Brighid by Deanne Quarrie

The springtime fire of the Goddess Brighid, linked with the festival of Imbolc, is very much connected with healing. For the surge of fire restores us in three ways. First, it gives us a lift of physical and emotional energy. It pleases our souls, because it not only brings knowledge that spring will come soon but also turns our thoughts to love and romance. And finally, it sparks our creativity. As our spirits lift, we are more likely to be inspired with new plans and projects....

Imbolc marks the end of winter and the beginning of Spring. We are mid-way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox winter crocus are peaking up through the snow covered earth, assuring us of the warmer months coming. As a signal of Spring it stirs in the earth and awaken new energies. Imbolc was the time of the year that new animals were being born. This is perhaps the reason for the name 'Imbolc' which means 'In milk'....

Brighid's fiery aspect makes her the perfect goddess of the hearth. There are many hearth prayers dedicated to Brighid, especially concerning smooring. Ashes and embers were often deposited in the fields.

Smooring the Fire
The sacred Three
To save,
To shield,
To surround
The hearth,
The house,
The household,
This night,
Oh! this eve,
This night,
And every night
Each single night.

I will build the hearth,
As Brigid would build it,
The encompassment of Brigid,
Guarding the hearth, guarding the floor,
Guarding the household all.

Who are they on the lawn without?
Lugh the sun-radiant of my trust.
Who are they on the middle of the floor?
Angus and Goibniu and Manannan.
Who are they by the front of my bed?
The radiant Brigid and Her brother Ogma.

The mouth of the Goddess ordained,
The messenger of the Goddess proclaimed,
A Goddess bright in charge of the hearth
Till white day shall come to the embers.
A Goddess bright in charge of the hearth,
Till white day shall come to the embers.
http://www.geocities.com/pagantheology/carmina/firesmooring.html

On this night, Brighid the Cailleach, the ancient Hag, bathes in her sacred well and becomes Brighid the Caillín, the Maiden. On this night, winter begins to turn to spring, the year is made new, and creative fire kindles in all hearts.

This is the day of Bride. The serpent shall come from the hole. This is the day of Bride. The Queen has come from the mound.

'Imbolc' means, literally, 'in the belly' (of the Mother). For in the womb of Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane sight but sensed by a keener vision, there are stirrings. The seed that was planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year grows.... Brigit's holiday was marked by the kindling of sacred fires, since she symbolized the fire of birth and healing, the fire of the forge, and the fire of poetic inspiration. This Pagan Festival of Lights is sacred to the young Maiden Goddess, and one of the most beautiful and poetic of the year....

Foods of Imbolc: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seed cakes, muffins, scones, and breads, all dairy products, peppers, onions, garlic, raisins, spiced wines and herbal teas...

Imbolc is good for psychic work: still the dark time of the year, but looking toward spring. It's also a good time to prepare your sacred space for this work, banishing old energy to clear the way for new....

The future spark of summer dances now; Imbolc is a good time to seek inspiration, especially for healers and wordsmiths.

Since the discipline of poetry was interwoven with divination, Brighid was seen as the great inspiration behind prophecy, the source of oracles.... On the eve of St. Brighid’s Day, the Old Woman of Winter, the Cailleach, journeys to the magical isle where in the woods lies the miraculous Well of Youth. At the first glimmer of morning light, she drinks the water that flows from the crevice of a rock, and is transformed into Brighid, the fair maid whose white wand turns the bare earth green again....

It is said that where Brighid walks over the waters or touches them with her finger the ice melts and that the land turns green where she spreads her mantle upon it, and also when she breathes upon the hills.

• Pour milk upon the earth and give thanks for the returning fertility and the sun....
• Tie a red ribbon on your doorstep and it will be blessed by Brighid as she passes. On the eve of Imbolc leave buttered bread in a bowl for the faeries. Place three ears of corn, tied with red ribbon, over a door as a symbol of the triple Goddess, and leave there until the Spring Equinox.
• Make dream pillows for everyone in the family.
• Take a bowl of seeds and bless them, thinking about any plans or dreams for this year. Leave the seeds out overnight where the moon can shine upon them. Plant the seeds at Spring Equinox and watch them grow bigger through the year, along with the manifestation of your dreams.

I like to build a replica of the flame in the well by creating a container of water to represent the well, and then placing my cauldron in the center which holds the fire. Holy water, sacred flame.