Dear One,
The Wheel is turning ever-so-slowly toward Imbolc, the feast of Brigid on February 1st. Are you experiencing any signs of the transition from winter to very early spring (if you live in the northern hemisphere)? Before the deep freeze and snow that arrived last week, a friend brought me a bouquet of witch hazel from her yard. That put a big grin on my face! The hellebores in my little garden were blooming too, and even a few primroses. Today, I’m looking out on a monochromatic landscape of snow, ice, and fog.
Still, it seems to me that the days are just a bit longer than they were a month ago on Solstice. I checked the sunrise/sunset charts to see. Sure enough, we have about 30 minutes more daylight than we did a month ago here in Bellingham near the Canadian border. Interestingly, the time of sunrise hasn’t shifted much (just before 8 AM) but the time of sunset has moved from 4:16 PM to 4:48 PM.
I’m well aware that we may experience more storms and severe weather before Spring Equinox arrives. But how I love the slow lengthening of daylight hours.