your journal prompt: your photo or art prompt€¦ · your photo or art prompt: take a photo or...

Joanna Powell Colbert • www.gaiansoul.com

Day One

We honor Brigid today as the Lady of the Radiant Flame.

Your daily spark of inspiration:

Brigid (or Brighid, or Brigit, or Bride) is the Great Mother of the Celts, the triple Goddess of Smithcraft, Healing, and Inspiration. Reverence for her has continued unbroken throughout the centuries, just as it has for Kwan Yin and the Virgin of Guadalupe. Beloved as St. Bridget, her sacred flame was kept alight by her women for over a thousand years, but was extinguished during the Reformation. It was relit in the 1970s and has been burning ever since, kept alive by the Brigadine Sisters of Kildare.

At holy wells dedicated to her, pilgrims often tie prayer cloths (or “clooties”) to branches of overhanging trees to symbolize their prayers and offerings. She is sometimes called the White Swan. Swans are a herald of winter, and when they leave around February 1st (Brigid’s feast day), it’s a sign that spring is on its way.

Here we see Brigid offering us her sacred fire —

• The fire of creativity that brings forth poetry, music, and art• The fire in the head that is the hallmark of shamans, seers, and bards • The fire of the forge, that symbolizes transformation • The fire of healing in the hands • The fire of medicinal and magical herbs • The fire of the sun emerging from its winter slumber • The fire at the center of the earth waking up once more to Spring.

— JPC, “Brigid’s Fire: The Offering”

Your journal prompt:

Will you accept Brigid’s offering? And in return, what will you offer Her?

Your photo or art prompt:

Take a photo or make art on the theme of: An offering to Brigid.

L


Day Two

We honor Brigid today as the Still Companion of the Silence.


Song of Imbolc

I am the unopened bud, and I am the blossom,I am the lifeforce gathering to a crest,I am the still companion of the silence,I am the farflung seeker of the quest.

I am the the daughter gathering in wisdom,I am the son whose questions never cease,I am the dawn-light searching out glad justice,I am the center where all souls find peace.

— Caitlin Matthews, The Celtic Devotional


How are you sensing the imminent arrival of Brigid’s holy-day of Imbolc / Candlemas?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: An unopened bud. Or: Silence.

LDay Three

We honor Brigid today as the Lady of Poetry.


I have news for you:a storm is blowing in from the south.High tide crashes up against the roadway.The heron flies low.Oregon grape is in bloom, the color of butter.Chickadees pick at dangling alder catkins.The baby pink blossoms of red-flowering currant appeared yesterday.It is January,and Spring is peeking though the veil of winter.This is my news.

— Joanna Powell Colbert, after a 9th century Irish poem



Take a walk around your neighborhood, then come back and write a poem similar to mine, beginning with:“I have news for you:”and ending with:“This is my news.”In between those two lines, describe the details of what’s going on in the natural world where you live.

You can read the original 9th century Irish poem here:http://stringofbedes.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-have-news-for-you-9th-century-irish.html


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: News of the natural world in your neighborhood.

LDay Four

We honor Brigid today as the Inspirer of Bards.


Oh Brigid Upon the Highland,‘tis you’ve left my heart shaken,with fires of inspiration,and the Promise of Spring.Please stay with me, my darling,to never be forsaken.Of your beauty and mysteryI ever shall sing.

— Helen Farias & Craig Olson, to the tune of the traditional “Bridget O’Malley”

Watch a video of the song here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZAK_886i1U

Listen to the song here, and download it as a gift from Craig (my partner).https://soundcloud.com/joannapowellcolbert/craig-olson-brigid-upon-the-highland/


Write a poem of devotion or a song of praise to Brigid, as if you were singing to a beloved.


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: A heart shaken with the fires of inspiration.

L

http://stringofbedes.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-have-news-for-you-9th-century-irish.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZAK_886i1U

https://soundcloud.com/joannapowellcolbert/craig-olson-brigid-upon-the-highland/


Day Five

We honor Brigid today as She stretches Her mantle over the land, offering us Her protection and Her blessing.


