Today we reach the astrological moment of Imbolc, as the Sun reaches 15 Aquarius.
Imbolc is one of four turnings in the ancient Celtic calendar. Today we enter the light half of the dark half of the year, a recognition that winter will not stay forever. Spring will come again.
It’s easy to see the importance of solstices and equinoxes, which we observe at 0 degrees of the cardinal signs. The movements of our Sun, our star, are vital to our existence.
But what are these other festivals that arrive in the middle of each fixed sign? Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, and Lughnasad. Sometimes referred to as cross-quarter days, they are in fact the four great festivals of the Celts.
Of the four, Imbolc is perhaps the most subtle. In early February, we’re still in the grip of winter. We wonder whether spring will return, and if so, when. In the depths of winter, we long for warmth.
Austin Coppock describes the second decan of Aquarius as a place of transition. Of movement between one place and another, when we are not quite in a place at all, but somehow between. A liminal space.
Think of yin and yang, stillness and movement. Imbolc is the moment when, at the most intensely yin time of winter, we feel stirrings of the yang of spring. This is how yin and yang unfold: As we reach the most intense moment on one side of the polarity, the opposite is inevitably potentiated.
The tarot card associated with this second is one of my favorites in the deck, the Six of Swords, journey out of difficulty. The image is of a boat on water. We haven’t reached the other shore, but we’re on our way.
The chart reflects this transition. The Sun is conjunct Saturn, deep in stillness. The Moon conjuncts Neptune, resting in dreams and visions. Yet Venus and Mars trine Uranus: Change is coming. These two also square Chiron: With change, healing is possible.
Mercury rules the second decan of Aquarius and is having a moment as well. Tonight, Mercury stations direct. In this moment of stillness, change is potentiated: Mercury will soon move to conjunct Pluto.
Image adapted from Simon Berger
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