birthing time.

imbolc has always been the time of the most spiritual pain and testing of the year for me. as i type this i feel a pressure like metal against my heart. if i could dread a pagan holiday it would be this one, but it is a necessary part of the wheel. the dark and cold and pressure and breaking are necessary for life. i understand and feel the underlying value and necessity of this discomfort. i've tried to embrace this holiday, i even have a faery art print honoring this time, with a hushing faery over a hatching dragon egg, mushrooms and late winter foliage around them. it's so beautiful. but it is no use - imbolc always hurts.