Imbolc
Imbolc
Imbolc is often referred to in Irish as the stirring in the belly. It is a way of describing the fertility process of pregnancy. Imbolc is a fire festival that recognises that after the darkness and void that is Samhain comes the dynamism of Yin and Yang, female and male. The polarisation of these two opposites creates a third dynamic, that of the child.
Imbolc is thus associated within the human as the first invisible trimester of pregnancy or in the greater world as fecundity in general. On a personal or spiritual level it reminds us to link in with our inspiration and ideas as these have the potential to grow to maturity and change our world for ever.
The Irish deity associated with this is the Shela na gig who emphasises the dark opening of the womb from which all life comes.
This has been sanitised somewhat and St. Brigid is our modern day Christian counterpart of the yin energy of Imbolc, whilst St. Patrick represents the Yang at the other end of the season of Imbolc.
These two forces come together to give us the overt fertility of Bealtaine.
Treasured memories of Tara on a winter's day 2008
Jackie Queally recorded the events of a cold, but enjoyable, February afternoon -
many thanks to her for these photos which capture and evoke the ceremony and time of year
During part of our Ritual Meditation the old winter crone dressed in black took off her cloak to reveal the young and virginal Bridgit, following the ancient tradition of an Brídóg.
The Brídóg sits under the St. bridgits cross made on the hill during the meditation and also the Blue Cloth to her right is another ancient tradition of the Bhrat Bríde.
The Bhrat was left out on the eve of St. bridgit where tradition says she passes over the country leaving her healing essence behind in the dew. The Bhrat is then used to treat illness over the following year.
Our Bhrat is surrounding our healing box with the intentions placed there by the meditation group.
Below are a selection of rush crosses and 2 different coloured Bhrat Bríde as well as the tri spiral.
Imbolc
Feathers ruffled to keep warm
when icy winds blow,
The birds wait patiently
to pick the crumbs we throw.
Thanks to Beth Kirkham for this lovely verse... she celebrated Imbolc in Derbyshire, England
...we managed to celebrate Imbolc,the snow came and covered the snowdrops in our garden,
but they poked through again to catch the light,,,the birds have started to collect twigs already...
Brigids cross travels from the Hill of Tara to Roslin in Scotland
 
Jackie Queally, who joined in the Imbolc celebration on Sunday, returned home and placed her cross outside the crypt window of Roslin Chapel. Thanks Jackie for your presence and for these photos of the cross in situ and the view it has looking out over Roslin Glen.
Brigits Cross travels across the Atlantic to Asheville, North Carolina
I was inspired to bring one of the St. Brigids crosses on a surprise holiday to America. (I was going on holiday, not the cross).
When I reached Asheville the energies seemed incredibly disturbed as the land which was important to the Cherokee had been "developed". There were many troubled souls in the area with the near by hotel famous for its ghosts. The energy of the land was trí na céile so I was inspired to put the cross here for the native americans who were killed in this area. We will be linking in with this area to calm the land using the cross as an anchor and a focus for the Brigidine healing energies.
The Sheela-na-gig at Tara
 A candle for Brigid lit on 31 January in a house on Tara
Disablot
The Dísablót is held in the Nordic Countries around the time of the Celtic Imbolc . Picture by August Malmström Many thanks to Thomas Eriksson, Motala, Östergötland, Sweden for this article. Thomas participated in the Tara celebrations/ritual meditations whilst living in Ireland. He liked what he saw, made a connection with his homeland in Sweden and has drawn parallels between the two cultures. What I do know is that the Dísablót was celebrated in honor of the Dísir, which translates into "ladies", and were the Norse goddesses. Also the valkyries and norns were Dísir. I assume you know of the valkyries, who were responisble for bringing fallen warriors to Valhalla. The norns were goddesses of fate, the most famous being Urðr, Verðandi and Skuld. Who you might known as "The Wyrd Sisters" or "The Weird Sisters", "Wyrd" being an old English word for Urðr, meaning "Fate". The Three Norns The Goddesses Urth, Verthandi and Skuld. The Norns stand at the...
Last Updated: 3rd June 2008 09:19
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