February 1 has always lived in the in-between.
Not winter, not spring.
Not dark, not light.
Not ending, not beginning—but becoming.
Imbolc—one of the old Celtic fire festivals—marks the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s traditionally associated with Brigid, hearth fires, fertility, poetry, healing, and the first subtle stirrings of life beneath frozen ground.
Candlemas, its Christian cousin, carries a similar current: blessing the candles that will carry light through the remaining darkness. A holy acknowledgment that even now (especially now) the light is returning.
This isn’t the kind of turning you see all at once.
It’s the kind you feel before you can prove it.
A softening.
A loosening.
A sense that something is quietly rearranging itself underground.
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The Lie of January 1st
We’re told the new year begins in the dead of winter... when the earth is still, when bodies are tired, when nature herself is resting.
But the body has always known better.
Across cultures, the true new year begins in spring (at the equinox) when light and dark finally meet as equals, and life rises visibly again. January is not meant for rebirth. It’s meant for gestation.
Imbolc is the whisper that says:
“Not yet. But soon.”
It’s the promise of spring—not the performance of it.
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The Body at Imbolc
From a somatic and herbal lens, this threshold makes so much sense.
- The nervous system is beginning to thaw after winter’s contraction
- The liver and lymph are preparing for spring movement
- Energy starts to flicker instead of hibernate
- We feel the itch to clean, to plan, to imagine—without yet having the fuel to act fully
This is not the time for force.
This is the time for tending.
Small rituals.
Warm tonics.
Gentle movement.
Honest reflection.
Lighting a candle—not to banish darkness, but to befriend it.
What You Might Feel
This liminal season — not quite winter, not yet spring — can show up in the body as:
- Nervous system fatigue or sensitivity
- A sense of restlessness that isn’t quite action yet
- Subtle seasonal shifts in mood or immunity
- A longing for warmth, light, and ease
To support you through this transition, a few singular plant relatives— simples — can be especially grounding and clarifying right now. Simples are single-herb extracts crafted with purity and tradition, honoring each plant’s distinct voice.
Nervine Nourishment — Support for the Nervous System
Milky Oats Extract — A classic tonic for the nervous system; helps soothe transition stress and cultivate inner steadiness, especially during times of change like this.
Clarity & Calm
Mugwort Extract — Traditionally used to cleanse the dream body, enhance intuition, and support the subtle knowings that arise before the world visibly shifts — perfect for this halfway point.
Immune & Respiratory Kindred
Elderberry Extract — A beloved simple to help ease seasonal immune transitions and support respiratory balance as winter gives way to new growth.
A Personal Threshold
Imbolc also happens to land on my birthday.
This year, I am 38.
A number that feels less like “getting older” and more like settling deeper into my bones. Less proving. More trusting. Less urgency. More precision.
If the early years are about becoming, this season feels like inhabiting.
And it felt right—almost inevitable—to mark this threshold not with a big launch or a loud announcement, but with a fire offering (only for email VIP).
A moment of shared warmth.
Here's to this liminal space...
Imbolc reminds us that transformation doesn’t happen all at once.
It happens in the quiet.
In the dark.
In the moments no one is clapping for.
It’s the same way healing happens.
The same way regulation happens.
The same way a body learns to trust itself again.
Spring is coming.
Not because we force it—
but because life remembers how.
Ready to Begin?
If this post resonated, you may enjoy:
• Flicker Fire Cider — for when seasonal shifts leave you feeling low energy or off rhythm
• Talisman Elderberry Syrup — brewed to support your immunity ritual through the season
• Dewdrop — gentle support for dry lungs and breath comfort