My Imbolc & Dísablót

February 2, 2012 at 3:39 pm (Food, Holidays, spirituality)
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This year I combined my Imbolc ritual with a Dísablót. A Dísablót is a blessing given in honor of the Dísir; the female ancestral spirits and deities who are the guardians of family and home. I used the ADF-inspired ritual I put together last year, and just put the “blót” part in place of the “Blessing Cup”. I didn’t have anything written ahead of time for the blót part. I just called to the Dísir, asked for their blessing, made offerings and libations, then asperged from the blessing bowl.


I offered incense and deliciously tangy buttermilk candy. I wonder if anyone has ever done blót with milk besides me?
I used a little table with a shelf underneath for an altar for this, so my brídeag hid under there till it was time for her to come out.

I hope everyone has been having a blessed holiday! Here is my recipe for Buttermilk Candy:

Buttermilk Candy
4 cups sugar
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
Line an 8″ square baking pan with foil, leaving overhang on all sides. Grease the foil. Combine sugar and buttermilk in a heavy saucepan (I used my soup pot), and bring to a boil over meduim-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture reaches soft ball stage on a candy thermometer (about 234º F). This will take about 35 to 40 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Add butter, mixing with a wooden spoon until candy begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir in nuts until mixture becomes a little difficult to stir, about 3 minutes. Spread into the prepared pan and let cool completely, at least 2 hours. Using the foil overhang, lift candy from pan and cut into 1″ squares. This candy can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

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Bríde Plaque

February 1, 2012 at 1:45 am (Arts & Crafts, Holidays, spirituality)
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Here is another plaque I made when I was working with salt dough a lot last year. It’s a plaque of Bríde. It turned out kind of heavy, so I put it on a plate holder and sit it on a shelf instead of hanging it on a wall. It is made of strong salt dough, which has more salt than regular salt dough and the addition of alum. The three triskele designs around the top were done with a pendant; I just pressed it into the dough. As for the silhouette of Bríde herself, I simply drew an outline onto paper, cut it out, then used it as a template over rolled out dough. The swan was made with one of those molds that are included on the lid of a can of fun dough. (I think I actually bought the fun dough because of that mold!) It’s not perfect, but it has a kind of simplicity that really appeals to me.

Happy Imbolc!

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Ice/Snow Candles

February 5, 2011 at 4:52 pm (Arts & Crafts)
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Something I like to do (with the kids, especially) in the days leading up to (and after) Imbolc is making candles for use during the rest of the year.  We save old candle stubs and pieces of wax all year long for this.  It is especially fun to make candles when there is a lot of snow on the ground, because we can make snow candles!  These are also called lace candles, because the finished appearance.  You can use cubes of ice from your freezer to make these as well, but the results may look a bit more like Swiss cheese than lace.

For a candle mold, you can use a milk carton or a frozen concentrated juice container.  For the wick, use a (new or used) taper candle and fix it to the center bottom with a bit of melted wax. 
*Safety Precautions:  NEVER put wax directly over a heat source.  Monitor melting wax closely.
Put wax pieces in an empty can and place in a pan of water to heat on low.  You can add bits of crayon to get the color you want.  When the wax is melted, have the kids go out end place snow (and perhaps, chunks of ice) in the candle mold around the taper candle.  Pour in the wax.  When the wax is hardened, peel off the mold and turn the candle around to drain the melted snow and ice.

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AN IMBOLC RITE

January 25, 2011 at 6:39 am (Holidays, spirituality)
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(A part of my “little ritual” series.  Materials from, and adapted from ADF, the Carmia Gadelica, and other sources.)  For this ritual, make a Bríde doll, bed and Bríde’s girdle in addition to usual “little ritual” supplies.   (Bríde is pronounced “breej-ah”.)

Purification: the traditional purification ceremonies of Imbolc in addition to the usual Juniper smoke. 
 
Purpose
“I am here to keep the old ways
and honor the Kindred at the time of Imbolc.”

Three Realms Blessing
“As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be –
I stand at the Center of Earth, Sky and Sea.”

