Celtic Tradition
Imbolc - Brigit, by Scottish artist Caroline Morris
Imbolc - Brigit, Snowdrops and Sunshine, by Caroline Morris
Brigid is the beloved Irish flaming red-haired goddess of fire, hearth and inspiration. As with her Welsh counterpart, Cerridwen, Brigid is associated with inspiration. Brigid's fire is truly the fire of inspiration. She tends
the triple fires of smithcraft (physical fire), healing (the fire of life
within), and poetry (the fire of the spirit). In Welsh medieval legend, Ceridwen was an enchantress, a sorcerer, a
witch, though she is commonly referred as a goddess.
Ceridwen by Welsh artist Christopher Williams (1910)
John Waterhouse's Magic Circle (1886)
Cerridwen is represented as stirring a great cauldron (witchy brew): illustrations of
Brigid sometimes show her stirring a great cauldron too, the witch's magick tool
that symbolizes the womb and the receptive, fertile nature of the Divine
Feminine. As goddess of inspiration, Brigid encourages everyone, regardless of
gender, to stir the inner cauldron of creativity that exists within. Brigid
is one of the fertility goddesses, and Imbolc, the sabbat honoring Brigid, means “in the belly.” This
holiday honors all forms of creativity, of the mind as well as the body. Thus, she represents
mind and body, her
blazing hearth is both the metalsmith's forge and the homemaker's cook fire, a blend of yin and yang energies, and the union of polarities
that is necessary for creation.
Brigid goes by many
names, including Lady of the Flame, Goddess of the Hearth, and Bright One. Her
feast day is sometimes called Candlemas due to her association with fire. In
magickal thinking, the fire element is believed to fuel inspiration and
creativity.
Fire in the hearth
Until very recently
the hearth formed the centre of every home and the fire burnt all year round.
It was at the hearth that the women of the house practiced the magic of
cookery. It was around the hearth that wisdom was passed from one generation to
the next and the old stories were recited. For the more adventurous the hearth
was also a focus of divination. What do you see in the movement of the flames,
what do you hear in the crackle of the logs, what marks are left in the ashes
of the fire? What is Brighid saying to you?
The Fire in the hearth
is Brighid's fire of healing, divination and protection. To find these things
around the hearth of your own home is a blessing indeed.
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