Episode 200 - Imbolc, Hope, & Seasonal Wisdom for Staying Human
I'm so excited to share that today we are celebrating the 200th episode of the Come to Your Senses Podcast!
Six years ago it was just me, Winnie (my pup), and a microphone, seated at the kitchen table of a friend's vacation rental during the start of the pandemic.
What started as a single bead of an episode has become a lavalier-length string of gems, with listeners in over 175 countries across the globe.
Whether you're brand new or you're a seasoned CTYS savant, I am so grateful for every time you hit play, shared an episode with a friend, tapped the 5-star rating button, or just sent well wishes my way. Thank you.
Now, onto today's starlet!
In today's episode we are exploring the seasonal holy day Imbolc, happening on February 1st.
Imbolc means "in the belly." Right now the earth holds the warmth of late winter deep in her belly, slowly allowing the seduction of spring to spiral her up to the surface.
You might especially benefit from the medicine of Imbolc in this moment of time, when the weary heart feels like it can't take another moment of the news. The worse it gets the more immobilized we might become, and the further away hope may feel.
Imbolc offers us not a grand sweep of false optimism, but the small, mighty courage of a snowdrop. It is a time where we tend, slowly and simply, the spark of life and courage that persists in our own hearts.
We learn how to hold our continued need for winter's dark cocoon, while also reaching into the ever-growing light.
You'll hear simple rituals and recipes, as well as small ways you can stay human during this time when you might prefer to dive beneath the snow and camouflage yourself like a polar bear thank you very much.
Imbolc, Hope, & Seasonal Wisdom for Staying Human → Listen Here
With solidarity and the senses,
Mary
P.S. - San Franscisco Bay Area Babes - exciting news! This Sunday I'll be leading an Imbolc seasonal living circle IN-PERSON! Hallelujah!
You can learn more and join me in-person here.
(And, if you're not local to the Bay Area but have loved ones that live here, please send them my way!)
Links from the show
Check out The Sanctuary membership
Erin Reed: Erin in the Morning
Towards Polyphony - Ahlay Blakely article
Leave a review of the Podcast
Candle Image by Visilina Sirotina via Unsplash
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Hello, beautiful beings, and welcome to today's episode. So today's episode. I am coming to you with a heavy heart. Just like I think all of us are experiencing right now as we're watching what's unfolding in Minneapolis at the time of this recording. Were a few days out from the second fatal shooting by Ice agents in the raids on Minneapolis. Alex Preti and Rene Nicole. Good. And these are just two of at least nine deaths related to immigration law enforcement this year. And it's January 27th. And I begin there because coming to our senses, you know, there are these four pillars. When I think of coming to our senses, the wisdom of the body, the joy of beauty, the splendor of the senses and the warmth of connection and connection is a word that has many branches that extend from its trunk. But ultimately, connection simply means stepping out of that trance of separateness and the word connection. And what's happening in Minneapolis right now feels very connected to a seasonal holiday in the Celtic tradition that's coming up on February 1st, which is called in bulk. And the word in bulk means in the belly. And it is a holy day that celebrates, not the arrival of spring. And so similarly, this may be a time where you can't reach for a giant Roy G. Biv rainbow explosion of hope, but you may be able to reach for a tiny flicker of hope. And that is one of the essences of this day that celebrates the promise of the return of the light in spring. Some images that remind me of the energies of in bulk are a single candle planted on a mossy bed in the snow. A snowdrop courageously emerging from the frozen earth. You know, even though anywhere where there's cold right now, ground is very frozen and seemingly barren, but beneath the ground. Life has drawn itself in. And as the sun slowly returns, one day at a time that life is beginning to rise and spiral upwards. And similarly, in our own life trajectory, there are moments of feeling weary after what seems like an endless winter, and then that moment where you step outside one day and you're like, oh my gosh. It's kind of mild today. The snow has melted a bit today. There's like three green buds on this otherwise dry naked branch. And and then another day happens and it's bitterly cold and dark and gloomy. But the cinematic remembering of that balmy, more mild day helps one feel fortified on the journey. Because even though the warmth of spring has not yet arrived, there's still the promise of it. There's the remembrance that seasons are cyclical, and that goes for seasons on the outer, as well as seasons on the inner. Because we are not just reflections of nature, we are nature. We are just as much a part of nature as the whale gliding through the sea, or the tree reaching towards the sun, or the squirrels stuffing its little cheeks with nuts. And so today's episode is meant to offer you some seasonal wisdom. To fortify your body and your energy and help you interact with the seasons, not just from a weather perspective, but from a more spiritual perspective. As a metaphor for how we relate to change, and also how we relate with things that feel like they will never change. And if this is something that excites you and is something that you might like to dance with in your own body, and you happen to live in or around the San Francisco Bay area, I am very pleased to announce that on February 1st, I will be leading my very first local in-person circle here in Oakland, California. And it's all centered around celebrating in bulk through dance, community, and crafts. We're going to do some gentle koala movement. We're going to celebrate and integrate these themes of in bulk that I'll be sharing with you today. And then we're going to do a really simple and fun craft to integrate all of that through the wisdom and wonder of beauty. And so if you yourself are in the Bay area or you have a loved one in the Bay area, you can go to Mary Lofgren Circle or hit the link below this episode. And I've been leading