Table of Contents

• Hello & Intro

• Imbolc, how we can Celebrate Together

• Dear Joy: Your Personal Questions Answered

• Special Dates and Celebrations This Week

• Coven Share: How do you do you?

• Thanks & What’s Upcoming?

Hello & Intro

Hello there,

I'm brimming with excitement to connect with you again this week, especially with Imbolc just around the corner. I've refreshed my sacred space in honour of the season and included a guide on creating your own sacred space in this week's closer look at celebrating the Earth's cycles together.

As we welcome the beginning of Spring, it's incredible to witness the first healthy shoots emerging from the warming earth—both literally and metaphorically. This is the time of visible beginnings, a chance to celebrate growth and renewal in all its forms.

In this week's Dear Joy, I address the difference between fate and destiny, sharing my understanding of these concepts and how they apply to interpreting a Tarot reading. I hope it will bring clarity and ease to the seeker and anyone else pondering these profound ideas.

Let’s step into this new season together, with wonder and intention.

Imbolc, how we can Celebrate Together

This week, we’re exploring Imbolc (pronounced im-olk), one of the eight sacred celebrations in the Wheel of the Year. Let’s uncover its relevance for our lives today and how we can celebrate it meaningfully.

Though Imbolc falls next week, I’m sharing this now to allow time for preparation. I’d love to hear your thoughts and include them in a future reader's share. Lunar Imbolc is celebrated on the first full moon between Winter Solstice (Yule) and Spring Equinox (Ostara), while Calendar Imbolc is traditionally observed on 1st February. This year’s new moon on 29th January, coinciding with Chinese New Year, offers a potent opportunity to align with these energies.

The Meaning of Imbolc

Imbolc, the second celebration in the Wheel of the Year, marks the halfway point between Yule—the darkest day of the year—and Ostara, where day and night stand in perfect balance. This Cross-Quarter fire festival signifies the Earth’s energetic peak as it begins to shift towards spring. The name "Imbolc" translates to “in the belly of the Mother,” symbolising the stirring seeds of spring within Mother Earth, while "oimelc" refers to ewe’s milk, a nod to the nurturing energy of this time.

The festival is also known as Saint Brigid’s Day, dedicated to both the Goddess and the Saint, the only woman I know of who became both. Brigid’s association with fertility, creativity, and the hearth is a powerful reminder of the transformative energy available to us during Imbolc.

Signs of Spring

Imbolc is the time to notice early signs of spring—crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths, and snowdrops breaking through the earth. The light is returning, and its effects are becoming visible in nature and within ourselves. This is a potent time to reflect on new beginnings and align our actions with the energy of growth and renewal.

Harnessing the Energy of Imbolc

The element of Imbolc is air, representing inspiration, change, and movement. It’s an ideal moment to refine intentions, revisit what you released during Solstice, and take meaningful steps towards your intentions. Continue your Journal, add to your vision board, or meditate on your dreams for the year ahead.

A simple way to honour Imbolc is by lighting a candle. If each of us were to light one, together we’d illuminate a whole community, reflecting the interconnectedness of our shared energy.

Sacred Space and Reflection

Refresh your sacred space by cleansing it with salt and herbs, establish the four directions: Air in the East (feather or bell), Fire in the South (candle or incense), Water in the West (bowl of water), Earth in the North (a stone or crystal), and Spirit at the centre (a special candle). Let this space serve as a sanctuary for reflection and manifestation.

As a hedge witch, my entire home feels like a sacred space, imbued with magick and intention. Every object carries energy—ask yourself what in your environment no longer serves you and what could better support your growth?

Celebrating Your Way

There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to celebrate Imbolc—only what feels right for you. Whether you take a walk in nature, as a group or with us in mind, light a candle, or simply offer a moment of gratitude, know that even the smallest actions ripple outward and return to you threefold.

You are already enough, simply by being here. Pause to honour yourself and the energy of this sacred season.

Gratitude and Community

With heartfelt thanks to Glennie Kindred, whose work continues to inspire and guide me, and to my son for helping me share these reflections with you, my community.

Dear Joy: Your Personal Questions Answered

On my Etsy shop JoyWellnessWitch my practice is open to the whole world. I'm very grateful to the openness and connection I have with my clients. Each week I'll be sharing someone's energetic queries and my intuitive advice.

Special Dates and Celebrations This Week

TUE 21st Waning quarter lunar magick is perfect for release, reflection, and closure. It’s a time to let go of negative habits, toxic relationships, or anything that no longer serves your higher purpose. This phase also encourages introspection, allowing you to prepare for new beginnings as the moon cycle approaches renewal.

Coven Share: How do you do you?

We feel good as we connect with our world and our tribe, the way I celebrate the cycles of the year and being connected to the elements may look very different to you, please share your practice with me, we grow as a community and how you celebrate may really inspire others, This is your space to fill.

Following on from last week's vision boards alchemy, I love this week's share. This is a mindful doodle but it incorporates the five elements Earth, Fire, Air, Water and Spirit, it shows a clear intention of editing life down to what's important and family or close community. It also looks like it's stuck to the front of her fridge which is definitely a great position to let its vibes be absorbed daily into manifestation.

If you have a picture of how you appreciate nature, celebrate the cycles of the year or of your practice please share them with me, I will only be able to pick one that I feel best represents this time, but I’d love to know how you are getting along. Please say if you'd like an anonymous share or if you're happy for me to use your name and location in the world.

Thanks & What’s Upcoming?