Tag: inner hearth

Imbolc Wisdom- In the Belly We Grow

We are now entering the season of Imbolc, celebrated in early February. The word Imbolc comes from Gaelic meaning ‘In the Belly’ referring to the peak of lambing season in the UK, where the ewes are pregnant and/or nursing their young.

The goddess Brigid, who later became St. Brigid is venerated this time of year. She brings new life and fertility to the land, as well as healing and inspiration to our lives. As a goddess of fire, she is associated with the hearth and smithcraft as well as poetry and inspiration. She awakens the earth and the spark of life within us to be reborn anew.

Here in Canada, it is often our coldest time of year with everything still under a lot of ice and snow, spring seemingly eons away. Yet, the light is noticeably increasing, bringing us the hope and reassurance that indeed spring will come!

Funny enough however, here in Toronto, I saw snowdrops sprouting through the ground last year at Imbolc! I had never seen them so early, as it was a very mild winter, the warmest on record, I believe.

Snowdrops in Toronto in February 2024

Snowdrops are a common Imbolc symbol of hope and new life in the UK as they begin to sprout at this time. I am not sure we’ll be so lucky to see snowdrops here this year, but even if we don’t see the physical evidence of new life sprouting, we must have faith that life is forming, incubating, and stirring beneath the ground, just waiting for the perfect moment to be born.

Imbolc is very much a season that asks us to cultivate faith and patience. There is so much we just can’t see yet. Trust the process. New life is stirring, forming, becoming. We must hold space for some mystery yet and allow for some things to unfold in divine timing.

This is an incubation period energetically, but it is not passive. In fact, it is a perfect time to strengthen and nourish ourselves for the journey ahead. It is a ripe time to gather our resources and prepare. Not from a place of fear, but from a place of love and hope. We must tend to our inner strength and light. This might mean prioritizing self-care or positive connections, anything that brings us a sense of inner peace, happiness and warmth.

This is a wonderful time for gentle nurturance of new dreams, goals and aspirations that may be stirring within. It is a time for some tenderness and care as we are not quite who we were and not yet who we wish to become. Allow for innocence and childlike dreams imaginings to surface, for they may become seeds of rebirth. Honor your inner child.

Imbolc is the season opposite Lammas, held in early August. Both times of year are considered times of preparation. At Lammas, we are harvesting the outcome of our work and toil of the warm months and gathering our resources for the inner journey coming in fall. We separate the wheat from the chaff in our lives, give thanks for all we have and begin to slowly draw our energies inwards as the darkness increases.

At Imbolc, we have come through an inner journey and are preparing to slowly come out of our cave and into the light, as the sunlight increases. We have gleaned wisdom from the dark terrain we’ve traversed and must decide how we’d like to put that into action in the world. We cannot rush the process, but can use this time to sift through our dreams, visions and yearnings and decide what will see the light of day in manifestation and what will wait in the ethers for now. This requires some receptivity and deep listening, as we turn our ear to the whisperings of our heart and soul.

Brigid reminds us to tend to the creative spark within ourselves. This light is our unique essence, love, and medicine we carry. The world needs us to shine. We each have a purpose. We all matter right now, and the more of us that are lit up inside, the stronger we become against the powers that strive to keep our light diminished.

Energetically, love is extremely powerful and brings us together to make us stronger. I am not talking about romantic love (not specifically), but rather a universal love, the love that motivates us to shine our light in the world, to care for others, and for the planet, to create works of art, to start movements and communities. While we can’t be in a state of love all the time, cultivating it in small gentle ways within ourselves and then connecting with others who share that love increases our ability to move mountains.

Whether it is people, a cause, the earth, animals, a creative or spiritual practice, tend to that which you care most about now. This increases your power. Also, let yourself receive love and care in return! We all have nurturing ability within us, and we also have that nurturing energy available to us through the Earth, the Goddess or Divine Mother energy. Let yourself receive what you need.

I invite you to imagine we are literally in the belly of the Goddess, held and nurtured right now. We are not who we were last year and not quite who we are becoming yet, but we are changing, and we are growing.  She is holding us safe and helping us become who we are meant to be with her divine love that is available to us all.

There are some unknowns of what life will be like in the future. During these times we may feel restless, impatient, and want to control some things that we cannot control. We may ignore the things that are completely within our control. We may wish to see things we are not yet meant to see or look away from things we must see. We may wish to jump into new life before we are ripe and ready for it.

