I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating The Feast of St. Brigid on February 1st and Candlemas/The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Groundhog Day yesterday on February 2nd.  This is the time of year in the Northern Hemisphere that the days are lengthening a bit.  In some countries, the first snowdrops, a beautiful little white flower, are emerging from beneath snow.

We think of the first beginnings of light, and a beautiful candle festival helps mark the occasion.  There are so many ways to make candles, including rolling beeswax sheets, dipping candles, pouring beeswax into half of a walnut shell (and you can push in a little candle in order to have little floating lights, which are always fun for children), and you can make earth candles where you pour a candle and place a wick directly into a hole into the earth.

This is a wonderful time to change over your nature table if you have one going to mark the seasons.  Flower fairies, branches in water that are budding,  a single candle, perhaps leading up to the markings of St. Valentine’s Day and then a little Lenten Garden (dish garden)  are all appropriate. All winter greenery is taken down.

In the back post The Magic of Candlemas, I have listed a number of different ways to celebrate.  I like to celebrate things for more than one day, and especially feel that those of you with small children should never feel like you missed the one day and feel pressured about that.  Remember, these days mark seasons beginning and ending, and what we carry inside ourselves around this time of year.

I love the idea of growing the light inside all of us.  I have had a very productive five weeks of inner work where many major areas of my life are now on a different track or moved forward.  It has been so satisfying, and I hope you feel the stirrings of new inner growth for yourself.  I always think of this verse this time of year (so fun for small children to be buried under silk scarves and awaken, but also reminds us that it is time for us to move forward, to embrace the new, to find our initiative and willing):

In the heart of a seed,

Buried deep so deep,

A dear little plant

Lay fast asleep.

Wake, said the sun,

And creep to the light.

Wake, said the voice

Of the raindrops bright.

The little plant heard,

And arose to see,

What the wonderful

Outside world might be.

Blessings today and always,

Carrie