The Goddess Bridget and Imbolc

Mating vaah!  IssMisha Linda. Which is Good Morning, I’m Linda in Scot Gaelic.

The oldest Scottish Gaelic pronunciation of the Goddess Bridget is Breshja and that is what I will call her today.  

Breshja, is one of the original Goddesses in the Celtic pantheons and is the triple Goddess of Inspiration, Healing, and the Hearth and tomorrow is Imbolc, her feast day. Imbolc is the halfway mark between winter and spring, a time marked by the beginning signs of thaw. It is Breshja’s fire and light that guide us out of winter.

Our prayer this morning mentions Breshja’s mantle, which is her cloak and was thought to be either green for the color of the earth or red for her fire or blue for royalty or white for purity. But as with most things concerning Breeshja there are multiple meanings for everything, as the word mantle is associated with a flame or fire and part of the cerebral cortex, which is the center for our consciousness and language center. 

There is a belief that Breshja lends her healing powers to any piece of cloth that is left out at Imbolc and that is what the piece of cloth is on your seat. This piece of cloth is sometimes called Bridget's Mantle. It is said that Breshja blesses the cloth as she visits homes on Imbolc so with each passing year, with each passing Imbolc and each blessing, the mantle gains healing power.  These Bridget Mantles were at one time part of a midwife's tools and would be placed over an expectant mother belly and birthing animals, to ensure a safe birth. 

The prayer we will say means in English: “Oh, Breshja, spread above my head your mantle bright to guide me.” In Scot Gaelic phonetically it is:  A bat Breshja!  Share osh mo keon- Go vrat fion gom ankal.

 As I mentioned before, Imbolc is the halfway mark from winter to spring equinox and it is the feast day of Bridget, known as Breshja in Scotland.  Breshja births life into the dead of winter as it labors toward the spring. She is the firelight that leads her people out of the dark of winter. 

Breshja is the triple Goddess of inspiration, healing, and the hearth. In her wisdom, she has guided the Celtic people for thousands of years so I thought I would share a little bit about her today, as it is almost her feast day. Please think about these aspects as I mention them and see which ones or all of them that call to you to connect us. 

In her aspect as a Goddess of Healing she is connected to water. She honors the water that we are all birthed in, made of, and need to survive. Breshja’s wisdom advised us to find clean, clear, fast-moving water that is sparkling with sunlight, and to use it for healing. She blessed streams, rivers and wells and her people knew that as they went to these places for healing. She was light years ahead of knowing that fresh clean water is healing.  And light years ahead of the realization that we must honor our lifeline to water. So, what do you feel Breshja would guide you to heal in the world now?

In her aspect as a Goddess of the Hearth, Breshja brings the Wisdom of Fire, burning brightly from her hands, her head, and her heart.  In this aspect she brought the ancient mystery of Alchemy, which was hidden in knowledge of fire. This bright, fiery energy is the energy of the creative power of our consciousness and is connected to her mantle.  

Fire is transformative. With Breshja, we can sit in the fire with our own true authentic self.   Sometimes we need to feel the fire, to react to the fire, to be changed and charged by the fire, into a warrior, into a lioness, into the strength given to put one foot in front of the other to walk on our own particular path.  Fire is Light that burns brightly in the dark to help show us the way. Sometimes if we get too close to the flame…. we may get burned....but in our jumping into the fire, we are transformed into something new, something more a part of the whole, something forged into a product that is much stronger.  So, what do you believe enough in to jump into the fire to charge your life with her spark? 

In her aspect as the Goddess of Inspiration, Breshja was revered by all creative folk, to help them step across the veil and back -with protection -to bring back the song, verse, prophecy, and art that she inspired. She is the patroness of poetry, which was the oral transmitter of the Celtic people, and she provided the “fire in the head” needed for their history. You may experience this in the meditation and The Song of Am-er-gin we will play later.

Stories say that the fire of inspiration and creativity came from flames blazing brightly from Breshja’s head at birth. This column of fire from her head connected heaven and earth, above and below.  It was said that she reached up and broke away a spiraling plume from her crown of fire and threw it on the ground before her, bringing the fire of inspiration and the energy of divine creativity to earth. We can follow Breshja’s example by drawing creative spirit to our center from the divine, from the earth, from our center for inspiration. So, what do you believe that Breshja can divinely inspire in you with her spark?

Poetry, song, and art are easily recognizable presentations of creativity and inspiration.  But hers is a spark to ignite the flame in life in everything we do.  So… what can you imagine that Breshja’s spark can inspire? She wants to nurture all our endeavors. Call out to Her in your creative stance and she will be with you. Ask yourself…what seeds have been planted in you, and lay asleep through the metaphoric winter?  Is there something that is yet to manifest above ground, just sprouting under the dark covering blanket of Earth…… inside of you, under the protective mantle of Bride? 

Breshja’s feast day, Imbolc, is the day when she kindles fires within the Earth to prepare a way for the coming of spring.  Fires for the hearth and home are blessed, and it is a day of joy and festivity.  Cups are filled with Fion Sméar Dubh (Fee-an Ssa-mar doove) (Blackberry Wine) and drunk to the health of Breshja.  

It is a celebration of transformation, turning from the dark of winter that the Goddess Cailleach owns to the light of spring and Breshja. The dark half of the year giving way to the light.

The Celtic path of spirituality and Breshja are very connected to the discernment at ICS this month.  The Celts were a people who observed the natural ways and used their observations to honor Earth, her inhabitants and themselves, as equal parts in the dance of life.

If we are to survive this time in history, perhaps it would be good idea to take notes from Celtic spirituality and Breshja, to end the illusion that we are independent from Earth and her great gifts.

The Ancients across the globe with their diverse spiritual paths – including the Celts- were tuned to the cycles and systems of Earth for their survival. They designed their lives by observing nature and their lifestyles were a reflection of those observations. And don’t forget the Love. They loved and honored Earth and that which we love and honor, we protect and cherish.  It is only when we disconnected from Her that problems start to arise. 

This is auspicious timing tomorrow of Breshja’s feast day, Imbolc. With Breshja’s triple crown of Inspiration, Healing, and the fire of the Hearth she can assist us to live in balance and harmony with the rhythms of Earth.  By connecting to the Inspiration of Breshja for new ideas and by connecting to the Fire and Hearth of Breshja, to create a spark that ignites passion in our lives, perhaps we can connect to the Healing of Breshja to honor Earth.