Happy Imbolc!
Today at 2:22 EST the Sun crossed 15 degrees of Aquarius, the way the Ancients measured the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. They celebrated this time as Imbolc.
To our indigenous European ancestors, it marked the promise of Spring in the midst of the cold, dark, seemingly fallow Winter, and was associated with the Goddess Brigid.
So here we are, in early February, in 2012.
Can we in all of our high-tech modernity connect still with this Divine Spark that promises new greening in the Spring?
And is it any wonder, then, that springs were considered among 'Brigid's places'. She was, and is, a goddess of fire and water.
I've written of Imbolc and the Goddess Brigid before in Brigid's Wild Bounty and other Imbolc-Candlemas blog entries. But I'm called to share a few of Her sparks here, too, because She inspires me to.
I feel a special connection with Brigid, because I was born during Brigid's time of Imbolc and Candlemas.
For the longest time, that connection felt paved over, like something hidden away in a basement wall, covered with brick and mortar to keep others from finding it.
I had to chip away to allow the earlier wisdom of my ancestors to speak to me again.
The bricks were the beliefs passed along by the Patriarchs, guiding us away from our indigenous spiritual traditions and their connections to God/dess and nature.
The mortar was fear, because that's what such an unnatural system requires to keep its hold.
But mortar ultimately crumbles and falls away, freeing what it once held in place.
As the light shines through the cracked mortar, we become strong at the broken places.
So it is with our ancient spiritual inheritance and the indigenous wisdom of our ancestors that was celebrated at times such as these. Our ancestors call us to remember such wisdom now.
Brigid is considered a goddess of inspiration. Like her Hindu counterpart Saraswati, her inspiration sparked the words of poets and bards, and led artists to a high level of craftsmanship.
Brigid also contains the fire of Durga-Kali in the Hindu tradition, inspiring not just poetic artistry, but a fierceness as well, and the complete transformation of energies from one form to another.
Her elements -- fire and water -- are symbols that offer us rich guidance. Together they create a third element, and are both necessary to the fecundity of earth.
When we immerse ourselves in these stories, elements, and symbols, that ancient knowing and wisdom stirs itself awake within us. We feel a greater depth and grounding, joy and creativity, and with these, fear begins to loosen its hold.
And now, at Imbolc-Candlemas 2012, we have the added energy of Neptune coming home to Pisces after 14 years of expressing itself Aquarian style.
These archetypal energies are vastly different, so we will feel the shift eventually, if not immediately. As ever, we benefit from working consciously with these forces, to the degree we can, rather than feel tossed around like a tiny little ship in a perfect storm.
Our ancient ancestors used ritual and seasonal festivals, amongst other things, to feel more connected, guided, and 'in the right place.'
An Imbolc Neptune shift raises once again the qualities of the re-emerging Feminine, and the qualities of Brigid, Neptune and Pisces -- wisdom, imagination, dream, Divine love, inspiration, interrelatedness, inspired transformation, and more.
So place a small bowl of water next to your candle on your altar in honor of Brigid -- one 'face' of the Great Mother -- and to call into your being and your life the wisdom, inspiration, creativity, fluidity, and heart-fullness that will bring the 'new greening' of Spring.
Lots of Love,
Jamie
Connect with these energies & your Ancestral Wisdom through the Feminine Mojo Mystery School and upcoming telecourses and programs.
Image Credits: Artist Unknown (for this beautiful image) - attributed to Olds Kool Si. Stained glass window featuring Brigid, location unknown. I'll continue to search.
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