Legend says that on the Eve of Imbolc, Brigid travels all over the land. When she sees a prayer cloth tied to a branch or twig outside a door, She will bless it and give it healing powers.

When you hang your prayer cloth on Brigid’s Eve and whisper your heart’s desire to Her, remember this:

What you seekis seeking you.

— Rumi


What is it I am seeking? And how might it also be seeking me?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: A prayer cloth.

LDay Six

We honor Brigid today as the Triple Goddess of Poetry, Smithcraft, and Healing.


Make an altar for Brigid, if you haven’t already. It’s a place where you can take a Sacred Pause, every time you walk by.

I love to put lots of candles on my Candlemas altar (of course!). The name Candlemas is actually the Christian name for the older festival of Imbolc. It marks the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, which resonates with one of the motifs of this tide, cleansing and purification. Brigid is sometimes called “Mary of the Gael.”

The growing light is honored and encouraged by the presence of candles. It’s probably always been too cold to celebrate this holiday outside with a bonfire, and so candles were lit inside, away from the bitter cold. In church, the candles that are used for the coming year are blessed on Candlemas Day, something non-church-goers can also do, of course.

You may also want to have an image of Brigid on your altar, a small dish of seeds, a Brigid’s cross (if you have one), and a bowl of water to symbolize Her holy well. I also like to bring in branches that are either bare or have tiny buds. Sometimes I will buy flowers to put on the altar, to symbolize the promise of spring.

On Brigid’s Eve, light the candles, and welcome Her by reading the following poem.


We welcome you, Brigit, on Candlemas Eve,We pray for your blessing new life to receive,O Mother of Poetry, teach me your art,That your inspiration may enter my heart.

O Mistress of Magic that stands by the fireAnd shapes the bright metal to the form you desire;O Mother of Smithcraft, please teach me your art,That the power of changing may enter my heart.

You kindle the springtime to quicken the earth,From under your mantle the old has new birth,O Mother of Healing, please teach me your art,That peace and contentment may enter my heart.

— Mara Freeman, Kindling the Celtic Spirit


Which aspect of Brigid calls to you the most — Lady of Poetry & Inspiration, Lady of Magic & Transformation, Lady of Healing? Why?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: An altar for Brigid.

LDay Seven

We honor Brigid today as the Summoner of Spring.


Come in, Brigid, you are a hundred times welcome! — Irish invocation

I praise BrigidThe beloved one of IrelandThe beloved of every countryLet us all praise her!. . . The sharp black winter comesCutting with its severityBut on Brigit’s DayClose to us is Spring in Ireland.

— “Gabhaim Molta Bride (I Praise Brigid),” a traditional Irish hymn


Deep appreciation to Kate Chadbourne, who translated the song into English, and is sharing her beautiful singing of it in Gaelic with us. You can listen to it here. https://soundcloud.com/joannapowellcolbert/gabhaim-molta-bride/


How will you praise Brigid and welcome Her into your heart and home today?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Praising Brigid.

LDay Eight

We honor Brigid today as the Awakening Land.


If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,Winter will take another flight.If Candlemas Day be cold and rainWinter is gone and will not come again.

— Traditional rhyme

Candlemas Day has come down to us as Groundhog Day, the day when we practice weather divination. In earlier times at Imbolc, people waited to see if snakes slithered out of their dens, seeking light and warmth. Our British ancestors looked to the badger as the earliest mammal to awaken from hibernation.

In America, we look to the more common groundhog (or woodchuck). If Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his burrow on Feb-ruary 2nd and sees his shadow because it’s a sunny day, folklore tells us he will go back in because winter is not yet over. If he doesn’t see his shadow (because the day is overcast), it means means Spring will soon arrive. Phil can only predict for his own local Pennsylvania area, but we can try it ourselves.


Try your hand at weather divination. Does today’s weather foretell six more weeks of winter, or will it soon be spring?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Weather divination.

