February 11, 2025 • 19 mins
In this episode we explore the significance of Imbolc, a Celtic Fire Festival marking the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Philip delves into the physiological and spiritual sensitivity of humans during this liminal time, explaining how our bodies respond to changing light levels. The episode also offers a guided meditation and ceremony by Maria Ede Weaving, focusing on the goddess Brigid and the qualities of vulnerability and strength associated with this time of year. Engage in deep reflection and spiritual connection through guided visualizations, rituals, and poetry as we anticipate the coming of spring.
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You're listening to This Magical Life, a podcast dedicated to exploring the depths of spirituality and personal growth.
I'm Philip Carr-Gomm. 3 00:00:22,482.448979592 --> 00:00:23,32.448979592 Hello. 4 00:00:23,82.448979592 --> 00:00:23,672.448979592 Welcome. 5 00:00:24,702.448979592 --> 00:00:37,642.447979592 This is Philip Carr-Gomm here, So here we are at virtually the midpoint between the solstice and the equinox. 6 00:00:39,332.448979592 --> 00:00:50,542.448979592 For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this Imolc, or Imbolc if you use the Scottish Gaelic pronunciation, Imolc if you use the Irish. 7 00:00:51,862.448979592 --> 00:00:55,442.448979592 And if you're in the southern hemisphere, it brings you to the time of Lunasa or Lammas. 8 00:00:56,622.448979592 --> 00:00:59,202.448979592 But this evening we're going to celebrate Imbolc. 9 00:01:00,532.448979592 --> 00:01:11,642.448979592 And we're about at this midpoint, we're about six weeks from the winter solstice, and the spring equinox will be in about seven weeks time. 10 00:01:13,822.448979592 --> 00:01:24,102.448979592 Although it can seem bitterly cold, it doesn't feel in the slightest bit that spring is anywhere near, and yet spring is in the air. 11 00:01:25,442.448979592 --> 00:01:36,762.448979592 But the interesting thing about these cross quarter times, or Celtic Fire Festival times, is that they are liminal times. 12 00:01:37,552.448979592 --> 00:01:45,522.44897959 which represent the times when the seasons are melding and changing. 13 00:01:46,792.44897959 --> 00:02:09,382.44997959 So the winter solstice were in the winter, the spring equinox were in the spring, but at Imolc we're both in winter and we're sensing at the same time the beginning of spring, And now the very interesting thing is that there are endocrinal systems, metabolic systems, are actually highly sensitive at these times. 14 00:02:09,442.44997959 --> 00:02:13,582.44997959 And there's a fantastic paper that, I'll put a link in for you. 15 00:02:13,582.44997959 --> 00:02:30,92.44997959 We asked the herbalist Julian Barker to write about this because it's so, so fascinating, but what that shows, and Julian is a specialist in the hormonal system, the endocrine system, that Our bodies and it's got nothing to do with temperature. 16 00:02:30,102.44997959 --> 00:02:32,362.44997959 It's all about light and levels of light. 17 00:02:32,672.44997959 --> 00:02:47,822.44997959 Our body starts to prepare for the new season and it's at this kind of change over time, It's at this time that we're particularly sensitive to chills and colds and our digestive system can go a bit tricky. 18 00:02:48,152.44897959 --> 00:02:52,382.44797959 this is why we can often experience spring colds or autumn colds, for example. 19 00:02:53,212.44897959 --> 00:03:00,452.44897959 And I find that fascinating because it shows how our physiology is responding to these special times. 20 00:03:00,452.44897959 --> 00:03:05,852.44897959 Because they happen to be, when you calculate them, on the 5th of February, the 5th of May. 21 00:03:06,292.44897959 --> 00:03:15,712.44897959 The 5th of August and the 5th of November, close enough for us to say that these are related to the four, Celtic festivals. 22 00:03:16,752.44897959 --> 00:03:26,472.44897959 So, this, this is an extraordinary fact, I think, and this is another really interesting aspect of these festivals that we celebrate. 23 00:03:27,537.44897959 --> 00:03:41,797.44897959 Although we might celebrate them within a Druid context or a Pagan context, in reality, these are festivals that are reflected in the reality of the changing world around us and in our physiology. 24 00:03:42,527.44897959 --> 00:03:44,117.44797959 And we can celebrate. 25 00:03:44,762.44897959 --> 00:03:49,192.44897959 clothe them and color them and connect with them in all these different ways. 26 00:03:49,202.44897959 --> 00:03:59,912.44797959 So if we're Christian, we can connect with this time as the time of candle mass, the time of the purification of the blessed Virgin Mary, and when candles were brought into churches for them to be blessed. 