Ah, February. I must ask, where is your heart and mind? I wonder?

In the past, at the beginning of February, celebrations have been held honoring fertility and the 'strengthening' of the light, such as the Celtic fire ceremony called Imbolc. In our American culture, instead of Imbolc, we chose to celebrate Ground Hog Day. This is a ‘rite of prediction,’ determining what the weather will be like for the next 6 weeks—winter still or spring around the corner. But isn’t ‘seeing’ into the future the work of the ‘devil?’  I wonder if the same ones that recognize Ground Hog Day are the same ones that would consider Imbolc (pagan, always a nasty word) going against the teachings of the bible? I wonder?

I wonder… if people realize that Ground Hog Day is a very watered down version of an old European celebration that honored the emergence of ‘new life.’ Whereas Imbolc celebrated the mid-point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and the fertility that it brings. The ancient ‘bear cultures’ of Europe and Japan honored the coming out of the bear from its winter hibernation—re-emerging from the womb of the earth. Sounds like a fertility celebration to me. The idea for Ground Hog Day derived from these celebrations of animals leaving their winter ‘dens.’

I wonder—what makes more sense—Imbolc/Bear Celebrations or Ground Hog Day? 

Where we live, there are bears around as well as cougars and coyotes. But I’m wondering about originating a new festival. One to honor fertility and the return of fire and light. And passion—the passion of and for life, not the drudgery of life exemplified by working for the sole purpose of consuming more—the bigger the items, the better, from cars to houses.

I call this new festival—the Dance of the Eagles. We have a nesting pair of eagles near our home. Beginning at the end of January into February—they dance in the air. And that blue clad ballet is a mating dance. Last year 5 other eagles arrived to play and passionize (I believe a new word) with the nesting pair. Their ballet of passion and life reached its crescendo on Valentines Day—maybe Saint Valentine was an eagle admirer.

The Dance of the Eagles vs. Ground Hog Day. Your choice to honor life, passion and fertility and the 'strengthening' of light or, well, what can I say, the majority of Americans will be working any way. I think their choice is obvious.

How could I forget? At this time of the year, there is another celebration more majestic than Ground Hog Day. And it does seem to be going the way of fertility rites… you guessed it—the Super Bowl.

I do wonder?