Do you celebrate the pagan and gaelic festival, Imbolc? Since I feel called to move to Edinburgh, I started to become immensely interested in spirituality and merged it with my love of creating nourishing home, I find the Celtic wheel of the year very beautiful and relevant to our lives. Imbolc, a festival to mark the ending of winter and the beginning of spring always falls on February 1. The Celtic goddess associated with Imbolc is Brigid, also known as Brigit, Brig.
Spring Cleaning
The best way to welcome Spring is Spring cleaning. The word spring cleaning can bring negative energies to some as it denotes huge amount of task. The way I see it (I like Marie Kondo, but I’m definitely not as tidy and organised, far from it!) is set an intention of what you want to achieve. It can just be giving your home new energy after the cold winter, and to achieve that, just some sweeping will do the work. Do as much or as little as your soul calls for. If you feel stressed and extremely exhausted after an intense day of cleaning, it is pointless because it doesn’t serve your intention of celebrating the beautiful season.
Have a beautiful meal filled with Imbolc significance
It’s time to get out all your beautiful diningware, all candlelabras (The more the better as Fire is one of Brigid, the patron saint/ the Gaelic Goddess is associated with Imbolc) and make it a special occasion. While you’re preparing your meal, take note of the decoration. I’d suggest to ensemble the following on your dining table;
Flowers: Think White, Yellow flowers, flowers that symbolise beginning. Personally, I’d pick up some snowdrops, or get some daffodils. Snowdrops is also associated with Brigid.
Candles & Candleholders: As Brigid is associated with fire, I’d encourage you to light as many candles as you want to. Plus, candles just help you to enter another state of mind
Set the centerpiece or decoration in 3: Firstly, aesthetically it’s always nice to style things in 3 for a sense of scale and proportion. Secondly in Imbolc where we pay our respect and thankyou to Brigid, it’s nice to style things in 3 to celebrate her. Brigid’s triple aspect is often highlighted and celebrated; the first Brigid was worshipped as the Goddess of poetry, but she also has two sisters who are also named Brigid, Brigid the patroness of healing and fertility, and well as Brigid the patroness of smithcraft
In terms of the food, traditionally Celtics would celebrate it with colcannon (It’s an Irish good that’s mashed potatoes with green vegs), Brambrack. To keep it accessible and convenience during lockdown, I think any fresh bread together with fresh seasonal produce would be a good fit.
Write a poem
"When we are creating,
we are more aligned to our soul blueprint
Brigid is the goddess of poetry and there are a lot of poems that’s dedicated for her from both Paganism and Christinaity. In fact, there’re also rivers named after her. She’s also a goddess of creativity and it’s great to celebrate Imbolc You don’t need to be a literature graduate to write a poem, as long as it’s something coming from the heart, it’s good enough. I find writing poetry very therapeutic and cathartic, and who knows? if you call in Brigid, maybe you’ll find some guidance and insights during the process of writing. Remember, when we are creating, we are more aligned to our soul’s blueprint
Make an Imbolc Altar
Similar to the family meal, you can also feature white and yellow flowers. I’d also light some candles (I’d do at least 3), of course if you already have a Brigid statue, that’d be a lovely addition.
If you don’t have a statue, you can simply print a photo of Brigid and put her on the altar. Or she’s also featured in a wide range of oracle cards. Since she’s associated with healing, some herbs, especially those that you use for different healing purposes could be put on the altar. You can also put the poetry you’ve written on the altar. If poetry is not your thing, perhaps write your favourite quote and put it on your altar. In terms of crystal, moonstone, calcite, malachite, amethyst are all quite good with the energy of Imbolc.
Make a Brigid Cross
It’s interesting because I only knew about Brigid Cross since I researched Brigid after working with her for a month. I was talking to my husband and turned out making a Brigid’s cross using rushes was something he did every spring when he was a kid. You can easily find rushes near lake or loch as it’s something that tended to grow this time of the year. There are different styles; some have 4 arms and some have 3. Do what your heart tells you. I’m quite excited this year as we are going to find some rushes and he’ll teach me how to make one! I found a useful tutorial here.
4 arms brigid cross made with straws. You can purchase it from this website
3 arm brigid cross looks like that. If you are not into crafting but want to hang a brigid cross at your home. You can easily purchase online, this particular one is from etsy
After you make your Brigid cross, hang it in a living room. Its seen as a symbol of protection. I’d try to hang it in the center of your home; in terms of feng shui bagua, the center is where wellbeing is governed.
May you be filled with brightness, light and creative magic
Imrama
Last year I felt very stuck in my business when I was challenged to change the name of my business and felt unable to move forward. I was questioning everything I’ve done; my approach, my ethos, my beliefs. Creativity is one of my core value and I felt I was in a creative ruck because of all that going on the admin side of my business. Brigid is the guide I turned to for guidance in creativity. Her gentle encouragement during my soul time with her helped me a lot during the renaming process and allow me to feel 100% aligned with my business. if you have followed my Instagram, you’ll know that I’m now expecting our wee girl in July. I find that during my pregnancy, working with Brigid has been extremely comforting and I can’t wait to celebrate Imbolc - I’m ready for some freshness and brightness after stressful few months with the move. Check out part 1 of my journey here. If you feel called to go on a soul journey and find your sacred space, inside and outside, click the button below and let’s chat
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