27 00:04:00,232.44897959 --> 00:04:05,772.44897959 if we're pagan or druid, we can connect with the goddess Brigid at this time. 28 00:04:06,432.44897959 --> 00:04:11,922.44897959 Christians are able to sense that as Saint Brigid, perhaps the same person or being. 29 00:04:13,522.44797959 --> 00:04:31,677.44797959 For those who don't have any particular set of beliefs or faiths, the changing seasons are so real and powerful for them that this offers a way, in to an understanding of being held by something greater than just one's own, needs and desires. 30 00:04:33,207.44797959 --> 00:04:36,577.44797959 And so we come to this time of Imolc. 31 00:04:36,967.44797959 --> 00:04:40,617.44797959 what I'd like to suggest is that we work with a ceremony. 32 00:04:41,52.44797959 --> 00:04:44,522.44797959 written by the wonderful, Maria Ede Weaving. 33 00:04:45,162.44797959 --> 00:04:52,142.44697959 And, she's written a really beautiful Imbolc ceremony, which you can find on the, website, druidry. 34 00:04:52,192.44797959 --> 00:04:52,522.44797959 org. 35 00:04:52,532.44797959 --> 00:04:56,432.44697959 If you look on the homepage, you'll see there's a section on Imbolc and it's there for you. 36 00:04:56,677.44797959 --> 00:05:04,877.44697959 And what I've done is I've put together some words from the Obod ceremony with, Maria's ceremony that she wrote, which is a meditation for Imbolc. 37 00:05:05,677.44697959 --> 00:05:09,107.44697959 and then we'll finish with a poem that she's written as well, which is very beautiful. 38 00:05:09,757.44597959 --> 00:05:17,557.44497959 I suggested that you might like to bring, a bowl of water, or a glass, or a cup in the meditation at a certain point, we'll come to. 39 00:05:17,912.44497959 --> 00:05:18,852.44497959 A well of Bridget. 40 00:05:18,862.44497959 --> 00:05:23,812.44497959 And I'll suggest that with your eyes closed, you just dip the water and you. 41 00:05:24,237.44497959 --> 00:05:25,447.44497959 brush it across your forehead. 42 00:05:25,457.44497959 --> 00:05:28,527.44497959 You lave your brow in the water as you connect. 43 00:05:28,537.44497959 --> 00:05:32,437.44497959 And it's, it's always a beautiful feeling to do that when you're deep in a meditation. 44 00:05:33,307.44497959 --> 00:05:42,687.44497959 And if it's safe for you to light a candle, do light a candle because Imbolc is deeply associated with, with candles. 45 00:05:42,947.44497959 --> 00:06:01,902.44497959 I remember the very first, first Imolc ceremony I did with, um, my chief Nguyen, Uh, 50 something years ago and, uh, in his house in the basement in the room and they had or he had a bowl of water with eight candles floating in it. 46 00:06:02,502.44497959 --> 00:06:08,392.44497959 And, I was really struck by its beauty because this is. 47 00:06:08,662.44497959 --> 00:06:12,132.44497959 The time of celebrating the divine feminine. 48 00:06:13,832.44497959 --> 00:06:15,862.44497959 There's a quality in this time. 49 00:06:16,62.44497959 --> 00:06:32,591.33233333 It's not only its associations with, with Mary and the Christian tradition, but going back further into its associations with Bridget and with this time, which is both, a time of birth, and so it's a time of tremendous vulnerability. 50 00:06:33,122.44497959 --> 00:06:35,242.44497959 but also growing strength. 51 00:06:35,552.44497959 --> 00:06:48,432.44497959 And I think that's the energy to hold onto at this time or to tune into is the vulnerability of the earth and the creatures at this time of year when the frost can still be on the ground. 52 00:06:49,602.44497959 --> 00:07:04,697.44497959 And yet there's this tremendous fire inside, which we're going to connect to in our meditation that is actually helping these plants to push Through the soil and through the frost and the snow for us to see the snowdrops and the early spring flowers. 53 00:07:05,747.44497959 --> 00:07:08,667.44497959 So these apparently contradictory. 54 00:07:09,157.44497959 --> 00:07:16,517.44497959 apparently paradoxical, but not really, are qualities of vulnerability and strength. 55 00:07:16,617.44497959 --> 00:07:19,707.44497959 These are the qualities of IML that we're going to tune into. 56 00:07:21,147.44497959 --> 00:07:24,477.44497959 And so now I'm going to light a candle. 57 00:07:24,947.44397959 --> 00:07:30,27.44497959 Please only light your candle if it's really safe to do, but do go ahead if you've got one. 58 00:07:41,337.44497959 --> 00:07:46,957.44497959 And now I'm going to invite you into the imaginal world. 59 00:07:48,667.44497959 --> 00:08:06,757.44547959 So if you'd like to close your eyes to better enter into the experience, becoming aware, first of all, of being seated in front of your computer screen, or tablet or phone, but then just allowing that awareness to gently melt away. 60 00:08:07,862.44447959 --> 00:08:33,632.44447959 As you become aware of being seated outside on a cold, crisp night in the hours just before dawn and sense loving companions around you and take in a deep, relaxing breath as part of this harmonious universe. 