Imbolc and the Goddess Brigid

Candlemas, Ground Hog’s Day, the Feast of Saint Brigid (St. Brigid’s Day), these three holidays have trickled down their meanings and goals from the ancient people. Like many modern holidays (such as Christmas and Halloween) these days are another well-developed eradication of an ancient culture by the Christian religion. In this instance, the forgotten holiday is Imbolc. Imbolc is one of the four ancient Celtic fire festivals, along with Beltane, Lughnassadh, and Samhain. (For more information on Samhain read here: https://contactwitchywhims.wixsite.com/witchywhims/post/how-to-celebrate-halloween-as-a-witch-the-history-of-samhain) Imbolc is celebrated on February 1st and marks the hallways point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. It is considered the third holiday on the Witch’s Wheel of the Year and takes place between Yule and Ostara. The day is associated with reconnecting to nature, divination, and new beginnings.

Brigid

If we are going to talk about Imbolc we have to start with a conversation about who the Goddess Brigid is. Brigid or Brig is arguably the most powerful of the Celtic gods and is sometimes referred to as the Goddess of Ireland. Brigid is sometimes depicted as having three sisters but others believe she is a goddess existing in three parts. Personally, I believe the latter since she is a shapeshifter and it fits her narratives and stories best. I believe this trinitarian representation of the Goddess is what influenced the teaching of the Holy Trinity in the Christan religion.

Brigid is a goddess of healing, music, poetry, prophecy, and Smithcraft. She’s a matron of artisan, artists, and livestock. She is also known to be a protector of women. As a daughter of the Dagda, she would be one of the older deities in the Celtic pantheon of the Tuatha de Danann. Animals she’s associated with include white bulls, white cows, horses, wolves, pigs, and snakes. Elements she’s associated with include fire and water. She is often portrayed as having dominion over sacred fires (hence the fire festivals) and holy wells.

As a witch of Celtic origins and limited amounts of hereditary information, Brigid has a history that is directly connected to me and I’ve taken lots of her myths and stories and created my own view of the goddess. One story of Brigid that is rather important to me is the story of her creation of making a first whistle this whistle was meant to be a safeguard for women to avoid being sexually assaulted by predators in the night. Whistles may be blown during rituals to invoke Brigid’s aid. To me, Brigid is personally connected due to my own trauma but in addition as a goddess of poetry and creativity, I am connected to her ability and powers in my goals as an author and poet.

Celebrating Imbolc Today

Even if you do not believe in, work with, or worship the Goddess Brigid, you can still use her as a guiding energy in deciding how to celebrate the holiday. I don’t see a lot of witches talking about Imbolc anywhere, not even on TikTok. I think it is pretty common for this “witch sabbat” to be skipped over and of course, that is completely up to the practitioner but if you feel drawn to take advantage of the energy the powerful Goddess has granted us then I have a few suggestions for you.

1. You can reconnect to nature through a nature walk or nature spell.

2. You can perform some divination. One of Brigid’s many aspects doe incorporates dominion over prophecy.

3. You can do some healing from trauma caused by SA, DV, Miscarriage, and Childbirth.

4. You can take some time to spark your creative drive.

You can simply just relax or meditate. (If you would like to meditate I have an Imbolc meditation accessible here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1283380794)