At the beginning of February, I decided to join in with a few women in a Facebook group I belong to and celebrate the rites of Imbolc. Imbolc (also known as Candlemas or Saint Brigid’s Day) is a Gaelic traditional festival marking the midpoint of winter, halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Historically, the holiday was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is known as a time of purification and cleansing, a day to welcome the returning light.
Those who decided to participate each approached the ritual differently. Here is what I chose to do, as I quietly observed the Imbolc celebration:
- I focused on the promise of new intentions with an aura of serenity, the ever-increasing light as a metaphorical source of strength. Imagining a wellspring appealed to me, “the place something comes from or starts at, an abundant source, a source of continual supply.” (I adopted the Italian phrase sorgente luminosa, which means “source of light.”)
- I refilled my 24 water bottles with natural spring water, which is available to all residents in my comune. This seemed rather fitting to me . . . essential life-giving water, from the source.
- I engaged in poetry writing. I used to write poems all the time, and have been wanting to get back into the practice.
- I cleaned my villa as part of the cleansing. It’s not at all a favorite task of mine (even though my husband and I divide up the chores). This time I focused on mindfully and affectionately caring for my home, the dwelling in which I live.
- I practiced qi gong. Already part of my every day routine, but the breathing and moving meditation took on additional layers of meaning.
- I reflected on what I would like to leave behind (or release) and what I’d like to call in (or invite).
- I took a luxurious candlelit bath, its purpose not only to cleanse the body but the mind and soul as well. It was amazing, so I’ve decided to share the benefits of my cleansing bath with you here today.
My husband lit candles for me and brought me a hot cup of comfort (in the form of dandelion tea with cream). As soon as I slid into the soothing water and leaned back onto my bath pillow, I could feel the tension leaving my body. The magnesium-rich Epsom salt worked its magic. So relaxing, so calming, so exactly-what-I-needed.
I usually seek and find answers through my writing, yet I had been having difficulty summoning up what I wanted to release and invite through my journaling. As I began to meditate and reflect upon what I wanted to symbolically wash away, I noticed the steam rising off the water in the bathtub and dissipating into the air. It was such a symbolic moment that it brought me to tears, what I wanted to let go of suddenly becoming quite clear to me.
What I wanted to invite in naturally flowed from there. Though not intentional, I ended up pairing my releases with my invitations. For example, releasing the FEAR that still arises around my new life in a foreign-to-me country allows me to be more FLUENT (my word of the year), flowing through the difficult moments with more ease.
The ripples in the water as I moved were also significant to me . . . I have been intent on sending out ripples in the world, one woman at a time, through THE ARRIVAL (my e-courses, my Facebook group, my retreat). My mini-revolution is slowly beginning to spread to those women who are open to its message of healing and self-transformation.
And then, at the end of my indulgently delicious soak, I had to laugh. When the water is almost drained from this particular tub, the older plumbing in my Italian villa makes a loud sound. So I was easily able to imagine that what I was releasing was truly being devoured!
[For those who notice and are intrigued by the significance of numbers, like I am, here is an interesting note. It was 2121 (24-hour clock in Europe) when I got into the tub. When I got out, it was 2211. Yes, I lingered a long while, savoring every moment and then taking a shower at the end.]
*******
THE ARRIVAL
TUSCANY, ITALY | MAY 20-25, 2018
[Click on the image above for more information!]
*******
click to receive my studio notes in your inbox each week.
(and receive my first travel size course, AWARENESS #1, as my complimentary gift to you!)
tweet
