Imbolc 2008

THE CREATIVE SPARK ©
by Lady Raven Ariana

Lady Bride, Brigette, Brighid, Brigid, Brighde, Bridey, Brigantia, Brigandu, Briggidda, Brig, Brigit brings to us the spark of creativity. Goddess of Smith-craft, Healing, and Poetry our creative Lady teaches us the mysteries of the life forces that flow through us all.

Imbolc is Bride’s holiday and is celebrated on February 2nd. Some folks celebrate this holiday on February 1st. Northern climes this time of year are cold, blanketed in snow, and still in the hands of winter. Yet, underneath the silent soil with its snow, ice, and frost, sap is beginning to rise, roots are reaching to the depths, and seeds are starting to quicken and stir.

In the forest a deep silence is felt, protective of the life mysteries happening out of sight. This same silence is instructive to the students of the Land and teaches us to hold our creative spark near and dear. Germinating ideas culminating in creation are best left to the protective silence of the womb, perhaps only shared with the heart beat of the Lady and the Land and those allies of Spirit that nurture our journey of self-discovery.

Too often someone speaks of their just sprouting idea for a creative project, an intended transformation, or an upcoming pilgrimage in the infant stages of imagination, only to be shut down by negative energy, skepticism, or ridicule. Negativity aside, dissipating one’s creative energy by speaking of it too soon, can derail a project, idea, or change.

In our modern culture, based on competition, escalating consumption, and a belief in the scarcity of resources, creative energy is seen by many to be very threatening. There is a prevailing belief that only “artists are creative” and the rest of the population not wearing the title of “artist” are not. Creativity is often shut down early in childhood through experiences with school systems, family members, other authority figures, or peers. This antagonism towards a creative human being does not end in adulthood.

Yet, we are all born creative beings. I believe that the soul killing/loss of the creative self is what leads to the hostility of so many persons towards the creative individual. This cultural hostility towards real creativity leads to a practical need to protect one’s self and his/her creations.

Sometimes the best offense in keeping our creativity safe is to be silent and just create, leaving our works to speak for themselves. This is especially important during the conception, quickening, birth, and infancy of any creative endeavor. Bride holds safe space. Her nurturing energy is very protective and she helps strengthen our energies and resolve.

As we move through the new wheel, Imbolc to Vernal Equinox (Eostara) and on towards Beltane let us remember the lessons of the Seasons with their cautions. Let us ask Lady Bride to accompany our creative journey and help us hold strong in this modern world so that we might transform ourselves to be the creative, loving, ever learning shamans working for the purposes of healing and bringing balance to/for all creatures, including the human creatures, once again to/for our world. May we live to restore the wild places, the balance of the elemental beings, and the many eco-systems of our planet, Mother Earth/Gaia.