Sunday, March 15, 2015

Imbolc part 2- one month later

dinosaurs emerge Now it is one week until Equinox.

Much has changed even since I started writing this post.
We stand on bare earth, mud and stone.

The snow solidifies to iced piles shrinking rapidly each day.

My heart races with the springtime, with the flight of birds, with the potential and urgency of movement.

We do not know what is going to come, but we know it will soon be here and we have to ride it.

I long for warm days and flowers, though I know something inside me will miss the long dark.

from a week ago:
Snow still falls and falls some more.
On sunny days we chop ice.
The days are gloriously longer, meaning we no longer wake nor come home in the dark.
With winter, with this long and endless winter,
each small gift is huge,
each bird song a whole field of flowers,
each extra minute of daylight like a week on a beach.

Now it rains.

Photos of ritual past, though presence still felt,
blessings still in process, lessons still learning.

Deep insightful conversations,
Magic fire,
Light but filling food,
Cold day warm hearts.

Bridget's cloth  beginning building fire building fire building fire lighting the fire first flame fire  fire quickly spreads

holding down the fire  fire tending   fire tending fire tending base fire Bridget at the Bridget shrine Bridget

sacrifice   first offerings offering sacrifice being here now sacred fire sacred fire our Senior Druid Bryan ephemeral flame us cookies, herbs, may wine lavender sacrifice prayers fire & smoke fire & smoke fire & smoke chilly smokey waters sweet smoke of sacrifice smoke as detailed as flameflash reading about Imbolcparticularly special was the readings, the chanting of poetry in honor of Bridget, her spirit in our hearts and in our bellies and with each breath bringing us together as one whole.

 burning yule greens burning yule greens burning yule greens           burning yule greens final sacrifice

final sacrifice final sacrifice final sacrifice final sacrifice

ring of fire sacred smoke  puling omensour omens: omens from the Ancestorsfrom the Ancestors:Wunjo- JOY! From the Spiritsfrom the Spirits of Nature & Place: Isa or ice! from the Gods from the Gods & Goddesses: Othala or Sacred Enclosure, the protected Treasure!for the Seasonfor the Season:Nauthiz or need, its the friction fire or what is needed!  ready for the waterschimes frozen into the snow final flame  passing thru Bridget's girdle magick working final burst into flame   bringing Bridget into our hearth lighting our kitchen fire