L

http://www.katechadbourne.com

https://soundcloud.com/joannapowellcolbert/gabhaim-molta-bride/


Day Nine

We honor Brigid today as the Guardian of the Well.


Brigid is a goddess of both fire and water. There are countless holy wells in Ireland and beyond that are dedicated to Her as St. Bridget. Seeing a fish in a well is considered to be quite auspicious.

Vigil at the Well

A rock ledge. A dark pool.Pale dawn and cold rain.

And a woman aloneholding three coins.

She circles the wellthree times in the rain.

She offers the coinsto a great ancient tree

then bends to the pool.A glimmer of silver.

Dawn striking the pool?A fish in its depths?

The pool stills again.The sky blazes red.

The woman gets up.Nothing seems changed.

But the next day a windblows warm from the sea.

— Patricia Monaghan, Seasons of the Witch


Write about a time you made an offering and a supplication, and the answer came in a way you did not expect.


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Holy well, holy water.

L


Day Ten

We honor Brigid today as the Mother of Wisdom.


Every day and every nightThat I say the genealogy of Brigid,I shall not be killed, I shall not be harried,I shall not be put in cell, I shall not be wounded,No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn me,No lake, no water, nor sea shall drown me:For I am child of Poetry;Poetry, child of Reflection;Reflection, child of Meditation;Meditation, child of Lore;Lore, child of Research;Research, child of Great Knowledge;Great Knowledge, child of Intelligence;Intelligence, child of Comprehension;Comprehension, child of Wisdom;Wisdom, child of Brigid.

— adapted from the Carmina Gadelica


Read the genealogy of Brigid aloud, and write about your response to it. What images come to mind as you recite it? How does it make you feel? How might it change you?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: The genealogy of Brigid.

LDay Eleven

We honor Brigid today as She Who is Before Me, Beside Me, in Every Way About Me.


Brigid, may the power of healing be with meMay the power of poetry be with meMay the power of creativity be with meIn all the realms and among the kindred.

Kindle your flame in my head and heart,Make me your hands, your harp, your forge,


That I might heal, inspire, and transformAll in your honor, Brigid, and in your company.

Brigid before me,Brigid beside me,Brigid in every way about me.

- adapted from the Carmina Gaelica


How do I experience the Sacred before me, beside me, in every way about me?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Hands, harp, or forge.

LDay Twelve

We honor Brigid today as the Spark that Lights the Wick.


There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled.. . .Invite [the Beloved] to fill you up, embrace the fire.

Remind those who tell you otherwise that Love comes to you of its own accord, and the yearning for it cannot be learned in any school.

— Rumi


What candle in your heart is ready to be kindled?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Embracing the fire.

L


Day Thirteen

We honor Brigid today as the Sun of Womanhood.


Brigit, red-gold woman, Brigit, flame and honeycomb, Brigit, sun of womanhood, Brigit, lead me home. You are a branch in blossom.You are a sheltering dome.You are my bright blessed freedom.Brigit, lead me home.

— Patricia Monaghan


How might Brigid lead you home?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Hearth and Home.

LDay Fourteen

We honor Brigid today as the Shaper of our Souls.


What is Brigid working on at her forge? You. Taking the raw materials that make up the essence of your being, she forms your soul. Soul-shaping requires effort. Metal doesn’t just go into the forge and come out all shiny and ready for use.

I’ve always felt that excellence is a quality Brigid holds in very high esteem. By “excellence,” I don’t mean perfection and I don’t mean superiority. Excellence isn’t about comparing yourself to anyone else. Excellence is the personal best you are capable of, while always aspiring to do better . . .

Brigid offers a metaphor for this balance of acceptance and aspiration in her process of tempering a blade. The blade is put through fire, hammered and shaped, then cooled in water. It is the repeated process of stressing and blessing — pushing to the next level of refinement — that creates an excellent blade, strong and flexible, able to withstand resistance. If you just have water — the nice, safe, accepting place where whatever you’re doing is just fine — you’re as much out of balance as if you were always in a hot forge, always molten, raw, unfulfilled. . . .


