Reflections on Imbolc Advent, 2017

So, this year I attempted an Imbolc Advent, and it went in a very Morag way.

First, some explanation: I didn’t do 4 weeks before, I did 3. This was a conscious choice because of my things about the numbers 3 and 4 and how they relate to my path following the Three. There are Three gods, they each have a main holiday, but there’s one more holiday that’s for all of them. 3 + 1; 3 plus more than the sum of its parts. Also, land sea and sky, but also earth, air, fire, water. 3 and 4 keep appearing in my structuring of this faith, so I felt I needed to keep with that for the Advents this year.

As well, it gives me a chance to focus on a specific side of Brighid each week, and it will give me a chance to do that with the other gods for their holidays as well. (For Loafmass…I don’t know. Haven’t figured it out yet.)

First week I lit my candle, sat down, and wrote a little about Brighid in her smith aspect. I realized partway through that it might have been better to do smithcraft last, as I was seeing it as a blend of poetry and healing: creation and fixing things, making things and putting them back to rights. But I was already in it, so I kept going and made sure to note my thoughts for next year.

I wrote the following prayer in my journal (unedited):

Hail to you, Brighid the Smith
Brighid of the Anvil on which stars are formed
May I walk in your light as I kindle the flame of love and justice
May I walk with your grace as I smoor the fires of hatred and oppression
May all of us seek to undo the chains of one another
and forge a better tomorrow
with you, the Smith
guiding and helping us.

The first week was the best, in terms of my actually doing things the way I wanted to. Second week I was going to focus on healing, and I came down with flu and didn’t actually get to doing it until Sunday, the day before the third week’s day. I didn’t write anything down. I just lit a candle and tried to find some energy to pray.

Third week, a day after I finally did second week, I focused on poetry. Ironically the prayer I wrote was no where near as fleshed out as the prayer I did for smithcraft, but I was still recovering from flu, so my brain wasn’t back to functioning really.

Hail to you Brighid
Creator of Poetcraft
Leader of Bards
source of creativity itself
let imbas burn in my head and down my arms
let my hands find the right words to say
let my fires change the world.

As for Imbolc itself, well as I write this it’s not over. I put some things on my shrine for blessing before I went to bed on the 1st (no, 2nd, because it was like 10am by the time I crashed), and I plan on doing a small ritual today (the 3rd, but still the 2nd because I haven’t slept yet) where I light all four candles and…do something? I don’t know, I didn’t plan this very well. Classic Morag.

Regardless my being classic me and not planning things and basically just being a hot mess, religiously, I’m happy with my Imbolc advent. It was really simple and I didn’t do a lot, but it still helped me reconnect with Brighid and my faith. Also my husband and I spent time in the last part of January cleaning out the fridge together, and that felt very proper, and right, and in line with things I want to do for Imbolc time anyway, and I feel like that was part of my advent.

For Beltane advent I’m going to plan better, hopefully. We’ll see.

~Morag

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