A homily for Imbolc, 2024.
Dearly beloved,
Today in the northern hemisphere we celebrate a special feast. For some it is the Feast of Saint Brigid. For some it is Candlemas or the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus At the Temple. And for some it is the sabbat of Imbolc. But in all cases, what we are really talking about is the return of hope, warmth, and light to the world as the days lengthen.
Often, in pagan circles, we talk in terms of the agricultural cycle, and this cycle is an excellent way of understanding the movements of meaningful change throughout the year. But the agricultural cycle only functions as it does because of the rest of the cycle. Above: the great wheel of the heavens, the movements of the planets, the Zodiac, and the larger universe beyond. Below: the atomic and quantum realms, the roiling possibilities of chaos. And between: all of us and all of this, all unified into a single, grand system, an organic and conceptual whole. And this single, grand system in which all that exists and does not exist is a part is the clearest and surest indication we have of meaning in the universe. Everything is connected. Everything unfolds with purpose and meaning, revealing to us the face of the Divine. And within that great manifestation of the Divine we have reached a special moment.
Many who celebrate this holiday hold the goddess Brigid, reborn under dubious Christian auspices as St. Bridget, as sacred and holy. I don’t want to relitigate old injustices or reopen old wounds. We all know what happened and who did what. Great tragedies abound in this world. But I do want to talk about Brigid, divine and holy Brigid, and sing to Her today.
Brigid is a healer. This is the aspect many of us, those wounded, broken, and bound by this world into which we have been flung by the Divine, connect with the most. This is the face that looks upon us with love and concern. She will take you up, clean your wounds, tend your illness, and sit with you in the light of the fire as the pangs of fever convulse within you.
Oh blessed Brigid, holy healer, be Thou ever with us in our moments of pain, wounding, and illness. Comfort us beside your fire as we shiver and bring us sweet healing in the coming year. So mote it be.
Brigid is a smith. A maker, maintainer, and repairer of tools and artifacts. A thinker as much as a tinker, the smith must design and build the tools that the community needs to thrive. The smith must take the raw ore given to us by the Earth and turn it into useful metals. And, when necessary, the smith must forge weapons with which the community will defend itself.
Oh mighty Brigid, She of the hammer and the anvil, the bellows and the fire, inspire us as we work in the coming year to create, maintain, and repair the worlds without and within us. Be with us as we work together to build a better world. So mote it be.
Brigid is a poet. A poet drinks from the well of holy inspiration and brings out of themselves worlds and dreams, joys and agonies, a true wealth and abundance to share with the community. A poet must reveal the age to itself, must not only speak truths but the right truths at the right time, and must dance on the edge of despair again and again to bring forth joy.
Oh, inspired Brigid, golden-tongued Brigid, teller of tales and singer of songs, be Thou ever with us in the coming year. Take us on Your blessed journeys, weave us into Your stories, make us laugh, weep, and learn lessons old and new in the coming year. So mote it be.
And with that, I wish a very happy and blessed Imbolc to you all.
With love,
Soror Alice