See yourself as that blade in Brigid’s forge, made stronger by challenges, blessed by compassion. Ask her to show you where you really shine — and where you could use a little polishing!

— Excerpted and abridged from Tending Brigid’s Flame: Awaken to the Celtic Goddess of the Hearth, Temple, and Forge by Lunaea Weatherstone. Forthcoming from Llewellyn, Fall 2015.


What does excellence mean to me? Where in my life am I shining brightly, and where can I use a little polishing?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Forge or Blade.

LDay Fifteen

We honor Brigid today as She Who Shelters Us Beneath Her Mantle.


Lady of the Lambs, protect us.Keeper of the Hearth, kindle us.Beneath your mantle, gather usAnd restore us to memory....The Mantle of Brighid about us,The Memory of Brighid within us,The Protection of Brighid keeping usFrom harm, from ignorance, from heartlessnessThis day and night,From dawn till dark,From dark till dawn.

— Caitlín Matthews Faoi bhrat Bhríde sinn!(May you be under Brigid’s mantle!)

— Irish folk saying


What does it mean to me to be under the shelter of Brigid’s mantle?

A mantle offers protection from the elements, both literal and metaphorical. But there is another connotation to the word — that of taking on a role or responsibility. What new role might Brigid have in mind for you? What mantle are you considering taking on?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738740896/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0738740896&linkCode=as2&tag=gaiantarot-20&linkId=55HGYUYD53SOQISY



Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Mantle, lamb, or dandelion.

LDay Sixteen

We honor Brigid today as the One Who Calms and Inspires.


As we know, Brigid is called the Goddess of Healing, Smithcraft and Inspiration, particularly creative inspiration.

The meaning of the word inspire is twofold.

It means to breathe in, or inhale. It also means “to fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially something creative. Or, to animate someone with a positive feeling.” (These are dictionary definitions.)

The word derives from the Latin inspirare, which describes a divine being imparting a truth or idea to a mortal.

Spirit travels on the breath. When we breathe in deeply, we open up our bodies to be containers of chi, or Spirit. We open ourselves up to the Divine.

Deep breathing calms us down. It stops the fight-or-flight syndrome. It relaxes us. It keeps us centered and grounded. It brings us back to the present moment.

And maybe (just maybe) . . . It is utterly necessary to breathe mindfully and deeply in order to be open to inspiration.

— JPC, Gaian Soul Seasonal Practices for Candlemas


What do you experience when you breathe deeply, mindfully, and consciously?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Breath.

L


Day Seventeen

We honor Brigid today as She Who Flows.


I have found that one kind of inspiration (breathing in) leads to another kind of inspiration (being filled with a creative urge).

The Druids have a word for that second kind of inspiration, the creative or poetic kind. They call it Awen. Mara Freeman translates Awen as “flowing spirit.” It describes that ineffable kind of divine inspiration that bards tap into when they write songs and poetry, or that soothsayers flow into, when they prophesy. Awen has been described as an endless river of wisdom, truth, and the universal power of life — which sounds to me like the eastern Chi, or the Native American Spirit That Moves Through All Things, or the Force of Star Wars.

Any sacred practice, like meditation or ritual, opens us up to Awen, including creativity of all kinds. Making art, music, or dance. Cooking, gardening, writing . . . your art form of choice. All creative pursuits are sacred practices that fill us with Awen, with sacred presence, with flowing spirit.

When you are inspired (to make art, to dance or make music, to share your story or your wisdom) and you follow your creative bliss, then you inspire others.

And it all starts with an inhalation. An inspiration.

A breath.

— JPC, Gaian Soul Seasonal Practices for Candlemas


How and when do you experience Awen?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Flowing spirit.

LDay Eighteen

We honor Brigid in her guise as Sister Bridget Mermaid.