61 00:08:37,867.44447959 --> 00:09:22,887.44447959 And as you let go and open up to this scene, you allow yourself to become aware of the earth beneath you, the trees around you, and the sky above you, and you feel the energy of the earth, the slow pulse of the earth, and you feel the life and the protection of the trees around you, and you breathe in deeply as you sense the energy of the sky flowing down into your being, meeting the energy of the earth. 62 00:09:27,962.44447959 --> 00:09:33,22.44447959 the star studded sky arches its vast, twinkling darkness above you. 63 00:09:35,202.44447959 --> 00:09:41,792.44447959 And as you sit upon the earth, the soil is hard and frozen, the grass glistening with frost. 64 00:09:45,302.44447959 --> 00:09:54,982.44447959 The land is silent and asleep, your body and being emotionless, chilled and inert like the winter earth. 65 00:09:56,42.44447959 --> 00:09:59,112.44447959 But you sense inside yourself a coming change. 66 00:10:00,37.44447959 --> 00:10:02,777.44447959 And you know you must prepare for its coming. 67 00:10:06,137.44447959 --> 00:10:12,467.44447959 The fire of spring is lit in secret in the depths of the earth, while winter rules above. 68 00:10:14,77.44447959 --> 00:10:15,647.44447959 But spring is coming. 69 00:10:17,77.44447959 --> 00:10:22,117.44347959 Let us call to Brigid, Lady of the Forge and Well, to bless us this day. 70 00:10:25,767.44447959 --> 00:10:28,487.44447959 Lady, We dream of your return. 71 00:10:30,117.44447959 --> 00:10:37,157.44447959 Come back to us lady and bring the spring welcome bridged. 72 00:10:37,607.44447959 --> 00:10:38,537.44447959 Gentle maiden. 73 00:10:38,567.44447959 --> 00:10:41,997.44447959 Maiden bathed in the white milk of nurturing. 74 00:10:42,117.44447959 --> 00:10:46,327.44447959 The fire of spirit shines through your eyes. 75 00:10:47,277.44447959 --> 00:10:49,987.44447959 Bless us with the breath of life. 76 00:10:55,77.44447959 --> 00:10:59,127.44447959 Welcome bridged Queen of the South whose inner fire touches the sun. 77 00:10:59,987.44447959 --> 00:11:02,627.44447959 May the warmth of your love be felt in our hearts. 78 00:11:03,697.44447959 --> 00:11:05,867.44447959 Bless us with your inspiration. 79 00:11:10,647.44447959 --> 00:11:13,127.44447959 Welcome, Brigid, seer and guide. 80 00:11:13,567.44447959 --> 00:11:16,137.44447959 Lead us safely to the center of the spiral. 81 00:11:18,157.44447959 --> 00:11:21,277.44447959 Let the light of mother and child bless us with healing. 82 00:11:22,707.44447959 --> 00:11:25,707.44447959 Let the waters of your well bless us with healing. 83 00:11:29,57.44447959 --> 00:11:34,922.44447959 And imagine now a holy well is before you, candles burning beside it. 84 00:11:34,922.44447959 --> 00:11:44,157.44447959 And with your eyes still closed, stretch out your hands and dip them in the water. 85 00:11:46,397.44447959 --> 00:11:48,67.44347959 Then caress your brow. 86 00:11:48,952.44447959 --> 00:11:59,302.44447959 With your moist hands, feel the blessings from this water flowing through you. 87 00:12:05,602.44447959 --> 00:12:09,612.44447959 Now draw your attention inward to the very core of yourself. 88 00:12:11,432.44347959 --> 00:12:18,562.44347959 This place is the center of the sacred circle of your being, and it is here that you will light the sacred fire. 89 00:12:21,267.44447959 --> 00:12:23,757.44447959 This sacred fire is the spark of life. 90 00:12:24,277.44447959 --> 00:12:26,997.44447959 It is the fueling heat at the center of the planet. 91 00:12:27,317.44447959 --> 00:12:30,277.44347959 It is the burning sun at the heart of our galaxy. 92 00:12:31,307.44447959 --> 00:12:35,867.44447959 It is the fire of the Smith that will magically melt and transform you. 93 00:12:36,927.44447959 --> 00:12:38,277.44347959 It is a candle flame. 94 00:12:38,727.44447959 --> 00:12:40,107.44447959 of hope in the darkness. 95 00:12:43,887.44447959 --> 00:12:50,997.44347959 Standing at the center of your inner sacred circle, you see the tinder and dry wood of your life ready to be lit. 96 00:12:51,627.44447959 --> 00:13:03,347.44447959 And in its lighting, you know that the heat of this fire will bring change in the land, will bring the first Tender signs of new life and renewal, of growing strength. 97 00:13:07,237.44447959 --> 00:13:08,917.44447959 Become aware of your solar plexus. 98 00:13:10,377.44447959 --> 00:13:12,557.44447959 There is a flame that always burns here. 99 00:13:15,847.44447959 --> 00:13:22,207.44447959 Imagine touching your solar plexus, and take some of this perpetual flame upon your finger. 100 00:13:24,777.44447959 --> 00:13:31,837.44447959 Look at this little flame coming from your finger, and walk towards a small pile of wood that has been gathered at the center of your circle. 