February 1st marked Saint Brigids Day and the start of the season of Imbolc. Brigid, daughter of the Dagda, Goddess of Poets, Healers, Smiths and Midwives, is a well-known and loved patron Saint of Ireland. Imbolc, her feast festival on February first (Candlemass), celebrates the beginning of Spring, and the birthing of the lambs.
On the Eve of Saint Brigid's Day, it is traditional to hang a strip of cloth or ribbon outside your door or upon a tree. From this the "brat Bhride" (Brigid's Mantle) receives her curative and protective powers from the Goddess. The Mantle would sometimes be used to cover a child's cradle, to protect them from being stolen away by the fairies. With that in mind for this cycle we have included a Fairy and Magic Story Collection for your enjoyment.
Irish fairy tales have their roots in the distant twilight evenings of our ancestors, gathered around a wood fire in their homes or while out hunting or travelling. They were not moral stories, meant to teach a lesson or educate listeners in proper behaviour. Neither were they parables, masking a deeper meaning in mundane words. They were and are as wild and as meaningless as the fairies themselves, as life itself can seem to be sometimes.
~ Imbolc is the time to plan. It’s time to think of your new beginnings and to allow the stirrings of excitement as we think of what seeds we want to plant, both physically and symbolically.
~ What would you like to grow this year? What projects could you breathe life into as the sun begins his march across the sky? How will you work the goddess Brigid to realise your dreams for the coming year?
Reflection Seeds
✤Sunset 31st January to sunset 2nd February ✤Beginning of Spring for the Celts ✤Cross Quarter Day ✤Time to sort your seeds for the coming year ✤Time to plan your hopes and dreams ✤Welcome in the hope of new life ✤Spend time outdoors noting the changes
A Seasonal Message from the Goddess Brigid:
Brigid of the Mantle protect us May your gentle hands deliver us Your Flame inspire us This day and every day This night and every Night
The season of Imbolc starts with Imbolc day; 1st and 2nd February and is the great festival and honouring of the Goddess known as Bride, Bridie, Brighid, Brigit and Brigantia (so loved was she as a pagan Goddess that her worship was woven into the Christian church as Saint Brigid). She is a Goddess of healing, poetry, fire, of the sun and of the Hearth. She brings fertility to the land and its people.
It's traditional on the eve of Imbolc to weave a Brigid's Cross, a whirligig pattern, from pulled rushes or straw. They are hung in the rafters, and by the door to protect the house. Learn how to make your own Brigids Cross here by clicking the link below.
There are enough amazing clothes on the planet, let's wear them. To date, ThredUp has upcycled over 100M items so far and they’re just getting started. Join the community of sustainable fashion lovers and thrifters who are committed to a more sustainable future by giving clothes a second life.
In This Changes Everything Naomi Klein argues that the changes to our relationship with nature and one another that are required to respond to the climate crisis should not be viewed as grim penance, but rather as a kind of gift, a catalyst to transform broken economic and cultural priorities and to heal long-festering historical wounds. She documents the inspiring movements that have already begun this process: communities that are not just refusing to be sites of further fossil fuel extraction but are building the next, regeneration-based economies right now.
David Attenborough takes a stark look at the facts surrounding Climate Change in today's world. Interviews with some of the world’s leading climate scientists explore recent extreme weather conditions such as unprecedented storms and catastrophic wildfires. They also reveal what dangerous levels of climate change could mean for both human populations and the natural world in the future.
Since the early 1980s, Mael Brigde has found endless spiritual wealth in the conflicting and complementary traditions surrounding Brigit. In 1993 she founded the first interfaith Brigidine flame-tending group, the Daughters of the Flame, which continues to today. She lit their first candle to Brigit on Imbolc 1993, the same day, she learned much later, that the Irish Catholic Brigidine sisters relit her perpetual fire in Kildare. She maintains the blog Brigit’s Sparkling Flame, which points readers to Brigit-related websites, books, CDs, and so on, as well as offering reviews and original materials.
If you like the artwork and style of Celtic Whispers we also offer our designs on physical products as well. We invite you to visit our shop and see if any of our Celtic Designs would look good on a t-shirt, mug or sticker.
May Brigid Goddess and saint bless each one of us and renew us into the wholeness of our true selves as we move into a new a springtime. May she guide us into a way of living and being that are in harmony with the well being of all life.
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