Ostara - The Vernal Equinox

Season 2 of Animisma is an offering of seasonal contemplation, offered with care, and offered in peace. It is a walk along the hidden paths, along forest floors covered in soft grass, sunlight peeking through ancient boughs, breezes quietly moving across our faces as we walk with permission through mist and shadow. It is a walk in the presence of giants, of plants as portals, mystical herbs, and magical flowers.

Episode 2: Fàilte a charaidean (welcome friends). Today, we will create a tree spirit altar together, in honor of Imbolc. If you cannot access all of these beautiful trees and plants in our human realm, this episode offers you space to gently still yourself and witness through your mind's eye the building of a beautiful and sacred offering to the traditional start of Spring.

Imbolc is the beautiful cross-quarter fire festival and celebration of awakening, fertility, birthing, and beginning. It is the promise of renewal, of hidden potential, of the earth slowly awakening and of life-force stirring. We welcome the growth of the returning light and witness life's rebirth at this time. Imbolc is translated from ancient Irish and means ‘in the belly’ or ‘around the belly’ and refers to both the pregnancy of sheep and to the fertility of the Earth, that is the swelling belly of the earth goddess. Imbolc was the traditional celebration of Spring, as opposed to the modern interpretation of Spring beginning on the Spring Equinox.

Today, we create a sacred altar for Imbolc - requesting blessings from Brighid, the Goddess honored on this day while partnering with the sacred tree, Rowan (Witchwood), and sacred plant Heather (Fraoch) and snowdrop, a messenger of hope.