b. February 1 and 2 -- Candlemas and Imbolg, popularly called Groundhog's Day. The popular "Punxsutawney Phil" groundhog comes out of his burrow to divine the next few weeks of weather. If he sees his shadow, we will have 6 more weeks of bad weather until Spring finally arrives; if he does not see his shadow, the next 7 weeks before Spring will be good weather. Notice this pagan tradition features both the number '6' and '7', which when added, equals '13'.
What most people do not realize is that the pagan view of Groundhog's Day (Imbolg) represents the Earth Mother. Consider these uncanny parallels between the Groundhog and the Earth Mother:
1. As the Earth goddess sleeps inside the earth during the winter season, so does the Groundhog
2. Both the Earth goddess and the Groundhog bridge the two time periods: Winter and Spring
3. Both the goddess and the Groundhog are "earth" creatures
4. Both the goddess and the Groundhog "awaken" in Springtime
5. Both the Earth goddess and the Groundhog complete the "cycle of reincarnation"
6. Annually, both the Earth goddess and the Groundhog represent the cycle of "rebirth" and "renewal"
The name, "Groundhog" was substituted for the Satanic name of the holiday, Imbolg, a night requiring human sacrifice.