Brigid is a goddess of natural springs, those magical places on the Earth where sacred and life-giving waters suddenly flow out of the Earth. A gift of Life from Mother Earth. As Water deity, Brigid is the patroness of healers, with many healing springs and wells dedicated to Her throughout the British Isles. Symbolically, water is a portal to the Otherworld and a source of wisdom and healing. Water is also associated with psychic ability, music, and poetry. Natural bodies of water were also sacred to Brigid, particularly where three streams join together.
Water and Fire are both associated with divination. Celtic Seers divine by both looking deeply into water or into the flames. Now is the time to practice this skill.
The goddess Brigid was also revered as the Irish goddess of poetry and song, the Muse who inspires. Brigid's fire and water nurtures our inspiration, our ability to 'breathe in spirit' which helps us create poetry as well as healing. She is the Muse who inspires our soul, providing the 'fire in the head' of poetic inspiration. The Bards are the surviving class of the Druids, keeping the ancient traditions alive until the present day. Poets are inspired by the Other World, and have the gift of prophecy. As the patroness of poetry and bardic lore, Brigid is the primal retainer of culture and learning.
As patroness of Smiths, Brigid blessed the smith with creativity and vision. Smiths in any tribe were seen as holding a sacred trust and were associated with magical powers since smithcrafting involved mastering the primal element of Fire, molding the metal (from Earth) through skill, knowledge and strength. Concepts of smithcraft are connected to stories concerning the creation of the world, utilizing all of the Elements to create and fuse a new shape. This new creation is also within Brigid's power, for she inspires us to create our life anew each year by opening our vision to our soul's possibilities.
In many ways, Brigid carries the whole blessing of the Celtic psycheits creativity, vision, memory and power. She has never been an abstraction but remains inseparable from daily life. The fires of inspiration, as demonstrated in poetry, and the fires of the home and the forge are seen as identical. There is no separation between the inner and the outer worlds.
Brigid can serve as a Muse and a Guide to us this season. Light the fires of inspiration and get creative. It's a great time to create a ritual around fire and its many blessings. Get your tribe together and celebrate this powerful Aquarian Gate.
That's all for Imbolc. I'll be back for the 3 rd gateway of the Wheel of the Year: Spring Equinox on March 20, 2019 -- the day of the 1st Libra Full Moon. This year, the Moon cycle flips back to its New Moon/Full Moon rhythm, creating a true Blue Moon , when there are two Full Moons in an astrological sign . More in the next newsletter.
Blessings of the Light Returning,
Cathy
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Copyright 2019 ~ Cathy Pagano.
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