Sacred Connections

02/01/2026

February 1-2, Imbolc

Imbolc is a pagan holiday, that is sometimes referred to as Candlemas or Oimelc. The celebration of Imbolc originates from the Celts. Imbolc symbolizes the halfway point between the winter solstice (Yule) and the spring equinox (Ostara).

The word "imbolc" means "in the belly of the Mother," because the seeds of spring are beginning to stir in the belly of Mother Earth. The term "oimelc" means ewe's milk. Around this time of year, many herd animals give birth to their first offspring of the year, or are heavily pregnant. As a result, they are producing milk. This creation of life’s milk is a part of the symbolic hope for spring.

This holiday also celebrates Brigid, the Celtic fire and fertility goddess. Over the years, Brigid was adopted by Christianity as St. Brigid. Brigid (or Bridget) is the patron saint of Irish nuns, newborns, midwives, dairy maids and cattle. The stories of St. Brigid and the goddess Brigid are very similar. Both are associated with milk, fire, the home, and babies.

The Celts used to make a doll of the Goddess Brigid from oat or wheat straw. They would make a dress for the doll and put it in a basket with a white flower bedding. Young girls would carry the dolls door to door, and gifts are given from each household. In addition, on the day of Imbolc, people lit bonfires and held a feast to honor Brigid.

To celebrate Imbolc, some modern day pagans focus on celebrating Brigid. They do this by setting up an altar with the symbols of Brigid, like a corn husk doll, white flowers, a bowl of milk, and candles.

Other pagans aim their rituals towards the cycles of the season. Some people do house cleaning rituals as a part of getting ready for spring. Other families find a pile of snow, gather some musical instruments, and chant to drive away the winter. An example of one such chant is:

Old man winter, it's time to go!
Take with you these piles of snow!
Melt, snow, melt!
Spring will soon return!
A flame, a fire, all the warmth it brings,
melt the snow, cold be gone, welcome back the spring!

02/01/2026

Blessings of Imbolc to all! Here in the US East Coast, we are still in deep winter. Most years at Imbolc, we tap our maple trees and the temperatures start to go above freezing,, and Imbolc is a celebration of the flow! But this year, winter is sustaining and the trees may not get tapped for many more weeks as we continue to be in this very bitter cold period. The cold has its own blessings and nourishment, and the fire in the hearth keeps us warm. May we take time to reflect on the darkness and cold, and bring forth the world we want to create. Peace to all beings.

01/08/2026

🤫🔥💿🧙‍♀️😹

12/21/2025

Tonight is the longest night of the year, time of rest and contemplation. Then we welcome the Sun coming back to us in the morning and returning longer days are ahead!

The Legend of the Holly King and the Oak King

In many Celtic-based traditions of neopaganism, there is the enduring legend of the battle between the Oak King and the Holly King. These two mighty rulers fight for supremacy as the Wheel of the Year turns each season. At the Winter Solstice, or Yule, the Oak King conquers the Holly King, and then reigns until Midsummer, or Litha. Once the Summer Solstice arrives, the Holly King returns to do battle with the old king, and defeats him. In the legends of some belief systems, the dates of these events are shifted; the battle takes place at the Equinoxes, so that the Oak King is at his strongest during Midsummer, or Litha, and the Holly King is dominant during Yule. From a folkloric and agricultural standpoint, this interpretation seems to make more sense.

In some Wiccan traditions, the Oak King and the Holly King are seen as dual aspects of the Horned God. Each of these twin aspects rules for half the year, battles for the favor of the Goddess, and then retires to nurse his wounds for the next six months, until it is time for him to reign once more.

Franco over at WitchVox says that the Oak and Holly Kings represent the light and the darkness throughout the year. At the winter solstice we mark

"the rebirth of the Sun or the Oak King. On this day the light is reborn and we celebrate the renewal of the light of the year. Oops! Are we not forgetting someone? Why do we deck the halls with boughs of Holly? This day is the Holly King’s day — the Dark Lord reigns. He is the god of transformation and one who brings us to birth new ways. Why do you think we make “New Year’s Resolutions”? We want to shed our old ways and give way to the new!"

