I celebrate Imbolc on February 4^th – halfway between Yule and the Spring Equinox. It is when we first really notice the lengthening of the days. The Ewes are pregnant and lactating and candles and fires are lit to celebrate the strengthening sun and fertile earth – seeds are sown. The Godess Brigit/Bride will be passing by with her cow this evening, and I have poured milk into the bare earth for them to ensure fertility and a good growing year – and more milk!

Here is a story I wrote a few years ago following an Imbolc dream:

Message from Elk - A Medicine Dream

I was somewhere on holiday in the North-West of Scotland, perhaps on one of the islands. I left the hotel to go and watch the burning of the "skirries". These appear to have been some small haystacks which were set on fire in the early morning near the coast. As I set out for the skirries, I saw them smoking and burning in the distance. The smoke blew over me and then I suddenly realised that I was looking at a large herd of elk. They were slowly wandering across a plain with snowy mountains beyond. I then saw that I was some sort of large cat hiding in a broken down cabin. I could see that I had a grey-brown face and similar features to a domestic cat only much larger. I could not be seen by the elks.

One of the larger elks, a bull elk if there is such a thing, came towards me and I could see that he had spotted me hiding in my broken-down cabin. I did not move. He came very near to me and I could see that he was exceedingly big with large horns and a very angry expression. Elk spoke to me. "If I could get at you", he said, "I would hit you hard on the nose and kick you in the stomach!" I did not move - I did not flinch; all I thought was "I have only come to watch." Elk stared at me aggressively for a bit longer, then he went back to join the herd. I awoke.

I don't know whether you have ever been spoken to by an animal before but for me this was unusual. I had only experienced it on one occasion previously and I had failed to record it so have no memory now of which animal it was or what the message was. On this occasion I decided that I would record the dream and I would also try to find out what it was telling me. I realised that the animals in my dream were in some ways part of my own psyche and that the message had to do with some form of imbalance in my life at this time.

The dream was somehow strengthened in my mind because it had occurred on the morning of Imbolc, the pagan Festival of Renewal, otherwise known as Candlemas. I consulted Kenneth Meadows's book, Shamanic Experience (Element Books, 1991) and found the following information. "On the yearly cycle, the days around the times of the eight seasonal festivals of the ancient peoples of the northern hemisphere are also potentially fruitful times to connect with the unseen forces. Imbolc - around 2nd February, was the Festival of Renewal, an occasion for cleansing and purification in preparation for fresh approaches." In my own mind Candlemas also has to do with light, and marks a period of the year when we first notice that the days are getting longer and the nights shorter.

I decided to investigate the meaning of the cat-like creature in my dream and of the elk. Again I consulted the same book. Although I had previously read the section on Imbolc, I had not read anything on the so-called "power" or "medicine" animals. I concluded that the cat-like creature was some form of mountain lion or cougar because this would fit in with the context of elks in what seemed to be a North American geographical setting. To quote from Shamanic Experience:

"Cougar

Cougar is the mountain lion of western North America, Mexico and Central and South America, and is also known as the puma. It has a handsome cat-like face and a smooth and graceful body, with tawny-tan and grey colouration. As a power animal, cougar encourages you to take charge of any troubling situation and to use your powers of leadership to influence events. It urges you to overcome your uncertainty and aloofness by accepting personal responsibility, and thus generate positive action. Cougar provides strength, determination and foresight, and an assurance that right action leads to right results. It is endeavouring to show you how to be your own leader.

"Elk

Elk stresses friendship and co-operation - the sense of unity that comes from belonging to a group or community. It emphasizes the need to establish relationships. If you are engaged in some kind of competitive activity, whether in your working life or in a personal relationship, you may feel threatened or under pressure. You need some equilibrium. Elk shows the value of friendships and of sharing your interests and experiences with others. Elk stresses the importance of finding time for refreshment and reflection, and of renewing one's strength. Elk has to do with stamina and the need to go to those of the same gender for support."

Now the message is clear! The dream is indeed telling me something that I need to know, something that I need to act upon. It would appear that my individuality has become too great recently and it may well have threatened some of the communities that I operate in, including family and work. It would seem that Elk is telling me, Cougar, to stop rocking the boat and being a threat to various communities. He is telling me to lie low and that if I intrude any further I will come to harm.

I mused upon the significance of this message in terms of my current life and realised that it needed my full attention. In the last few weeks I have found myself being over assertive in my family and at work, and indeed a friend told me recently that I have been uncompromising and overbearing. A colleague at work also suggested that my responses to Health Service changes needed to be co-ordinated and linked with the responses of others rather than communicated individually.

Thank you Elk for your message! I will listen and perhaps, with a little help from my friends and family, I will withdraw my individualistic approach seen by others as unhelpful and aggressive. The fact that your message was give to me at Imbolc adds to its strength and I shall in future pay particular attention to this and other seasonal festivals when, indeed, it does seem that the times are auspicious for connecting with the "unseen forces"!

Sandy Burnfield,

Imbolc, 2.2.92.