While we may feel like we need to make everything happen now, or we just simply wish to escape to anywhere but here, there are other ways to use the energy of this time:

We can begin to envision the future we’d like to experience. We can prepare ourselves, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually for what we wish to create or cultivate in our life. This might look like:

  • Resourcing ourselves with love– Connect with loved ones, friends, kindred spirits, pets, nature, a passion or cause you care about. Who brings warmth to your heart? Can you let yourself receive it? Where can you offer love to others? Becoming aware of our connections and networks help us forge a supportive container for our creations.

  • Healing our wounds, doing our trauma work and releasing blockages that are holding us back. What do you feel is preventing you from living the life you desire? What can help you heal and move forward? Baby healing steps make a big difference! Notice how far you’ve come already. All types of healing are well-supported during this season.

  • Looking for inspiration in new places, spaces and people. What helps you feel inspired? Music? Art? Nature? Spiritual ideas? Open to new sources that feed and brighten your inner fire. They just might be the seeds of your magnificent manifestations in the future.

  • Experimenting with small shifts in our habits, thought patterns, diet or our daily life. What helps you feel more energized? What could you release to feel lighter? Every small thing you do for your own energy right now will serve you well in the months to come.

  • Planning, visioning, brainstorming- This is a great time to tinker with ideas you want to manifest in the future. Is there a creative project you wish to begin? An experience you wish to have? A community you wish to start? Sketch it out, write it down, envision it happening, make a draft, start the foundation.

  • Cleansing, clearing, making sacred space- Your space reflects your inner self. Optimize the energy in your home or space by getting rid of clutter, fixing broken things, redecorating or changing the energy to reflect your goals. Create an altar or make changes to your existing one(s).

  • Awakening your inner Hearth- Your own energy field requires cleansing and protection too. Become aware of the flow of energy in your body. Is there an area of your body that feels blocked or rigid and needs softening? Or an area that needs a bit more light, energy and vitality? Bodywork, energy work, chanting or meditation practice can help. See resources I created below to help your energy flow!

I have created a couple of Imbolc resources for you. A chant and a meditation:

Chanting helps to open up our creative energy channels and ease the flow of expression. May my ‘In the Belly’ chant inspire you to sing along and help you move forward gently through these times:

Lyrics:

In the Belly song lyrics:

In the belly we are, in the belly we are, in the belly we are transformed again.

In the belly we are, in the belly we are, in the belly we are reborn anew.

In the belly we are dreaming

In the belly we are healing

In the belly we are nourishing

In the belly we are strengthening

In the belly we are, in the belly we are, in the belly we are transformed again.

In the belly we are, in the belly we are, in the belly we are reborn anew.

In the belly we are reclaiming

In the belly we are remembering

In the belly we are reweaving

In the belly we are rewilding

In the belly we are, in the belly we are, in the belly we are transformed again.

In the belly we are, in the belly we are, in the belly we are reborn anew.

Awakening the Inner Hearth Meditation:

Here is the meditation I created that we will do together at our upcoming Imbolc Circle followed by a ritual and craft. May it support your Imbolc journey this year:

May we turn to face the direction our heart is pulling us to and trust that what we seek is also seeking us. May we find our way forward with clarity.  

Remember that you ARE the light, the flame, the warmth of the hearth. In the belly of the Great Mother we grow and patiently await our rebirth!

*If you are in the Toronto area and would like to celebrate Imbolc with me, register for the upcoming in-person Imbolc Circle: Awakening the Inner Hearth at my home on Friday, Feb 7th, 2025 @7pm!

Much love and bright Imbolc blessings,

Serena

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Tending to our Inner Hearth + Meditation Video

What does ‘coming home to oneself’ mean?

What does it feel like to truly belong and dwell within our physical body?

What ignites our inner fire, the central core of our vitality and wellbeing?

These are questions I contemplate regularly, but especially around the time of Imbolc, when we welcome the return of the light around us and ignite our inner spark of inspiration within.

As a work-at-home mother with a history of severe chronic pelvic pain, my healing journey has led me to spend a lot of time at home. It also led me to many healing modalities and movement forms to help feel a sense of belonging in my own body. This also coincided with my path as a Hearth Witch, tending to my inner Hearth as well as the Hearth of my home.

Through my experiences, I unwittingly became a Keeper of the Hearth- the hearth within my body and the hearth of my home.

The Hearth of the Home

The hearth is traditionally where the fire is lit and is a place for cooking, nourishment, gathering and belonging. Before electricity, the hearth was a central source of sustenance and therefore was the centre of the home.

Modern houses with fully equipped kitchens are still often built with fireplaces inside, which is a testament to how important the hearth is to our sense of being at home- physically and emotionally.

Just think of how much we love to have campfires in the summer! Even though we have electricity, our primal instincts crave the warmth, gathering and sense of ‘coming home’ that sitting around a campfire brings.

