They named the girl Brighid in token of their thanks to the Goddess who had given her such health and beauty. Some said that Dubhtach fed her with the milk of cows from the Otherworld. They saw him disappearing into the forest at night with empty pails, and some who followed him reported that they saw him entering a clearing where stood a great cow in a shaft of moonlight. Dubhtach milked this cow until both buckets overflowed, then patting the cow's side he would leave the clearing and it would simply disappear.
As the child grew, the new faith of Christianity spread through the land, until Brighid herself became a Christian, eventually becoming ordained as a nun by the Bishop of Ardagh. She founded a religious community in the shadow of a great oak tree, calling it the Church of the Oak, a name influenced by the faith she was born into - the faith of the oak sages, the Druids.
Such was Brighid's ability to heal, such was the compassion that flowed from her heart, that within a century after she died, she was named a saint. The holy wells of the goddess Brighid became the holy wells of Saint Brighid. The festival of Imbolc on the 1st of February, which had always been sacred to the Goddess Brighid, was now Saint Brighid's Day.
Goddess and saint, human and divine merged in the memory and the understanding of the people. And, as Saint Brighid aged, she aged with the slow turning of the Earth, so that in her youth she was like the warm Spring, appearing first at the dawning of the year in February. Then, dancing to the turning of Spring into Summer at Bealteinne, as her youth turned to middle age, she became known as the mother of souls, some even calling her Foster Mother to Christ. As the summer of her life turned to Autumn, she moved from Bealteinne and High Summer to the time of Lammas, of Lughnasadh, when the harvest was gathered in - the golden corn of the fields matching the golden colour of her hair, which even then shone as brightly in the sunshine as it had when she was a maiden.
Then, as harvest time brought Autumn, so Brighid became the Healer of Souls, the Wise Woman, and as midwife helped others give birth to the children of their love and of their creative spirits, until as Winter stalked the land at Samhuinn, Brighid at last became the Old Woman, the crone, the Cailleach. Finally, in the year 525AD, surrounded by her devoted followers, Saint Brighid passed away, journeying to the Otherworld perhaps to meet not only the Christ to whom she had devoted her life, but the Goddess Brighid with whose name and Spirit she was forever linked.
At Avronelle there is a Sacred Grove - a place set apart for teaching and for ritual. There seated by the fire in the centre of the Grove is Elidir and she begins her Colloquy with Brendan:
'I wanted us to meet here, to talk to you about one of the most important aspects of Druidcraft. We call our grove here the Grove of the Summer Stars. In the old days, occultists used to think that magic was what went on in a temple, but we believe that magic is what goes on all around us in the world of Nature. And one of the ways we open ourselves to this magic is to celebrate the eight seasonal festivals in places such as this Sacred Grove.'
'Is this the only kind of magic that you work with?' asks Brendan.
'No,' replies Elidir at once, 'there are other kinds of magic, which work at transforming who you are or influencing the world, but I shall speak of these at another time. And as you will discover, it is vital to understand first the kind of magic that I shall tell you about now, because if you want to engage in the kind of practical magic that I will teach you later, you will need to know how to work with the energies of sun, moon and Earth - not against them.'
'So let me tell you about the eight festivals, and as I talk about them I will also teach you a little of the seasonal magic which you will need to know when you come to the work of practical magic in a later lesson.' Elidir then picks up her staff that she had laid on the ground beside her, and draws a circle in the earth in front of Brendan. 'Every six weeks or so, we enact a ceremony, either on our own or with others, to open ourselves to the magic of the time of year we find ourselves in. This makes a yearly cycle of eight ceremonies: the two solstices and the two equinoxes, and the four "cross-quarter'' ceremonies as they are called. There are a number of different names for them, but these are the ones we use.'
Elidir then draws what looks like a wheel with eight spokes, and then, as she points to each spoke, she speaks the names and dates of each festival.
'The dates of the solstices and equinoxes are fixed, since they mark definite astronomical events, but the dates that you celebrate the other festivals can vary, since they mark changes of season, which vary a little from place to place, and with changing climate patterns.
'One of the best ways to understand this cycle of eight festivals, is to follow the journey of the Earth Mother, or Mother Nature, around the year. We can begin at any time, of course, because, like the Earth, the year just keeps on going round and round. But let's start at the time that has come to be known as Brighid's festival, Imbolc - February 1st - the time when Spring just begins to stir in these lands. If you were living in the Southern Hemisphere you would have to reverse all the dates. Imbolc begins there on August 1st.'
'Up in the Northern Hemisphere, at least in Britain, it's freezing in February! Surely Spring doesn't start then?' asks Brendan.
