happiness

Imbolc – ND #57

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Ten of Cups from The Greenwood Tarot (Mark Ryan & Chesca Potter)

Imbolc

In my post the other day, I wrote of the new moon, the beginning of the Chinese New Year (Water Tiger), and the beginning of February. I failed to mention the Celtic holiday of Imbolc (or Imbolg), which traditionally begins at sundown on February 1st and ends at sundown on February 2nd.  Considering my nearly thoroughbred Irish lineage, this was an egregious oversight.

Imbolc derives from a Gaelic word meaning ‘in the belly.’ And occurring as it does at the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, it represents that time when life has been seeded and is quietly growing in the warm darkness of the womb (of cows, ewes, and – of course – humans).

In addition to the informational link above, I’d also like to introduce you to some dear friends, Karen Ward and Sean Cantwell, of Sli an Chroi (Pathway of the Heart) through this short video. In it, Sean and Karen describe the significance of Imbolc and offer a lovely ceremony to honor this time of year in our lives.

The link I’m giving is from Imbolc 2021, but the ceremony described for us to do for each other and our homes, and also offered to us as viewers, are timeless. They can be performed each and every Imbolc.

Especially Powerful

Since Imbolc always occurs (astronomically – as the midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox) at a technically calculated moment between February 1 and February 3 (the precise moment changes each year), it doesn’t always coincide with a new moon, as it does this year. And the Chinese New Year always begins on the first new moon following the first full moon of the year, so that, too, changes every year.

As a result, the synchronicity of these astronomical events is what makes the past couple of days particularly powerful energetically. A new moon, a new year, and the turning of the season toward spring all coinciding to call in and celebrate new beginnings, fresh starts, and a cleansing of all the stagnant stuff of winter.

Tarot Card for Imbolc

I thought I’d choose a card from a deck I have that feels especially connected to the Earth and the Old Ways: the Greenwood Tarot. What message would the Ancestors like us to focus upon as we begin to emerge from the darkest and shortest days of the year and begin to notice a quickening within? What are we gestating?

Ten of Cups – Happiness

What a lovely (and frankly unexpected) message to receive. Dare we take this as a glimmer of hope that there is, indeed, light in our future? Is new life and growth (all the sprouting leaves and grass on the hillside) on the horizon? Will our thirst for truth and accountability finally be quenched by the streams of water gently cascading into our waiting cups?

One thing I like about including in my posts photos of the cards I choose is the ability it gives us to magnify the images and really take a look at the details the artists provide. In the case of this card, not only are there a number of different trees (that undoubtedly have signficance and which I therefore should identify), but there’s also a couple – a green couple – standing at the base of the hillside, embracing each other, side by side, joyfully welcoming the cascading water filling their cups.

This card feels like a literal breath of fresh air, blessing of flowing water, and joy; a culmination of what we’ve been hoping would arrive; a fulfillment of our emotional needs and greatest yearnings.

I’m grateful for the appearance of this card at this Imbolc. Gestating happiness. May it be so.

(T+57)

Bird Bonus – Day 818

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Wren – Photo: L. Weikel

Bird Bonus

You all know how much I love my feathered friends. I might be disinclined to slap on my boots and bundle up to shovel snow – but I’ll do it to fill the feeders for my buds. And now, what do I discover to my delight? As I increase the variety of visitors to my neck of the woods (or plot of feeders, as it were), I just might receive the equivalent of a bird bonus in my emotional bank account!

Who knew?

And here I thought it was all because I’m just a softy for Mother Earth and all her creatures. But no. It turns out that I’ve learned from this article that the results of a study determined that if we’re exposed to 14 different species of birds on a regular basis, we experience the satisfaction and happiness that an extra $150/month in our bank account would bring us.

What say you, Chickadee? – Photo: L. Weikel

A Puzzle

I have to admit, the precision with which the amount of happiness assessed – in dollar figures, no less, when it appeared to be a British study – poses a bit of a puzzle to me. And I have to say, the addition of $150/month in my bank account might bring me a cascade of happiness raining down upon my head, but I doubt it would have as big an impact upon the hedge fund manager down the road.

Just a thought.

