The onset of February is celebrated by a number of festivals, Imbolc being one. Others include Oilmelc, Saint Brighid's Day, Candlemas and Groundhog Day. In each case dark, infertile winter is passing and the light of fertile spring approaches.

Here in England the first signs of spring are already visible. Trees are in bud, green shoots begin to appear and early flowers such as the snowdrop begin to blossom. The lambing season has just begun -- it's no coincidence that the word Imbolc means "in the belly" and Oilmelc means "ewe's milk," both an allegory for the seeds of spring within the earth.

Imbolc is held on February 2nd and is the sabbat of holy fire, ending the Holly King's reign and inviting the return of the Goddess. This particular sabbat is very home-centred, with cleansing and purification rites conducted for each room in preparation for the birth of spring. A good old-fashioned "spring clean," in other words.

Not only is the sabbat a time for the physical cleaning of the home, but also for spiritual cleaning. A time for ridding oneself of unproductive and undesirable feelings and habits. A time to restore internal balance, reassessment, redirection and, most importantly, self-blessing -- a bit like "New Year's resolutions," but hopefully better kept!

Imbolc is a festival all about potential and new beginnings. For me it's the start of another growing year, my hens are just beginning to lay again after their winter's rest and my thoughts turn to planning the crops I shall grow to put food on our table through the coming year. It is also the time I plan the wines I shall be making each month -- April "Dandelion," May "Hawthorne blossom," June "Elderflower."

In the mad, disconnected, disjointed and unreal world we find ourselves living in, I love having this connection to the land and the seasons. Feeling a part of the on-going cycle that will continue long after I'm gone gives me a tremendous feeling of peace and connectivity.

So I shall be spending Imbolc as I usually do. Collecting the fluffy flower heads of reeds from the riverbank to make solar (equal armed) crosses. One for each room of the house. I shall light a white candle and open the front door to welcome in the Goddess and the coming of spring. I shall visit each room of the house removing the old solar cross and replacing it with a new one. The last room visited is always the kitchen. The old crosses will be burned with gratitude for the passing of the old year and plans made for the new. Doubtless wine will be drunk!

It is interesting to note that whilst here in the Northern hemisphere we shall be celebrating Imbolc, in the Southern hemisphere the wheel of the seasons and sabbats is rotated through 180 degrees. So Imbolc would not be celebrated until August, whilst in February the festival Lammas, dedicated to the first of the harvest and the death and resurrection of the God, is celebrated.