'Keep a look out next February if you don't believe me,' replies Elidir, smiling. 'Spring just begins to tiptoe her way towards us then. The first flowers of the year - snowdrops – begin to appear, and there's a shift in energy beneath the ground as all the plants begin to stir, like creatures slowly coming out of hibernation. Then comes the Spring Equinox, in March, and Spring is officially with us even though March can be horribly cold sometimes. Finally, spring is with us in full force at Bealteinne, on May when all the blossoms are out and the sap is rising everywhere - even in people!'
'This is the time of the Earth Goddess as the Child growing into the Maiden,' she says, drawing another circle on the ground, cutting it into four like a hot cross bun, with two bold diagonal strokes, and then pointing to the right-hand quarter. Then she continues, 'Just as the moon is born out of darkness, and waxes to full from the merest sliver, so Nature seems reborn at this time, growing out of the darkness of Winter. As warmth increases, plants begin to grow again, and this activity builds until the time of maximum fertility at Bealteinne.
'See if you can sense now, just beyond the grasp of your rational mind, the relationship between Earth, moon and sun. Feel the gradually increasing strength of the sun, as the wheel of the year moves from February to May. And as it moves you can see the land growing greener, the flowers blooming, and animals and people mating. Statistics show that the frequency of mating amongst couples in the Northern Hemisphere is at its highest between March and June, peaking in May, and sexual activity also increases in frequency as the time of the full moon approaches. This whole period - the period of the waxing year - is ruled by the Tide of Sowing. This is the time when Nature urges us to sow, either physical seeds, or the seeds of projects, ideas and feelings, which will grow to fruition in the next phase of the year.'
'The next phase,' continues Elidir, 'is ruled by the Tide of Growing - from Spring to Summer. It begins at the time of Bealteinne, which you could also see as the first glimmer of Summer, and it peaks at the time of the Summer Solstice in June, finishing at the time of Lughnasadh on August 1st. This is the time when those seeds that were sown with the previous tide, grow in the belly of the Earth Goddess. She is no longer the Maiden – she has become the Mother. Like the full moon, her womb becomes full, until at Lughnasadh she gives birth, and from her we harvest her crops and her fruit.'
'The first phase of Sowing is good for magic to encourage new projects – whenever anything is new or starting and needs a little help. Now, in this second phase of Growing, we do magic for people or things that need nourishment and support. It is the time of mothering, so also a good time for doing healing magic.'
'Then comes the third phase, which is ruled by the Tide of Reaping. 'This starts at Lughnasadh, which marks the beginning of the harvest season, p
eaks at the Autumn Equinox in September, and finally comes to a close at the end of October at Samhuinn - Hallowe'en. This equates with the time of the waning moon, a time when the Mother has fulfilled her role, and can move into the mature phase of being the Wise Woman – still having the power of the Maiden and Mother within her, but now having the maturity and experience to bring their energies to fruition in wisdom.'
'I thought there were only three faces of the Goddess – Maiden, Mother and Crone?' says Brendan, looking puzzled.
'There aren't three phases of the moon are there?' replies Elidir. 'Ask any woman who is just letting go of motherhood if she's ready to become a Crone, and she'll say, "Not just yet, thank you!” '
'No, this third phase is the time of harvest, that lovely time of Autumn when one can sit down and enjoy the fruits of one's labours of the spring and summer. We aren't ancient yet, we're just grown-up - middle-aged if you like!
'Since it is the time of waning - of the waning powers of the sun – this is also associated with the waning moon. It is a time for doing magic to complete things, to bring things to an ending or fruition. It is a good time for those of us who are hopeless at finishing anything, a good time to divorce or separate too.'
'And the last quarter?' asks Brendan.
'Ah, that is the Dark Time,' Elidir replies, 'the time ruled by the Tide of Death and Renewal. It is the time of the Dark Moon, when you cannot see her in the sky. It begins at Samhuinn in November, peaks at the Winter Solstice in December and finishes at Imbolc when the Goddess is reborn as a child.
By November everything looks dead - the leaves have been stripped from the trees, the snows come on the high ground. The Goddess walks the land no longer as the Wise Woman, but as the Crone – the Old Woman.
'We avoid doing any magic at this time of the year. It is a time for drawing in our energies, for letting the nourishing power of the dark support us, the way the soil supports a plant through the Winter. And then, of course, Imbolc comes around again and the Goddess of the land is reborn with the first flowers of Spring.'
'But why just the Goddess? What about the God?' asks Brendan, puzzled that the God seems to have been left out completely.
'I am speaking symbolically, not literally,' replies Elidir. 'I could talk about all of this in terms of the God, with him being born as a child at Imbolc, growing into the Youthful Lover by Bealteinne, becoming the Father until the time of harvest at Lughnasadh, then becoming the Wise Or Mature Man through the Autumn, until he becomes the Elder through the Winter.