101 00:13:34,827.44447959 --> 00:13:35,727.44447959 Light the wood. 102 00:13:38,357.44447959 --> 00:13:43,457.44347959 At first you see just a small flame as it glows in the heart of the dark, cold wood. 103 00:13:46,407.44447959 --> 00:13:50,147.44447959 Blow upon it the breath of your ideas, dreams, and visions. 104 00:13:54,807.44447959 --> 00:13:59,547.44447959 As you do this, the flames begin to grow until the fire lights up the darkness. 105 00:14:01,807.44447959 --> 00:14:04,537.44447959 Enjoy the warmth and the light. 106 00:14:09,247.44447959 --> 00:14:11,677.44347959 Fill yourself with this warmth and light. 107 00:14:24,7.44447959 --> 00:14:31,187.44447959 You find yourself back beneath the vast starry sky, upon the frosty frozen earth. 108 00:14:32,577.44447959 --> 00:14:36,157.44447959 But now you are aware that there is a glow at the center of your being. 109 00:14:37,987.44347959 --> 00:14:46,117.44447959 Feel its warmth and light spread out through your chest, down your pelvis, into your legs and feet. 110 00:14:48,747.44447959 --> 00:14:53,917.44447959 Feel it moving up through your shoulders, down your arms, and into your hands and fingers. 111 00:14:56,227.44447959 --> 00:15:02,577.44347959 Up through your neck and into your head, until your whole body is filled with its golden heat and light. 112 00:15:06,287.44447959 --> 00:15:08,87.44447959 You are radiant in the darkness. 113 00:15:09,777.44447959 --> 00:15:11,967.44447959 Stay here in this moment for a while. 114 00:15:23,807.44447959 --> 00:15:27,957.44447959 Your attention moves from the inner glow to the land around where you sit. 115 00:15:29,527.44447959 --> 00:15:32,657.44347959 You gaze down at the once frozen soil beneath you. 116 00:15:34,487.44447959 --> 00:15:37,157.44447959 The frost has melted into life giving moisture. 117 00:15:38,517.44347959 --> 00:15:41,127.44447959 Droplets are hanging from the blades of green. 118 00:15:42,47.44547959 --> 00:15:46,527.44447959 And through the earth, a carpet of snowdrops rises. 119 00:15:47,787.44447959 --> 00:16:07,677.44447959 Drinking in the life giving malt, strengthening themselves in the warmth of your glow, as if by magic you watch their brave green shoots pierce through the soil, their delicate white blossoms unfurl and hang in gentle bells of white. 120 00:16:10,527.44447959 --> 00:16:17,977.44447959 You have lit the fires of passion and inspiration, and the land responds with the first tender signs of a new beginning. 121 00:16:23,912.44447959 --> 00:16:26,672.44447959 When ready, you gaze at the horizon. 122 00:16:28,472.44447959 --> 00:16:31,302.44447959 You see a slim strip of the sky beginning to lighten. 123 00:16:31,422.44447959 --> 00:16:34,462.44447959 The dawn will be soon here. 124 00:16:38,802.44447959 --> 00:16:51,232.4434796 Come back to an awareness of your body, the present moment, being seated here in front of your screen, as you listen to this poem. 125 00:16:52,622.4444796 --> 00:16:55,652.4444796 And when you feel ready, you open your eyes. 126 00:16:58,832.4444796 --> 00:17:01,62.4444796 We thank you, Brigid, for your blessings. 127 00:17:04,552.4444796 --> 00:17:06,432.4444796 Winter had settled over me. 128 00:17:07,452.4444796 --> 00:17:16,752.4444796 The frost sealing my eyes, my mouth, my bones as ice, Stilled beneath the frozen water. 129 00:17:19,852.4444796 --> 00:17:23,282.4444796 You came and planted your sun like a seed in me. 130 00:17:24,692.4444796 --> 00:17:37,642.4444796 Warm, precious, pearl of light, and my being became the song of snowmelt, a riverburst of birdsong rising. 131 00:17:40,382.4444796 --> 00:17:49,972.4434796 At your touch my body is a garden of snowdrops, this tender blooming, the greening of my soul. 132 00:18:03,352.4434796 --> 00:18:09,32.4444796 And so, thank you, uh, for being here. 133 00:18:11,77.4444796 --> 00:18:15,557.4444796 Thank you for being, uh, together, uh, at this time. 134 00:18:20,337.4444796 --> 00:18:29,727.4434796 the thing about these Celtic fire festivals is that they're not tied to a specific moment as the equinoxes and solstices are. 135 00:18:30,787.4444796 --> 00:18:37,977.4444796 They're sort of little seasons in themselves, little liminal seasons, between two seasons almost. 136 00:18:38,547.4444796 --> 00:18:41,597.4444796 So there's a magical quality that goes on for days. 137 00:18:42,287.4434796 --> 00:18:46,197.4434796 Just as when you come to Beltane, it's the liminal time between spring and summer. 138 00:18:46,197.5434796 --> 00:18:49,697.4454796 And there's a magical liminal quality around. 139 00:18:50,312.4444796 --> 00:18:52,302.4444796 that time in early May too. 140 00:18:53,822.4444796 --> 00:19:02,262.4434796 Ditto with summer and autumn in August and, autumn and winter at Samhain at the end of October and the beginning of November. 141 00:19:02,992.4444796 --> 00:19:09,172.4444796 So do enjoy this beautiful liminal time and, have a really wonderful week. 142 00:19:09,402.4434796 --> 00:19:10,302.4444796 Many, many blessings. 143 00:19:10,312.4434796 --> 00:19:10,782.4434796 Much love. 144 00:19:13,949.7800805 --> 00:19:16,549.7800805 Thanks for tuning in to This Magical Life. 145 00:19:16,929.7800805 --> 00:19:21,289.7800805 Be sure to subscribe, share, and join me next time for more inspiration.
