You have discovered the ITBC Public Palimpsest Pages; thank you for being here, your presence is appreciated and your Magic In Action will change the world!
~
February | a bridge of seasons
We have fully passed through the threshold of this new year and have stepped foot into February's magic. Announcing her airy arrival in a whisper, how do you find yourself showing up to listen?
If you haven't yet lent her an ear, take that moment now.
Try beginning with a deep nasal breath, exhaling as slowly as possible through pursed lips, almost as if you're blowing through a thin straw. With the stillness between the tail of the exhale and the start of the next sequence, begin to listen for the month's expression: what does your hearing perceive?
|
February is rooted in the Latin word 'februum' meaning "purification," making it a great time to engage in practices which will distill your dreams into actionable steps that will lead you toward realized manifestation.
Are you ready to do the work that will take you there?
This month is suitable for extracting the true substance from your goals: grind them up with all the practicality and will that you can source, boil it down to essence, scrape away to relocate and reuse the impurities that will surface.
Then, what you're left with is your reason to practice.
It's the reason you're here.
It's the way you will change the world.
We can view the four weeks of February as a bridge connecting winter to the coming season; one of shedding, cleansing, and mentally transitioning toward the longer lengths of light, damper days, and coming seeds of spring which will soon rupture through the now-frozen ground. It helps us celebrate the times of the in-between.
So, how will you choose to partake?
Air Magic | breathe, think, speak
Air Magic is in our human Nature. It embodies our breath. It's resides in our mind. It is our speech.
Those who venture IntoTheBroomCloset tend to believe that volition (the power of using one's will) is one of our truest tools, so,
we wonder...
How well do you tend your fountains of embodied Air? What aspects need cutting open so they can be better explored? What should be sliced away this season to make space for the growth, and wetness, of the next? How can you call upon Air to help bridge this moment and the next?
(A word from a Kitchen Witch: sharp knives yield crystalline cuts, and clear cuts heal cleaner.)
|
Breathe: our breath is essential to life, and it is foundationally powerful over the state of mind, body, emotion, and spirit.
For example, take a sharp inhale and hold it only as long as you can; you may experience a sense of urgency, panic, or discomfort in your heart space or greater body.
Now, compare that to taking a slow and steady inhale, sipping in just a little extra at the end, followed by a patient pause and a just-as-fluid exhale, coming to rest in the space after the exhale before engaging in the cycle again.
The two breaths feel very different, don't they?
Practice breathing mindfully and help yourself to more peaceful moments.
|
Think: our mind helps us differentiate via logic, and produces our reality. How can you learn to understand it more truly and deeply? Let's start somewhere... let's start here, and now.
When you find your mind in a one-person race, how can you remind it in the moment that the ultimate finish line is Death (aka transformation), and, perhaps, the present is your most valuable gift?
Observe your inner dialogue during the races, however frequently they happen. Observe in your moments of emotions, all of them.
The good, the bad, the ugly-cry times, the so-ashamed-you-don't-leave-your-cave times, the I-remembered-I'm-the-magic times, the I-CAN-put-my-Magic-In-Action times. All of them.
Watch them like you do an unfamiliar tv show or film, without attachment or investment in the ending.
You're just listening, absorbing, waiting. What is it that's being said? What tone does your inner dialogue speak with, at what pace? Where and when did it come from, who is it's original face?
(If it's not your face that comes to the forefront, there's opportunity for a deeper journey there.)
|
Speak: our speech can cut like a sword, harming all who are hit with our fallen words. But, they can also heal and help someone grow out of a lonely, personal hell.
How do you wield your words, regularly?
When do you keep them sheathed when you ought to let them slice through the situation at hand?
How comfortable are you with the sound of your own voice in different settings? In speaking up for yourself? For someone else?
How often do you feel the need to clear your throat while speaking? When silent?
Who are you using your voice to defend? To discourage? To allow or deny?
|
An unsupported brain without proper oxygen can't function just right, nor can it produce the most beneficial thoughts, which then makes it challenging for fluid and truthful speech.
Tend to your breath, mind and mouth today (and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day...) and help ensure your words don't turn bitter-sweet (which can lead to rot.)
Imbolc |
Imbolc, originating from Old Irish meaning "in the belly," is a cross-quarter celebration marking the half-way point between the winter solstice and spring equinox.
This is a time when animals, especially mammals, begin to swell with offspring and produce the necessary milk to sustain life; it was through observations such as these that ancient people came to recognize, and therefore name, this season of our earth's annual cycle.
These fresh and primal forms of abundance presented after the cold, thin winter encouraged people to celebrate with dairy products, bread, and the blessings of home and livestock.
What food fare and home-based rituals did you relish in for Imbolc 2025? Any plans for next year?
|
Like the winds of winter moving toward spring, the calendar date of this holiday shifts depending on the movement of the astrological bodies; the moment the sun enters 15° of Aquarius, which typically falls on February 1st or 2nd in the northern hemisphere (where this entry is written.)
