Imbolc 2026

To receive this in your inbox before it's posted here, become a free subscriber! This newsletter was sent to free subscribers on February 8, 2026.

This past week we’ve been receiving all the blessings of the Celtic cross-quarter day of Imbolc and what it promises.

Ever since I attended a celebration of Imbolc several years ago, it’s become a cross-quarter that I look forward to. Holding both the quiet serenity of Winter and the bubbling promise of Spring, it's become an energetic start of the new year—one that feels less forced for me than it does during the official calendar’s start in the still-quiet days of early January.

Just before Imbolc, feeling overburdened by the heavy energies of fear, anger, guilt, and grief that are circulating among the population of the US and the greater world, I set out for a forest walk in search of a real-time connection with Brigid, saint and maiden-mother-crone goddess who is always more accessible at this time of year.

I brought my gratitude to the spirits of the land– the fae, trees, lichen, mosses, ferns...–and my humility in the face of their beauty, life cycles, and awesomeness. At some point along the path, Brigid shared a couple of messages:

You can tend to the Earth a little better. Develop energetic relationships with the trees, plants, land, and water around you by going back to places and acknowledging with gratitude, humility, or care what you encounter, what you notice.

I took Brigid’s advice and connected with a quiet bird in the underbrush, a light breeze that seemed to be coming from nowhere, a fallen limb still alive with energy—whatever caught the attention of my senses in the moment.

I also received an Imbolc message for this year: ENJOY

Remember that this is your life, and if you’re not doing habits that create joy for you then you need to start changing things and learn to enjoy and live IN JOY. This doesn’t mean that you can’t take responsibility for being aware of what’s going on in the world. You can do both.

In other words, we can have both eyes wide open—we can see, know, and work to change the state of our current world—and we can still take time to find ways to connect with joy in our personal lives.

Although Imbolc has been celebrated for thousands of years, Brigid herself was born on February 1, 452 and has become deeply connected with the celebration. (In fact, Ireland established a national holiday to celebrate Brigid, and the area of her birthplace (near Dundalk) holds celebrations throughout the month.)

Brigid is also associated with both fire and water, specifically wells. To me her fire brings fierceness and creative power, while her wells bring support, energetic cleansing, and balance. She represents an unyielding energy who knows what is true and knows how we can live in our own balance and strength.

Knowing what 2026 is asking of us, Brigid offers an energy that can lift us into our own power in this world and into balance with our human and Earth kin. How do we want to live? What do we want to create?

Thank you for being here in this virtual circle together🙏 May the blessings of Brigid, Imbolc, and the percolating energies of Spring offer you new ideas and new hope for what we can create together 🔥🌱

Warmly,
Kathryn✨

P.S. Friz sells prints of her saint/goddess Brigid mural + other products here.

NO permission is granted to access or otherwise use this site’s written content to inform or teach AI.