By Brigid's Hearth

An Imbolc meditation

Feb 01, 2024

Brigid of the warm hearth,
Brigid of the strong forge,
Brigid of the wise words,
Bless our homes and families,
Strengthen our craft and skill,
Inspire our hearts, minds, and deeds.

Blessed and bright Imbolc to you and yours on this day of renewal and rebirth.

Today is the first festival of Spring, and it might seem early for that with snow in the forecast and such a chill in the air. That makes it the perfect time to remember the life brewing in the earth, and the flowers yet to bloom. Why? Because it is hard to believe in things we cannot see.

Everything starts in the hidden places of our hearts and our minds. Most change is small, incremental, and slow. It is hard, if not impossible, to see if we are not watching closely, and even then progress may still go unseen. This is why big moments often feel like they arise out of nowhere. Those moments were conceived, grown, and brought to birth out of sight. Imbolc reminds us to look for and work towards these changes.

The Triple Blessing of Brigid

Today is sacred to Brigid. She is a great mystery in and of herself. She is a triple goddess of the hearth, the forge, and poetry. Some stories take this literally, referring to three sisters each named Brigid, while others attribute all three qualities to the daughter of the Dagda and the Morrigan.

What we can say for sure is that Brigid not only cared for the people, animals, and crops under her care, and she is so beloved her memory and devotion survived the Imperial Christianization of Scotland and Ireland.

We need her help and her blessing today more than ever for health and hope in our home and family, for the skill to perform our craft for the benefit of ourselves and others, and for the inspiration to find and share the words that give life.

So let us take a moment to pray and call on her blessing.