Hail to the Spirits
“Hail, Earth Mother, whole and holy, honor unto thee! 
I offer now as the ancients did to the Kindreds Three!”
“To the Fair Folk, I give offering and welcome.” 
(place offering in bowl or fire)
“To the Ancestors, I give offering and welcome.” 
(place offering in bowl or fire)
“To my Deities, I give offering and welcome.” 
(place offering in bowl or fire)

Hail to Bríde
“Blessed Bríde, I give you offering and welcome.” 
(place offering in bowl or fire)
“Bríde, Bríde, come thou in, thy bed is made.” 
Repeat 3 times:  “Let Bríde come in, Bríde is welcome.”
(Place the brídeag in her bed.)

Fire Lighting  Light ritual flame, saying:
“I shall kindle this fire in the presence of radiant Bríde,
golden-flame of our hearth and home.
May she bless and preserve us, this fire of warming,
fire of wisdom, fire of hospitality that is here;
She, the branch with blossoms, red-cheeked Bríde.” 

Bríde’s Girdle  Step through Bríde’s girdle 3 times, saying:
“Through Bríde’s girdle I am reborn- forever in the arms of the Goddess.”

Blessing Cup
“Holy Bríde, Great God Dagda, Shining Ones All,
a Child of the Earth calls out for your blessing.
Hallow these waters, O holy powers. 
Grant me the blessing I seek.
May the Wisdom, Love and Power
of the Kindreds Three
flow into this Cup of Blessing.”
(Hold cup out with both hands
and feel the energy flow into the cup.)
“This cup now holds the waters of life!
I drink this in the name of the Kindred.
May these waters I have received
flow through my body and through my spirit,
and may they pour out into the rest of my life.” 
(drink deeply)

Parting Blessing
“Bríde, gold-red woman, Bríde, flame and honeycomb,
Bríde, sun of womanhood,
Bríde lead me home. 
Bríde, you are a branch in blossom. 
You are a sheltering dome. 
You are my bright precious freedom. 
Bríde, lead me home.”

“I offer my thanks to the Mother of All. 
I offer my thanks to the Deities, Ancestors and Fair-Folk.
May the Three Sacred Kins bring joy to all beings,
and renew the ancient wisdom.
As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be.”

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My Imbolc Playlist

January 18, 2011 at 6:02 am (Holidays, spirituality)
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1. Dante’s Prayer - Loreena Mckennitt
2. Way to the Well - Ruth Barrett
3. The Wild Song - Anuna
4. Hallaig – Martyn Bennett
5. Shepherd Moons – Enya
6. Holy Water, Sacred Flame - Anne Hill
7. Bergita – Lisa Thiel
8. Return to the Mother - Reclaiming and Friends
9. Born of Water - Lindie Lila
10. Shining Water - Anuna
11. Every Breath is Sacred – Beverly Frederick
12. The Hymn to Bridget - Isaac Bonewits Memorial
13. Song to Brighid - Lisa Thiel
14. Brighid – Kellianna
15. Eiri Na Greine - Anuna
16. Imbolc – Lisa Thiel
17. Brid – Beverly Frederick
18. Queen of Fire – Jennifer Reif
19. Gabhain Molta Bhride - Claire Roche
20. Brighid’sKiss – La Lugh

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Crafts and Traditions of Imbolc

January 25, 2010 at 6:57 am (Arts & Crafts, folkways, Holidays)
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Brídeag – Bríde Doll
To make this “Little Bríde” take a long bundle of rushes or straw and fold in the middle. Tie a piece of string in a knot around where you’d like the neck of the doll to be. Split the body section of the doll into three parts; the two on the outside should be smaller than the one in the middle, and they should be about equal in thickness to each other. These will become the arms. Trim and tie off at the wrists. Tie a string in the middle section where you’d like the waist to be.  The Brídeag is a representation of the goddess Bríde and is dressed in her colors and decorated with greenery, shells, and crystals.  During ritual, she is placed in a basket (her bed), and a white birch wand placed beside her.

Brat Bríde – Bríde’s Mantle
The Brat Bríde is simple a piece of cloth that is placed outside (from sunset to sunrise) for Bríde to bless on the eve of Imbolc.  The cloth then has the power to protect and heal all the following year.
 
Cros Bríde -  Bríde’s Cross
These are woven from fresh green rushes (though they may also be made with wheat stalks -soaked until pliable) on the eve of Imbolc.  Woven left to right- sunwise- they are protective charms, placed above entrances to the home, even above windows.  There are many versions of the Bríde’s Cross…
The most common is this equal armed sun cross whose shape suggests movement.  (For instructions for making this click here.)

Another version that I don’t see as much is the binding knot, which keeps out evil spirits.  It is made with a simple basket weave pattern.

