Imbolc Time -The Quickening

 Icing and breaking open.
This time of fear and defiance and truth
shattering the foundation
believing in our strength
and coming back to life.

 The birds now sing in the morning
and the evening.
Green appears from the landscape of winter white.
Willows cast yellow and the maples red.
Sap flows.

We are still here.
The Earth is alive.
Spring rushes in
like the stream even under the solid cover of ice.

What is beneath and hidden and forming?
What can we nurture and grow?
What can be saved among the destruction?
Who are you now?

We've been gathering before the holiday
to focus our hearts and spirit
to be more present at ritual
to remember.

We wanted to really honor and properly invoke
our dear Goddess Bridget,
so many aspects of power and love.

This was what we wrote:
Song
inspiration
protection
grief/sorrow/keening
the flame of joy within
balancing respect
the arts
healing
protection
compassion
Song

 my prayer:

oh dear Bridget,
shine your light
throughout our being
allowing our inner forge
to craft the armor we need,
inspire us to grieve and also to sing
as we hold and heal
each other
through the art and artistry
of our lives
here and now.

This time of frozen transition lingers
cold, empty and dark
though the light subtly returns
almost without notice
drinking in the extra minutes of daylight
like a nice cup of tea
the busyness of the Summer garden almost a forgotten dream.
Now looking back
amazed to have made it to this wakening,

the long Winter releasing.
How to keep the momentum of slow
with the urge to run.

 Notes and pics from then and other musings
in a non-chronological order:

 

Busy morning of cleaning,
clearing,
laying out candles and food.

 

Vortex of Smoke
like the flowers
anti-gravity
neither of which I saw
but was in the middle
or completely outside of.

Procession to the Bridget Shrine
the Spring
and the Fire
feeling solid
on what seems
unstable.

All the flowers
from last year's harvest
gathered one by one
throughout the season
dried on the fireplace mantle
in the spot
where Bridget will rest
after being invited in
and lighting our hearth

I am the ingot
You are the forge.

All the songs
sung twice.

 If I had a hammer.

The Hammer of Justice.
The Bell of Freedom.
The Song about love
between
my brothers and my sisters
all over this land.

 

Everyone separately delayed,
though ritual started only an hour late,
which considering the challenges each day
was just about right.


Fire Starter
in the 5-Circle Fire Pit
we all had the white-hats
we the Good Guys
the Druids
Our Whole Grove.

 

Goddess Bridget keep us safe.
Light our way.
Keep us strong.
Keep our words & hearts true.

Bridget Candle Relighting
again and again

warm beverages and blankets

The great cosmic vagina

Going through Bridget's Girdle
Thrice
The Magic Working
I am now different.


House full of good food
and good food smells.

the well/womb/nest/cave
of the Bridget Fire

Bryan & Elizabeth
bonding at the center,
Me & Ann & Lily
in the kitchen
making the candle
for Bridget work
carving wax, crafting wick
and light.

feel the roots
and the Earth energy
in the frozen hard ground
coming together
to help one another
everyone gently being.

chopping the ice,
singing the songs,
stomping on the ground,

making candles
to fit
the ice candles
and setting them around.



As always Imbolc has ice.
Cracking ice in the Sun,
making safety changes,
honoring the gentle ease
of this past Winter.

The long Pre-Rit
as Sacred Experience
building the new fire
close to the house
close to home
close to our hearts
together
Reverent Walk About
Being Kind
together

Making sure Bridget felt Honored
Good Flames
Good Sacrifice
Everything Working Well

detachment
and
being

Ritual Purification
Smudge Stick
the overflowing outpouring
of love
for and from
our dear Goddess Bridget

Milk overflowing the Well
Beer over the Tree
Fat poured over the Fire

Everyone putting Sacrifice in the Fire

 

Good Boundaries

every body gentle in their being
we are strong
together
in our isolation
from the world

protection
family
protection

not like false promise
the comfort of grounded
wholeness
in Space out of Time

for a moment
for the day
there was no fear
only love

Bridget protect us
help us to weave our own protection
help us to wear our cloak
of nurturing
and to spread it out
for all
help us kindle our fire

I am the Ingot
You are the Forge

 

Our Omens:

D TH S B

What is the Vantage Point?
Don't Grasp the Thorns tightly.
Allow the Sun's light to Penetrate & Cleanse.
Allow for New Beginnings.

 

the Hedgehog and Crystal Foot
arrived today in similar packages
like the morning snow
a surprise gift reminding us
to be open to
the Unexpected Good.

the difference between
Smoked Salmon and Lox

Imbolc Blessings- Gently Gently, We Roll Along

Snow pours down hard and we are most fortunate to be inside with hot tea.
Many little birds dance in and out of the feeder
now that the squirrels left and the wind whips circular white outs.

It remains difficult to do anything other than be.
Managing transition.
Now the wind has shifted again,
snow blowing first horizontally East/West
then horizontally West/North
then tornado-like.
Giving thanks for shelter and warmth.

Thanks Dear Bridget for your healing, for your inspiration, for your clarity.
Thanks Dear Bridget for your fire and our inner fire.
Thanks Dear Bridget for fierceness and song.

Frozen stream flowing below.
Candle at the Bridget Shrine.
Candle in the Nemeton.
Candle on Bridget.
Solstice Candles on the Well.
Sunflower Candle on the Tree.
Ice Candles.

Fierce winds roar fine snow
accumulating drifts around things.
Seems like Accumulating Drift is the standard, these days.

It's now been a whole cycle of socially distanced ritual gatherings.
Some folks we have not seen since then.
Hard not to hug. Hard to be masked together
and unmasked with our Kindreds.

