A continuation of plans before the festival.
(Image description: A photo of a gold Brighid’s floating in a small pool. A white flower rests on a reddish-brown stone surface. There are a pair of light-skinned feet next to the pool, with a knotwork-lined robe hanging over the feet. A rainbow-colored reflection bounces off the pool.) Credit: Photo by Haley Owens on Unsplash
The festival is nearly here! In a weird sort of way, there’s a certain excitement when Brighid’s Day happens. It’s a bit like the thrill you might’ve felt when you were waiting Christmas as a child, and you were waiting for Santa to visit. However, the only gifts She leaves are the blessings on the mantles and crosses that are made and Her overall presence with the waking of spring.
Lately, spring definitely feels like it’s own its way here. There was a spell of frigid and then rainy weather, and now it feels like spring will occur at any time. However, this might be an illusion, as there’s usually another round of cold weather that nips the plants back into a dormant state until later on.
As of writing this post, my most recent flamekeeping shift is happening a couple days before the holiday. It gives a sacred time to devote to getting ready for the occasion. However, it’s also a busy week for me, so fitting in activities will be slightly difficult. Thankfully, this is the beginning of a season, rather than a specific day.
During this time, I’m ironing out the details of what I’m doing, and even then, there may be activities that are more sporadic and will be done when there’s adequate time.
I do know my celebrations will combine Brythonic and Gaelic elements. I plan to loosely use a Brythonic ritual because of its overall casual and simple flow. I will lay the various Brighid’s mantles outside for Her blessing, make a new Brighid’s cross, write some poetry, and give other offerings to Her.
Additionally, I will do my usual three fid reading to see what to meditate on for the next few months until Bealtaine/Lá Bealltainn. I don’t feel like I completed what was set out for me during the last reading in its entirety, so it’s possible the themes of the previous three months will continue over to the next ones.
I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to do this, but I would also like to attempt to do the Nine Days for Brighid that starts on February 1st. I feel like it might be time to potentially broaden my practice, so that could be a good time to start that addition.
Brighid’s blessings to you and yours for Imbolc/La Féill Bríd!
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