Thig an nathair as an toll
Là donn Brìde,
Ged robh trì troighean dhen t-sneachd
Air leac an làir.
The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Bríde,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground.
Carmichael, Alexander (1900) Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations, Ortha Nan Gaidheal, Volume I, P. 169
The next Fire Festival in our seasonal round is Imbolc (February 1-2 in modern Pagan practice) from Old Irish “i mbolg” (in the belly), referring to pregnant ewes, or from Old Irish “imb-fholc” (to cleanse or wash oneself), referring to a kind of ritual cleansing.
There are different ways to calculate the date of this Holy Day. Some will just follow the calendar, while others will wait until the local sheep begin giving milk. In my area this happens around mid-February.
Imbolc is in essence a milk festival, in celebration of the lactation of the ewes. In Celtic times there were no supermarkets and for several months of the year there would have been no milk. Sheep began to give milk again a few days before they dropped their lambs, around the time of Imbolc, which was cause for a celebration. Imbolc was also a Fire Festival because at this time it became light enough that one no longer had to carry a candle to the barn to do the milking.
The combination of milk (sacred liquid) and candle flame (sacred fire) brings together the two basic building blocks of creation in Indo-European thinking; fire and water, and the greatest potential for magic. The Christian church took over the festival and re-named it Candle Mass. Congregants were instructed to bring their candles to the altar to be blessed.
In Ireland Imbolc is considered the start of spring, and the time of the first plowings. Imbolc is the season when snakes and hedgehogs are seen to emerge from their winter denning, an occurrence that has led directly to the American tradition of “Groundhog Day”.
“Early on Bride’s morn
The serpent shall come from the hole,
I will not molest the serpent,
Nor will the serpent molest me.”
- Scottish traditional, from the Carmina Gadelica, Volume 1, by Alexander Carmicheal, (1900)
Imbolc is the festival sacred to the Goddess Brighid (Bride in Scotland), a Fire Goddess of healing, poetry, smith craft and motherhood. She was so popular in Celtic areas that they could never quite let go of her and her stories eventually morphed into the personage of Saint Brighid of Kildare who kept a Fire Temple just as her Pagan predecessor once did.
In Ireland it is customary to weave Brighid’ s Crosses out of rushes at Imbolc, to be hidden in eaves and placed in windows to attract the saint’s blessings. But these crosses are not the Latin cross (which has a longer “stem” and three shorter “arms”). They are an equal-armed solar cross; a Celtic version of the swastika. “Swastika” comes from Sanskrit “svastika” (“good fortune”, “well-being”). The solar cross may have first been used in Eurasia, as early as 7000 years ago. It is a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Odinism and a common sight on temples or houses in India and Indonesia. It’s even a good luck symbol for the Navaho Nation.
Another custom is to make a “Brighid’ s Girdle”, a circle of rope with three Brighid’ s Crosses tied to it. On Imbolc men step through it and women gracefully lower it over their heads, a way to be protected by the Goddess, or perhaps be symbolically reborn from her womb.
“On the eve of St. Brigid’s Feast, (February 1, the Celtic feast of Imbolc, for renewal and purification) traditionally, young boys called brideoga or biddies would carry a churndash (the post used for churning butter) dressed as a woman, with an effigy of St. Brigid, and ask door to door for gifts or alms. O Cathasaigh notes that the churndash is symbolic of milking which has relevance both to the saint, who attended to a dairy, and to the festival of Imbolc. In addition to begging for alms, the brideoga would leave bundles of straw and rushes outside the doors at homes. At nightfall young girls would pick them up, and, after asking to be admitted in the name of the saint, would weave them into crosses. After traditional prayers and a meal, crosses would then be placed under the eaves in the house or in outhouses. Before they were placed in the thatch, however, the crosses would sometimes be blessed with holy water, a ritual with connotations simultaneously Christian and Pagan.”
- Joe Pellegrino, St. Brigid’s Crosses and Girdles
There is another custom which is to lay a “Bride Doll” on a bed of straw in a basket near the fire. In the morning if a footstep is seen in the ashes, it is a sign that Brighid herself has been there.
In Ireland and in Scotland the last sheaf of wheat to be harvested is called the “Cailleach” (the Hag), a “Corn Dolly” that must be kept in the home of the last farmer to finish his or her harvest. It is considered bad luck to find yourself the guardian of the “Dolly”. But if the same Dolly is attached to the horses before plowing, good luck is said to surely follow.
On Imbolc Eve I like to leave a candle outside in the snow (here in New England it’s still snowy in February), a Bride Doll made of wheat (which I later place on the altar or hang from the ceiling), a “brat” (cloak) to wear when ill during the year, and strips of cloth called “cloots” (Scots – in Ireland they are just called “rags”) that can be tied on to a sick person or animal. Because on that night Brighid comes by to add her blessings and healing powers to these objects.
Fun fact – the founder of the Amherst Irish Association here in Massachusetts says she leaves her knickers out on Imbolc Eve so Brighid will empower them! (Smile)
A BRIGID POEM FOR THE CHILDREN – about Saint Brighid
Brigit of the Oak
By Ruth Marshall
Brigit was a helpful child, at home and in the fields,
Whenever she was milking, the cows increased their yields.
Was it because she sang to them, or loved the cows so well,
Or because her hands worked miracles – well, who of us can tell?
When she was making butter, there was more than half again,
And when she set five loaves to bake, what came out the oven was ten!
