It’s February. February is my tough month. I suspect everyone, alright, most people, have a tough month. For whatever reason, some months just seem to be more challenging than others. For me, it’s February. Memories. Deaths. Losses. February is filled with them for me.
Several years ago I began to befriend February. May be I finally listened to my dad, “That which does not kill you makes you stronger.” May be I was just super tired of holding on to the February angst. I no longer remember the catalyst, and that doesn’t seem important anymore. Now, I find appreciation in February. Lotus #2 Place is heightened in February and helps me remember the sweet spot where the human experience and the landscape are one. And, it reminds me to listen to this wonderful place. I simply need to step out side and be, and I can find all that I need to lift up February for me.
I now understand that February is the month where the divine feminine and the divine masculine present their union so clearly. Fire and water. Shadow and light. Cold and warm. Dormancy and growth. Earth and sky. Sun and Moon. Boredom and inspiration. Fullness and emptiness. Being and doing. Receiving and creating. This divine union is everything.
February is still a challenge but it’s different now. I feel things in my body more intensely during this month. Emotions. The flavor of food. Cold on my face. My bare feet on the Earth. The slow returning of the light. I have made peace with the challenge of February and have all sorts of rituals at my fingertips to help me manage my response to February. Here is how I look after myself in February…..
Our story for February is: The Candles by Hans Christian Andersen (1870) which we read surrounded by candlelight and a glowing fireplace as a sign of the returning sunlight.
Our ritual is: Candlemas and Imbolc. They fall on the cross quarter day between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox – the middle of winter in this place I live. A day where the the solstice and equinox are in balance, in union. Candlemas and Imbolc are linked together in their origins and we have built our own family rituals around them that ground us in time, place, and spirit. With Candlemas we thank and celebrate our candles for all they have done getting us through the dark days of deep winter, and Imbolc is a celebration of the awakening of the land from its winter sleep and the return of the sunlight. Both are about the transition from dark to light, from dormancy to growth.
Pancakes or Crepes and Chamomile Tea for dinner followed by Rice Pudding or Creme Brûlée afterwards. Blessing our hearth with a hearth oil made for the day. Clearing our path into the new sunlight by cleaning and purging of that which is no longer necessary throughout the house. Adventuring outside. Beginning to lay out our plan for this year’s garden. It’s a day that is both nurturing and comforting as well as filled with anticipation and excitement of what is to come.
What we make: Hearth Oil.
- 1 drop Cinnamon Bark Cinnamomum zeylanicum essential oil
- 2 drops Sandalwood Santalum album essential oil
- 4 drops Lavender Lavandula angustifolia essential oil
- 1 drop Jasmine Jasminum grandiflorum essential oil
- 1 drop Rose Rosa x damascena essential oil
- 2 drops Frankincense Boswellia carterii essential oil
- 1 drop Scotch Pine Pinus sylvestris essential oil
- 1 tablespoon Solubol (because we use our hearth oil as a spray)
According to Aromahead Institute:
- Cinnamon – Supports lessening stress and increasing feelings of optimism
- Sandlawood – Supports meditation, inner unity, quiet mental activity
- Lavender – Calms, soothes, nurtures, and encourages balance in all body systems
- Jasmine – Supports comfort within oneself
- Rose – Soothes and heals the heart, brings a feeling of love
- Frankincense – Supports reflection, introspection, tranquility, and quiets the mind
- Pine – Calming yet uplifting while helping to improve air quality
We use the hearth oil to anoint our hearth as we say a blessing/prayer of thanks. This is the perfect blend for how our family interacts with our hearth. Our hearth is the heart center of our home. It provides a warm space for us to gather, relax, recharge, even enjoy a meal. The essential oils in this spray support this quieting, relaxing, uplifting, harmonious environment.
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