The last hours of January gently fade into silence. In the space between an exhale and an inhale, Candlemas — Gromnitsa — Imbolc arrives. Different names, different traditions, yet the essence is the same: a moment of turning. From cold toward light. From survival toward meaning. From contraction toward trust in life. This is not a sharp transition or a loud beginning, this is an inner shift, almost imperceptible, like the first movement of sap beneath the bark.

It is important to understand: Imbolc is not a “sweet pagan celebration of spring,” as it is often presented. It is a threshold. A moment when the Forces begin to stir beneath the ground, though nothing has yet emerged on the surface. This is not a time of flowers. This is a time of inner fire.

Winter still holds its grip, but it is no longer the master. Cold is still present, yet it no longer holds authority. In magical and inner work, this is an extremely subtle period. Everything that is planted now will grow. Everything that is decaying inside will begin to rise to the surface. And I remember times when amazing transformation happened... and amazing events too giving a new cycle, a new begining. 

This is the time of milk and honey, simple food not as comfort, but as nourishment. A time of quiet, deep love without an address or conditions. Love not directed toward anyone in particular, but existing simply as a state of being. A love that does not demand proof, does not seek response, does not rush events. It simply is, like warmth in the chest, like the knowing that you are in the right place, even when the full path is not yet visible.

From a wise person's perspective, Imbolc is a test. Not a beautiful ritual for a photo. A direct and honest question to yourself: are you ready to move forward, or are you still holding on to the old? This is a time of cleansing, not frantic “clear me now” cleansing, but deep work. Inner work... Ancestral. Personal. Honest... A time to look at fears, dependencies, and everything that binds and restrains.

February carries the energy of the Fool, the one who walks in trust with life itself. Fool does not wait for complete clarity, yet, this energy is playful and not serious. It is the energy of "what if".... energy of hope...  When it is dark, Fool playfully lights the stars, why not? Just to see what could happen. When fear arises, Fool takes the step. Fool knows this: a bridge or wings will appear at the precise moment they are truly needed. Not earlier, not later. Even the barking stray behind Fool is part of the journey, a reminder that not everyone is ready to move forward, not everyone wishes to leave the familiar, and there is no mistake in that.

Imbolc is fire in the darkness. Not a public bonfire, but a small flame you hold inside. If that flame exists, spring will be yours. If it does not, no external spring will change anything inside... 

Right now, a new cycle of your life is beginning to unfold. It is not fully defined yet, its contours are only starting to appear, like patterns on frosted glass. This path is still forming, and it requires tenderness, toward what is emerging, toward what has no name yet, toward yourself in the process of becoming. Not everything needs to be clear immediately. Not everything must take shape right away.

One thing matters greatly: Imbolc is not about wishes. It is about readiness. The Forces hear well during this time, but they hear those who are ready to work, not those who only ask and do nothing at the end. This period favors action over words, inner discipline over display. Imbolc does not tolerate haste, performance, or the mindset of “I’ll do a quick ritual and my life will change.” Fewer words. More inner work. More actual actions. 

In practice, this is a powerful time for working with lineage and ancestors, laying new paths, making vows before the Forces, cleansing space, and cutting old energetic ties. It is also a moment of pure feminine power, not social, not imposed, it is primordial. The power that gives birth, protects, senses, and leads. That is why work through the body, the earth, the flame of a candle, and the breath is especially potent now.

The state of the Great Mother reveals itself here as deep trust in time. As the knowing that everything arrives in its own moment. That growth cannot be forced. That even pain, loss, disruption, and the collapse of expectations are not mistakes or punishments, but the language of the Creator through which life speaks to us. Sometimes gently, sometimes sharply, yet always precisely. The Great Mother does not divide events into “good” or “bad.” She sees the whole process... and allows life to unfold on its own terms. You can't bloom in January if your time is in June... You will bloom! but now you are that tiny seed germenting in the depth of the Earth... Your time is coming, your fate has been already decided... Now, it's up to you - will you grow? or will you decide stagnation and never see the daylight? 

This month becomes a mirror. It shows each person what truly belongs to them. Some will respond to the call of the unknown and allow the path to unfold step by step. Others will choose the familiar... the old path... the old routine....  and this, too, is a path. Everyone moves at their own pace, in their own rhythm.

Simply put, Imbolc is the moment when you stop waiting to be rescued and begin tending your own flame. It asks for honesty, because when you are truthful with yourself, the year aligns with your direction. When you are not, the Forces respond swiftly. Imbolc is not a holiday. It is a point of power. A true turning point. THIS! IS! IT! 

Last night, that truth came to me through a dream. Firefighters arrived and somehow parked their massive truck and equipment on the roof of my house. They called out to me, urging me to jump, now! or they would have to leave. I hesitated, stunned, trying to understand how they had even reached the roof. But clarity was not offered time.  One of them opened the hose, and an enormous fire erupted, burning the space between us. In that instant, I knew: if I waited any longer, the crossing would become impossible. So I jumped... straight into the flames... and woke up.

Firefighters know how to work with fire.  They are not afraid of it, they move through it with precision and trust. The message was clear. I am one of them... My road is not meant to be easy, smooth, or conventional. It is not designed to be predictable. It is meant to be lived through fire. Fenix fire that is... My path will be intense, demanding, and alive... and it will burn away everything that cannot travel with me. 

This is how I selebrate this year...