This isn’t to say that to feel at home, one needs a fireplace or a firepit! Every dwelling has a spiritual centre- a hearth in which people feel drawn to gather, to feel nourished, to settle. This can even be the corner of a small bachelor apartment or room.

When you have guests, where do they tend to want to gather or settle in? What area of your home do you tend to feel the most nourished and comfortable? This may be a clue to the energetic hearth of your home.

It is important to remember that in order to truly feel nourished by the hearth in our home, that it is tended to and taken care of.

As a Hearth Witch, keeping my home is a sacred practice. I have a fireplace in the living room which serves as the sacred hearth of our home. The entire home is designated as sacred space, and I tend to each room in this way, but the living room is a point of gathering for sacred ceremonies, so I pay special attention to the energy in that space. It has strong healing energy that helps restore us at the end of a long day, even if we are just watching Netflix. Its energy always helps bring us deep within ourselves, feeling safe, held, and supported.

Just like in a house, there is an energetic hearth within each one of us, in our body, which allows us to feel at home within ourselves, wherever we may be. Just like the hearth in a house, it requires tending.

In one’s own abode

Yoni mudra

For me, my inner hearth primarily lies within my womb space.

The sacral chakra resides in the pelvic bowl and is named ‘Svadhisthana’- meaning ‘in one’s own abode’.

I love the feeling this depicts, the feeling of being truly at home within oneself and one’s body. I resonate with its connection to the pelvic bowl- the womb being the first home each of us experienced before we were born into this world.

In my womb healing journey I explored the depth of my triggers and wounds that lay in the pelvic bowl, physically and energetically. It took years of unraveling the emotional and energetic blockages to create a sense of comfort being in the body I have. To feel at home in your body, when there is trauma history can be a long healing process, but a worthwhile one.

I can now say that I mostly feel at home in this body, even when it is uncomfortable, and alongside medical treatment, much of this has had to do with tending my inner hearth– tending to my womb space. This has been an ongoing process of learning how to truly dwell ‘in my own abode’, in a metaphorical sense.

What Does the Inner Hearth Feel Like?

Like the warm flames of a fireplace, this is the part within us that lights up with excitement when we are passionate about something, the place we feel our inner spark or desire to create something, the place we feel alive, with warmth, passion and vitality.

It is also the feeling of being comfortable, settled and ‘at home’ within ourselves. Sometimes the hearth flames run hot and high when we are feeling very passionate, sometimes they are gentle low flames or glowing embers when we are feeling calm, comfortable, warm and radiant.

Our Inner Hearth can be felt in many ways and many areas of the body. It isn’t limited to the womb space or pelvic bowl. You may feel this sense of ‘home’ and warmth in your abdomen, heart, or even in your head.

The Irish Hearth Goddess Brighid is sometimes depicted with flames coming out of her head, associated with inspiration and spiritual connection. So, we are not limited to feeling our inner hearth within our core- the head or crown centre may also light up when we are feeling inspired with new ideas or spiritual awareness.

From the Goddess Oracle by Janto-Marashinsky

Where in your body do you feel a sense of being settled, centered within, and at home in yourself? Where in your body do you feel ‘lit up’ when excited about something? What activities help bring you into this state of being?

When we Leave Home

What makes you feel you are no longer at home within, or outside of yourself?

It is important to note that trauma and wounding can make it challenging to feel at home within our body. Dissociation is a normal trauma response and many of us have reasons why we cannot really feel at home in our body. Honor yourself, your unique body and history. As I mentioned, my healing journey has been about healing these wounds, which has taken years. Feeling outside of my body was the norm before that. It can be helpful to work with a therapist or trauma-informed embodiment practitioner to help heal.

If you are an empath, a sensitive person or a bit of a people pleaser (as I have been much of my life), you may notice that certain people or activities pull you out of your sense of ‘home’ within. For instance, if you work with people closely, you may find yourself jumping out of yourself to attune to their needs, communication style, or rhythm of doing things. Many of us do this unconsciously, and often do it to meet others where they are at in order to help them, or get closer to them. Perhaps, whenever you fall in love you become whomever the other person wants you to be or sees you as, instead of dwelling within yourself.

These are just things to notice and recognise. Cultivating a healthy sense of self, boundaries and inner awareness are all part of tending the inner hearth.

Inner Hearth Meditation

I created this meditation to support my inner hearth and yours. It serves to re-ignite your inner strength, passion, inspiration and light you up from the inside. It is especially helpful if you feel down, heavy, uninspired, unmotivated, scattered, ‘outside yourself’ or if you simply want a pick me up. Try it out!

May you thrive and glow with the strength of your inner light,

Xo

Serena

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