My favorite time of year, the Dawn of the Wheel of the year.
The holiest place, the direction of the North East.
The potential energy is almost overwhelming. The sun, the light is increasing and it’s finally obvious. As I wash dishes and prepare dinner, I noticed sunset is a bit later to come.
I hear a lot of people talk about ‘looking across’ the Wheel of the Year, and in that visual, you would be looking at Lammas/Lughnasa. This is the very beginnings of the harvest season, the first inklings of seasons change towards Autumn, where now we are the first inklings of Spring.
I think about Samhain, because the sun, the light, is equidistant from the darkest night, from Winter Solstice. It is interesting to think of the great exhale, the end of it, to be around Samhain, and the Great inhale, which has just begin. The light the same, but it’s energy different.
—
Brigid, breathe life into the mouth of dead winter,
as it is these days in the lives of women
whose spirits have ceased to quicken.
Nurture them, nurture me, with your milk
be midwife to our birthing
release me from all that hinders me.
(Modified from the poet Anne O’Reilly)
I have felt called to ritual. Called and filled with the desire to connect with spirit. I rarely feel so drawn in this way, but this time of year, I am graced with that feeling. The feeling that I have only heard expounded upon by yogis, monks, or nuns who dedicated their lives to God because they feel the yearning to merge with the divine.
I can feel this primal urge within my Higher Self this time of year. I feel drawn to find an image of the divine that is the most inspiring to me for shifting my frequency into/towards, and that happens to be Brigid, to whom this time of year, this holiday, has been dedicated to for centuries, if not for millennia.
This is how she came to me when I prayed for her support, with a mane of mugwort.
The word Imbolc can be translated into something like ‘ewe’s milk.’ This time of year, traditionally in Celtic/Irish/European history, lambing begins, and milk and fresh cheeses return to the human diet. Even here in Vermont, though perhaps slightly later, this life cycle begins for our agrarian/agricultural society.
Soon, coyotes will be breeding, birthing in a couple of months. The pregnant females hungry, and the parents out hunting and howling.
Bears, too, are birthing tiny cubs in their dark dens, half awake, in their liminal, magical space.
Though it is the coldest time of year here in Vermont, the light is still noticed by all beings. Imbolc is also known as the ‘quickening,’ the time when life (potentially conceived in the darkness between Samhain and Winter Solstice) begins to ‘quicken’ or move, be felt stirring, within the womb. My son was conceived around that time, and it was true for my first pregnancy that I felt him move for the first time around now, around 14/16 weeks or so.
It is said to be the time when the prana, the life force, in seeds and roots still cold, under snow or frozen earth, begins to stir, as well.
Moving like mercury, ‘quicksilver,’ alchemizing me into Mother.
Is something coming to life within your heart, soul, mind, body? What is alchemizing for you?
I have found this song, shared to me by a teacher this Summer, to support myself and my clan through the long months of Winter. Perhaps it will stir the ‘awen,’ the inspiration for you, or help you drop into the energy of this holiday, so I’m sharing it here:
“…stars swirling, seeds stirring, Great Winter Bear is birthing.”
Ritual is a way of setting change into motion. To make a ritual, all you need is
An intention
A clear beginning
An action, that will carry your intention
A closing
The junctions of the wheel of the year are great times for making intention. Perhaps because there is alignment of subtle energies during that time, either from others doing similar intention making or magic, or the planetary and Earth alignments.
Is there something you are feeling called to do? Or call in for yourself? What parts and pieces and intention could you put into action, into a ritual for yourself?
If you feel called towards Brigid (so many women I talk to do - and more on her history, which is very complex, here: ) one way to make an offering to her is to offer milk on your altar or scared space. Or work with milk in an intentional way, making yogurt or butter, or bringing in healing golden milk recipes.
Milk is direct life source/force from the Mother. Brigid is a triple goddess, with Maiden, Mother and Crone form. She is a goddess of fire, the forge and the hearth, and of the sacred wells. She is of the plants and healing herbs, the skilled one. I align myself with her qualities in building skills, in the slow accumulation and sharing of wisdom. I align myself with her life-giving, maternal frequency, in knowing my well will ever be refilled if I let it. I align myself with her matriarchal fire, trusting in my inner knowings, and allowing my truth to radiate forth.
Another ritual I will be making soon is a candle blessing. This was ‘always’ a traditional time to bless candles that would be used throughout the year. The Christians adopted this ancient practice and gave it a new name, and a new male form diety, Candlemas.
I choose to bring the powerful, protective, maternal and matriarchal energies of the Goddess, in the form of Brigid particularly, into our home. If you’re looking for more resources on this ritual, and more, check out the books published by Llewellyn, the Sabbat Essentials.
I have always prayed, being blessed with that teaching from my mother when we prayed together before bed each night. I have learned many sanskrit chants and prayers through my study of yoga and Ayurveda. At first, I felt like I wanted or needed someone to give me the ‘right’ words to say.
I have learned that, while there is much to be learned by listening to others pray, and repeating ancient patterns, finding my own words is so much more potent. I am forced to become clear on what I want to ask for, or connect about, or intend. I feel more authentic because I am working within my own language, which happens to be English, so I feel I am doing my best to be as honest as possible with myself, with God/goddess/Great spirit, and others who may be present.
So, this said, if looking for the right words is keeping you from a relationship with the divine, may this inspire you to trust yourself. To dig deep and find what feels true and authentic for you, and it will be received. Perhaps you will invite Brigid into your altar this Imbolc, with your own words, for inspiration and guidance in this new cycle.
Thanks for being here.
Adena