Brigid's Day - Imbolc

Yesterday began the season of Imbolc - the sacred turning point from the dead of winter to the sweet light of spring. The days get longer and spirits start to feel a little lighter. The cold of winter still lingers, but there is the whisper of the warmth to come.

It was also Brigid's Day and the beginning of her season. Brigid is the Celtic goddess of healing, poetry and smithcraft (aka alchemy.) She is a spirit I connect with deeply. She is also known as the Bridge. She is represented by fire AND water (masculine and feminine.) She was both Celtic Goddess and Christian saint. Divine and human. Heaven and earth. Death and rebirth.

Brigid's Day and her spirit help us bridge the liminal space between winter and spring. As we emerge from the darker, quieter time of winter, where the silence is potent and you can hear the whisper of your soul to dream again, Brigid helps us gather the lessons we've learned as seeds for our future. Tapping into her wisdom and ways, she guides us to create and bring forth life from the death of winter.

I weave these words today as a reminder. Whether we choose to observe the seasons of the Earth, they observe us. They move us in ways unseen. It's no secret that, especially in the Western world, we've become so far removed from the rhythms of the Earth our ancestors once honored and structured their lives around. They understood our deep connection to the Earth. That we are ultimately wholly dependent on her for our survival. In our day and age, where we've become so accustomed to looking to a screen for knowledge and squeezing every moment of productivity out of the day we can possible manage, we've lost some of their wisdom. In my own journey, I've found peace and a sense of coming home in allowing myself to honor these sacred turning points in the year. In recognizing the stillness of winter offers space my soul needs to rest from it's doing and creating. It is the dark I need to allow the old to die and the new to begin to bubble from the cauldron of my metaphorical hearthfire.

I also offer these words as a flame of hope. So maybe you've felt yourself in the middle of a winter of the soul but you've been fighting it. Maybe your path has been dark and you haven't known which step to take next. Maybe you've felt a deep pause, but couldn't explain its source. Maybe you've faced a death of sorts this season. I know I have. So today, Brigid comes with her flame to remind us that Spring is on the way and all that was burned away in the hearthfire of winter (whether you knew it was burning or not) will now be cleansed and rebirthed in the healing waters of your own heart.

I'll leave you with a little ritual in case you want to connect more deeply with the energy of Brigid (for in their purest form, that's what these mythical beings are for us - energies we can tap into to understand our own human experience.) Take advantage of the early sunsets while they are still here. Spend some time walking the land around you. Notice the birds, the sunset, the wind on your skin and allow gratitude to fill your cup. Then, if it feels right, go home, light a candle to honor Brigid and just spend a little time reflecting over the last three months. What have you let go of without knowing it? What are you hanging onto that no longer feels life-giving? What newness do you feel stirring in the unseen spaces of your mind and heart. Maybe these are the seeds for the rebirth of your soul this Spring. Much love. ❤️‍🔥