Imbolic - Halfway to Spring

Red and white for rebirth and renewal, purification and cleansing. Earthen candles symbolically help to warm the earth for spring.

The first year that I moved to Nashville, my friend Patti had an Imbolic ceremony at her house. I love ceremonies of all kinds, but particularly when they celebrate the anticipation of warmer days to come. Imbolic is a pagan holiday—read; older than Christianity—with its roots in ancient Celtic tradition. You can google a lot more about this if interested, but it basically marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox. It’s a time to consider what you might have been reflecting on this winter that you can nurture and grow in the coming spring. I also like to consider what I may like to shed with my winter skin.

I didn’t observe an official ceremony this year, other than having the windows open during an unusually mild February 1st and having a bit of champagne to mark the coming spring, but I did think about Imbolic.

I’ve been really delving into my writing this winter. Hell, I wrote an entire 99,000 word first draft during the first 28 days of January. I almost didn’t do it. I almost didn’t continue it. I really enjoyed the idea and started writing on the first for fun. I had my friend Melissa, from my writing group, read it over to give me her honest opinion. Was it crap? Was it ridiculous? Should I stop? Because how could something that I was having so much fun doing actually be worthwhile, right? She liked it. She was interested. She said to keep going. This was echoed by my group when I put up the first sample. Yes, I’ll have to change and rework things, but …

I second guessed myself at first because I was having too much fun for this actually be any good.

Aang and Cloud enjoying an open window Imbolic.

I’d like to leave that self doubt behind with this winter. I’d like to encourage and nurture my creativity this coming spring. I’m 16,500 words into the sequel now. I’m having a blast. All I want to do is write. Do I plan to get these published. Yes, I’d like that eventually, but you know what? If it doesn’t happen, at least I’ll have had a damn good time writing them.

I now have a first draft out with betas (that I wrote before the ones mentioned) and my new first draft ready for readers. I’d like to get them both into decent shape and start pitching the first one by March. This is the most motivated I’ve ever felt about my writing and I’m going to ride the wave for as long as it lasts. And yes, doubt is like a shadow to all creatives. I’ve explored many artistic avenues and I’ve never had one without the other. I’ll pay attention to it and acknowledge it. But I’m not going to let it stop me anymore.

What are you going to nurture? What are you going to shed?