Imbolc came draped in a white coat of snow, the first of this year, as if Brigid, the Celtic fire Goddess wanted to give us a last instant perspective or simply bless the dormant seeds in the ground.
The snow was gone completely by morning, swept away by Southern winds. They brought with them a myriad of questions. Those thoughts dressed in ‘beginning of a new year’ kind of clothes.
They come like tiny speckles of dust and they set on one’s mind, so you don’t even realize when you feel heavy with a layer as hard as rock.
And with the hopes of spring upon you, you start digging out old ideas and new ones, airing the soil and weeding away, preparing for the oaks that will grow out of your will, to make this year a significant one.
I always loved oaks. No wonder the Celts respected them so much and all their major ceremonies conducted by the Druids took place under an old oak. There is a certain comfort one feels near it, a sort of ‘everything is going to be fine’ energy.
So digging away in my mind’s garden while sorting through photographs, I recalled the strong sensation of invincibility I experienced when I came upon this majestic oak tree growing out of a rock. It almost symbolizes the whole island of Corsica – a magic land of scents and vistas on top of a rock in the sea. Could there be a better illustration of determination?
It’s funny how nature never fails to be the parent showing us the way…. I am not afraid of ideas falling on hard rock any more – preconception, social norms and resistance to change. If the seed of an oak is contained in them, it will grow no matter what.