You're listening to This Magical Life, a podcast dedicated to exploring the depths of spirituality and personal growth.
I'm Philip Carr-Gomm. 3 00:00:22,482.448979592 --> 00:00:23,32.448979592 Hello. 4 00:00:23,82.448979592 --> 00:00:23,672.448979592 Welcome. 5 00:00:24,702.448979592 --> 00:00:37,642.447979592 This is Philip Carr-Gomm here, So here we are at virtually the midpoint between the solstice and the equinox. 6 00:00:39,332.448979592 --> 00:00:50,542.448979592 For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this Imolc, or Imbolc if you use the Scottish Gaelic pronunciation, Imolc if you use the Irish. 7 00:00:51,862.448979592 --> 00:00:55,442.448979592 And if you're in the southern hemisphere, it brings you to the time of Lunasa or Lammas. 8 00:00:56,622.448979592 --> 00:00:59,202.448979592 But this evening we're going to celebrate Imbolc. 9 00:01:00,532.448979592 --> 00:01:11,642.448979592 And we're about at this midpoint, we're about six weeks from the winter solstice, and the spring equinox will be in about seven weeks time. 10 00:01:13,822.448979592 --> 00:01:24,102.448979592 Although it can seem bitterly cold, it doesn't feel in the slightest bit that spring is anywhere near, and yet spring is in the air. 11 00:01:25,442.448979592 --> 00:01:36,762.448979592 But the interesting thing about these cross quarter times, or Celtic Fire Festival times, is that they are liminal times. 12 00:01:37,552.448979592 --> 00:01:45,522.44897959 which represent the times when the seasons are melding and changing. 13 00:01:46,792.44897959 --> 00:02:09,382.44997959 So the winter solstice were in the winter, the spring equinox were in the spring, but at Imolc we're both in winter and we're sensing at the same time the beginning of spring, And now the very interesting thing is that there are endocrinal systems, metabolic systems, are actually highly sensitive at these times. 14 00:02:09,442.44997959 --> 00:02:13,582.44997959 And there's a fantastic paper that, I'll put a link in for you. 15 00:02:13,582.44997959 --> 00:02:30,92.44997959 We asked the herbalist Julian Barker to write about this because it's so, so fascinating, but what that shows, and Julian is a specialist in the hormonal system, the endocrine system, that Our bodies and it's got nothing to do with temperature. 16 00:02:30,102.44997959 --> 00:02:32,362.44997959 It's all about light and levels of light. 17 00:02:32,672.44997959 --> 00:02:47,822.44997959 Our body starts to prepare for the new season and it's at this kind of change over time, It's at this time that we're particularly sensitive to chills and colds and our digestive system can go a bit tricky. 18 00:02:48,152.44897959 --> 00:02:52,382.44797959 this is why we can often experience spring colds or autumn colds, for example. 19 00:02:53,212.44897959 --> 00:03:00,452.44897959 And I find that fascinating because it shows how our physiology is responding to these special times. 20 00:03:00,452.44897959 --> 00:03:05,852.44897959 Because they happen to be, when you calculate them, on the 5th of February, the 5th of May. 21 00:03:06,292.44897959 --> 00:03:15,712.44897959 The 5th of August and the 5th of November, close enough for us to say that these are related to the four, Celtic festivals. 22 00:03:16,752.44897959 --> 00:03:26,472.44897959 So, this, this is an extraordinary fact, I think, and this is another really interesting aspect of these festivals that we celebrate. 23 00:03:27,537.44897959 --> 00:03:41,797.44897959 Although we might celebrate them within a Druid context or a Pagan context, in reality, these are festivals that are reflected in the reality of the changing world around us and in our physiology. 24 00:03:42,527.44897959 --> 00:03:44,117.44797959 And we can celebrate. 25 00:03:44,762.44897959 --> 00:03:49,192.44897959 clothe them and color them and connect with them in all these different ways. 26 00:03:49,202.44897959 --> 00:03:59,912.44797959 So if we're Christian, we can connect with this time as the time of candle mass, the time of the purification of the blessed Virgin Mary, and when candles were brought into churches for them to be blessed. 27 00:04:00,232.44897959 --> 00:04:05,772.44897959 if we're pagan or druid, we can connect with the goddess Brigid at this time. 28 00:04:06,432.44897959 --> 00:04:11,922.44897959 Christians are able to sense that as Saint Brigid, perhaps the same person or being. 29 00:04:13,522.44797959 --> 00:04:31,677.44797959 For those who don't have any particular set of beliefs or faiths, the changing seasons are so real and powerful for them that this offers a way, in to an understanding of being held by something greater than just one's own, needs and desires. 