these circles for many years and just moved to the Bay a year ago. So this is my debut circle here in my new hometown. So come on down. I would love to meet you. And with that, let us now dive into our gems on celebrating and embodying these essences of the time known as impulse. And so, as I shared at the start of the episode, the word in bulk means in the belly. And I'd love to invite you to just pause with that word or with that statement for a moment in the belly. And maybe you want to touch your own belly. Lay a hand on your belly. But just feeling into sensing, tasting, touching in the belly. And before layering in any other information, getting to sense your own relationship with what those words mean in your body. And if we imagine in the belly correlating with the cycle of life, whether that's in the belly of the womb or in the belly of the earth, there is this time where life is very much underground or absent. So in the menstrual cycle that might be during the time of menstruation, during the end of your luteal phase. Which is the time right before menstruation. There is the time where life is very visible. Like spring or summer, or when a baby is born. And then there's the time where life is very much there. It's very much alive, but it is still in the belly. So again, this is when we see those green buds on the trees that are very much not yet at the phase of blossom, but are still visibly showing us life in the belly of the earth. And this is a time where, as humans, we tend to be a little less comfortable in the transitional times than we do in the extremes. So, for example, you might notice that in the belly of winter, in the heart of winter, you may have a little bit of an easier time offering yourself some rest, some inward time in the spring. You might be more motivated to go outside to eat outside. And this in-between time is kind of this limbo where. Winter's hard shell has not yet become a husk that you can just strip out of and shed. You still need that rest and nourishment and warmth during winter, but you also might be looking at the Gregorian calendar thinking, It's February, I gotta get my shit together. I gotta get into gear. It's almost March, and then it's gonna be April and it's gonna be spring. And this could be summer, you know? And thoughts like these are a classic symbol of a mammals experience when it's introduced to time as these linear seconds on a clock or tiny boxes of a calendar, instead of the way that the seasons teach us to relate to time, which is as an ever interconnected rhythm in the turning wheel of creation. And so I want to share with you some ways that you can support your body during this time, and then also to nourish your spirit with a few themes and rituals that are related to this Celtic tradition, known as in bulk. And so the first has to do with food. One of my favorite topics to talk about and the symbols that are often associated with in bulk. And one thing that I would be remiss to leave out is that the goddess that is associated with in bulk is the goddess Brigid. And Brigid is often seen depicted as wearing emerald green gowns and creamy whites. She has this flaming red hair that is a symbol of her Association with fire. The hearth of the home. Healing and this kind of steady, slow return of life. She is not like other deities or gods and goddesses, where there's a theme of conquest and overcoming and transformation. I mean, there are some themes, not necessarily conquest, but certainly transformation associated with Brigid. But her essence isn't so much about the grand change. It's more about tending, keeping that flame steady, keeping it lit, keeping it warm. And in Ireland, this is lambing season where the lambs are beginning to be born. The milk returns, the light is increasing and. You know, the lambs are very fragile at this time and they need a lot of care and protection. And this is a beautiful metaphor, I think, of how we can treat ourselves at this time, and the wisdom of the biology of the sheep seeking to mate in late autumn so that they might gestate through winter, and not giving birth at the roar of spring, where all of the resources are already out in abundance. When the little lambs don't have their strength yet, but giving birth before that time so that they can practice standing and walking, and their nurturance can come from their mother's milk, rather than having to go out into the world on their own. I mean, couldn't you just squeeze them? I mean, thinking about when I was in Ireland, you know, there are just sheep and lambs everywhere, and you just want to sit with them for tea and biscuits. But you know this name in bulk in the belly. Part of that etymology comes from this rhythm of sheep and lambs and these cycles of creation. And so some foods that are associated with Brigid's medicine and with this time of year in this seasonal holy day are oats and porridge. Oats, as we know, were a staple food in Ireland and deeply tied to daily survival across cultures. And there's just this kind of humility to oats like this simplicity, this steady nourishment rather than a giant feast. I love recently I've been making oh my God, I just have to brag for a moment that lately I've been making cardamom oats in the morning with heavy cream sprinkled in. And I make these delicious cinnamon cardamom poached pears with vanilla extract. And then I fry up these, uh, slivered almonds in brown butter and layer in some honey and fresh thyme to the almonds. I got this recipe from a website. Okay. It's a store called In Bed. I just looked it up. And the recipe author is Harriet Davidson, so I'll drop a link to that in the show notes. But it is so magnificent and decadent. I would say if you're a more seasoned chef, it's a weekday breakfast. If you're a less seasoned chef, you might want to devote a Saturday morning to it. It's actually not that complicated. It just was more steps than I usually spend on breakfast. But I cannot tell you how decadent and beautiful it is and how nourishing. Like, it just satisfies my need for fulfillment. Like like filling my belly while also satisfying my senses on so many deep levels. So I cannot recommend that recipe enough. And oats, bread grain. These are all foods that are deeply tied to this time of year as a passage to filling our bellies, but also that alchemy of warmth where you put a loaf of bread