Brighid

In Irish legend, Brighid (or Brighit), whose name is derived from the Celtic brig or "exalted one", is the daughter of the Dagda, and therefore one of the Tuatha de Dannan. In some versions of her story, she is the wife of the Fomorian Bres, with whom she had a son, Ruadan. Her two sisters were also called Brighid, and were associated with healing and crafts. The three Brighids were typically treated as three aspects of a single deity, making her a classic Celtic triple goddess.

Patron and Protector:
Brighid was the patron of poets and bards, as well as healers and magicians. She was especially honored when it came to matters of prophecy and divination. She was honored with a sacred flame maintained by a group of priestesses, and her sanctuary at Kildare, Ireland, later became the home of the Christian variant of Brighid, St. Brigid of Kildare. Kildare is also the location of one of several sacred wells in the Celtic regions, many of which are connected to Brighid. Even today, it's not uncommon to see ribbons and other offerings tied to trees near a well as a petition to Brighid.

In Britain, Brighid's counterpart was Brigantia, a warlike figure of the Brigantes tribe near Yorkshire, England. She is similar in aspects to the Greek goddess Athena and the Roman Minerva. Later, as Christianity moved into the Celtic lands, St. Brigid was the daughter of a Pictish slave who was baptised by St. Patrick, and founded a community of nuns at Kildare.

In addition to her position as a goddess of magic, Brighid was known to watch over women in childbirth, and thus evolved into a goddess of hearth and home. Today, many Pagans and Wiccans honor her on February 2, which has become known as Imbolc or Candlemas1.

Like many Pagan holidays, Imbolc has a Celtic connection, although it wasn’t celebrated in non-Gaelic Celtic societies. The early Celts celebrated a purification festival by honoring Brighid. In some parts of the Scottish Highlands, Brighid was viewed as Cailleach Bheur, a woman with mystical powers who was older than the land itself. In modern Wicca and Paganism, Brighid is viewed as the maiden aspect of the maiden/mother/crone cycle.

Imbolc

Merry Meet All,

Imbolc is approaching. Imbolc is a Fire festival. It is related to fire. It is the time when it is still freezing cold yet new life stirs within the soil. Hope turns to our warmed hearts that spring is not far away. Imbolc is the first of the three spring festivals.

It's Imbolc1, and that's the Sabbat where many Wiccans and Pagans choose to honor the Celtic goddess Brighid2, in her many aspects. However, other than having a giant statue of Brighid on your altar, there are a number of ways you can set up for the season. Depending on how much space you have, you can try some or even all of these ideas -- obviously, someone using a bookshelf as an altar will have less flexibility than someone using a table, but use what calls to you most.

Colors

Traditionally, the colors of red and white are associated with Brighid. The white is the color of the blanket of snow, and the red symbolizes the rising sun. In some traditions, the red is connected with the blood of life. Brighid is also tied to the color green, both for the green mantle3 she wears and for the life growing beneath the earth. Decorate your altar with a white cloth, and drape a swath of red across it. Add green candles in candleholders.

The Beginnings of New Life

Altar decor should reflect the theme of the Sabbat. Because Imbolc is a harbinger of spring, any plants that symbolize the new growth are appropriate. Add potted bulbs -- don't worry if they're blooming yet -- and spring flowers4 such as forsythia, crocus, daffodils, and snowdrops. If you don't have much luck planting bulbs, think about making a Brighid's crown5 as a centerpiece -- it combines flowers and candles together.

Celtic Designs

Brighid is, after all, a goddess of the Celtic peoples, so it's always appropriate to add some sort of Celtic design to your altar. Consider adding a Brighid's cross6 or any other item incoporating Celtic knotwork. If you happen to have a Celtic cross, don't worry about the fact that it's also a Christian symbol -- if it feels right on your altar, go ahead and add it.

Other Symbols of Brighid

Cauldrons7 or chalices8 -- she's often connected to sacred wells and springs
A small anvil or hammer -- Brighid is the goddess of smithcraft
A Brighid corn doll9 and Priapic wand10
Sacred animals such as cows, sheep or swans
A goddess statue
A book of poetry, or a poem you've written -- Brighid is the patroness of poets
Faeries -- in some traditions, Brighid is the sister of the Fae
Healing herbs11 -- she's often connected to healing rites
Lots of candles12, or a cauldron with a small fire in it

Some of this information was derived from About.com.

Office Chi

Merry Meet All,

2010 is here. I have recently refreshed my whole desk area and am here to share how I did that with you. Though I am a Wiccan, I heartily embrace the philosophy of feng shui. I was amazed at the difference of the energy at my small desk area. More information on feng shui can be easily found online and in bookstores and libraries, but I will share some tips with you now.