Sister Bridget Mermaid had long curly hair, a bit red. I know what you’re thinking. All Old Mermaids have long hair, but that isn’t actually so. Some do have long hair; some don’t. Sister Bridget Mermaid knows all about poetry, herbs, plants, songs, healing . . .

“Sing, dance, create. If you have to choose one, do all three at once.”— Sister Bridget Mermaid

— Kim Antieau, Church of the Old Mermaids

http://www.kimantieau.com



What are some of the different ways you express your creativity?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Sing, dance, create!

LDay Nineteen

We honor Brigid today as the Gatherer of Dreams.


Gather out of star-dustEarth-dust,Cloud-dust,Storm-dust,And splinters of hail,One handful of dream-dustNot for sale.

— Langston Hughes


What dream do you hold deeply in your heart?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Dream-dust.

LDay Twenty

We honor Brigid today as the Lady of Sacred Water.


Bathing in Brigid’s Well This ritual bath invokes the spirit of Brigid’s healing wells in the comfort of your own bathtub...

Run a very warm bath and light some candles nearby so their light ripples on the water. Pour some lustral water into the bath and drop in one of your potion bags.* Get in the bathtub and rest in the quiet warmth...


When you feel relaxed and open to receive all the gifts of your healing bath, bless yourself with the following charm. With each “wavelet,” cup water in your hands and pour it over your head and body.

Visualize Brigid’s loving hands performing this blessing.

A wavelet for thy form,A wavelet for thy voice,A wavelet for thy health,A wavelet for thy luck,A wavelet for thy good,A wavelet for thy vision,A wavelet for thy strength,A wavelet for thy pluck,A wavelet for thy faith:Nine waves for thy grace.

Stay in the bath as long as it feels good, then dry yourself off and go straight to bed to complete the healing with a good long sleep.


* (You will have to read Lunaea’s book to find out more about the lustral water and the potion!)


Write about an experience of immersing yourself in sacred water.


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Healing water.

LDay Twenty-One

We honor Brigid today as the One Who Passes On the Spark of Creation.


“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” — Maya Angelou

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” — Albert Einstein


How might you pass the creative impulse on to others?




Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Lighting someone else’s spark of creation.

LDay Twenty-Two

We honor Brigid today as the Loveliness of All Lovely Desires.


Thou art the light of the beam of the sun,Thou art the surpassing star of guidance,Thou art the step of the deer of the hill,Thou art the step of the steed of the plain,Thou art the grace of the swan of swimming,Thou art the loveliness of all lovely desires.

— Adapted from the Carmina Gadelica


What elements in the natural world bring Brigid’s presence most keenly to you?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Lovely desire.

LDay Twenty-Three

We honor Brigid today as She Who Keens.


Fire purifies. Water restores...

Although she is the Bright One, Brigid weds a dark figure, King Bress, whose progenitors are the Fomorii, the spirits of the evil dead. Together they have a trinity of sons, Day, Light, and Life. Brigid wails after finding her beloved son dead on the battle-field, initiating the practice of keening for grief and protest, a sacred gift of expression and power during dark days...

Difficult feelings require expression, not suppression. Keen your grief. Speak your rage. Forge your purpose. Pull the personal pain out of your soul for the fuel to make something tangible from it. Show the world what it is, and what it should be.

Bring your regular practice to another level through the implementation of a grander vision and a deeper desire. Find inspira-tion in the elemental world. Observe the will and the dance of Fire. Sense the mystery and the wisdom of Water...

— Excerpted from the Dark Goddess Tarot by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince.

http://www.darkgoddesstarot.com



“Keen your grief. Speak your rage. Forge your purpose.”


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Grief.

LDay Twenty-Four

We honor Brigid today as She Who Brings Deep Peace.


Deep peace of the running wave to youDeep peace of the flowing air to youDeep peace of the quiet earth to youDeep peace of the shining stars to youDeep peace of Brigit to you.

— Patricia Monaghan


Write a blessing similar to this one, beginning with “Deep peace of the . . . to you” and ending with “Deep peace of Brigit to you.”


