Poem for Imbolc: "By Brigit's Day"

Please visit Stone on the Belly--the Brigit poetry blog--for this and other poems and prayers to and about Brigit and her cultus.

Blessings of (Almost) Imbolc! And Thoughts on Feast and Famine

Hello, dear Friends of Brigit!

Coming up is my favourite night of the year--Imbolc, and the beginning of the Celtic spring with all its quickening life and new promise. To those of you in the southern hemisphere comes Lughnasa, another rich moment in the calendar. 

I want to wish all my sisters and brothers in tending Brigit's flame, and all who simply love or simply are terribly curious about her, the brightest of blessings at this festive time. I hope your lives, and your flames, are shining brightly, and would love to hear from you if you would like to say hello.

One of the basic ways I celebrate Imbolc is to make some kind of Irish-related festive meal--usually involving a big pot of colcannon, made either with kale or, as is more common now, cabbage.

This year I've decided to pay homage to my pre-Famine ancestors and eat a potato with a dab of butter and some buttermilk, and nothing more. It is amazing the richness that diet provided, and the devastation of its loss. So to all I say, may we be deeply grateful for the blessings of our earth and on our plates, and may our health be the best that it can be.

I also look forward to making a bed for Brigit, an example of which you will see humbly depicted below, dashing some cream over the threshold, and inviting her in for another year.

Sweet blessings of Brigit on you all!

 

                                   Flame Offering 

In the name of the three Brigits

I light the candle of my heart

May I offer it to everyone

gentle and steady

warm and bright

The Daughters of the Flame

Brigit's Sparkling Flame

Lady Cara: a Gentle Telling of Brigit's Story (YouTube)

Part One of Lady Cara's telling of Saint Brigit's story:



And Part Two:

Children's Books about Saint Brigid

Fox Leaping Through a Hoop Made from Brigit's Skirt - by Caroline Cory

I will confess right off the top that I have found these links online but have not actually seen any of the books. What a plethora compared to just a few years ago! And the ones I knew (see my reviews in the pages links above) are not even among them.

Holy cow. (As it were.)

The Truth About St Brigid - By the pupils of Saint Brigid’s School for children with special needs in Mullingar. (There is a video of the book, and all proceeds go to buying a bus for the school. If they haven't got it already - it's been a year since the posting.

				The Truth About St Brigid Did you know that Saint Brigid, Ireland's foremost female holy person, liked to drink tea whilst eating chips? Or that the King Of Leinster was so amazing that his ...
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Holy Crocodile!: Taming Foxes -- The story of Brigit and two foxes feature in one chapter of Cory's book about saints and animals.

				Holy Crocodile!: Taming Foxes In the story of St. Brigid and the Fox, there are two semi-tame foxes -- one is the king's pet, who is killed by a woodsman. The other is St. Brigid's fox.
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 Shower of Roses: Celebrating the Saints :: St. Brigid of Ireland -- This one is a blog posting that features different books and a personal story of her daughter's love for Saint Brigit.

				Shower of Roses: Celebrating the Saints :: St. Brigid of... Between the conversation with my daughter and the new painting I was inspired to try and do a little something extra to celebrate St. Brigid's feast day after all.
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Saint Brigid and the King's Wolf  -- by Rhode Island art educator and illustrator, Mary Kane Hendrickson.

Saint Brigid the Fearless - In a Nutshell -- from Poolbeg's "In A Nutshell" series.

The Story of Saint Brigid -- by Catriona Clarke