Imbolc and Brigid the goddess of fire……

Today is February st and-Imbolc/brides day, or St Brigid’s day,/Candelmass which interestingly enough can also be celebrated tomorrow or the 12th depending on where you are from and has everything to do with the subtle change in the season and the lengthening of the days, it is said to be the harbinger of spring.

Imbolc comes from the old Irish word i mbolg meaning “in the belly” refering to the pregnancy and lactation of sheep this time of year. Thus the symbols of milk, sheep corn dollies and white flowers which represent the coming light and soon enough spring.

Imbolc is also known as a celebration of the hearth and home, and of the lengthening days, which I have to admit having another things to celebrate really breaks up the monotony of the rain and winter!

Tomorrow is also Ground Hog day, which is a crossover from ancient European times  when Badgers and Snakes{which are one of Brigid’s sacred animals}were originally observed coming out of their holes to test the warmth in the air and thus the coming of a possible early spring.

Over here though, I watch the bees and I have to say they have been out more then once in the past week or so, an exciting thing for beekeepers all over because it means that their bees have survived the winter thus far!

The goddess Brigid is the patron goddess of Imbolc since she is also a goddess of the hearth and home, of fire and poetry and it was said that she was born at dawn and that the sun coming up behind her home shone so bring the towns folk thought it was on fire.

Brigid  has become somewhat of a patron goddess for me in the last few years as she and I share some special things in common as Brigid is known as the goddess of fire and smithing among many other things and fire has been an element close to my heart for some time, especially now that I have begun to learn smithing.

Celebrations for Imbolc often has special foods such as butter, milk, bread and whatever preserves were left after the long winter.

Imbolc was also a time for lighting fires and divination, which involved using the ashes from the hearth and this was done by spreading smooth the ashes before bed and asking a special question, then in the morning it is said that the will appear new patterns and possibly symbols in the ashes that can then be read, much like a tea leaf reading.

This year, in the spirit of the day Zahra and I have prepared Brigit/Brides mound cakes made with honey and lavender, and we used a new pan I found while thrifting last week that make perfect little mound cakes!

We iced the cakes with a new recipe I just recently discovered for a chocolate honey icing and it is the most delicious thing I have tasted in a long time! For the top I looked and looked for just the right thing and in the end settled on using some candy bones{ The Celts liked them some bones!} and formed them into little Celtic crosses on the top, which you can sorta tell once you know what you are looking for.

Last night the kids and I had a fun time decorating our alter with spring flowers and a new corn dollie we made with the husks I kept this past summer, we then added some new  candles to represent the new light and a few cakes and milk as offerings to the goddess Brigid and tonight we will have  a grand feast with the sweet cakes for desert.

Today I have also bought myself a new broom from a local company, and will sweep out the old to make way for the new and it is with a light heart that I do my work.

I do love this new broom, in fact I might just fly away on it…..

Have a Blessed Imbolc!