What's the Weather ⛈ Where You Are?

Witchy Wisdom
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I was thinking earlier today about the story of the Cailleach (KAL-ee-ack) and Imbolg. It is a similar tale to that of Groundhog Day in which the weather predicts the coming seasonal shift. For those of us here in the states, Groundhog Day is a popular observance. Although many states have adopted their own Groundhog, the “Official” groundhog of Groundhog Day is Punxsutawney Phil.

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According to Wikipedia, “it derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks; but if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early.”

In Irish folktales, there is the story of the Cailleach (KAL-ee-ack). It is said that She is a Goddess of Winter, but where She comes to my mind is in the prediction of the duration of Winter and the coming of Spring.

Known as the Veiled One and the Queen of Winter, The Cailleach controlled the weather and the winds. Popular among poets, the divine hag remains prominent across Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Source

It is said that on Imbolg, the Cailleach runs out of firewood :fire: to keep Her hearth warm and dry. If the weather on Imbolg (or February 1st) is warm or has clear skies :sun_with_face: we know that She will be able to gather more firewood for Her home, thus prolonging the cold :snowflake: Winter season. If the skies are cloudy, it is raining, or the weather is otherwise unfavorable, the Cailleach will not be able to gather more firewood and will have to give way to the coming of Spring.

So, what is the weather like where you live?

Here in Central Florida, we had a beautiful rainstorm last night – the first one of the season. This is a good omen to me and tells me that Spring is on its way! It has also been very, very windy today with a lot of clouds covering the sky. This is just another sign for me that Imbolg is here, Spring has sprung, and Lady Brigid roams the earth!

Is it raining where you are? Is it cold? Or is the weather perfect?

If you are looking for more information on the Cailleach, you might find these links helpful!

:fire: An Cailleach - the Irish goddess of the winter and following her trail in Ireland
:fire: Cailleach - Mythopedia
:fire: Legends of Imbolc and the Cailleach
:fire: Cailleach – Winter Goddess

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We are having a nor’easter of sorts here. It’s been dark, snowy, sleet, rain, windy & cold here. All around yucky day today. So, I guess Spring is on its way here!

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We had snow on and off all day today. Not enough to stick really, at least not much, but enough to make things slick and the wind colder than heck. It’s supposed to snow tonight too, but no one is sure how much. I don’t think the weather people know! LOL.

It’s going to be cloudy so I don’t think the groundhog will see his shadow, so that means an early spring. Although as cold as it is, I wouldn’t come out of my burrow at all if I was him!

Hope everyone is staying safe and warm!

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Most of the times it is always warm here but today was not only sunny :sun_with_face:but had an extra heat of warmth to it :thinking: which made me question what day it was. We also have a few scattered showers :sun_behind_rain_cloud: from my path of the island :desert_island: base on the slight change of the temperate, I know Spring is definitely here.

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Mines was hot and sunny today after many rainy nights and cold windy days lol

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It’s been cold here in Manitoba, warmer today though. Still lots of snow and ice and you have to be careful driving. I’m in a pretty good mood for Spring. :slight_smile:

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This was fascinating to read about- I love to see how modern happenings like Groundhog Day are influenced from earlier traditions :heart_eyes: Thank you for sharing your holiday wisdom, @MeganB!

Cloudy skies yesterday in Warsaw with a bitter cold night- it’s still cloudy today but the sun is peeking through :sun_behind_small_cloud:. I guess the weather here likes to keep us guessing :laughing:

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Here in New York, had a blizzard over 13inches of snow.
Update: we got over 16 inches…

So I guess an early spring.! ( Nope! Doesn’t look like it! Lol)20210201_183041_HDR|666x500

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Here, there is a huge snow storm!

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Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words…

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UPDATE: 9:11 am SUN JUST POPPED OUT!!! Broken cloud cover.

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Seems like some people are having good weather and some are not. I thought it might be fun to divide it up and see where we are so far and maybe we can predict if Spring will come early for us here in the Northern Hemisphere!

:cloud_with_lightning_and_rain: Bad Weather :cloud_with_lightning_and_rain:
@MeganB (rain, wind, and clouds)
@Susurrus (snow, rain, wind, and cold)
@Amethyst (snow, cloudy, and cold)
@colin (snow and ice, but warm)
@BryWisteria (cloudy and cold)
@walter (blizzard)
@christina4 (snow storm)
@berta (snow)
@Abs53 (snow)
@Kasandra (snowing)
@robin77 (Florida Cold)
@vanessa13 (rain)
Phil the Groundhog says 6 more weeks of winter!

:sunny: Good Weather :sunny:
@NickWick (sunny and hot)
@vanessa13 (sunny and hot)
@john4 (sunny and snow on the ground)
@Saulamay (hot)

Looking at this list so far, it looks like :cherry_blossom: Spring :cherry_blossom: will come early for most of us! I might make another update later when the :chipmunk: Groundhog :chipmunk: comes out so we can add his prediction to the mix. (also…I know that’s a chipmunk but there isn’t a groundhog emoji…)

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It will definitely be interesting to see how this plays out. Today we still have dark clouds & wind & some rain.

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Our rain has stopped for now – it was just that one night – but the wind is really picking up. Even though the sun is out, it is fairly cold for our part of Florida.

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They need to fix that!!! It’s Groundhog’s Day!

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This was last weekend… :heartpulse:

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Since then its just been cold and wet. Its 9c where I am now but its dropping to 1-2c towards the end of the week - Berkshire, England :slight_smile: Sorry no idea what that is in fahrenheit though :sweat_smile:

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@MeganB Megan, looks like we’ll be getting 6 more weeks of winter according to Phil… lol

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It’s a beautiful sunny day in the Holy City of Toledo. It’s 27 Degrees F. Snow on the ground, streets are clear. Looking forward to the opening pitch at Hensville in a couple of months.

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LOL well the rodent reveals… 6 more weeks…

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It’s been snowing a lot here since Sunday. The sun finally came out today. :sun_with_face: Yay!
Think we’ve gotten at least 6-7 inches, as of this morning.

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Lol…I feel we are gonna get a lot more snow! NY hasn’t gotten this much snow in years…

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