31/01/2026
Late January and early February can feel like the longest corridor of the year. The initial energy of a new year has worn off, spring still feels out of reach, and most of us are back in full output mode, even though our bodies and nervous systems have not quite caught up.
This is where Imbolc earns its place. It's a pause in the calendar that quietly reminds us we are not meant to surge forward at full pace all year round.
Imbolc sits at the midpoint between winter and spring. Traditionally, it marked the first subtle signs of life returning, the land beginning to soften, animals stirring, milk flowing again. Nothing dramatic. Just a quiet shift beneath the surface.
Which, in truth, is how most meaningful change begins.
Imbolc is one of the old pagan seasonal turning points, alongside Beltane, Lughnasa and Samhain. Signifying the return of light, fertility and renewal, Imbolc is often celebrated by the lighting of candles, bonfires, cleaning and honouring the goddess Brigid and beginning to think ahead to what needs care and attention in the months to come. There is something deeply reassuring about that.
Imbolc does not demand reinvention. It asks for readiness.
It invites us to stop pushing against the season we are in and instead work with it. To acknowledge that while things may still look quiet or uncertain on the surface, something new is already forming.
Imbolc is closely associated with Brigid, a figure who appears both as an ancient goddess in pagan tradition and later as Saint Brigid of Kildare. Rather than choosing one version, it is more helpful to understand why she endured across centuries.
Brigid became a container for what people needed. She is associated with fire, healing, creativity, protection, craft, and the steady work of renewal. She is not about sudden breakthroughs, but about tending what matters, again and again, until it grows strong.
In a modern context, Brigid represents the part of us that knows how to keep going without burning out. The part that values craft over chaos, rhythm over rush, and consistency over intensity.
We live in a culture that rewards constant output and visible progress. Even rest has become something to optimise.
Imbolc offers a different message.
It says: clear what is draining you, protect your energy, and begin again in ways that are small, realistic, and repeatable.
It reminds us that early growth is fragile. It needs warmth, patience, and care. Not pressure.
This is especially relevant for anyone feeling quietly exhausted, functional but flat, capable but stretched.
Imbolc is not about doing more. It is about doing what matters, with intention.
You do not need elaborate rituals or belief systems to work with this season. The value lies in simple, embodied actions that signal a shift.
Light a candle, on purpose. One candle. A few minutes. No phone.
Let it mark a pause between reaction and choice.
Ask yourself:
What do I want more of by spring?
What am I ready to stop tolerating?
What is one small habit I am willing to repeat weekly?
Attention is the point here, not perfection.
A common trap with seasonal intention setting is that it becomes poetic but vague.
At Tribe Fortune, we always ask for something more grounded.
If you set an intention, attach it to an action you can see, repeat, and sustain.
Instead of: “I want more peace.”
Try:
“I will take eight quiet minutes before checking my phone, five days a week.”
“I will protect one evening a week with no plans and no work.”
“I will clear one physical space each week so my home feels less overwhelming.”
Small, consistent actions create momentum. Not declarations.
Choose one practical action that will make your life feel lighter and do it immediately.
Then let that be enough.
Imbolc is not about forcing growth. It is about creating the conditions where growth can happen, quietly and steadily, in its own time.
And that is often exactly what we need.
