February Notebook: All is Bright

Brisk air, clean light and Japanese snow monkeys

Hello,

Welcome to a fresh new month.

And actually, fresh is the perfect word for February.

There’s something about this month that just feels very brisk.

I think it’s to do with the shortness of the month and also the amount of light we gain each day. At the start of the month here in London, UK, we will have 9 hours and 10 mins of daylight a day; by the end of the month we will have 10 hours and 50 minutes of daylight. That’s a real leap.

The wheel is turning and bringing us out of our Winter hibernation.

Last year I wasn’t quite ready for it, I stayed in my hibernation cave right into March, so if you feel like doing the same, full permission given. But this year I can feel all that solar energy charging me up and I’m really excited for the month ahead.

So in this newsletter, we’ll be - briskly - embracing all that February has to offer, looking for early signs of Spring, making plans and celebrating the return of the light.

Who’s with me?

Photo by 8kka ame on Unsplash

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Things to love about February

1. Early signs of spring

Although this month can still be really cold, if you look carefully all the tiny markers of very early spring are there. Buds are appearing on fruit trees, yellow Hazel catkins are clustering on Hazel trees and snowdrops and hellebores are quietly pushing though on the ground.

A change is coming and isn’t it just a lovely feeling knowing that the whole year stretches out ahead of us, full of potential…

2. Imbolc celebrations

February begins with the ancient Celtic spring festival of Imbolc on February 1st, which focuses on light, energy and renewal. It’s a lovely festival, full of new life and light. And lemon cake.

One of four ancient Celtic seasonal festivals, Imbolc marked the start of the lambing season and celebrated the return of the light. As a cleansing and purifying festival, it offers a chance to brush away the cobwebs of winter and refresh ourselves for the year ahead.

If you fancy finding out more about it I sent a bumper Imbolc newsletter last Feb, which is packed with info and ideas on how to celebrate it. There are some lovely recipes in there too, so please do have a browse.

And here’s an Imbolc Ambient music soundtrack for you to listen to this month too.

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February Folklore

Did you know, the name February comes from the Latin word februa, which means “to cleanse.”

In the Ancient Roman calendar, February was the month for purification and cleansing. Predictably they did it in a really bloodthirsty manner (lots of sacrifice and whipping) but if you leave the violence out of it, the intention - for a fresh start and new beginning - is probably one we can all recognise.

So if you feel drawn to bathe, cleanse or purify your life in any way, that makes sense - you’re simply following in the footsteps of the Ancient Romans.

Or possibly a Japanese Snow Monkey. If you need a lift, please do watch this video of a Japanese macaque enjoying a hot bath on a cold day. It’s the mood I’ll be channeling all month.

Photo by Steven Diaz on Unsplash

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Ok, that’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed your February newsletter and I hope you have a wonderful month filled with warm baths, brisk walks and early spring festivities.

Now it’s over to you to share your February rituals and traditions in the Comments. I’m really interested to know if anyone else loves February and if so what your rituals and traditions look like?

I’ll see you next month for a March edition of the Monthly Notebook. We’ll be celebrating the Spring Equinox which is a very lovely festival indeed. Look forward to seeing you there.

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Vicky xx

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