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Deep peace.

LDay Twenty-Five

We honor Brigid today as the Whisperer of Blessings.


For Belonging

May you listen to your longing to be free.

May the frames of your belonging be generous enough for your dreams.

May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart.

May you find a harmony between your soul and your life.


May the sanctuary of your soul never become haunted.

May you know the eternal longing that lives at the heart of time.

May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within.

May you never place walls between the light and yourself.

May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you, mind you, and embrace you in belonging.

— John O’Donohue


How does the “wild beauty of the invisible world” embrace you with belonging?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Sanctuary of your soul.

LDay Twenty-Six

We honor Brigid today as Woman of Guidance.


I am under the shieldingOf good Brigid each day;I am under the shieldingOf good Brigid each night.

I am under the keepingOf the Midwife of Mary,Each early and late,Every dark, every light.

Brigid is my protector,Brigid is my maker of song,Brigid is my helping-woman,My choicest of women,My woman of guidance.

— Adapted from the Carmina Gadelica


How do I experience the protection and companionship of Brigid?



Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Shield.

LDay Twenty-Seven

We honor Brigid today as the White Swan.


Mine is the magic of the forgeand the brewery.My brass shoes I made myself.And my bell of healing —That I hammered also, golden like the sun,like the milky dandelion.

The first time keening split the air of Ireland was when I howled for my dead son, his skin so white. That was the first, but not the last.

For me plant the spring wheat.For me catch the new lamb.For me greet the speckled snake.For me stamp your beautiful feet.For me ring the golden branch.For me pour out milk, sweet milk.

I am the white swan, Queen of them all.

— Helen Farias, “Brigit at the Forge”


Rest in the silent cadences of this beautiful poem.


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Swans, lambs, snakes, or milk.

L


Day Twenty-Eight

We honor Brigid today as the Keeper of the Threshold.


The between-places, where you are neither in one place or the other, are special places of magic in Celtic spirituality. The threshold is such a place, marking the crossing-over between your home and the outside world. The door is the seal of this between-place, which you open and close at will. Making this everyday motion a conscious act of protection is merely a matter of shifting your awareness—and invoking Brigid.

The doors of your home are symbolic of the threshold between this world and the Otherworld, between the seen and the un-seen, between what is inside and what is outside, literally and metaphorically. Each time you pass over the threshold of a door, you are in that liminal between-place where magic happens...

The light of Brigid be about meon my going out and on my coming in.May she walk before me on every road.May she stand behind me at every challenge.May she hold the map of my journeyand bring me safely home at journey’s end.



Stand on the threshold of the front door to your home, and say the blessing above. How do you experience the liminal place of in-between?


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Door or threshold.

LDay Twenty-Nine

We honor Brigid today as the Teller of Tales.


Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention.Be astonished.Tell about it.

— Mary Oliver




Write about some small thing that astonished you today.


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Paying attention.

L

Day Thirty

We honor Brigid today as the Summoner of Spring.


May you accept the offering of my Sacred Fire.May your heart and hands burn with creative passion.May you give birth to poetry, music, dance, and art.May your head burn with the fire of seership, marking you as shaman or bard.May your hands be healing hands, glowing with inner light.May you allow yourself to be transformed in the flames of my forge.

May you drink a long swallow of clear water from a sacred well.May you notice the unopened bud encased in ice, the purple crocus peeking up through the snow.May you gaze with gratitude at the sight of swans feasting in late winter fields.May you tie a prayer cloth to a holy thorn on Bride’s Eve.May you rejoice in longer days, knowing that the fire of the sun emerges from its winter slumber.

I am Brigid, Radiant Flame of Gold, Summoner of Spring.And I am kindling a flame in your heart.

— Joanna Powell Colbert


Write a response to Brigid, accepting the offering of Her Sacred Fire.


Take a photo or make art on the theme of: Spring.

L

your journal prompt: your photo or art prompt€¦ · your photo or art prompt: take a photo or...

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