Winter is soon to come to end when Imbolc (Gaelic meaning ewe’s milk) occurs on February 1st. After a long, hard winter, the first signs of spring are born in birthing sheep and the first feeding of the infant lambs. It was said that the goddess Brigit traveled the countryside with her companion, a red-eared white cow, to unveil her mantle of green across the land at this time.

Brigit is one of the oldest and most popular of deities whose roots predate Celtic culture making her more than 5,000 years old. Some place her origins with the Picts (pre-Celtic Scots), yet some of her aspects can be traced back still thousands of years earlier to a Hindu goddess and the Eastern land from which the people who became the Celts originated. Her following was so deeply intrinsic to the Celtic people that she was adopted as a Christian saint. Her sacred flame tended by nineteen priestesses was later tended by nineteen nuns. Some evidence suggests the saint and goddess are one in the same, yet some suggest the saint was born of a Druid priest who had a vision that his daughter was to be named for the great Celtic deity. In either case, both goddess and saint share many, if not all of the same attributes, with many towns, wells, rivers and other things bearing some derivative of her name, including Britain itself. In some legends Brigit herself was a midwife at the birth of Jesus. As a goddess of light and healing, it would only be natural for her to have helped Mary birth the Child of Light into the world. Also a goddess of the home, hearth, smithcraft and poetry, she is patron of creative endeavors and home life.

In the Celtic lands, crosses made from dried rush or straw were placed above the entrance to the home or above the hearth in hopes that Brigit’s blessings would be granted upon the household. Milk or cream would be poured over the fields to bless them so that they will produce a bountiful harvest in the coming growing season. These customs were observed with much of the same gusto as we ascribe to Groundhog Day. This too has its root in ancient Roman pagan tradition where onlookers would wait for positive divination by a hedgehog to tell if winter will end early.

For most of us, winter still has a strong hold on the land and the first blades of grass will not be greening for some time. But soon the first snowdrops will peak out from the frosty white snow as the earth’s green mantle slowly returns. But it is the perfect time to throw open the windows (briefly) to flush the house with refreshing air and welcome the impending springtime.

ASSOCIATIONS
· Animals: phoenix, firebird, groundhog, ewe, sheep, cows
· Colors: white, red, pink, silver
· Element: earth
· Food: dairy products, spicy food, seeds, raisins, pancakes, waffles
· Plants: heather, willow, bay, basil, birch
· Power: creativity, renewal, inspiration

DECORATIONS
· Brigit’s Cross
· White candles
· Images of sheep and cows
· White flowers such as paperwhites and hyacinth
· Leftover greenery from Yule

ACTIVITIES
· Weave a Brigit’s cross using wheat stems soaked in hot water
· Make a cockscomb heart wreath using dried cockscomb from the garden
· Smudge your home, asking Brigit for her blessing
· ritually burn any leftover greenery from Yule
· Pour a pitcher of milk over your garden beds to bless them

IMBOLC INCENSE
1 part frankincense - protection, spirituality
3 parts myrrh - protection, healing, spirituality, purification
1 part dragon’s blood - love, protection, exorcism, potency
1 part sandalwood - protection, healing, spirituality
3 parts cinnamon - success, healing, psychic powers.
3 rowan berries – protection, vision
1 part benzoin – grounding, stabilizing
3 pinches rosemary - purifying, cleansing, protection, healing, mental power, knowledge

Posted in: The Wheel of the Year