February 1, 2010
As we endure this last blast of bitter cold, we can look to the return of the sun, which traditionally is marked by the celebration of Imbolc, also known as St. Brigid’s Day, Candlemas, or for those of us in America, Ground Hog’s Day. No matter how it is called, I feel a great comfort in marking this day in the Celtic tradition, with the lighting of a sacred fire and reflection, a pause before moving on into spring.
The celebration of Brighid’s Day marked the lessening of winter’s grip. In Celtic Europe it was the time of birthing of the lambs and all new beginnings were celebrated. Very much a family festival, young men and women honored the goddess "Brigid, the goddess of midwifery and fosterage. At this time it is also considered advantageous to cast auguries concerning one’s destiny and direction during the coming year.
According to Richard Heinberg’s “Celebrate the Solstice,”...as a celebration of the return of the Light, Imbolc marks a time in the yearly process of transformation from inner, contemplative focus to outer manifestation."
In honor of Brigid, who was also patroness of poets, bards, and the arts, I have decided to use the Celtic Tree Oracle by Liz and Colin Murray as the system of divination at this auspicious time. So get ready and consider your wish for a new beginning in some aspect of your life. But first, a little about the Celts, Brighid and the Ogham.
Brighid was venerated throughout the Celtic world, and though the name has been said to translate into “fiery arrow,” it has been found to originate from the Sanskrit word “brahti,”,meaning “High One.” Brighid was the daughter of the mythological Dagda, a woman of wisdom and the protector of poets. Brighid had many faces: the female physician, the female smith, and the goddess of augury. As the Celts became Christianized, Brighid continued to be venerated as midwife and foster mother of Christ and Mary’s perpetual friend and supporter. The tradition during this turning of the year of “frith” or far-seeing was said to have originated with the merging of Brighid’s ancient talent of divining with the Christian story of the Christ being “lost” by Mary in the Temple. According to Colin and Liz Murray, Brighid was said “to have been born at sunrise in a house that blazed into flames that reached to the heavens, her breath giving life to the dead. In her multiple form of virgin, matron, and hag, she spans the turning of the seasons, just as at this time the winter of old age and death starts to give way to youth and birth.”
Like indigenous peoples the world over, the Celts lived in tribal groups where which believed in the inter-relationship of all things within nature. The wise elders of the tribe were called Druids, men and women who trained for nine years at special colleges where they developed many techniques of divination. Though Greek, and later Latin were the languages of their science and religion, the Druids also had a secret language based on the Irish alphabet which had been in use since 600 BC. The Ogham or Beth-Luis-Nuin alphabet is made up of twenty five letters each with a name that is associated with plants, trees, and elements in nature. The making of each “letter” involved “hatch” marks that were easily camouflaged on a walking staff, stone, or even the side of a tree. Since the ancients lived in such amazing reciprocity with the land, they also applied this alphabet to the cycles of time, naming their thirteen months after the symbolic attributes of trees in their world. This Ogham was a symbolic language and not used for speech or writing. Each “letter” held within it a a myriad of ideas and thoughts centered around the Celtic cosmology and philosophy of the Celtic life amongst nature.
So take a moment to consider your own new beginning as we move around the Wheel of the Year towards the next great turning, the Spring Equinox on March 21. Take a moment to light your own sacred fire, even if it is just a candle, to dispel the dark and take the light into your very soul to warm and inspire you. Call on Brighid for guidance and make a wish.
The Celtic Tree Oracle by Liz and Colin Murray has this interpretation of HAWTHORN: “Represents cleansing and chastity, bringing protection from inner magical realms. In other words, it represents a period of restraint, waiting or keeping oneself to oneself. Concentrate on mental rather than physical activity as a prelude to the spiritual fertilization, growth, and harvesting that will follow, providing that such preparation has been properly made.” The Murray's go on to say,“Do not rush forward too quickly without an adequate waiting period. A period of enforced chastity must be observed for the time being before doors open on new opportunities for you.”
Blessings to all on this St. Brighid’s Day
Cris
www.TheHolisticTarot.com
www.TarotNewport.com
Sources for this blog;
"The Celtic Tree Oracle A System of Divination" by Liz and Colin Murray
"Encyclopedia Celtic Wisdom; A Celtic Shaman's Sourcebook by Caitlin and John Matthews
"Celebrate the Solstice; Honoring the Earth's Seasonal Rhythms through Festival and Ceremony" by Richard Heinberg
No comments:
Post a Comment