conway, Liadin Cooke, Dorothy Cross, Miriam de Burca, Katie Holten, Siobhan Ni Dhuinnin, Meadhbh O’Connor, Eimear O’Keane, Kathy Scott and The Trailblazery.
Talamh agus Teanga is an extraordinary exhibition curated by Dr. Kristin Dowell, Associate Professor of Indigenous Art & Film at the Florida State University (and also a Scoil Scairte alumni) who is very close to our heart here at The Trailblazery. This exhibition celebrates the rich history and vitality of the Irish language, culture, and art, highlighting the deeply interconnected relationships between people, language, land, and sea. If you have friends, family or folk in Florida, please extend the invitation to them, we'd love to see you there. For more info, click on this link. The event will also feature the amazing Anne Walsh aka Aíne, a Hedge School alumni and gifted musician. You can listen to her song Caoineadh na dTrí Muire by clicking here.
Recommended Resources
Here are a few reading, watching and listening pieces to nourish your senses in the days ahead:
❀ Listen: For your ears
'i mbolc - in the womb' a poem by Kathy Scott
'Is mise Bríd' a poem by Laura Murphy
'Dig Me Deep' a poem by Lindsey Rose
❀ Smell: For your nose
In the Ogham tree calendar we are currently in the season of the Rowan. In Celtic folklore, this tree was regarded as a protective and sacred entity. Believed to possess magical qualities, the Rowan tree was thought to guard against malevolent forces and ward off evil spirits. Its red berries, symbolic of life and vitality, were associated with feminine energy and protection. In honour of this ally, why not anoint yourself with some Wildcrafted Oil of Rowan.
❤ Touch: For your pleasure
Way of the Wise Women or Slí na Mná Feasa as Gaeilge is a ceremonial journey guided by oir great and sister Aoife Lowden, with the support of 9 other Wise Women. This course will run from February 2nd to May 2nd, thus travelling from Imbolc to Bealtaine. You can read more about this inspiring online series here.
There are several events around Ireland that you can connect with which celebrate Brigid. You can check out what's happening in Kildare and in Dublin.
✮ Watch: For your eyes
Discover Siobhán McSweeney’s journey to look for the real St. Brigid in her RTÉ documentary, 'Finding Brigid'.
♡ Cherish: For your heart
We bid farewell to the great trailblazer of heartfulness Ivor Browne. He was a true warrior of the soul. I am so grateful for my precious time with him and will always cherish our friendship. He was our Gandalf.
You can read more about him here
EnJOY these days - may the awakening light be yours.
Thank you for walking this path with us,
Beannachtaí,
Kathy and all at The Trailblazery
