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    Winter Fertility Rituals: Imbolc & Fertility

    Reading time: 7 minutes · Updated: Oct 21, 2023 by Anna Rapp

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    When I was trying to conceive during infertility, I did a many lifestyle changes to really embrace the trying to conceive journey and integrate fertility into my everyday.

    One of the many ways I integrated fertility into my everyday life was by staying aware of the seasons and how the earth was changing.

    (Check out all my posts on holidays and fertility here.)

    Table of Contents

    • The Wheel of the Year and Fertility
    • Imbolc as Fertility Celebration
    • Imbolc Fertility Rituals 
      • Early Spring Cleaning
      • Melt Some Snow
      • Make a Brigid Doll
      • Make a Brigid Cross   
      • Enjoy fire
      • Craft
      • Plant
      • Feast
      • Make Love
    • An Imbolc Meditation for Fertility

    The Wheel of the Year and Fertility

    Earth and sun worshiping cultures throughout time have always celebrated the turning of the seasons and their relation to the fertility of the earth.  This was primarily because these people depended on the fertility of the land for their subsistence. Rituals and celebrations were built around the crop cycle.

    Many modern holidays are based on these ancient holidays, for example, Christmas & the Winter Solstice and Halloween & Samhain.  The beginning of February (Feb 1-3) marks three holidays- for the Celts it is Imbolc, for modern Christians it is Candlemas, and for Catholics it is also St. Brigid’s Day.

    In this post I am going to talk primarily about Imbolc and its relation to fertility. For more information on the related Catholic feast day, see my post on Praying to St. Brigid for Fertility.

    For all related posts about the Wheel of the Year:

    • Beltane & Fertility
    • Easter & Fertility
    • Autumnal Equinox & Fertility
    • Thanksgiving & Fertility

     

    Candles can be part of an Imbolc Fertility Ritual

    Imbolc as Fertility Celebration

    Imbolc is a holiday of fire, fertility, and midwifery, and is celebrated on February 1st, which is about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It a celebration of the lengthening of the days.  Although we are not in full spring, we can see it coming.  

    Image of IMbolc or Winter Solstice

    The air may still feel cold, but the longer hours of sun are warming the earth.  The seeds can feel the sun, and are starting to sprout under the dirt- even though it may be a while before they are brave enough to push up into the sunlight.  In some areas the first lambs are starting to be born, a sure sign that spring will return. The word Imbolc literally means “in the belly” in reference to the pregnancy of the ewes- female sheep.

    Take a moment to think about our bodies as the earth.  Just as the earth was cold and dormant during the winter, we too take time in the winter to rest, heal, and recuperate.  But the longer hours of sunlight wake our bodies just as they wake the seeds and the earth.  Our wombs grow warmer, and our eggs grow stronger.  The seed, the fire of fertility, lives within us and is ready for spring!

    Flowers blooming in the snow as a fertility symbol of Imbolc

    If you are trying to conceive, consider celebrating Imbolc/Candlemas/St. Brigid’s day.  Take time to think about the seasons, and to feel the awakening of the fertility to the earth- and yourself!

    In addition to listing some traditional Imbolc rituals, I’ve developed a Fertility Meditation for Imbolc below. I hope you enjoy it!

    *This post contains affiliate links which at no cost to you provide me with some small change to help keep this blog running! If you decide to buy something I recommend, please consider clicking through one of my links to help support this blog and my family!  Thank you!

    Imbolc Fertility Rituals 

    Early Spring Cleaning

    Imbolc is a traditional time to do your spring cleaning. Get out the broom, the vacuum, your scrubbers, and wash away the dust of last year. Make room for the new.  Be sure to clean house in a fertility safe way!  Check out my favorite non-toxic products, or see my article on Cleaning House for Fertility.

    Bulbs pushing up through some late January snow in my yard.

    Bulbs pushing up through some late January snow in my yard.

    Melt Some Snow

    If you live in an area still covered with snow, gather some into a bowl.  If you have a fireplace, light a fire and set the bowl near it.  As the snow melts, imagine all your frustrations melting along with it.  This is your chance to “melt” anything you want to leave behind. Imagine the sun and spring melting the snow, and warming up your own fertile energy.

    Melting Snow as a Fertility Ritual at Imbolc

    Make a Brigid Doll

    Take some straw and fashion it into a little girl. Dress her in white, decorate it with love, and  bring her around the house, inviting a fertility blessing to your home. At night put her in a little makeshift cradle. Here’s a how-to DIY post I found online. I ordered one from Etsy this year.

    Make a Brigid Cross   

    Take some straw and make a Brigid cross.  Hang it on your door as a blessing.  Or, alternatively, order one from Amazon like I did. Learn more about St. Brigid and about Fertility Goddesses.

    We have a Brigid’s cross hanging in out kitchen year-round!