This next one you may know as the ‘god’s eye’.  Only it’s made with rushes instead of popsickle sticks and yarn.

This one is simply a braided cross inside a braided circle.  Incidentally, one should avoid turning wheels on the day of Imbolc.

Lastly, my favorite, one that actually isn’t a cross at all, but a triskele.  Whereas the others represent Bríde’s power as a goddess of light, this one reminds us of her triple nature.  (I have made these before by modifying the method for the equal-armed cross in the first picture.)

Bríde’s crosses will last for years before disintegrating.  The green color of the rushes will soon fade to a straw color.  The proper way to dispose of an old Cros Bríde is to either burn or bury it.

Crios Bríde -  Bríde’s Girdle
The Crios Bríde is a hoop of braided straw with (usually four) crosses attached.  The hoop and the Bríde doll was carried around neighborhoods and at each house, each family member was asked to step through the hoop to receive Bríde’s blessing and be reborn to another year of good health.  The verse recited was such as this:
 “Bríde’s girdle is my girdle, The girdle of the four crosses.
Arise, housewife and go through three times.
May whoever goes through my girdle be sevenfold better in a year’s time.”

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A Family Imbolc Ritual (ADF style)

January 23, 2010 at 2:30 pm (Holidays, spirituality)
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This is an indoor ritual- read “preparing for an indoor ritual” for a list of basic ritual supplies and explanations of ADF style liturgy. Advance preparations: clean and bless house and put up Bríde’s crosses above openings to the home. Make sure all Yule decorations are cleared/packed away (or if they were real greenery- burnt).

Additional supplies needed for this ritual:
~a Bríde’s Girdle,
~Bríde doll & basket with wand,
~have the basket for the Bríde doll on the ledge of the hearth or on the altar (and have someone designated to bring her in and place her in the basket after her invocation),
~white candles- one for each participant,
~non-alcoholic milk punch or mead are good choices for the blessing cup.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beginning the Rite:
Purification: All pass through Bríde’s Girdle, after which someone anoints all with water on the forehead, hands, and feet.
A bell is chimed to signify the beginning of ritual.
Statement of Purpose  “We gather now as our ancestors did, to worship the Old Ones and commemorate the turning seasons of the year. It is the time of Imbolc. Away goes the hatchling mother of the cold. New life stirs in the belly of Mother Earth. We have purified our home and have made ready for welcoming the great goddess Bríde.”
Honoring the Earth Mother  “We begin by honoring the Earth Mother, sacred, ancient…” (All bend and touch the floor. An offering is made.) “We pray for your blessings and may you uphold this rite.”

Cosmos
Triple Center: chant the Portal Song while lighting a hearth fire or candle and making offerings to each of the hallows.  Do the Two Powers Meditation
then acknowledge the Three Realms: “As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be, we stand at the center of Land, Sky, and Sea.”
Opening the Gates  “By the bright magic of the Fire, by the deep magic of the Well, and by the World Tree that connects us all, Mannanan, accept our offerings and let the gates be opened.”

Inviting and offering to the Three Kindreds
“To our Ancestors, we give offering and welcome. To the Nature Spirits, we give offering and welcome. To our Deities, we give offering and welcome. Kindred Three, join with us as we honor the turning of the seasons to the time of Imbolc. May you bless and uphold our rite.”
chant: Gods and Dead and Mighty Sidhe

Candles are passed around, then a flame is passed around lighting handheld candles.

Inviting and Offering to Bríde
“We are calling upon Bríde- Queen of the Hearth and Flame,
Midwife and healer, Poet and Seer, Lady of the Mantles…”

“Bríde, Bríde, come thou in, thy bed is made.”

ALL CHANT SOFTLY THREE TIMES:
“Let Bríde come in, Bríde is welcome.”

The Bríde doll and wand are brought in and placed in the basket. All proceed to come to the hearth/altar to place their candles around and about the basket and give offerings.

Final Offerings and Prayer of Offering
Now is the time for personal offerings and praise offerings (songs, poetry, etc.).
Final offerings- give what is left of your offerings- you may choose to save one last thing for right after the prayer of offering.
“Kindred Three, may you accept our offerings. Gentle Bríde, we have welcomed you on your blessed day, may you accept our offerings, and may we always be under your mantle.”

Omen
Seer takes omen (by his/her preferred method) to determine the family’s blessings for the coming season, and shares results.

