Astrological Imbolc
Sunday 4th February, 8.27 am GMT
The great wheel has turned full circle for me here at Astrum Opus. We are now back at Imbolc where we first began our journey through the Pagan festival days. (See HERE for last year’s article.) As we start this year of 2024 together, I will be honouring the plant kingdoms’ associations that have become synonymous with the festival days and from where their meaning likely comes. Enjoy! - Saffron Dennis
Snowdrop
Imbolc is associated with the cautious emergence of the Maiden Goddess as she transitions from the Crone of winter after birthing the Sun God at Yule. With the Maiden comes the tiny but hardy plant Galenthus Nivalis, the Snowdrop. I find it very interesting that modern science has found a compound in the bulb of this tiny flower to treat dementia (Sam Crosfield, n.d.). How fitting for the season when the aged Crone reemerges as the Maiden! Also used for headaches, it is important to note that the bulb is toxic, and not suitable for consumption. It is also considered bad luck to bring the flower inside the home, so be warned on that count too!
When cataloguing the botanical world, Carl Linnaeus chose Galenthusas as the genus name, “with milky white flowers,” and nivalis as the species name, “as white as snow” or “ to grow near snow” (Harrison, 2012). The sharp tips of the leaves cut through the cold, often solid earth to shoot as one of the earliest flowers of the season. Few flowers bloom in the winter months, so the introduction of a white flower that emerges just at the exact point of Imbolc (or Candlemas, as the Christian faith refers to it), is a worthy association.
The connection of this demure flower in the British Isles and Ireland, with Bride/Brigid/Brighde as the Maiden Goddess dressed in virginal white, seems to go back to antiquity, but it does not. The plant is non-native to the British Isles, and was often cited as a gift from the Romans. However, the herbalist John Gerard in his book, The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes, first published in 1597, was the first to mention the flower in the British Isles. Giving it the common name “Bulbous Violet,” he is most likely referring to the Snowdrop, therefore dating its introduction to the sixteenth century.
The Myth of Persephone
Dante Gabriel Rossetti created a number of portraits of his muse Jane Morris depicted as the Goddess Proserpine, (the Latinised version of Persephone). In his version of Blanziflore, the Goddess is depicted adorned with spring flowers, therefore symbolising the time before Her abduction, as the Maiden.
As described in the Homeric Hymn Persephone was out with her girlfriends’ picking flowers; narcissus, crocus and violets among them, spring flowers that are emblematic of youth and maidenhood. As Gerard gave the name Bulbous Violet as an affectionate name for the flower, and here in Rossetti’s depiction of Persephone before her abduction holding a snowdrop, is it possible the violet was indeed a snowdrop? Possibly; as the flower though a non-native to the UK is indeed indigenous to the area we now call Ancient Greece.
If you read through the whole myth, you’ll notice it is the story most associated with the three stages and ages of the feminine- Maiden, Mother, Crone. It provides the foundations for the importance of a support network of wise mother and grandmother energies for women, and those who associate with the feminine. Many people today lack that kind of support network, yet we all need to feel we can be nourished and held while also having the freedom to fly the nest when we are ready. If we can nurture all our children (including the child within us) and encourage them to be individually valued as a part of a community, then the divine feminine and masculine can work harmoniously in unison within us all. As the spring season unfolds, we can all work towards creating space for the inner child to evolve into our own divine self.
What does the Astrology of Imbolic Portend?
Jupiter at 7°38’ Taurus hosts our Pisces Ascendant and offers support through a close separating sextile. Jupiter (Zeus), often conflated with his brothers Poseidon and Hades, represents a deep chthonic energy as He edges closer towards the conjunction with Uranus in the month of April. As Carole King sang, “I Feel The Earth Move Under My Feet.” Rumblings from below the earth can herald earthquakes or maybe just the spring season waiting to explode into action. Perhaps, the rumblings are metaphorical and reflect an awakening of the mind as new ideas come to light or plans for the new season emerge. It is certainly the right time to begin clearing space in your garden for new life if you are fortunate enough to have some outdoor space.
Pluto, as we all know, has made his move into Aquarius and lies in wait for the Moon as She moves toward her monthly marriage with the Sun on February 9. Then, one by one, Mercury, Mars, and Venus, the Maiden, will also succumb to the powerful draw of Pluto and the Sun in Aquarius. The speedier planets, once in the sign of the Water-Bearer, will bump up against a square to Jupiter and then Uranus in Taurus, all getting infected with that deep earth spirit. Unconventional or surprising actions, communication and connections usher us into the light part of the year.
All the energy of the chart is in the Eastern Hemisphere, the energised half, perfect for a chart heralding a new season of growth! The Ascendant is separating from Saturn, the planet that symbolises the winter season, giving a feeling of the tentative move towards the spring.
It is told in Celtic myth, that should the day be fine on Imbolc, the divine Crone, also known as The Cailleach, has plenty of time to collect her firewood, therefore prolonging the winter season. We will then hope for a cold inhospitable day for her wood-collecting escapade!
The Moon at the top of the chart is Antiscia with Mercury in the 11th house. What news will the Moon bring with her into her new cycle? Or, is it Mercury as the psychopomp leading the way for Venus and alerting Pluto of the Maiden’s arrival when the former enters Aquarius? Not long after, on February 17, Venus reaches 0° Aquarius where she will be pulled into an unsolicited liaison with Pluto. Rights of the feminine will be important around this time but could be hidden until Venus moves into her exaltation in Pisces. Keep an eye on your friends who identify with the feminine and keep them in your heart and mind, you could be required to be an ally.
Consider this…
As Imbolc was a time of hope for a successful harvest season, getting your ‘land’ cleared and prepared for the planting of your seeds, either physically, mentally or emotionally is the key to this festival. How has the last turn of the great Wheel marked and changed or moulded you? Are you going to plant new seeds or build on a foundation from previous seasons? Whatever plans you sow this year I wish you a bountiful harvest.
Saffron Dennis is an astrologer, crystal therapist, horticulturalist and tarot reader based in the East Anglia region of the UK. You can book her for a reading or as a speaker at your local or online event at divinebaytree.com
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Fascinating about a nice day allowing the crone to collect more firewood! It makes groundhog day make sense! Beautiful article 💗