in the hearth or harsher in the oven and it transforms into this sustainer. So one of the things you might do this time of year is make some toast with some filling. Goat cheese. Cheese is also one of Brigid's symbols and foods, and that has to do with this nourishment of milk that is tied into that lambing season. And so something I'll do this time of year is spread like a delicious goat cheese onto a fresh loaf of sourdough. We have a sourdough baker here in Oakland named Genesis, and their bakery is called Full Belly Bread. I'll also drop a link to that in the show notes if you're local and we meaning my house Bay and I cannot get enough of this bread. And so a schmear of goat cheese with another symbol of in bulk and Brigid, honey, one of Brigid's symbols. And. Associations is the magic of poetry and the beauty of poetry. And honey represents that sweetness and that golden beauty that poetry can cast a spell of. And right now, in my yard here in California, the rosemary is starting to pick up. And there are these tiny purple blooms on the tips of the rosemary. So I'll take some chopped rosemary like minced almost to a powder, and I'll sprinkle that on the toast and the honey and then sprinkle on these purple flowers because they're edible. And all of a sudden you have this like Sunkist return of spring toast, and you feel like an absolute goddess in your kitchen on a Tuesday morning. Just a tip. Just a little kitchen magic for you. So these are just some of the ways you can celebrate the beauty and the spiritual alchemy of this season through what you put on your plate. And finally, I'd like to share some ways that you might honor this season's magic through ritual. And if you know me, you know I am a big fan of simplicity when it comes to ritual. I easily get performance anxiety when it comes to my rituals, and I feel like I have to have the perfect paper and I have to have excavated my soul. And I if I don't have the beeswax pillars, I'm not doing it right, you know? And I want to liberate us that if you have a birthday candle in your drawer, junk drawer, maybe it's green, maybe it's cream, maybe it's gold. Those would be ideal because they are those Celtic colors. But really any color will do. And I encourage you to. On or around February 1st give yourself a few moments at either that time where sun has set and it is now dark, the day has transitioned into night. Or perhaps if you get up before the dawn and you're in the belly of that dark before first light to take this single birthday candle, and I will sometimes take another candle and just drop some wax onto a plate. And while it's still warm, just placing that little birthday candle into the wax so it has something to grip onto and stand up straight and without any artificial lights. Simply lighting this one tiny, simple candle and maybe you sit in quiet with it. Maybe you write in your journal alongside it. But the symbolism here is that rather than a roaring fire or a giant flame, this one tiny little candle gives you just enough light and warmth in the darkness, and just being open to the way that these forces of nature, the cocoon and mystery of darkness, the warmth and illumination of light may help you find clearer guidance within yourself about intuitively navigating through this time. And finally, I want to offer a justice action that has been really helpful for me in getting. More lived experiences with what we're seeing in the news and in the cacophony of mainstream media on Substack. There are several independent journalists who are reporting their real life, lived experiences with some of the things that we see sensationalized or some of the things that aren't being reported in the mainstream media. And a person that I follow, that I read her emails almost every day is Aaron in the morning. Her name is Aaron Reed, and she is an independent journalist who reports on trans legislation and the way that the current administration is passing endless laws and rules and propositions that impact trans youth and trans adults. And another creator that I really recommend checking out. She's not a journalist, she's a musician and a grief midwife, as what I would call her based on what I've seen in her work. And her name is Ali Blakely. She also goes by Alexandra Blakely. That's where you can find her music and just her music and her work around anti-racist, anti-colonial, anti oppression ways of being in ways that include the body and our full humanity. She sent out a beautiful right piece of writing today. You can check out her website. She has her newsletters. I'll put a link to this particular piece of writing in the show notes. But some of the ways that I keep that flame of hope alive in a steady way is by contributing to these creators in small ways. So sometimes I'll listen to Ali's songs and I'll just send over a few bucks on Venmo because she has a link to support on her website. And just with gratitude for the song Decisively Defeated, which saves my life on practically monthly basis. And I am a subscriber to Aaron in the morning, a paid subscriber. You can also subscribe to Aaron in the morning for free. And once again, in a culture that is often so out of step with the rhythm of the seasons and always seems to gauge things on extremes. Throw in $3 via Venmo. When you're feeling inspired to an artist or creator that keeps that flame of hope tended within you is no small feat, my friends. So with that, that brings us to the end of today's episode. If you enjoyed today's episode, I would be so delighted to hear from you in a review. A follow A five star rating. These are tiny ways that you can tend the fire of this podcast along with me. And if you are in the Bay area or know anyone in the Bay area, I would be delighted to see you on February 1st in Oakland. And thank you so much for listening. My friends, in solidarity, in sensuality and sacredness, and in seasonal wisdom. I am so grateful that you're here and I will see you in our next episode. For more gems on how to celebrate life through the richness of your senses, head to Mary Lofgren comm. There you'll find an abundant library of free gems and resources. You can check out my award winning coaching programs or flirt with stepping through the garden gates of the sanctuary community. Come and learn how to make beauty, presence, and everyday luxury a lifestyle at Mary Lofgren.