Apparently it is Sports Bowl Day. I have not the faintest interest in who wins. We are, however, going to my sister's house for a gathering and birthday celebrations. My sister and brother in law both have birthdays at the end of January, so since none of us have a strong interest beyond the half-time show, we're going to eat cake. Before this day, I enjoyed a whole week of migraine free bliss and fantastic dreams leading up to Imbolc.
7 days, no migraines. It was exactly like that, goats.
Imbolc is really one of my favorites of the year. I look forward to it because the sun is starting to rise as I am going to work instead of finally being up by the end of first period. The sun off the snow is a brilliant radiance. I love the idea of Brigid being the all encompassing deity. She rules all realms and guides everyone from metal workers to poets. Truly a remarkable woman who couldn't quite be eliminated in the transition of world views. I'm really not in the whole belief of deities mind you, but Brigid is an interesting one to me. She rather reminds me of all the beauty around us and the strength of female presence in the world. She's really one of those whose mythology would be fascinating to delve into more deeply.
Yessiree, Stephen. Nerds rule!
Anyway, because she covers so much of life and embodies a lot of what I aspire to, I feel connected to this time of year. I have had vivid dreams this week. Some might say it's the convergence of Imbolc, full moon, eclipse, and blue moon energies all coming together, but who knows? It could just have been my brain functioning on another level since the migraines had abated for a whole week.
7 days. Just gonna keep saying that. 7 Days.
I've had some truly amazing dreams this week. One involved humpback whales. I swear: One day I will see them up close and personal. Until then, dreams like the one I had this week will have to suffice. I and some other nameless people were walking along on a two lane road that wound on the very edge of the water. Suddenly, I saw whales in the narrow strait. They were so close we could touch them and see their knowing eyes as they looked back curiously at us looking dumbfounded at them. It was one of those breathtaking dream moments. I saw one breach off in the distance, but one dove in front of me and waved its tail at me. I got playfully splashed, too. I was giddy. I awoke from that feeling so free and at peace. Of course, later that day I looked up whale symbolism in dreams. A tail of a whale means that you are emotionally balanced. Ha! I laughed out loud...perhaps a snort, too.
Can you even conceive of how glorious this would be IRL?
This week is also the anniversary of Poofus' death. I miss that guy. He was a wonderful familiar and friend. I always find myself thinking about him around Imbolc. I came home Friday and paused to gaze at his burial place in the herb garden. The day he died was awful and traumatic. It makes me a little anxious about losing any of our current three fur buddies, two of whom are very senior in age. But Poof visited my dreams this week. I felt him quite closely and we played with his favorite feather toy. He rolled in nip and got it all over his soft, gray-black fur. We cuddled and played and then he was gone. I called for him, but I knew he had left. I awoke being thankful for the dream time together, but still feeling the loss of him in our home.
Love you, Grumpy Ol' Man.
Another evening this week, I fell asleep considering my own dreams; not the slumbering kind, the "what do you want to do" kind. As I drifted off, I thought about how lovely it would be to travel the world and study dance. I have no interest in formal dance like jazz or ballet, but I think folkloric dance would be the ultimate dream job. Different rhythms, different intents, different costumes, and different cultures. Ah! How lovely it would be. Not performing or getting accolades or being accused of appropriation, but true immersion into a culture to understand the role of dance in their lives. I saw a meme once about how a person went to the healer and said she was depressed, lost. The healer's response was to ask when she stopped dancing. I love that idea. Dancing is good for the heart and freeing for the mind. Both in dream and in reality, dance is the time I feel most at peace with myself and the world around me. It's presence out of time and place. Just like a dream.
Ah! To see through your eyes, Vincent. Sublime.
I suppose until we win the lottery or decide fuck it! and pull up stakes, this is where we are together; not some dreamworld where whales, Poofus, and dance envelop us. That's ok. I will listen to "Here Comes the Sun" by George Harrison, light a candle in each room, and let my dreams flow in the river of time and space during the season of Imbolc. It can carry me wherever it sees fit and sustain me through the season to come. While I can't bring Poofus back, I can plan for the whale watching and the dance trips to other countries. Until then, dreams can take me where I need to go.
That's OK, Moose. If you don't want to dance, you don't have to.
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