Calling for the Blessings:
“Bright Bríde, Kindred Three, we have given you offering, now we ask for your blessing…we ask for ______… Kindred, bless us with ______ as we drink from the blessing cup! Behold, the waters of life!”
ALL: “Behold, the waters of life!”
While the blessing cup is being dispensed/drank, all chant:
Pour the Waters (first verse)

Workings, if any

Thanking the Spirits (Call & Response)
“Let us give thanks to the Spirits of our rite.”
“Gentle Bríde, we thank you.”
All: “We thank you.”
“Kindred Three, we thank you.”
All: “We thank you.”
“The Hallows of Fire, Well and Tree, we thank you.”
All: “We thank you.”
“Realms of Earth, Sky, and Sea, we thank you.”
All: “We thank you.”
“Mother Earth, we thank you.”
All: “We thank you.”
“Mannanan, Gatekeeper, we thank you.”
All: “We thank you.”
“And may the gates of the worlds be closed. Our rite is at an end.”
All: “As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be.”
~Ring a bell three times.

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Some Imbolc Chants/Songs

January 22, 2010 at 6:58 am (Chants & Songs, Holidays, spirituality)
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The following are some songs that I have used for Imbolc rituals.  It is hard to find sound samples for many of these.  The first one, “Way to the Well”, I’ve only heard sung by friends and I don’t know if its available on a CD or MP3.  The song “Bergita, Goddess of the Flame” is from a mixed tape someone gave me a long time ago and I don’t know who sings it.  Bergita is the Swedish name for Bríde, I think.  “Queen of Fire” is an oldie that I have on cassette but to my knowledge was never released on CD.

“Way to the Well” (Words by Starhawk and Rose May Dance, Music adpt. from a S. African Freedom Song.)
We Will Never, Never Lose Our Way To The Well Of Her Memory
And The Power– Of Her Living Flame It Will Rise, It Will Rise Again.(x2)
Like The Grasses, Through The Dark, Through The Soil,
To The Sunlight — We Shall Rise Again. We Are Thirsting — For The Waters Of Life,
We Are Moving — We Shall Live Again. (x2)

“Born of Water” (from “Chants: Ritual Music” by Reclaiming & Friends)
Born of water, cleansing, powerful, healing, changing, we are.

“Return to the Mother” (from “Chants: Ritual Music” by Reclaiming & Friends)
(spoken: All over the world, the waters are breaking. Everywhere, everywhere, the waters are breaking.)
And so return, return return, return to the Mother.

“Holy Water, Sacred Flame” (from “Circle Round & Sing” by Anne Hill)
Holy Water, Sacred Flame, Brighid, we invoke your name.
Bless my hands, my head, my heart, source of healing, song, and art.

“Welcome Brid” (from “Through the Darkness” Reclaiming Chants performed by Beverly Frederick)
Welcome Brid. Oh Brid is come. Brid is welcome.

“Bergita, Goddess of the Flame”
Bergita, Bergita, Priestess of the Flame Bergita, Bergita,
Goddess of the Flame Awaken the flame within my being
Awaken the sacred flame within by being.

“Every Breath is Sacred” (from “Through the Darkness” Reclaiming Chants performed by Beverly Frederick)
We turn the wheel to welcome Her- Every breath is sacred.
Opening we welcome Her- Every breath is sacred.
As we walk this ancient path- Every breath is sacred.
We are stronger than we know- Every breath is sacred.

“Queen of Fire” (from “Mysteries of Earth” by Jennifer Reif)
Her Sacred Flame and Her Holy Fire, Light of Brigit, Light and Power,
Mother of Flame and Queen of Fire, Bring us Your Light and Your Healing Power.
Bring us Your Light and Your Healing Power.
Mother of the Land and Mountain, Mother of the Shining Fountain,
Mother of the Waters that heal me, Mother of the Love that frees me.
Great the night all dancing and singing.
Great the love that the goddess is bringing.
Each beloved, the Sacred Center.
In the fiery circle, the Goddess does enter.
Heart of love has burst with wonder,
Great this love both above and under.
The Starry Sky reclaims Her Voice and the Regal Earth lives to rejoice.
The Starry Sky reclaims Her Voice and the Regal Earth lives to rejoice.
Her Sacred Flame and Her Holy Fire, Light of Brigit, Light and Power,
Mother of Flame and Queen of Fire, Bring us Your Light and Your Healing Power.
Bring us Your Light and Your Healing Power.

