Celebrating Bride

Celebrating Bride by Lady Raven Ariana

Tonight is Imbolc, Bride's Feast, the day the Christians
call Candlemass, Feast of the Waxing Light, February 2nd.
We are past the darkest time of the year. The Day is under
tutelage of Night as Day gains strength. Nights are long,
but becoming shorter. The Wheel is turning toward Spring,
new life. We gather together to celebrate with ceremony and
community.

Evergreens stand dark green against the white snow. The
leaves of maple, oak, aspen, rowan, and elder have been
blown to Earth by winter winds. The air is crisp and the night
clear. We gather together to feel the Elements, the Tree Spirits,
Great Goddess Bride, and the Ancestors. We look skyward and
appreciate the stars. We move our feet to feel the sacred Earth
beneath us.

We stand in reverence, preparing for our night's celebration.
We connect with the quickening sap moving up through the trees.
The tree's seem asleep yet, when we connect, we can feel the slow
awakening. We take heart and joy in this quickening. The lifeblood
of the Great Mother flows through the veins of the trees and the
beings who tend them are Her special guardians.

We have brought offerings of herbs, flowers, and mead, gifts for the
Tree Tenders. The Green Folk give us much if we are willing to still
ourselves and listen. The smallest herb is a wise sage. The largest
redwood can be heard if we slow our rhythms and quiet our minds.
We offer our gifts with prayers, blessings and thanks. Our gratitude
helps to open our spirits to the Green Allies. The Plant Folk are
especially connected to Bride in
her healing aspect.

Having honored the tree and herb folk, we are prepared to enter the
sacred space where we will continue our celebration of great Goddess
Bride (pronounced "breed"). Bride's name is also spelled Bridget,
Brighid, Brighet, and she is known to the Irish Christian Traditions
as a Saint. She is the Goddess of smithcraft, healing and poetry.
She is known to be a fierce protector with her fiery arrows. She is
renown for her powers as a healer. She is inspiration and patroness
of the arts and creativity.

When entering, we see a beautiful alter dedicated to Bride and one
dedicated to the Ancestors. The altars are blessed with offerings.
Cleansed by the Elements, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, we stand in a
circle holding hands and raise our voices together in a prayer to Bride.
The prayer is known as the "Geneology of Bride". Its Christian version
is found in the "Carmina Gadelica". The prayer is a powerful
invocation for protection. This is the version that we speak:

Every day and every night that I say the Geneology of Brighid
I shall not be killed.
I shall not be harried.
I shall not be put into a cell.
I shall not be wounded.
No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn me.
No lake, no water, no sea shall drown me.
For I am the 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 Brighid.

A Priestess passes a candle to each person. She then speaks
of Bride's fire aspect, her fire once again tended by Sisters
in Kildare of the order Ord Brighideach, and the strengthening
light. She speaks of the quickening of trees, quickening life,
and the special helpers known as the Green Allies. She instructs
the people to feel the quickening life in their own hearts,
bellies and spirits. She talks of kindling, connection, sacred
creativity and feeling connection to Creatrix.

To symbolize and connect with the waxing light, the Priestess will
light her candle and light the person's candle standing in the
North- East quadrant of the circle. Next clock-wise we will pass
the flame, each person lighting the person's candle standing to their
left until the circle is completed. All lights are extinguished. We are
enveloped in darkness and silence. We stand for what seems forever
then a light sparks and the Priestess begins to tone. She lights the
candle of the person in the North-East and that person adds his voice
to the toning. The light is passed and each voice builds the energy
with the addition of their voice. When the last candle is lit and
the voices strong the Priestess raises her candle and says:


We call to Bride, heart of light, please bring your fire from
the night.We call to Bride, keeper of flame, please heal our
hearts when We call your name.

We call to Bride, heart of light, please bring your fire from the
night.We call to Bride, keeper of flame, please heal our hearts
when We call your name.

She then says, "Blessed be" and we echo with, "Blessed be!"

The Priestess then speaks about the Mighty Dead, the Ancestors.
She speaks of tradition and how we would not be here if not for
those who have gone before. She asks us to touch our hearts and
she raises her voice in a prayer praising the ancestors and giving
thanks.

The original Priestess is joined by two more Priestesses, one bearing
cups and the other with a cauldron of fresh spring water. The cups
are passed and the water blessed. The water is shared with each
person and when everyone's cup is filled we raise our cups to the
sky. The water-bearing Priestess says, "This is the healing waters
of Mother Bride. When we take these blessed waters in to our bodies
our spirits are filled with light and we connect with Creatix. May
you never thirst!" We say, "May you never thirst".

The two serving Priestesses bring special cakes made of honey. The
cakes are blessed and passed around. Together we all raise our cakes
to the sky. The other Priestess says, "These cakes represent our
connection to the Earth, Great Mother and all of the plant, animal and
tree spirits. When you take these cakes into your body feel your
gratitude well up from your hearts for our life that is supported by
these beings. Honor the Green Allies and all the Animal Spirits that
give us life. May you never hunger" We say, "May you never hunger!"

A Priestess asks for a volunteer to send a prayer out for peace and
healing to all people and life on Earth. We join hands and the
volunteer leads us in a prayer. The Priestess tells us to look around
the Circle at the wonderful community shared. She instructs us to
mark this time in our hearts, so that when in need we can return to
this memory for strength, peace and healing. She then invites us
to continue the celebration with feast, song, dance and sharing.

The circle is open, but unbroken. Merry meet, merry part, and
merry meet again!

note: Prayer at culmination of candle lighting adapted from:
"Bridefire" of "The Wheel Turns" copyrights held by Shapeshifting,
Inc. All rights reserved.

Ord Brighideach: http://www.ordbrighideach.org/
"The Wheel Turns" http://www.shapeshifting.com


copyright 2006 all rights reserved