Brigid is one of the oldest figures in Celtic spiritual life, not a distant goddess of myth, but a living presence woven into land, survival, and daily ritual. Long before she became Saint Brigid, she was honoured as keeper of the hearth fire, guardian of healing knowledge, and protector of thresholds. Her role was practical, embodied, and relational. She tended what was fragile while it became strong. Imbolc sits naturally within her domain. It marks the seasonal midpoint between winter solstice and spring equinox, a time when the earth has not yet changed on the surface, but life has already begun to stir underneath. Historically, this was a festival of tending rather than celebration, of milk and lambing, warmth and protection, quiet continuity rather than visible growth. Imbolc is an ancient Celtic festival marking the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It is traditionally observed on 1 February, with some observance extending into 2 February. Imbolc is associated with the first stirrings of life beneath the surface. It is a time of tending, protection, and quiet preparation rather than visible growth. In Celtic lands, this period was linked to lambing, the return of milk, and the gradual lengthening of days. The land is still wintered, but something has already begun to move. Imbolc honours early light, inner fire, and the patience required to nurture what is not yet ready to bloom.This is why Imbolc rituals were never about calling things in. They were about safeguarding what was already forming. Brigid’s fire was not a blaze, but a steady flame that stayed lit through cold months and long nights. A simple way to honour this energy is to light a single candle in the evening and sit with it for a few minutes, without intention setting or outcome seeking. Notice what in you feels tender, unfinished, or quietly alive. Ask what it needs in order to be protected over the coming weeks. Let the answer be practical rather than symbolic. Imbolc reminds us that not all spiritual work is expansive. Some of it is about staying, tending, and trusting the slow intelligence of becoming. Brigid teaches that transformation happens through care, patience, and steadiness, not force.

https://open.substack.com/pub/drtracyspiritualemergence/p/imbolc-the-snow-moon-and-why-this?r=38jyad&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay

Most stress patterns show up as everyday experiences. Feeling on edge without knowing why. Functioning well while feeling internally tense. Crashing after holding it together. Wanting to rest but finding it hard to switch off. These are not signs that something is wrong. They are signs that your nervous system has been working hard. I have shared a short slide deck here that explains, in simple language, how the nervous system responds to stress and why the body often reacts before the mind understands. It also includes a few gentle, everyday practices you can try if you want to feel a little calmer, without forcing relaxation or self-improvement. You can click the link to view the slides or download the PDF and explore it in your own time. There is no right pace and no need to do everything. Even understanding what your body has been doing can be regulating in itself. Think of this as an introduction, not a programme. A way to begin listening to your nervous system rather than pushing it. https://gamma.app/docs/The-Body-Knows-First-Nervous-System-Safety-Vagal-Tone-and-Why-Hea-im7vgoak5wpgn7p

What will you do? …

I want to share two concepts that are often talked about together, but they are not the same thing, and they serve different functions for the nervous system. The first is slowing down expectations. Many women are living with expectations that were formed in periods of high functioning, survival, or chronic responsibility. When life changes, stress accumulates, or the body becomes depleted, those expectations often remain unchanged. The nervous system then experiences a constant mismatch between what is being demanded and what is actually available. This mismatch keeps the system in a state of threat. Over time, it contributes to self criticism, shame, emotional reactivity, and burnout. Slowing down expectations is important because it reduces demand on the nervous system. It lowers the baseline level of pressure, allowing the body to move out of constant mobilisation. Without this reduction, the system often cannot settle enough to recover. The second concept is improving vagal tone. Vagal tone refers to the nervous system’s capacity to regulate, recover, and remain flexible in the presence of stress. A well functioning vagal system supports emotional regulation, social engagement, digestion, sleep, and the ability to return to calm after activation. Improving vagal tone does not remove stress from life. Instead, it increases the body’s capacity to tolerate stress without becoming overwhelmed. This is especially important for women, who are often expected to absorb emotional, relational, and practical demands without adequate recovery. Both concepts are necessary, but they work in different ways. Slowing down expectations reduces the load placed on the nervous system. Improving vagal tone increases the system’s capacity to meet that load. If expectations are reduced without strengthening regulation, life can begin to feel fragile or constricted. If vagal tone is strengthened without reducing pressure, the nervous system may still remain overstretched. When demand and capacity are better matched, the nervous system is more likely to stabilise. Self-criticism tends to soften, emotional regulation improves, and change becomes more sustainable rather than forced.