Author - Linda E. Savage, Ph.D. DD

Embrace Hope my friends,

Imbolc (February 1st and 2nd) is the time of hope for new life and the return of the light. For thousands of years, Imbolc, meaning “in the belly” was a sign of hope that the ewes were pregnant and there would be lambs born in the spring. People also celebrated that the days were gradually lengthening. 

The older traditions are based on the seasonal signs of Nature. Our Ancestors knew that Nature was the most important teacher. Hope was generated by the signs Mother Earth provided such as pregnant sheep and the first flowers poking up through the snow. Even though our culture has mostly disconnected us from paying attention to the natural world, there is a growing trend to bring us back to practices such as Forest Bathing, planting our own healing herbs and protecting both plant and animal species.

Yuletide Blessings to all my wonderful friends,

This newsletter brings my heartfelt wishes for a truly meaningful holiday season and an abundant New Year.

In the Northern Hemisphere, December 21st this is the time of the longest night. The Winter Solstice is universally honored with lights the world over. Our ancestors have burned Yule logs and oil lamps, candles and bonfires and now we string electric lights all around our homes. Many towns and cities decorate giant trees, people gather to share that moment of awe with the first lighting. Originally, these fires and lights represented hope for the return of light in the days to come.

There is much to appreciate about darkness. Indigenous wisdom holds that darkness is simply the other side of light and there is great creative power in the void.

Samhain Greetings my friends,

The time period between Oct 31st and November 2nd is one of the most widely celebrated ancient traditions that honors our ongoing connection with our ancestors. This includes those we knew in this lifetime, beloved great or great-great ancestors we’ve heard about, as well as ancestors from millennia ago. Samhain, meaning ‘summer’s end’ heralds the thinning of the veil between the seen and unseen worlds. Most of us have heard about or participated in the tradition of the Day of the Dead, celebrated in the US, Mexico, and South and Central America for a long time. It is a deeply significant celebration because folks can more easily connect to their loved ones who have passed. 

2025 Beltane Newsletter

Celebrate Life Force Energy on May Day,

May Day is the time when nature has truly come alive. Our ancestors joyfully embraced the fertility of Mother Earth; flowers bloom, offering their pollen to the bees. The Celtic name for this period is Beltane, which means bright or sacred fire. During the festival, great bonfires were lit and animals and fields were blessed in hopes for an abundant year. 

Traditionally May Day began on the eve of May 1st and was celebrated with feasting, dancing, and merriment for two weeks. Beltane was a time when lovers ran off to the fields and woods together to honor the Great Goddess with ecstatic lovemaking. These Lovers knew that sexual energy was the most powerful connection to Spirit.

Celebrate the Spring Equinox, the time of green fire,

This year in the Northern Hemisphere, March 20th is the Spring Equinox when day and night will be equal in length at the equator.  Also known as Ostara or Eostre (the origin of the name Easter) light and dark will be perfectly balanced. It is also the New Year for Persians as well as the Earth Honoring spiritual traditions that follow the ancient ways.

In these ancient traditions the Vernal Equinox is considered the time of Green Fire. It refers not only to sap rising, but also to the electrical energy pulsing through the growing plants. This is not a metaphor. My electrician husband told me that green fire is literally electrical, just like our nervous systems.

Embrace Hope my friends,

Imbolc is the time of hope for new life and the return of the light.

In the US, most people think of February 2nd as Groundhog Day, the portent of how many more weeks of winter are in store. However, for thousands of years, Imbolc, meaning “in the belly” was a sign of hope that the ewes were pregnant and there would be lambs born in the spring. People also noticed that the days were gradually lengthening. 

Hope is one of the most important emotions that allow us to feel alive and attract the possibilities that lead to feeling that we do have agency. When hope is purposely destroyed, we lose the will to live.

Yuletide Blessings to all my wonderful friends,

This newsletter brings my heartfelt wishes for a truly meaningful holiday season and an abundant New Year.

In the Northern Hemisphere, December 21st is the time of the longest night.

The Winter Solstice is universally honored with lights the world over.

People have burned Yule logs and oil lamps, candles and bonfires. Currently

electric lights are strung around our homes. My mother told me as a child that

these traditions reassured us that days of longer sunlight would be returning.

Yet there is much to appreciate about darkness. Indigenous wisdom holds that darkness is simply the other side of light and there is great creative power in the dark void.