30 00:04:33,207.44797959 --> 00:04:36,577.44797959 And so we come to this time of Imolc. 31 00:04:36,967.44797959 --> 00:04:40,617.44797959 what I'd like to suggest is that we work with a ceremony. 32 00:04:41,52.44797959 --> 00:04:44,522.44797959 written by the wonderful, Maria Ede Weaving. 33 00:04:45,162.44797959 --> 00:04:52,142.44697959 And, she's written a really beautiful Imbolc ceremony, which you can find on the, website, druidry. 34 00:04:52,192.44797959 --> 00:04:52,522.44797959 org. 35 00:04:52,532.44797959 --> 00:04:56,432.44697959 If you look on the homepage, you'll see there's a section on Imbolc and it's there for you. 36 00:04:56,677.44797959 --> 00:05:04,877.44697959 And what I've done is I've put together some words from the Obod ceremony with, Maria's ceremony that she wrote, which is a meditation for Imbolc. 37 00:05:05,677.44697959 --> 00:05:09,107.44697959 and then we'll finish with a poem that she's written as well, which is very beautiful. 38 00:05:09,757.44597959 --> 00:05:17,557.44497959 I suggested that you might like to bring, a bowl of water, or a glass, or a cup in the meditation at a certain point, we'll come to. 39 00:05:17,912.44497959 --> 00:05:18,852.44497959 A well of Bridget. 40 00:05:18,862.44497959 --> 00:05:23,812.44497959 And I'll suggest that with your eyes closed, you just dip the water and you. 41 00:05:24,237.44497959 --> 00:05:25,447.44497959 brush it across your forehead. 42 00:05:25,457.44497959 --> 00:05:28,527.44497959 You lave your brow in the water as you connect. 43 00:05:28,537.44497959 --> 00:05:32,437.44497959 And it's, it's always a beautiful feeling to do that when you're deep in a meditation. 44 00:05:33,307.44497959 --> 00:05:42,687.44497959 And if it's safe for you to light a candle, do light a candle because Imbolc is deeply associated with, with candles. 45 00:05:42,947.44497959 --> 00:06:01,902.44497959 I remember the very first, first Imolc ceremony I did with, um, my chief Nguyen, Uh, 50 something years ago and, uh, in his house in the basement in the room and they had or he had a bowl of water with eight candles floating in it. 46 00:06:02,502.44497959 --> 00:06:08,392.44497959 And, I was really struck by its beauty because this is. 47 00:06:08,662.44497959 --> 00:06:12,132.44497959 The time of celebrating the divine feminine. 48 00:06:13,832.44497959 --> 00:06:15,862.44497959 There's a quality in this time. 49 00:06:16,62.44497959 --> 00:06:32,591.33233333 It's not only its associations with, with Mary and the Christian tradition, but going back further into its associations with Bridget and with this time, which is both, a time of birth, and so it's a time of tremendous vulnerability. 50 00:06:33,122.44497959 --> 00:06:35,242.44497959 but also growing strength. 51 00:06:35,552.44497959 --> 00:06:48,432.44497959 And I think that's the energy to hold onto at this time or to tune into is the vulnerability of the earth and the creatures at this time of year when the frost can still be on the ground. 52 00:06:49,602.44497959 --> 00:07:04,697.44497959 And yet there's this tremendous fire inside, which we're going to connect to in our meditation that is actually helping these plants to push Through the soil and through the frost and the snow for us to see the snowdrops and the early spring flowers. 53 00:07:05,747.44497959 --> 00:07:08,667.44497959 So these apparently contradictory. 54 00:07:09,157.44497959 --> 00:07:16,517.44497959 apparently paradoxical, but not really, are qualities of vulnerability and strength. 55 00:07:16,617.44497959 --> 00:07:19,707.44497959 These are the qualities of IML that we're going to tune into. 56 00:07:21,147.44497959 --> 00:07:24,477.44497959 And so now I'm going to light a candle. 57 00:07:24,947.44397959 --> 00:07:30,27.44497959 Please only light your candle if it's really safe to do, but do go ahead if you've got one. 58 00:07:41,337.44497959 --> 00:07:46,957.44497959 And now I'm going to invite you into the imaginal world. 59 00:07:48,667.44497959 --> 00:08:06,757.44547959 So if you'd like to close your eyes to better enter into the experience, becoming aware, first of all, of being seated in front of your computer screen, or tablet or phone, but then just allowing that awareness to gently melt away. 60 00:08:07,862.44447959 --> 00:08:33,632.44447959 As you become aware of being seated outside on a cold, crisp night in the hours just before dawn and sense loving companions around you and take in a deep, relaxing breath as part of this harmonious universe. 61 00:08:37,867.44447959 --> 00:09:22,887.44447959 And as you let go and open up to this scene, you allow yourself to become aware of the earth beneath you, the trees around you, and the sky above you, and you feel the energy of the earth, the slow pulse of the earth, and you feel the life and the protection of the trees around you, and you breathe in deeply as you sense the energy of the sky flowing down into your being, meeting the energy of the earth. 