Traditionally, in Celtic practices where Imbolc originates, sunset marks both the beginning and ending of a celebratory day. And, even in 2025, there are many people that continue this rich tradition, choosing to celebrate Imbolc from the evening of the first through the day of the second.
Did you celebrate on the first? On the second? Both? Neither? Do you call it something different?
(There is no wrong answer here.)
|
In Celtic mythology Imbolc is a celebration that honors the goddess Brigid, who presides over many things, including but not limited to: the Eternal/Sacred Flame, healing and midwifery, poetry and inspiration, sacred wells, and springs.
Brigid's Eternal Flame represents a great many things (concepts of which we see reflected throughout the journey of tarot) including:
The spark of inspiration and creativity
(the entire Suit of Fire/ Wands/ Rods)
The fire of the forge/ transformation
(the fire typically found in The Tower card)
The light of wisdom and learning
(the entire Suit of Air/ Swords/ Needles)
The warmth of healing
(Queen of Fire, Water, and Earth)
The fire of the hearth and home protection
(the entire Suit of Earth/ Pentacles/ Material)
The divine feminine principle
(The Empress, The High Priestess, the Queens of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth)
The continuity between seasons and the returning light of spring at Imbolc
(The Sun, The Wheel of Fortune)
The eternal cycle of death and rebirth in nature
(The Death card, The Magician card, and the Suited Aces of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth)
The city of Kildare in Ireland keeps an Eternal Flame burning to honor Brigid year-round. This particular flame has been burning since it was reignited in 1993 by Sister Mary Teresa Cullen, after the original fire was extinguished during the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in the 1530's; it had burned continuously for centuries prior.
What inner Eternal Flame of yours do you feel has been extinguished due to circumstances of life and conflict? How can you honor, reignite, and maintain that flame once more?
A small spark is all it takes.
Black History Month |
As many readers already know, February is Black History Month.
There are many Black practitioners (of life) who share their stories, histories, cultures, rituals, accomplishments, triumphs, desires, needs, and creations all across every single pantheon, niche, path, and topic that you can fathom...
I challenge you to find and support someone local.
Local here translating to mean:
Black-owned businesses in close physical proximity to you
Black creators sharing on the social apps that you already use
Black authors and artists whose works are featured on your community library shelves
(or better yet, for sale directly from their websites!)
Local is within reach.
Local directly changes lives.
But to change them you must (figuratively!!!) touch them, to do that you must extend a brave and curious hand (gratitude here is the finest grease to keep things going), and help yourself get a grip (on the true reality for millions of Black Americans and People Of Color across the globe!)
|
Being a white/ European American woman and small business owner, I choose to amplify the voices, stories, and businesses of black, brown, and People Of Color (POC) to help create and sustain an environment that is conducive of them receiving the much needed, long-overdue respect, recognition, and rest that they deserve.
This also means that I choose to do the DAILY challenging, uncomfortable work of dismantling my indoctrinated concepts of white supremacy culture, which so prevalently permeates American society.
|
My inner journey of deeper dismantling began when I came across a list on TikTok titled "15 Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture" which was originally shared by Royal Star Mastery (@rsamastery, he's a Solutionary author and teacher, check him out!)
These are the "15 Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture" that enraged my inner fire and made me eager for change immediately after digesting them:
perfectionism
sense of urgency
defensiveness
quantity over quality
worship of the written word
only one right way
paternalism
either/or thinking
power hoarding
fear of open conflict
individualism
"I'm the only one" thinking
progress means bigger and more
objectivity
right to comfort
What kinds of things do these fifteen phrases bring up for you, dear Practitioner?
How strongly do you identify with, or have experienced, each of them?
How many drown or burn down your magic, keeping you stuck in the same phase?
Who, specifically, helped nurture these concepts over time in your psyche?
Where are the roots, and how deep do they run?
How can you uproot these invasive, toxic shoots and use them to enrich the soil of your spirit?
Keep returning to this state of reflection, as these questions require time to land, settle, and sprout.
|
And, connecting with others, who are also doing the inner work to help change the status quo, is part of doing the work.
EAGER is an acronym for the nonprofit European Americans Growing and Engaging Reconditioning, and the work of this group centers around anti-racism and pro-humanity education.
Their 'Pay Your Educator Campaign' highlights an anti-racism educator every Friday to help disseminate their pro-humanity messages, and fundraise on the educator's behalf. You can discover current and past educator highlights on their TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or Substack pages.
Check them out and explore EAGER if your magic moves you in that direction.
|
Thank you, again, for being here with us.
We can, and will, change the status quo.
Until you find our pages next time, keep remembering that you are the magic, and your Magic In Action will change the world (and don't let anyone's apathetic offspring tell you otherwise!)
Resources & Further Research |
February:
Air Magic:
Book- Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor
Imbolc:
Black History Month:
Kommentare