Witchvox Article

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Posted: February 1st. 2003
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Last year I did a very "witchy" ritual for Imbolc. I had a red and white altar cloth, matching colored candles, incense, oil; the whole works. Only it didn't work. It fell flat, and left me with the sense of a wasted evening. As I was cleaning up I began thinking how Brigit herself would celebrate this day in modern times. I came up with two possibilities: 1. going out to an Irish bar, drinking beer and catching a session, or 2. staying up all night with pregnant ewes. Since I am a true city girl and have never seen a pregnant ewe, I decided then and there to celebrate Imbolc 2003 by drinking and dancing with Brigit at a local Irish pub. I managed to salvage the evening by putting on a mixture of the Chieftains and the Pogues and dancing around my apartment.

Now that Imbolc is again approaching, my thoughts turn back to that day last year, and to Brigid. Who she is to me, how she interacts with my life, and how I will celebrate Imbolc this year. To me, she is the Goddess with the Clue-by-Four. For those who don't know, a clue-by-four is just like a 2x4, but when you get hit upside the head with a clue-by-four, you actually get the message. My experiences with Brigit have been of the "wake up and pay attention" kind. Every once in a while, I'll be minding my own business, and Brigit will metaphysically whack me with the clue-by-four, and I'll get the message that I need to do something else. Talk about inspiration! The message I got last Imbolc was, "Enjoy yourself. Life is a celebration. Celebrate my day."

Besides being a source of inspiration, Brigit transforms. In every story associated with her, either as Goddess or Saint, there is a transformation, whether it is the transformation that occurs at a birth, or the miraculous creation of beer. Transformation is the key to life. As all things live, they grow, change and ultimately transform into something else along the way. A transformation changes the appearance, nature, function, or condition of a given object. Brigit herself transforms, from Goddess of Healing, to Goddess of Smithcraft, to Goddess of Poetry, and back. Her triple nature defies stagnation. Each of her aspects promotes change.

As the Goddess of Healing, she encourages and assists the change from sick to well. She also brings about the change of birth, where a man and a woman are transformed into parents, the baby is welcomed into life, and the whole makeup of the family is now different. Everything living grows and changes. Life is not stagnant. Life will always change.

Smiths have always been revered as transformers. In ancient times, they alone knew the secrets of metal, how to bend and shape a lump into a sword, a cup, a piece of jewelry. By heating metal in a fire, and hitting and shaping it, a useful object is produced. It is no longer the same hunk of metal it was, it is now something new and different. All crafters and artisans are transformers. They take clay, fabric, found objects, and through their skill they create works of art. When I sit down in front of my sewing machine, ready to start a new project, I think of how things will be different with this new piece. Sometimes it is as simple a change as hemming a pair of pants, which will allow them to be worn without the possibility of tripping. Other times, it is the beginning of a quilt, which will completely change the entire look and feel of my bedroom. To create is to transform.

I am closest to Brigit the Poet. Not because I write poetry, but because of her nature as patron of intellectual inspiration. Nothing begins without a desire to do so, a vision of the completed task: inspiration. Being a professional student for six years, I've needed a lot of inspiration to write that many papers. Whenever I was stuck on a topic, or reached writer's block, or I was about to pull an all-nighter staring at the computer screen, not wanting to write one more essay on management theory, I would ask Brigit to help me. My prayer then usually went something like, "Oh Goddess, if I don't get started soon, I'll pass out on my computer, and when I'll wake up I'll want to throw it out the window. I can't afford a new machine, so I need to get started now." That, along with getting up and doing something else for a half hour, usually got me over writer's block. Before the smith can make anything, he or she needs the idea of the finished product. The healer needs an idea of the intended outcome before treatment can begin. Inspiration is at the root of all change, it is the initiation of change.

Before I end this essay, I want to share my favorite stories of Brigit: her beer-making stories. I haven't yet run across any other God or Goddess who spontaneously created beer. For me, and among my family, alcohol is drunk at parties and on special occasions. It is a sign of good times. I like to think that Brigit enjoys the good times in life, and it makes her a little more approachable. There are two different stories of St. Brigid making beer. In one, she is given a small package of malt, but miraculously makes enough beer to serve eighteen churches for eight days over Easter. In another story, her bathwater turned to beer (K 47-48). In a tenth century poem, St Brigid requests:

I should like a great lake of ale
For the King of kings;
I should like the family of Heaven
To be drinking it through time eternal.

(Hoagland 47)

I would love to go to a party hosted by Brigit.

This year, I will use Imbolc to host a party to honor Brigit. I will sew something, and perhaps write. I will definitely go out and enjoy life. I'll do all of my favorite winter activities. I'll make a snowman and have a snowball fight. I'll go traying (which is like sledding, only using a cafeteria tray instead of a true sled), and when I'm cold, wet, and exhausted, I'll come inside for a cup of hot chocolate and sit by my fire in stocking feet and a wool sweater. After getting warmed up, I'll gather my friends, and head down to a local pub. We'll have shepherd's pie, Guinness beef stew, and other forms of pub grub. We'll wash down the food with a few beers and ciders, and enjoy the music of the band and the company of each other. We'll laugh and argue and tell stories, all for Brigit, the Goddess who loves life and enjoys living.

Bibliography:
Condren, Mary. The Serpent and the Goddess: Women, Religion and Power in Celtic Ireland. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989.
Gerald of Wales. The History and Topography of Ireland. Trans. John J. O'Meara. New York: Penguin, 1951.
Hoagland, Kathleen, ed. 1000 Years of Irish Poetry.New York: Konecky & Konecky, 1947.
Jones, Noragh. Power of Raven, Wisdom of Serpent: Celtic Women's Spirituality. Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne Press, 1994.
K, Amber and Azrael Arynn K. Candlemas: Feast of Flames. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 2001.
NicGrioghair, Branfionn. "Brighid, Bright Goddess of the Gael." http://www.imbas.org/brighid.htm. 1997. 15 January 2003.
O Cathain, Seamus. "Hearth-Prayers and Other Traditions of Brigit: Celtic Goddess and Holy Woman." Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 122:12-34. I992.

Rose

Bio: I describe my path as "Irish Paganism," with leanings toward Wicca. I'm a librarian currently living near Boston, MA. In my spare time I sew, read too many books, and study Irish dance.

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