Chi is the life force that is believed to be inherent in all things. Prana is also a word for life force energy. Good chi or prana is good energy. That is essential when striving towards a positive working area.

Besides doing some mundane chores of cleaning the desk area, I wiped down my desk monitor. I placed my lamp opposite my power hand to the left side. I placed a Buddha candle to the east side to welcome prosperity. I switched the desktop screen to a softer, flowing water image. I placed some grounding crystals such as selenite, hematite and smoky quartz on my desk to ground the energies. My spider plant hangs between the door and the computer. Plants bring good wood chi into an area. I can see outside from my computer and window. A lovely birch tree greets my eyes. I took my waste basket from under my computer to a different spot in the room. That made a huge difference right there.

I also deleted old, unused, ancient files from my folders and updated several files. This also created good chi and freed up my hard drive space. I also bought a cordless phone, freeing me to be in different places that I chose to be in and not have to depend on cords or be tangled in cords. I like to download music but was unaware that I downloaded music from a hacker virus infected site. I have deleted all the songs and am never downloading songs from the site anymore (which I won't name here to avoid more problems.) Thanks to some advice from a good friend, I have avoided a computer crash. My computer alarmed me when my screen and Itunes froze. I knew something was amiss. i did a virus check and all is well now. I try to keep computer cords out of view.

So with all that, my writing space is now more positive, energized, full of good chi and I am ready to get going with my writing projects. I look forward to the positive opportunities that come my way. Already I have two proposals on their way and some new ones underway. Feng Shui is a wonderful philosophy. I hope this inspires you to do the same and create good energy where you work.

Sunday's Magic Correspondences

The ruling planet is the Sun, the metal is gold, the colors are yellow and gold, the deities are Brighid, Helios and Ra. The gemstones are quartz crystal, diamond, amber and carnelian. The herbs are marigold, sunflower and cinnamon. The associations are agriculture, beauty, victory, self-expression and creativity.

Daily Magic

Days of Magic

Saturday is auspicious for agriculture and creativity, fortune and hope, protection and banishment of negativity. The colors are black an purple, the planet Saturn, the metal lead, and the deities are Saturn and Hecate, and the crystals are apache tear, obsidian and hematite.THe herbs and plants are thyme, mullein and cypress.


Today is Friday, which is ruled by Venus. The metal is copper, the gemstones are coral, emerald and rose quartz. The herbs and plants are strawberries (which may be hard to get locally and organic at this time of year), and feverfew. The deities are Freya, a Nordic Goddess, Venus the Greek Goddess of Love, and Aphrodite. The associations today are family life and fertility, sexuality, harmony, friendship and growth. To learn more about this, read Raymond Buckland, Silver Ravenwolf, or Starhawk.


The correspondences for today are the color purple, the planet Mercury, the metal mercury, the gemstones adventurine and agate-blue lace agate is good for communications and the throat chakra, the plants aspen, lilies, lavender and ferns. Lavender is calming and soothing. The associations honor and family, loyalty, harvests, clothing and riches and fealty.


Enjoy your day
Blessed Be

Tuesday's Correspondences

Today is Tuesday. The magical correspondences are as follows: red and orange, the planet Mars, the metal Iron, the gemstones are garnet and ruby, the herbs and plants are thistles, holly, coneflower and cactus. The deities are Mars, Aries, the Morrigan and Lilith.

The Associations are war and conflict, enemies, initiation, marriage and protection.

Blessed Be
Keep warm
Spiderwitch

Circle Magazine

Merry Meet all,

I have the pleasure of having my article on the history of pagan bonfires published in Circle Magazine for their winter issue. It was an extremely challenging and interesting article to write. I am currently working on an article for Circle magazine about pentacles. There is a link to their website.

Blessings,
Spiderwitch

Broomsticks and blogs

Merry Meet All,

Here we are, in mid-January. I hope you're all keeping warm against the cold. Imbolg is fast approaching and the early promise of spring will emerge. That is the time to honor Brighid, when the ewes first start lactating their milk and the energies below the earth begin to stir. It is a time of hope and promise.

Before Imbolg arrives, this is a good time to purge and get rid of all that stuff that accumulated and you know you don't really want. There was a fire on this New Year's Eve. I donated a bag of my possessions to a local store Morrigan LeFay's mystical gifts to help the people out. It felt good to do and makes more room for new things. I donated my unwanted clothing to Value Village. I have always donated to a cause and it's good to help others.

I have a rainbow prism that hangs at my window. Today the sun shines so strong that rainbows are cast around my room. Today's moon is in Scorpio and the sun is in Capricorn. Monday is ruled by the moon. The daily magical influences are peace, healing, psychic awareness. The colors for today are gray, lavender, silver, white and ivory.