FULL MOON IN VIRGO – FEBRUARY 22 LUNAR NEWS
This month’s full moon in Virgo is an opportunity to reflect upon your life and your inner monologue. Are you kind enough to yourself? Remember that the moon is a water planet, and when it goes full in an Earth sign, the juxtaposition of elements can surface anxiety and anticipation. The moon finds opposition and tension in Virgo, a fixed focus on detail and minutia that stand in opposition to its natural fluid state. This full moon is an invitation to look closely at your life and explore your relationship to self. Are you too critical of yourself? Are you too aware of the places and spaces in your life where you fall short? If so, declare a mini vacation from self-critique. The full moon is shining a bright light on you and your own relationship to your soul. Now is the time to recreate that relationship.
JOURNEY THROUGH MIDDLE WINTER WITH BRIGID
I’m so excited for us to begin our sacred work of Middle Winter, marked in time by the Imbolc Holiday on February 2. So many traditions and lineages see this month as a proper place of new beginnings; Chinese New year, which falls on February 8, is celebrated around the world and ushers in a new animal spirit energy this year in the Fire Monkey. Monkeys are clever, sharp, calculating. You might find this energy revitalizing or draining depending on your own orientation. But one thing is clear – you will soon need to evaluate your position in all aspects of your life, taking stock and asking yourself difficult questions about what you need and seek. Brigid can help you. She brings the waters of her healing wells and the fire of her sacred hearth to clear, clean, and consecrate your life and your spaces. She can tame the monkey of the year – the chatter and the criticism, helping you find your center and your balance.
Here is the invocation I wrote to honor Brigid for our Imbolc ceremony, which you can use all month long to summon and honor her energy.
Brigid, goddess, mother, flame keeper,
daughter of the death god Dagda and the mother of magic,
The Morrigan herself.
You teach us how much light can be born of the darkness.
Within your reach, the four elements dance
The tree spirits of your Celtic birthplace
The fire of your sacred hearth and forge
The wind, your breath upon the land
The water, your healing well and blessed springs
from which all of life emerges during this season of growth.
Bring us fire, courage, strength to make our way
Through these dark nights of the soul
Echoed in blankets of wintery darkness upon the land.
Teach us to freeze and thaw and hold and release,
Surrendering our will to the will of the greater Whole.
Bring us healing, wellness, alignment
Through our unwell moments of this year
When we forget the feel of sunshine upon our skin.
Teach us to swim and move freely,
Surrendering our fears to the embrace of all the mother goddesses.
In your belly, Brigid, life is growing, and you, the
tender mother, patient and wise, know that much work lies ahead.
Help us prepare, help us grow, help us heal.
Help us to let go and be strong.
We ask for these blessings in your honor at mid-winter.
All hail the triple mother hearth goddess.
All hail the return of the sun.
~ Amen, aho, so it is ~
FEBRUARY COURSEWORK
We continue our Sabbatical through the second to last month of winter. Last month, we used the fire element to burn away energies that were not serving our highest purpose, energies that fueled our ego self and not our true, higher self. This month, we are still working with the fire element, because Brigid is also a fire goddess; however, her energy is less violent than Kali’s, and she also governs water, a smoothing and cleansing element to wash the ashes of what we’ve burned away. Our work this month is to see the light at the end of the long tunnel that is winter, and to rejoice in the return of light and life to the land. In that spirit, let me introduce our guiding goddess…
THE GODDESS BRIGID
Brigid is the Celtic goddess of fire, the hearth and home, poetry, smithing, alchemy, healing, childbirth, midwifery, unity, and the protectress of all children. She is a triple-goddess, representing the three faces and phases of femininity. Brigid above all else was a bringer of peace to the lands. When her son was killed in a battle between her and her husband’s tribe, her grief was so profound it ceased the war on both ends. The people’s love for Brigid was so great that it created unity between all the Celts across Europe. Brigid governs the water element, one of our portals to the Otherworld, which is also symbolic of infinite knowledge and healing. She combines the energies of water and fire to clear, clean, and consecrate our lives and spaces.