Often, these two entities are portrayed in familiar ways— the Holly King frequently appears as a woodsy version of Santa Claus. He dresses in red, wears a sprig of holly in his tangled hair, and is sometimes depicted driving a team of eight stags. The Oak King is portrayed as a fertility god, and occasionally appears as the Green Man or other lord of the forest.

info from "learn religions dot com"

12/20/2025

12/19/2025

The winter solstice is a special time for those who honor and acknowledge the patterns of our natural world.

On this day, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky, traveling across the sky world above us in a short stride, resulting in the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. For Indigenous people across the globe, the natural world is a source of teachings about natural and universal laws. In understanding the interconnectedness of all things, we recognize that the cosmos– the sun, moon, stars, and other planets– affect us and connect us in undeniable ways.

The winter solstice is an event that has been observed for millennia by many of our Indigenous ancestors. While some Tribal Nations have traditionally held special ceremonies during celestial events like the winter and summer solstices, others may have simpler ways of observing these moments. Some Tribal Nations have maintained teachings around solstice time, while others may be seeking to revive the teachings, practices and ceremonies that were forcibly taken from us.

In its period of darkness, the winter solstice is an opportunity to go inward with deep intention, to care for our spiritual selves, our bodies and minds, our loved ones and families, and to prepare for the longer days ahead.

More from this author at:
ndncollectiveDOTorg/acknowledging-the-winter-solstice-is-a-decolonial-act-for-indigenous-people/

Elder Wilfred Buck explains how the Cree observe the shortest day and the longest night of the year.

What does the winter solstice mean in the Cree tradition? Elder Wildfred Buck explains how the Cree observe the shortest day of the year. To read more: http:...

12/18/2025

12/04/2025

Headed to WEST SHORE REIKI Alliance to see one of their practitioners? I now have a shelf up with various products and discount!

09/23/2025

From Robert of Deep Earth Astrology

September 22, 2025 ~ Mars Enters Scorpio

Mars in Scorpio brings an intensity to relationships that is impossible to ignore. Connections often move beyond the surface, digging into hidden motivations and unspoken desires. Trust, loyalty, and emotional depth become non-negotiable, and conflicts may take on a transformative quality that seeks absolution through passion and reconciliation.

While Mars is often associated with the sign of Aries, it is also the traditional ruler of Scorpio. In relationships, its expression here is more subtle and strategic than in Aries. Where Aries reveals Mars as the warrior who pursues openly, Mars in Scorpio emerges as the archetypal spy, navigating intimacy through insight and emotional perception.

In relationships, Mars in Scorpio fuels sensuality, magnetism, and passion, creating bonds that feel destined. Physical intimacy becomes more than an act and opens a pathway into emotional merging, where attraction carries a sense of inevitability. This placement seeks a partner willing to share everything, body and soul, in a union that can feel both healing and consuming.

When Mars in Scorpio squares Pluto in Aquarius, relationships may face tension between personal intensity and collective ideals. The bond can feel pressured by external change or evolving visions, yet the positive reception between Mars in Scorpio and Pluto, the modern ruler of this sign, allows this tension to become fuel for growth. In love, this often appears as challenges that ultimately deepen intimacy and create a stronger and more purposeful connection.

Overall, Mars in Scorpio in relationships is about depth, devotion, and transformation. It compels partners to face vulnerability and desire with honesty while demanding authenticity and loyalty. Love under this influence is never light or casual but a journey into passion that seeks to renew and empower both people involved.

~ Robert Pacitti

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09/23/2025

The Fall equinox is traditionally regarded as a time of reaping the harvest and also a time of balance between the dark half and the light half of the year. As is customary this time of year, I've been reflecting a lot on balance, and this idea of a balancing act. What I find interesting

09/22/2025

From the creator and author of Tarot of Trees, TreeLore Oracle, Plant Spirit Oracle and more.

Wishing everyone a blessed fall equinox. This is certainly a time of challenges and many of us feel lost in an increasingly unbalanced world. Equinox is the time of balance between light and dark, and it is a good time to seek balance in our lives. The salmon of wisdom, guardian of the west and sacred guide of the fall eqinox, reminds us to lean into our intuition and embrace the wisdom of nature to seek balance, resilience, and strength.