    Enjoy fire

    Make a fire in your fireplace.  Light candles.  Have a bonfire outside.  Spend time making wishes as you watch the flames. One tradition suggests lighting a candle in each room at sunset. You could also just turn a light on in each room at sunset- less of a fire hazard! The heat and warmth awakens the seeds in the earth, and your own fertility.

    fires at imbolc

    Craft

    Now is the time to MAKE something.  Anything.  Quilt. Paint. Scrapbook. Create something- whatever kind of crafting brings you pleasure. Tapping into your own creativity awaken the creation power of your womb. No kidding. There is a great book on this called The Way of the Fertile Soul by Randine Lewis.

    Image result for the way of the fertile soul

    Plant

    Light some candles and plant some special seeds in a pot of dirt.  Nurture the seeds, making sure they get plenty of sunlight and the right amount of water.  Consider moving them to your garden later in the spring. You can watch the plants grow as symbols of your own blossoming fertility.

    planting seedlings as imbolc ritual

    Feast

    While many of the Imbolc feast foods- butter, bread, dairy, and champagne, are not terribly fertility friendly- a roast of lamb with rosemary would be fertility friendly and celebratory.  Spicy curries also bring heat to a cold February night.

    feasting as imbolc ritual

    Make Love

    Preferably in front of a hearth fire with some candles lit.  Happy Imbolc!

    make love as imbolc fertility ritual

    is this the best picture, or what?

    An Imbolc Meditation for Fertility

    Sit outside for this if you can, if not, imagine yourself outdoors.

    Breathe in for 4 counts, and out for 8 counts.  Repeat 3 times.

    Close your eyes.

    Imagine you are walking to a field that has a beautiful view.

    Sit in the middle of the field and look around you at the earth.

    See the earth covered in frost.

    See the sun shining strong and warm upon the earth.

    See a seed buried under the earth, directly under where you sit.

    See it warming, and starting to stir.

    See the seed sprouting, and pushing up through the dirt towards the ground where you sit.

    Feel the warmth coming from the earth and from the sun.

    Place your hands over your womb.

    Feel the warmth and love that surrounds your womb, your ovaries, and your fallopian tubes.

    Feel the energy in your ovaries.

    See the eggs in your ovaries start to stir, filled with the warmth and energy of the sun.

    See a beautiful perfect egg grow on an ovary.

    Breathe in for 4 counts, and out for 8 counts.  Repeat 3 times.
    Be sure to finish the visualization around ovulation time with the egg being released and meeting the sperm! 🙂

    How do you celebrate the seasons? Do you incorporate fertility into your holidays?  Leave a comment and share!

    Simple rituals for fertility during the winter or at the Imbolc celebration

     


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    Anna Rapp
    Website |  + postsBio

    Anna Rapp is a fertility journalist and non-toxic living expert. When Anna Rapp was struggling with infertility and recurrent early miscarriage, she was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve, High FSH, low AMH, low follicle count, endometriosis, and an MTHFR mutation. Despite being told donor eggs were her only solution, Anna used her graduate training in research methods and analysis to read everything she could find on fertility and egg health. Ultimately, she lowered her FSH and got pregnant naturally (twice). She blogs about how she did it and encourages her readers to take charge of their fertility journey and get happy, healthy, and pregnant!

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    Filed Under: Mind-Body Practices for Fertility Tagged With: DIY, empower yourself, experience based, fertile habits, fertility holidays, fertility life, fertility magick, mind-body, wheel of the year

    About Anna Rapp

    Anna Rapp is a fertility journalist and non-toxic living expert. When Anna Rapp was struggling with infertility and recurrent early miscarriage, she was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve, High FSH, low AMH, low follicle count, endometriosis, and an MTHFR mutation. Despite being told donor eggs were her only solution, Anna used her graduate training in research methods and analysis to read everything she could find on fertility and egg health. Ultimately, she lowered her FSH and got pregnant naturally (twice). She blogs about how she did it and encourages her readers to take charge of their fertility journey and get happy, healthy, and pregnant!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kel

      February 01, 2018 at 8:41 am

      I know I’m just finding this a year after you posted it, but what a wonderful post! Thank you so much <3

      Reply
      • Anna

        January 27, 2020 at 9:29 am

        Thank you Kel! So glad you enjoyed this!!

        Reply
    2. Alexis

      February 03, 2021 at 1:56 am

      Love this meditation. I think it’s a sign that I actually had a double (both ovaries) ovulation right on Imbolc this year. Blessed Imbolc!

      Reply

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    Welcome! I’m so glad you are here :-). I’m Anna Rapp, obsessive researcher, fertility journalist, and non-toxic living expert. Through prayer, research, effort, and grit, I got pregnant naturally after the doctors said it wasn’t possible. I write about low-tox, green living, self-care, prayer, and trying to conceive. Stay for a while!

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