This month is one of my favourite months of the year. In my garden I hear the birds begin to practice their songs, uncertain but hopeful, starting their mating rituals and beginning their nest building. There are signs of life peeping from the cold earth as the Snowdrops pierce the soil and the hellebores, Daffodils and Tulips push out new bright green growth. February is a month of small miracles. The days are still cold, the air still sharp, but something has shifted. The light lingers a little longer in the evenings. This is not spring yet – but it is the promise of spring.

February carries the energy of Imbolc (meaning in the belly), The transition from Crone to Maiden and marks the beginning of spring, occurring halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. It is a fire festival of purification, light, and the first signs of new life, historically honouring the Celtic goddess Brigid, which starts on the 1st of February and ends on the 2nd of February. Brigid is the keeper of sacred wells and holy flames, the one who warms the world back into life, she is the goddess of:

• fire and hearth
• creativity and craft
• healing and renewal

In old traditions, this was a time of lighting candles in every room, blessing tools and homes, cleaning and clearing after winter, as in the ‘Spring Clean’ and welcoming inspiration back into the body. Interestingly, St. Brigid, a Christian saint of Ireland is also celebrated on the 1st February and much of her story and ritual is interwoven with the pagan Brigid, including the Brigid Cross   which is a traditional Irish cross, usually woven from rushes or straw, symbolizing protection and Spring made on her feast day (Feb 1st) to ward off fire, evil, and illness from homes and livestock, featuring four arms and a woven centre, blending pagan sun worship with Christian symbolism.

Candlemas, celebrated on February 2nd, is another Christian ritual marking the 40th day of Christmastide. Known as a “festival of lights,” it traditionally involves blessing church candles, the end of the Christmas season, and weather-related folklore, it is said that if Candlemas is sunny and bright, a long winter follows, while rain or clouds signify an early spring. 14th February is also Saint Valentine’s Day, a global festival of Love and possible stems from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, though Saint Valentine’s Day did not really become associated with Love until somewhere in the 14th or 15th Century.  There is a lot happening in February, new growth, lots of celebrations, many awareness campaigns like Black History Month, LGBTQ+ and many more and it is also the time when the Studio Pottery starts to get busy.

In the Studio

February always feels like a turning point in my work. After a month of planning in January and recharging my batteries, I am eager to get my hands back into squidgy clay. My hands remember movement again. New ideas begin to surface after the long stillness of January.

Currently I am busy making a new series of jugs and vases which you will see soon on my social media posts and hopefully, if the kiln gods and goddesses are kind, you will be able to purchase at the end of next month at my first shop drop! I am excited with my new sculptural garden pieces, and I have just finished the Maiden, Mother and Crone and now I am busy completing the Elementals. Finally, am developing some new ideas around boxes and containers. My friends all know that I have a love of boxes and I collect miniature pill boxes and small containers – I just love them so much.

This is when I bless my tools, even if only quietly in my own way. A moment of gratitude for clay, fire, water, and time. Pottery, like the season, returns through repetition: wedging, throwing, drying, firing, over and again, each cycle bringing something new. February reminds us that hope does not arrive loudly, It comes as a flicker, a spark in the dark, a single green shoot in cold soil. But once the light returns, it never truly leaves again. May this month bring you gentle inspiration, warm hands, and purposeful beginnings.

A Small February Ritual

A simple Imbolc-inspired ritual:

1. Light a candle or sit near a window at sunrise.
2. Write down three things you want to invite into your life this year.
3. Place the paper somewhere safe – under a plant pot, in a box, or in a book.
4. Once a month revisit your list and check in with yourself and see your progress, what needs tending? Just like seeds, your intentions will eventually flourish.