February
February is a month to start planning for the year ahead. The month is a calm bridge between the old and the new, that provides us with a rare opportunity to clarify our dreams and our plans and to gather ourselves in preparation for what’s to come.
February is best to be described as a calm bridge between Winter and Spring that will likely be felt as a breakthrough from previous blockages and burdens. This month is a breath of fresh air that brings a promise of hope and renewal in the shape of a pit stop period.
No rushing, no pressure, no delays, no big challenges. It is a time to take a rest, to move ahead, to ride the waves with ease, to strengthen for what's coming, to accumulate good energy, to accumulate awareness, readiness, strength and wisdom–to move on with everything that's been blocked.
Cleanse & Purify
The word Februarius is derived from the word februum, an object used for ritual purification, noting that februum is related to the word febris, which means to burn or warm. February was, therefore, about burning and cleansing.
February for the Romans was a month of purification, a month when farmers would burn their fields and when evil spirits would be expelled from the city. It was also about bringing back health and fertility to the fields and to families.
It was also the month of the dead and closure, when the bonds between the living and the dead would be strengthened. Finally, it was about marking the end of the year in order to start... a new one.
In the past, February was known as gentle month, light and white. It is the last month of winter and nature is quietly waking up again, the birds of the sky are slowly returning from their winter exile.
But winter still clings to the earth, even though the light and heat are fighting a good fight to make winter go away.
February 22nd is the day that represents the end of the harsh winter.
“
With the return of the light,
the grass starts greening,
the trees start dreaming,
the mind starts waking,
the hearts starts shining.
Inside,
inside.
”
Nurturing your Dreamseeds
February is a good time to remember to nurture the dreams seeds you planted back in the beginning of the year and set up routines and plans for following up on your dreams.
Try to challenge yourself to think outside the box and to come up with new and innovative ideas and solutions to what you are longing to birth into the world. There is an independent energy of this time, that supports breaking out of old beliefs, attitudes and ways of thinking, making it possible to shift something in a big way. Especially around the days of the New Moon , we are supported in making fresh starts, that bring the vision through imagination and gestation, as we find new ways forward into the manifestation process.
Pay attention to your habits, be aware of your reactions, be aware of your emotions and be aware of how you feel. Use your intuition when rational thought does not give you enough clarity. Especially then. We are learning new ways to navigate as new paradigms are changing the world as we know it. (If you didn’t catch up on our 2024 forecast yet, you can do it here) Pay attention to what wants to change and support it rather than resist it.
Try to resist moving forward with big projects and things, as you will have plenty of time for this next month. Resist impulsive decisions until a more balanced time in the month when there is more clarity. For now, your intention should be for more self-awareness and movement in the direction of improvement, satisfaction, and right relationship, purpose and path.
This is an opportunity to build up your inner power, courage and value in preparation for the future. We need to embrace the responsibility of creating our own future and not leave it up to others, expecting something or someone “out there” to do it for us.
Overall, this is the perfect time to gather our tools, sharpen our saw and make healthy personal decisions for our way forward. We’re preparing for next month’s massive shifts as we begin to write a new chapter of our lives as we step into the Astrological New Year around the Spring Equinox.
Rest, gather, collect on the inside as you strengthen the foundation of your vessel to make it more prepared to enter the waters of change, that comes through around Spring time.
Blessings,
February Rituals
Kyndelmisse/ImbolC/Candlemass
Mid Winter Kyndelmisse/ Imbolc/ Oimelc is a late Winter and early Spring celebration at the same time. Originally, Imbolc was a celebration of light for both indigenous and Christian and true to the energy of the Winter season, it is a time to plan for the coming of the rest of the year. What to grow, what to expect. This is a time where the seeds are still buried deep in the soil of Mother Earth, but they start to dream about sprouting in the very near future.
And old tradition was to light a candle at sunset different places in the home, preferably by the windows and let them burn during the night. And during the day, Winter was ‘swept away’. In today’s world, where we do have lights everywhere in our home, a different way to honour the Imbolc can be to light a candle and do a mini fire ceremony to let go of winter and welcome the light.
MINI FIRE CEREMONY
Fire ceremony is one of the core ceremonies in many medicine traditions. It is an ancient practice developed to help us heal and celebrate the turns of the year. Read more here
Water Therapy
As February has a strong theme around purification for processing and preparing, this month gives you a perfect excuse to visit a hammam or spa. Especially the days around the New Moon are good days for any kind of Water Therapy. Walks in the rain, and simply having a good cry, are other ways to release emotions and processing the past to cleanse and restore before the spring season.
NEW Moon
February New Moon
The February New Moon comes with a soothing message of nurturing our dreams at a time, where we are on the bridge between the season of winter and spring.
FULL MOON
Snow Full Moon
The February full moon is sneaking up on us at the end of the Winter to cast a light on how and where we might light our own flame.