#FastRepost from @thearcticgypsy by @fastrepost_app ••• Imbolc is an ancient pagan holiday celebrated from February 1st through sundown February 2nd. Based on Celtic tradition, Imbolc was meant to mark the halfway point between winter solstice and the spring equinox in Neolithic Ireland and Scotland. Imbolc, meaning in the belly, may refer to the pregnant ewes who are about to give birth to their lambs, but it can also refer to “in the womb” of Mother Earth. It is a time of quickening and new growth, a time to celebrate the promise of fertility, new life and new hope. Imbloc is one of 4 Celtic fire festivals in honor of the pagan goddess Brigid (pronounced Breet). Imbolc was celebrated by burning candles throughout the home and lighting bonfires in tribute to the goddess. Brigid is one of the most venerated deities in the Pagan Irish pantheon. When Brigid was born, she had flames shooting out from her head, and through them, she was united with the cosmos. As a baby, Brigid drank the milk of a sacred cow that came from the spirit world. The name Brigid means exalted one, while her most ancient Gaelic name, Breo-Saighead, means fiery power or fiery arrow. She embodies the element of fire. She is a powerful being and through her fires, she is the patroness of healing arts, fertility, poetry, music, prophecy, agriculture, and smith craft. She was also called the Goddess of the Well, as she has ties to the element of water. The well is sacred because it stems from the womb of the earth, and Brigid is Mother Earth or the Mother Goddess. Worshippers sometimes call Brigid the “Triple Goddess” Imbolc commemorates the changing of the goddess from Crone to the Maiden. Celebrants prepared for a visit from Brigid into their homes by crafting an effigy of the goddess called Brudeig (pronounced Bree-jog) from bundles of oats and rushes. Once the effigy was crafted, it was donned in a dress and put in a basket lined with white cloth overnight. Imbolc focuses on purification, cleansing and devotion. Here are some herbs I use for ritual bathing for Imbolc. #ritualbathing #sacredherbs #purification #imbolc #arcticgypsy #sacredflame #candlemas https://www.instagram.com/p/BtZkQR_nhu8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=5ddpmmc7yqrm