Though our kid, who celebrated his first Imbolc ritual in utero
with nursery songs offered as magicwork,
was supposed to be back at school,
he was here due to illness.
Not the current Plague, but you never know.
Participants were informed and precautions taken.
As best we can, as best we can.

Snow, cleansing snow.
What better way to begin the longest shortest month than with a blizzard.
Letting go of doing is still doing.

Winter is hard when we long for it to be summer.
Buds color the trees if you look close enough.
Each season a part of its opposite.

We had a ritual prep of healing from and staving off illness.
The non-cleaning and non-cooking of Covid-times ritual,
like all other Covid-times action/reaction,
is a disassociating and sometimes exhausting effort or possibly opportunity.
We get used to the challenges of hosting balanced by the joys of hosting.
Even without making and sharing food is it still somehow hosting.
Disinfecting the bathroom as reverent welcoming tasks.

Much energy these days is in keeping it together;
when the necessities of situation, snowstorm or otherwise,
take hold
needed letting go seems twice as hard.

Self-care is gentleness,
and the strength to care.

Snow-covered land and freezing temperatures,
no-longer single digits, but close.
Bryan brought up from the basement an old metal milk carton
(purchased long ago at Olive Day)
as the base for the cauldron which held our fire,
centered in the frozen fire pit,
next to the frozen well.
Filled with chips from his wood carving and sticks and leftover branches,
small but inspirational and transforming.

Many lessons in the preparations, in the fire, in the circumstance.
Bryan noted how often there is challenge in the fires for Bridget especially at Imbolc
(go back and read the Imbolc blog posts).
this year his trembling hand struggling to light candles
or Elizabeth struggling to light candles
or my sacrifice of Yule needles dampening the flame.
The fire or spirit remains whether we manage it or not,
like the candle on Our Bridget flipping over completely but staying lit.

Gently the light is lit, gently we are transformed,
like smiling with our eyes when our mouths are covered.

We knew there would be snow, but you can't anticipate this actual day of sideways-blowing snow
gathering in large drifts.
Darkness falls deeply though the wind and snow don't stop.

my notes from that night are simple:
gentle family grove gathering
candles glowing out there
braided ear hats
doggie snow face rubbing.

Bridget is our Grove Patroness or Matroness or simply Grove Goddess.
So nice for us to gather simply
in Her Honor.

Our Dear Elizabeth arrived beautiful as always wrapped in her cloak, masked and hatted.
The dance of social distanced space combined with reverent love
towards each other and Goddess Bridget.
Especially at this holiday, its hard not to hug.

Power went out as the storm intensified.
Grateful for all our blessings
especially the woodstove and generator.

The winds howling is unsettling,
even though it brings needed change.
The heavy layers of snow stunning in their beauty is a great challenge,
even though my spirit is grateful for the normal winter
and its feeding of the Earth.
Spring will come as always
and we keep moving forward as always.
Fear and worry notwithstanding. 

I love that Our Grove mates are comfortable with self and other.
I love that we allow each other to be.
I love that we are able to provide a space to gather and worship.
Do I repeat myself?

Ann & Lily & Wally arrive.
Again hard not to hug, not to scream with delight and roll in the snow together.
Gifting us fruit and the gentleness of their spirits.
So grateful.

We set up separate space for the kid to participate,
aside but present.
We wait for him to suit up and for Katrina arrive.
Finally we are ready.

We are here to honor the Gods and the Not-Gods,   
those who give meaning to this life.

Thank you all for being here with us.

Sipped upon ginger-ale welcoming the Earth Mother.
Bird-seed for the directions:
the East is where the Full Wolf Moon rises-welcome new day and magical light
the South is where the sun no longer rises and where my son sits-welcome heart and love
the West is the place of the Brown Bear, hibernating still-welcome deep introspection of silence
the North is where the winds blow from, place of healing and renewal-welcome
Up and Down and the Center too.
What goes up must come down but also what goes down must come up,
anti-gravity-like.

Always focused on offerings and sacrifice for the Kindred and the fire,
I sometimes forget the well and the tree.
But we have voice and praise and sound and ribbons.
We do our best as best we can
and hopefully our shortcomings are understood and filled in by others.

The well, that which goes down deep,
now frozen on the surface,
but like the stream,
liquid and flowing underneath.
Sacred Well, flow within us.

The tree, vertical like our spine,
connecting the below and above
and providing a pathway.
Sacred Tree, grow within us.

The fire, that which is not frozen or cold or deep,
but hot and bright and rising up,
let this fire be a good fire.
Sacred Fire, glow within us.

Flower petals floating up from the fire,
trying to stand up branches in the small fire,
adding circles of wood to the fire,
too many pine needles smoldering the fire.

Special offerings for Bridget,
cream on the snow,
iced cream!

It's good to be family.

we can never offer enough praise for Goddess Bridget,
so grateful for her spirit and care.

Each group drew out an omen
Hudson for the Ancestors- Wunjo- Joy
!
Elizabeth for the Spirits of Nature and Place- Elhaz-the Elk sedge
the terminal Z- defensive protective awareness- be on guard
Ann for the Gods & Goddesses-Eihwaz- the Yew Tree
strength, the death's crook, the spine, that upon which the world spins
Katrina for Bridget-Dagaz-Day
High Noon, the vantage point, Eagle Vision, the whole picture

WZED

Let's take in those blessings.
the Waters of Life!
Cold but not frozen waters refresh immensly.
Pause.

Give thanks.

Burning it all.
Grounding out.
Catching up.

Being home.
Being the light.