'Or I could remove gender completely and talk about spring as the Time of the Child growing into the Youthful Lover, Summer as the time of the Parent, Autumn as the time of Maturity and Wisdom, and Winter as the time Of the Elder. It is simply that the more you abstract it, the less colourful and evocative it becomes.'
'I understand,' responds Brendan, 'but there's one thing I haven't quite understood. You talked about the phases of the moon and the seasons, but the moon goes through all four phases thirteen times a year, so each season will see all phases of the moon several times.'
'Again I wasn't being literal,' replies Elidir. 'By association, the rising tide of warmth and energy that we experience in the Spring is like the energy and feeling of the waxing moon. The generous strong energy of the moon when it is full is like the time of Summer when there is a sense of maximum energy too. Then, as we decline into Autumn. It's like the decline of the moon in her waning phase. The energy gradually drops down until we enter the dark time of the year, and that's like the time of the Dark Moon, or New Moon as some people call it.
'So, the best time to do magic that needs waxing power, growing power, is in the Spring on a waxing moon. The best time for healing or nurturing magic is in the Summer on a full moon. The best time for magic to help completion and endings is in the Autumn on a Waning moon. Then you are working with the flow of the energies of moon, sun and Earth all flowing in the same direction. But sometimes you cannot wait for the right season to arrive, so you work with the lunar cycle on its own.
'You can see from this that we're working with the power of the seasons magically – with the power of the Earth, sun and moon. But even if you don't want to do any practical magic, you can still celebrate the turning of the year, because by stopping every now and then and taking note of the seasons, by opening up to their gifts, you give yourself a chance to catch up with yourself. Most people are so busy that they don't stop to enjoy life and marvel at the world around them. So, for at least these eight times a year, why not stop for an hour or two and take note of where you are in the great wheel of the year? Open yourself to the energies of Earth, sky, sun, moon and stars and breathe deeply. Celebrate with your family and friends and have a special meal together. And, if you can, do a ceremony that will help to get you back in tune with the rhythm of life and Nature.'
A BRIGHID CEREMONY
In this ceremony you will be working with the energy of the Goddess. Although this ceremony focuses on the archetype of the Celtic goddess Brighid, feel free to work with another archetype if it suits you better, or simply with a force of feminine healing power. Let your own images/feelings emerge.
Prepare an altar or table on one side of your room or sacred space with snowdrops or other flowers, a bowl of milk, and any other symbols and offerings that you feel appropriate. Also, place on it, or on the floor in front of it, a large wide bowl, full of water, with eight unlit floating candles. Ideally, place your altar in the direction of the North-East. This is not essential, and practical reasons may mean you place it in another direction.
At the centre, light a single candle. You may also have candles lit in the North, South, East and West if you like. Prepare a 'wind instrument' of some sort - if not an actual instrument such as a flute or recorder, a bottle partly full of water to blow on is ideal. Also, find a prayer, poem or reading that praises the Feminine, or the Goddess, that you can use during the ceremony.
When you are ready to begin, sit on the opposite side of your circle or room, so that you are facing your altar across the central candle. If you are familiar with casting circles and invoking the four directions, you might like to do this. Otherwise, simply begin with a prayer such as:
Oh Goddess of the Flame and Well, God of the Wind
and Sea, of Star and Stone, God and Goddess of all life l
ask for your blessings on this my ceremony. I ask for your
blessings on this seeker of the ways of magic and of
Druidcraft. May I be blessed by the power of the earth
beneath me, the sea around me and the sky above me!
Or you may prefer:
O Goddess Brighid, Keeper of the Sacred Flame. Guardian
of the Holy Well, Mother of Song and of Poetry, of the
Wise and the Gifted, I ask for your blessings on this my
ceremony. I ask for your blessings on this seeker of the
ways of magic and of Druidcraft. May I be blessed by the
power of the earth beneath me, the sea around me. and
the sky above me!
Meditate on what in your life needs healing or renewal.
When you're ready, look to the North-East and call to the Goddess in your own words or these:
Lady of the Waters, Lady of the Flames, Lady of the
Winds. Bright Lady of the turning Earth. Lady of the
Earth reborn, Maiden and Mother, sweet Bringer of
Light. I call to you.
Then continue with a reading or invocation to the Goddess of your choice, followed by a silent meditation on Her.
When you are ready, stand and move to the centre, just in front of the central lit candle. Blow on your flute/bottle and visualize a Gateway slowly opening. Taking the central candle with you, pass through the Gateway and sit or kneel before the bowl with the candles. Light them from the one you have brought. As you light them, visualize or sense the Lady Brighid appearing before you in the shimmering light. Say:
O La
dy Brighid, O Goddess. gentle maiden, bathed in the
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