62 00:09:27,962.44447959 --> 00:09:33,22.44447959 the star studded sky arches its vast, twinkling darkness above you. 63 00:09:35,202.44447959 --> 00:09:41,792.44447959 And as you sit upon the earth, the soil is hard and frozen, the grass glistening with frost. 64 00:09:45,302.44447959 --> 00:09:54,982.44447959 The land is silent and asleep, your body and being emotionless, chilled and inert like the winter earth. 65 00:09:56,42.44447959 --> 00:09:59,112.44447959 But you sense inside yourself a coming change. 66 00:10:00,37.44447959 --> 00:10:02,777.44447959 And you know you must prepare for its coming. 67 00:10:06,137.44447959 --> 00:10:12,467.44447959 The fire of spring is lit in secret in the depths of the earth, while winter rules above. 68 00:10:14,77.44447959 --> 00:10:15,647.44447959 But spring is coming. 69 00:10:17,77.44447959 --> 00:10:22,117.44347959 Let us call to Brigid, Lady of the Forge and Well, to bless us this day. 70 00:10:25,767.44447959 --> 00:10:28,487.44447959 Lady, We dream of your return. 71 00:10:30,117.44447959 --> 00:10:37,157.44447959 Come back to us lady and bring the spring welcome bridged. 72 00:10:37,607.44447959 --> 00:10:38,537.44447959 Gentle maiden. 73 00:10:38,567.44447959 --> 00:10:41,997.44447959 Maiden bathed in the white milk of nurturing. 74 00:10:42,117.44447959 --> 00:10:46,327.44447959 The fire of spirit shines through your eyes. 75 00:10:47,277.44447959 --> 00:10:49,987.44447959 Bless us with the breath of life. 76 00:10:55,77.44447959 --> 00:10:59,127.44447959 Welcome bridged Queen of the South whose inner fire touches the sun. 77 00:10:59,987.44447959 --> 00:11:02,627.44447959 May the warmth of your love be felt in our hearts. 78 00:11:03,697.44447959 --> 00:11:05,867.44447959 Bless us with your inspiration. 79 00:11:10,647.44447959 --> 00:11:13,127.44447959 Welcome, Brigid, seer and guide. 80 00:11:13,567.44447959 --> 00:11:16,137.44447959 Lead us safely to the center of the spiral. 81 00:11:18,157.44447959 --> 00:11:21,277.44447959 Let the light of mother and child bless us with healing. 82 00:11:22,707.44447959 --> 00:11:25,707.44447959 Let the waters of your well bless us with healing. 83 00:11:29,57.44447959 --> 00:11:34,922.44447959 And imagine now a holy well is before you, candles burning beside it. 84 00:11:34,922.44447959 --> 00:11:44,157.44447959 And with your eyes still closed, stretch out your hands and dip them in the water. 85 00:11:46,397.44447959 --> 00:11:48,67.44347959 Then caress your brow. 86 00:11:48,952.44447959 --> 00:11:59,302.44447959 With your moist hands, feel the blessings from this water flowing through you. 87 00:12:05,602.44447959 --> 00:12:09,612.44447959 Now draw your attention inward to the very core of yourself. 88 00:12:11,432.44347959 --> 00:12:18,562.44347959 This place is the center of the sacred circle of your being, and it is here that you will light the sacred fire. 89 00:12:21,267.44447959 --> 00:12:23,757.44447959 This sacred fire is the spark of life. 90 00:12:24,277.44447959 --> 00:12:26,997.44447959 It is the fueling heat at the center of the planet. 91 00:12:27,317.44447959 --> 00:12:30,277.44347959 It is the burning sun at the heart of our galaxy. 92 00:12:31,307.44447959 --> 00:12:35,867.44447959 It is the fire of the Smith that will magically melt and transform you. 93 00:12:36,927.44447959 --> 00:12:38,277.44347959 It is a candle flame. 94 00:12:38,727.44447959 --> 00:12:40,107.44447959 of hope in the darkness. 95 00:12:43,887.44447959 --> 00:12:50,997.44347959 Standing at the center of your inner sacred circle, you see the tinder and dry wood of your life ready to be lit. 96 00:12:51,627.44447959 --> 00:13:03,347.44447959 And in its lighting, you know that the heat of this fire will bring change in the land, will bring the first Tender signs of new life and renewal, of growing strength. 97 00:13:07,237.44447959 --> 00:13:08,917.44447959 Become aware of your solar plexus. 98 00:13:10,377.44447959 --> 00:13:12,557.44447959 There is a flame that always burns here. 99 00:13:15,847.44447959 --> 00:13:22,207.44447959 Imagine touching your solar plexus, and take some of this perpetual flame upon your finger. 100 00:13:24,777.44447959 --> 00:13:31,837.44447959 Look at this little flame coming from your finger, and walk towards a small pile of wood that has been gathered at the center of your circle. 101 00:13:34,827.44447959 --> 00:13:35,727.44447959 Light the wood. 102 00:13:38,357.44447959 --> 00:13:43,457.44347959 At first you see just a small flame as it glows in the heart of the dark, cold wood. 103 00:13:46,407.44447959 --> 00:13:50,147.44447959 Blow upon it the breath of your ideas, dreams, and visions. 104 00:13:54,807.44447959 --> 00:13:59,547.44447959 As you do this, the flames begin to grow until the fire lights up the darkness. 