But would that mean that the hedge fund manager would need 140 different species to show up at her feeder to feel the same feels engendered by visits from our avian brothers and sisters that I might get from 14? Does it mean that hedge fund managers are hopelessly destined to never feeling as much joy from birding as I might be?

One might think being a HEDGE fund manager might attract enough nesting birds to…

Oh man, you can tell I’m digging deep for tonight’s post.

But the link is real! And quite honestly, I do believe the more birds that visit our lives each and every day, the happier we are. And I honestly and sincerely can’t put a dollar figure on the joy my birds bring me.

I just love them.

House Sparrows Hangin’ – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-293)

No Escape – Day 795

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Tohickon Flow 14 Jan 21 – Photo: L. Weikel

No Escape

There’s so much stress swirling around all of us these days. It’s in the atmosphere, on the news, in the grocery store, on the Capitol steps. It’s bombarding us on our phones, in our homes, and definitely squeezing hospitals all across the country – and around the world. It seems there’s no escape.

But there is. It’s called Nature.

I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here. Nevertheless. Even if I am, I’m going to repeat myself. Because no matter how vigilant we are about maintaining our balance or taking a break from the news, it can be all too easy to talk ourselves out of it in times like these. Taking a walk, watching the flow of a creek, or sitting on the porch for 15 minutes to watch the sunset can feel entirely inappropriate when viewed through the lens of how dire life can seem at the moment.

Case in Point

Over the weekend, when I wrote about how so many of us are feeling under pressure, Spartacus was also feeling the stress. The very same day my tooth broke, Spartacus woke up with an extreme flare-up of what’s commonly called ‘Cherry Eye.’ I describe it as extreme because he has occasionally sported a red bump in the corner of his eye before, but never was it so huge as it was on Sunday. It was extremely disconcerting to look at him. It almost felt as though he, too, had been feeling the pressure – and while I took my stress out on my tooth, he manifested his where his body was the weakest.

Even worse than how awful it looked was how sad he became. He was totally thrown off his game by losing most of the sight in his eye – and sadly, that’s how large the prolapse was. Even when he slept, his eye wasn’t closing. He barely sniffed at his food. We even took a walk, but in spite of the mild weather, his heart wasn’t in it.

I’m glad to report that the ointment they gave me for his eye worked wonders – even on the bulge as big as it was. He feels so much better now. (I’ll post an ‘after’ photo tomorrow – or soon, at least. I promise!)

Spart’s Cherry Eye – Photo: L. Weikel

Lost My Point

Ha ha – as I sit here, I swear, I’ve lost the point of where I was going with this post. I didn’t intend to write in such detail about Spartacus’s affliction, but there it is. I’ll share it, since it has a happy resolution. I didn’t want to write about it while we were going through it because it’s one thing to write about a broken tooth and quite another to write about your puppy (even if he is 12 years old) looking like he’s been in a war.

I didn’t want to bum any of us out any more than we were already feeling!

I Remember Now

I was writing about the simple joy of being in Nature and how essential it is for all of us to be reminded of that fact, especially as we face these intensely stressful times. I related the story about Spartacus because this afternoon, he and I were hanging out on the porch for a moment as I filled the birdfeeders, and I was filled with gratitude that he was feeling so much better and was shamelessly basking in the sun.

We’ve had a satisfying array of visitors to our feeders, and Karl’s trick of hanging chunks of Irish Spring soap to the feeders seems to have quelled the deer from draining the tubes each night. As I listened to the birds chirping and cheeping in the branches and bushes surrounding the porch, alerting all their friends and neighbors that the two legged was finally refilling the feeders and maybe even putting out some peanuts, I recalled an article I’d read recently about the impact of birdwatching on our happiness.

Just another example of how being in Nature is a balm to our souls.

In spite of all the anxiety we’re feeling over extremism in our lives and the possibility of more violence over the next several days, give yourselves the gift of appreciating the simple, natural, pleasures in life. The cardinals and chickadees. The squirrels and goldfinches. The puppy who can see again, scrounging up shelled peanuts that fall to the ground when you’re filling the peanut coil.

It’s the little things.

(T-316)