BRIGID’S ORIGIN
Brigid’s is one of the most ancient goddesses from pre-Christian, Druidic Ireland. She was even worshipped before many of the god and goddesses of the Greek and Roman pantheons. Born at dawn to the great father-god of Ireland, Dagda, Brigid grew up in the magical Otherworld. As she matured, Brigid shared her knowledge of healing plants and herbs with humans. She taught proper livestock care,and metalsmithing. Her famous shrine at Kildare is believed to have once been the site of an ancient gathering of priestesses. There they learned the sacred art of tending to Brigid’s eternal flame. Brigid is most widely known for the devotion shown to her at Imbolc, the Pagan festival of mid-winter that honors her spirit. This feast day exalts Brigid’s reign over the warm days on the horizon. Coincidentally, this is also the time of the Feast of St. Brigid, who is thought by many to be a Christianization of the goddess.
SISTER ENERGIES
Brigid evolved from goddess to saint, linking the Pagan with the Christian. St. Brigid is an embodiment of the Mary archetype with a national day dedicated in her honor. St Brigid’s Day is celebrated as the time when baby Jesus was first revealed to the world, and the two female archetypes have much in common in terms of their legends, such as the shrine at Kildare where the group of priestesses tended an eternal flame. St. Brigid was also known for her healing gifts, founding schools of art and metalsmithing, and feeding the poor and hungry. In Roman mythology, her counterpart is Minerva, for her shrine at Kildare was thought to be very similar to Minerva’s. In Egyptian mythology, she is most likened to Isis, for they share many of the same symbols. And her colors, red, black, and white, are the same as the Hindu goddess Kali.
GEMWISE
Orchid Calcite:
- Manifestation
- Divine Creation
- Flow
Moss Agate:
- Strength & Stability
- Grounding
- Healing
HERBWISE
Angelica:
- Healing (immune system/digestion)
- Pregnancy/childbirth
- Emotional balance
Nettle:
- Treating inflammation
- Promotes weight loss
- Healing (skin/allergies/asthma)
Blackberry:
- Anti-cancer
- Motor/cognitive skills
- Anti-viral/bacterial
THOUGHTS ON LETTING YOUR INNER LIGHT SHINE
It’s so important to remember during times of uncertainty that we are always rooted into the perfect flow of the Earth. Think of yourself as a beautiful tree, standing tall – fully illuminated by everything in the Universe that fills your spirit with joy. And know whenever you feel off center, that it’s okay to stay in this place, no matter the fear or doubt you feel. This place is yours, and you’ve always belonged. Celebrate your existence, and set your spirit free.
Journal prompt: What can you do today to root yourself in a deep place of protection and well being?
Aho to the path we walk together. May it be long and blessed. And so it is.
February 8th, 5 p.m. The Four Gifts of Brigid Meditation – Click here to join
February 11th, 5p.m. Autoimmune Discussion – Click here to join
Crafting: Cross of Brigid – Recording will be available soon
February 18th, 5pm. Gemwise and Herbwise: Brigid – Click here to join
February 22nd, 6p.m. Full Moon Ritual for the Goddess Brigid – Click here to join
Magical Sabbatical February Music Playlist
Songs to inspire and guide our work this month with Brigid
- Guru Rinpoche Mantra by Deva Premal
- Maranatha (Come Lord) by Lisa Gerrard and Patrick Cassidy
- Calling the Sacred Beat by David and Steve Gordon
- Inside Chanting by Silvia Nakkach
- Tierra Azul by Vibrasphere
- Origins by R. Carlos Nakai
- Caeli et Terra by Biomusique
Magical Sabbatical Recommended Reading:
The Great Work: Self-Knowledge and Healing Through the Wheel of the Year
Written by Tiffany Lizic
Published by Llewellyn Publications
2015 Edition
Spirits of the Sacred Grove
Written by Emma Restall Orr
Published by Moon Books
2015 Edition
Women’s Rites, Women’s Mysteries: Intuitive Ritual Creation
Written by Ruth Barrett
Published by Llewellyn Publications
2007 Edition
Sabbats: A Witch’s Approach to Living the Old Ways
Written by Edian McCoy
Published by Llewellyn Publications
2002 Edition
The Lost Civilization of Lemuria
Written by Frank Joseph
Published by Bear & Company
2006 Edition
The Lost Lands
Written by Lucy Cavendish
Published by Llewellyn Publications
2014 Edition
Stones of the New Consciousness: Healing, Awakening and Co-creating with Crystals, Minerals and Gems
Written by Robert Simmons
Published by North Atlantic Books
2009 Edition
Llewellyns Complete Book of Correspondence
Written by Sandra Kynes
Published by Llewellyn Publications
2013 Edition
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