Trance and Imbolc: A threshold between worlds?

Letter three | Moon three - The feminine and the sacred.

Dear you,

Five days after one of the worst storms ever to hit Ireland made landfall, I sit with no electricity in candle light. It’s easy to be drawn to the darkness when you have no electricity and you live in the countryside. I’m drawn more than ever these days, befriending the dark evenings and early dark mornings leading the way towards the liminal space of Imbolc and the reign of Brigid. I find myself in the realm of a low darkness that lingers just beyond the horizon, its presence gently prompting me to move in a trance-like manner, as if beckoned by unseen forces of nature, Brigid and Imbolc.

Imbolc is a liminal guiding time of transition through light and land, celebrated for thousands of years and recognised by our ancestors as a place to hold deep within the belly of the earth and ourselves. If you really notice you can sense a swelling deep within towards the light of spring. These cyclical turns of nature and light remind us of the thin weaving lines that lead to nowhere, are of no place and make no sense to our logical minds, logic doesn’t exist where these lines land, there is no top or bottom, just the grace of the voyage. Trance like I move through the lines.

For me, trance is surrendering to the unknown - a liminal pathway that leads toward where I need to go, even if I’m unaware of needing to go anywhere at all. It’s an in-between space where the state of trance takes over, guiding my body with instinct and intuition. It often emerges in response to spontaneous moments - whether dramatic, traumatic, or ecstatic - or through the intentionality of ritual. It’s a force that bypasses conscious thought, steering me toward a deeper sense of presence and purpose.

Question - Is trance a uniquely feminine capacity to navigate the unknown and sacred?

The image of women in a trance-like state has, for centuries, been entwined with notions of the mystical, the feminine, and the sacred across cultures and traditions. These states of altered consciousness have often been revered as profound expressions of spiritual or intuitive power, yet patriarchal narratives have historically distorted their meaning and significance. Women in trance have frequently been dismissed as hysterical, irrational, or dangerously "otherworldly," reducing the experience to something unnatural or suspect. In other depictions, it’s romanticised or objectified, portraying women as passive vessels of mystical allure rather than active participants.

Question - How might our understanding of women in trance-like states change if we shifted the narrative to one of agency?

In truth, the trance state is far more than an ethereal aesthetic or a passive surrender. It’s a potent bridge between realms, a liminal space where intuitive wisdom and deeper truths can emerge. Far from irrational, it reflects an embodied form of intelligence, a profound connection to forces that transcend ordinary perception.

To reclaim and honour this is to acknowledge the immense depth and agency of the sacred and the feminine - to recognise trance not as a mark of otherness or instability but as a profound and timeless expression of human potential and sacred connection.

Imbolc state of mind

For me Imbolc is the stirring of life beneath the surface, it embodies liminality, the in-between, the unknown where anything and everything is possible. This mirrors the essence of trance-like states, which also exist in that threshold space between worlds, consciousness, and understanding.

In a trance-like state, I surrender control to something ineffable and bigger than myself. Similarly, Imbolc and all the ancestral turns of the year represent trust in the unseen. Both experiences invite us to embrace the unknown and honour the process of becoming, whether it’s the land awakening from its winter slumber or the creative consciousness.

Imbolc, as a ritual celebration, provides a powerful framework for entering trance-like states. Through fire, prayer, movement, or meditative practices, we can channel the energy of renewal and connect to the deeper rhythms of the earth, spirit, and self. In this way, both Imbolc and trance become portals to greater awareness and transformation, inviting us to dwell in the sacred space of the in-between.

Whatever you do this Imbolc take some time to be still and allow yourself to be guided by something unseen.

These practices and celebrations can connect us to nature and underscore the power of the feminine in facilitating collective and individual healing.

Thank you for reading

Claire x

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Postscript - If you want more information on Imbolc and a ritual, check out below.

Imbolc is celebrated here in Ireland on the 1st February, The lunar Imbolc new moon is at 12.36pm GMT on Wednesday 29th January.