Imbolc

Brighid's Gift

Aimlessly,

I wandered the icy garden

With a chill against my neck from more than the wind,

When I saw a woman before me,

Waiting by a fountain, filled with snow.

She smoothed her long red hair away from her eyes and

Smiled at me with her arm extended,

And told me that she had brought be a gift.

I moved closer, slipping ungainly on the ice toward her

Until I could see what she had brought for me.

She covered the remaining few feet, then stood behind me and

Clasped a thin, intricately woven iron chain around my neck.

I looked down, and there was the heart-shaped locket

That I had lost in the snow over a year ago.

It was newly forged from different metal, but I

Recognized it as my own

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Imbolc is one of my favorite pagan traditions, because I always encounter something new, no matter what. It is celebrated at the beginning of February and is known as a fire festival and honors the Celtic goddess Brighid (goddess of light, poetry, healing and smithcraft). It heralds the return of spring, and more importantly the life giving force behind the season. The tradition began in a climate with harsh winters (Scotland, Ireland) so people were expected to look hard for small, but sturdy signs of life. This sentiment was rather fitting this year. The ritual I attended was cancelled once due to a snow storm, and actually took place on Bryn Mawr's second winter weather advisory day. The goose prints all over Rhoads beach were a good sign, although it turns out that new signs of life on Bryn Mawr's campus are not all that subtle. They staged a loud, honking takeover of the athletic fields after all. A tradition that is usually observed is a meditation upon what one would like to see grown in health and strength, working toward the upcoming season. A meditation and ritual knotwork served as a calming catharsis to the uproar over the weather here.