Plenty for all when Brigit cooked or when she brewed the beer,
No one had to go without when Brigit prayed: no fear.
Her father found it all too much when she gave away his stuff:
His sword, his food, his money – he’d had more than quite enough!
Decided he would make her wed – her beauty was renowned –
But when he found a suitor, well, Brigit simply frowned.
“I’d rather pluck out my own eye from out of my own face,
Than marry any man you choose. That would be a disgrace!
I’ll be a holy woman, dedicate my days to good,
I’ll build a church beneath the oaks and share all of my food.
I’ll ask the king for land for this, and if he won’t agree
I’ll lay my cloak upon the ground, and then we’ll see!
The hills will sound with blessings, the earth itself rejoice,
And to all in need of comfort, I will raise my voice,
To let them know that solace is surely to be found
Within this heart, where burns a fire, that warms all around.”
So Brigit did just as she said, and let that bright flame burn,
Her sisters tended it by night, and Brigit took her turn
To feed the flame of kindness, and to keep it ever lit,
As we can by remembering: goddess and saint, Brigit.
Now when we see a dandelion, with its face bright as the sun,
We know that spring is here again and new growth has begun.
And so today, when spring awakes, we think of her all the more
When we make a cross of rushes and we hang it by the door,
Remembering dear Brigit, of the cattle and the cloak.
Who showers us with blessings: dearest Brigit of the Oak.
NOTE: This poem was written for use with primary schools – containing snippets and motifs that the author
would then go on to speak about with the children, or tell stories about. You are welcome to use it
within this context, but please acknowledge its source. https://youtu.be/mvXQiGxvKcM
BOOK NEWS AND EVENTS
FEBRUARY 18-20 – WitchCon (virtual conference)
Ellen will be teaching a class on Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore.
@ 2:45 Eastern Time, Saturday
Register here:
https://www.witchcon.com/registration.php
March 5, 2022 1-4 PM
Women’s Wellness Series (virtual class)
March 5 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Central time
The Witching Herbs – Working with Baneful Plants: Healing, Magick, and Homeopathy with Ellen Evert Hopman (please note: the time given is Central Standard Time)
Register here:
$60
Use code Ellen10 and get a discount!
April 21, 2022
4 pm Eastern – a Zoom talk
The Sacred Herbs of Spring (free)
Register here:
July 15, 2022 @ 12:00 pm
WitchsFest 2022
WitchsFest 2022 will be held July 15th through July 17th with Virtual days on Friday and Sunday and live classes in-person in New York City’s Astor place on Saturday, July 16th. Ellen will be offering on line talks via Zoom on Friday and Sunday Click here for more info: http://www.witchsfestusa.org/
July 21, 2022
4 PM Eastern time
A Zoom talk (free)
Secret Medicines from Your Garden
Register here:
October 20, 2022
4 PM Eastern
A Zoom talk (free)
The Sacred Herbs of Samhain
Register here:
Watch Ellen Evert Hopman as she discusses her book, The Real Witches of New England, with moderator Virginia Wolf, Thursday, January 20th, 2022 https://youtu.be/yyBZ1dXqtT4 (video)
A recent podcast – January 19, 2022 where Ellen talks about books and Druids
ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS
The Caithness broch project is seeking donations
Norse Medieval culture – new evidence
Sarmizegetusa Regia – The Mountain Capital of the Dacians
New insights into Poverty Point Paleo-Indian site
2 giant sphinxes depicting King Tut’s grandfather found at ancient Egyptian temple
https://www.livescience.com/two-ancient-egyptian-sphinxes-discovered-at-temple
30 mummies discovered inside an ancient fire-scorched sacrificial structure
https://www.livescience.com/30-mummies-discovered-aswan
Proposed Canadian bypass threatens ancient site
HERB NEWS
Ginko benefits and uses
Uva Ursi benefits and uses
Red Clover benefits and uses
Herbal diaper rash salve – a bit more complicated than mine – I just use Calendula and Chamomile
African Buttercup (Ranunculus multifidus Forskk) – a traditional folk cure – may provide a new Malaria treatment
HEALTH NEWS
Can You Reuse a KN95 or N95 Mask? Experts Say Yes, but Follow These Steps
2/3 of Covid vaccine “side effects” caused by nocebo – not the jab
Covid is a much bigger threat to the heart than the vaccine – study finds
CLIMATE AND NATURE NEWS
Outdoor cats are using $500.00 satellite dishes as self-heating beds
Corvids (video)
Celestial events to see in 2022
Beavers are reshaping the Arctic tundra, causing concern
FAIRY NEWS
From ring fort to ring road – the destruction of Ireland’s Fairy Forts
RELIGION NEWS
The Pagan roots of Saint Brighid
Scotland considers pardoning thousands of accused Witches
More: https://www.witchesofscotland.com/about
Catalonia is seeking reparations for Witchcraft victims
Mary Barnes – accused Witch of Hartford (video)
The 18th conference on current Pagan studies – an overview of the proceedings
ARTS NEWS
Dismissed as a Copy for Decades, This Flemish Masterpiece Could Now Fetch Thousands
IRELAND TO LAUNCH UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME PROGRAM FOR ARTISTS
POLITICS AND ETHICS
Richmond’s Robert E. Lee Statue Is Headed to a Black History Museum
Archiving the January 6 Trump riot for history
Canada reaches settlement to pay for indigenous children taken from their families