I hope everyone is having a promising and bright January!

This time of deep sleep for the Earth is a time to reflect and prepare personally for the days ahead – bursting with life and promise as we approach Spring. I get myself mentally and physically prepared each Winter for the year ahead. Sometimes that means reviewing my diet, going for a nature walk (yes, even in the dead of Winter) or just re-evaluating my habits and values to ensure that I’m living the life I want, rather than just going with the flow. We all have a purpose for this incarnation, what’s yours?

How do the seasonal ceremonies fit in to personal growth for the Modern Druid? John Michael Greer, in the book The Druidry Handbook says:

“Self initiation into the Druid Tradition, however important its effects may be, is a process you’ll pass through only once, but the wheel of the year will carry you from season to season as long as you remain a Druid. There’s a sense in which the stations of the year are your real initiation, repeated at ever deeper levels as one year leads to the next.”

I hope that you connect with each station of the Sun, enjoying and being fully present with our Earthly home. Take the opportunity this year to practice your values and be a ‘Priest(ess) of Nature’ by finding ways to lessen your impact on the environment. Let your blessings shine through you on a personal level.

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At our last Grove meeting Monday, we had tentatively set a practice for Imbolc this Sunday. With the projected bad weather coming in, I propose we move that to Thurs, January 24 at 6:30pm. We will then be prepared for our formal ceremony on Thurs February 7th @ 7pm here at Wilderness Grove. There are 91 days between Winter Sol. and Spring Eq. so the mid point between the two falls on Feb 6-7. Thanks to Matt for bringing this forward from the shadows!

I have not had the opportunity to visit our new Peace Grove this month. The rain is perfect for our new planting – this should ensure a strong, healthy Grove that will be off to a fast growing start in April.

Don’t forget to visit the group calendar should you want to check on upcoming events. You can find it here.