*UPDATE: I have found soundclips or entire MP3′s for some of these songs that I previously couldn’t find:

Way to the Well by Ruth Barrett (soundclip)

Born of Water (sung by Lindie Lila)

Holy Water, Sacred Flame (soundclip)

(I also found out that Lisa Thiel sung “Bergita”, but i couldn’t find a clip for it.)

See “My Imbolc Playlist” for links to more Imbolc songs.

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An Imbolc Feast Menu

January 18, 2010 at 7:46 am (Food, Holidays)
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*Honey Chicken

Roasted Root Vegetables

(Cabbage) Calcannon 

Brigit’s Bannock, honey-butter

Cheese Platter

Apple cake

**Milk Punch

~~~

*My ususal recipe for honey chicken is for a cut-up chicken (at 350 degrees, turning every 15 min. and baking for about an hour), but for special occasions such as this, I go all fancy and use a whole (uncut) chicken and pour on the same glaze:  combine 1/3 cup melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons prepared mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon curry powder.  Spread the root vegetables all around to cook in the same pan.

**Milk punch is made with equal parts whiskey and milk, and flavored with melted butter, sugar, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves.  For a non-alcoholic “party punch” version, combine 1/2 a gallon of milk with 1/2 a gallon of ginger ale and a quart of icecream in a punch bowl and add the above spices to taste.

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Imbolc Color Symbolism

January 11, 2010 at 6:50 am (Holidays, spirituality)
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In the Carmina Gadelica, Alexander Carmichael writes, “Bríde with her white wand is said to breathe life into the mouth of the dead Winter and to bring him to open his eyes to the tears and the smiles, the sighs and the laughter of Spring.”

The legends and traditions of the goddess and the saint are so intertwined that there may be no way of knowing which elements are pre-Christian and which are not. There is no written record of what came before, and the traditions that carry the namesake of the saint are so rich in Pagan meaning, that I would think it safe to assume (as most Pagans do assume) that their origins are pre-Christian.

The symbolism of the color white is seen again and again- she has a white wand and a white cow (with red ears!)… in Scotland on Bríde’s Feast Day, young girls dressed all in white made a doll out of straw or grain stalks and paraded her through town. They, and the doll, were considered Bríde personified. Modern associations with the color white are with themes of purity and virginity. But did the ancients have these same associations? Some of my Pagan friends are of the opinion that the tradition of wearing white for Imbolc is a patriarchal overlay, that it sends a stifling message to women- that we must be pure and virginal to have spiritual worth.

However, something tells me that the symbolism of white, and especially white combined with red, is too powerful a symbolism to dismiss. I’ve heard it suggested that to the ancients, these colors symbolized male power (white semen) and female power (red menstrual blood), and so mingling these colors was uniting these powers.

Here’s what I think- red and white are both symbols of female/goddess power. Think of the white of mother’s milk, especially relevant at Imbolc- Bríde is the divine midwife. The red is the blood of childbirth and white the milk that nourishes life. Indeed, the older name for the holiday, Oímelc, means sheep’s milk.  At St. Brigit’s well in Kildare, water runs through two stone tubes that resemble breasts.

And if you were to go outside and look at the sun at mid-day (don’t- it’s bad for your eyes), you would see that the sun isn’t yellow or orange (the colors we usually think of as sun colors)- the sun is white. The sun is (mostly) personified as female in Celtic cultures. So white and red are also symbolic of the sun and fire.

(Here are some more interesting things about the combination of red and white that have nothing to do with Imbolc… Shaman in some parts of the world wear red and white. Some think that Woden wore these colors and that’s how they became associated with Yule. The fly agaric mushroom is red capped with white spots.)

A third color associated with Imbolc, or rather, with Bríde herself, is the green of her mantle or cloak. This represents the green of Ireland, emphasizing Bríde’s fertility/land goddess aspect. There are many sources, however, that proscribe the colors red, white, and black to Bríde. Alexei Kondratiev calls the triad of red, white and black, “primordial colors”. In his book “Celtic Rituals”, he mentions that the color black is often symbolically associated with the color dark green. This only makes sense if one considers both green and black to be symbolic of chthonic substances; rich earth of varying dark colors. For the other associations of black; darkness, death, etc., would seem to be the antithesis of the goddess Bríde- but not of her dark twin, the Cailleach.

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