105 00:14:01,807.44447959 --> 00:14:04,537.44447959 Enjoy the warmth and the light. 106 00:14:09,247.44447959 --> 00:14:11,677.44347959 Fill yourself with this warmth and light. 107 00:14:24,7.44447959 --> 00:14:31,187.44447959 You find yourself back beneath the vast starry sky, upon the frosty frozen earth. 108 00:14:32,577.44447959 --> 00:14:36,157.44447959 But now you are aware that there is a glow at the center of your being. 109 00:14:37,987.44347959 --> 00:14:46,117.44447959 Feel its warmth and light spread out through your chest, down your pelvis, into your legs and feet. 110 00:14:48,747.44447959 --> 00:14:53,917.44447959 Feel it moving up through your shoulders, down your arms, and into your hands and fingers. 111 00:14:56,227.44447959 --> 00:15:02,577.44347959 Up through your neck and into your head, until your whole body is filled with its golden heat and light. 112 00:15:06,287.44447959 --> 00:15:08,87.44447959 You are radiant in the darkness. 113 00:15:09,777.44447959 --> 00:15:11,967.44447959 Stay here in this moment for a while. 114 00:15:23,807.44447959 --> 00:15:27,957.44447959 Your attention moves from the inner glow to the land around where you sit. 115 00:15:29,527.44447959 --> 00:15:32,657.44347959 You gaze down at the once frozen soil beneath you. 116 00:15:34,487.44447959 --> 00:15:37,157.44447959 The frost has melted into life giving moisture. 117 00:15:38,517.44347959 --> 00:15:41,127.44447959 Droplets are hanging from the blades of green. 118 00:15:42,47.44547959 --> 00:15:46,527.44447959 And through the earth, a carpet of snowdrops rises. 119 00:15:47,787.44447959 --> 00:16:07,677.44447959 Drinking in the life giving malt, strengthening themselves in the warmth of your glow, as if by magic you watch their brave green shoots pierce through the soil, their delicate white blossoms unfurl and hang in gentle bells of white. 120 00:16:10,527.44447959 --> 00:16:17,977.44447959 You have lit the fires of passion and inspiration, and the land responds with the first tender signs of a new beginning. 121 00:16:23,912.44447959 --> 00:16:26,672.44447959 When ready, you gaze at the horizon. 122 00:16:28,472.44447959 --> 00:16:31,302.44447959 You see a slim strip of the sky beginning to lighten. 123 00:16:31,422.44447959 --> 00:16:34,462.44447959 The dawn will be soon here. 124 00:16:38,802.44447959 --> 00:16:51,232.4434796 Come back to an awareness of your body, the present moment, being seated here in front of your screen, as you listen to this poem. 125 00:16:52,622.4444796 --> 00:16:55,652.4444796 And when you feel ready, you open your eyes. 126 00:16:58,832.4444796 --> 00:17:01,62.4444796 We thank you, Brigid, for your blessings. 127 00:17:04,552.4444796 --> 00:17:06,432.4444796 Winter had settled over me. 128 00:17:07,452.4444796 --> 00:17:16,752.4444796 The frost sealing my eyes, my mouth, my bones as ice, Stilled beneath the frozen water. 129 00:17:19,852.4444796 --> 00:17:23,282.4444796 You came and planted your sun like a seed in me. 130 00:17:24,692.4444796 --> 00:17:37,642.4444796 Warm, precious, pearl of light, and my being became the song of snowmelt, a riverburst of birdsong rising. 131 00:17:40,382.4444796 --> 00:17:49,972.4434796 At your touch my body is a garden of snowdrops, this tender blooming, the greening of my soul. 132 00:18:03,352.4434796 --> 00:18:09,32.4444796 And so, thank you, uh, for being here. 133 00:18:11,77.4444796 --> 00:18:15,557.4444796 Thank you for being, uh, together, uh, at this time. 134 00:18:20,337.4444796 --> 00:18:29,727.4434796 the thing about these Celtic fire festivals is that they're not tied to a specific moment as the equinoxes and solstices are. 135 00:18:30,787.4444796 --> 00:18:37,977.4444796 They're sort of little seasons in themselves, little liminal seasons, between two seasons almost. 136 00:18:38,547.4444796 --> 00:18:41,597.4444796 So there's a magical quality that goes on for days. 137 00:18:42,287.4434796 --> 00:18:46,197.4434796 Just as when you come to Beltane, it's the liminal time between spring and summer. 138 00:18:46,197.5434796 --> 00:18:49,697.4454796 And there's a magical liminal quality around. 139 00:18:50,312.4444796 --> 00:18:52,302.4444796 that time in early May too. 140 00:18:53,822.4444796 --> 00:19:02,262.4434796 Ditto with summer and autumn in August and, autumn and winter at Samhain at the end of October and the beginning of November. 141 00:19:02,992.4444796 --> 00:19:09,172.4444796 So do enjoy this beautiful liminal time and, have a really wonderful week. 142 00:19:09,402.4434796 --> 00:19:10,302.4444796 Many, many blessings. 143 00:19:10,312.4434796 --> 00:19:10,782.4434796 Much love. 144 00:19:13,949.7800805 --> 00:19:16,549.7800805 Thanks for tuning in to This Magical Life. 145 00:19:16,929.7800805 --> 00:19:21,289.7800805 Be sure to subscribe, share, and join me next time for more inspiration.
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