Happy St. Brigid's Day!

And Imbolc blessings

We’ve made it to the midway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, a time to celebrate Imbolc which is the beginning of Spring (in Ireland, not in the United States). This is also the day to celebrate Saint Brigid beginning at sundown on the evening of January 31st. Celtic time begins with the darkness. February 1st is now an Irish bank holiday in her honor. She is kind of a big deal in the hearts of Celtic people!

Saint Bride (Gaelic for Saint Brigid) painted by John Duncan (1913)

I was able to see this intriguing painting in the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh late last year. It is quite large and filled with symbolism. Zoom in to see the life of Christ woven into the angels’ clothing. The artist, John Duncan, was a central figure in the Celtic Revival movement, reclaiming the lore and culture of the Celtic lands in visual art, music, and literature. Here is a bit about the painting from the museum’s website.

According to the legend of the Irish Saint Bride she was transported miraculously to Bethlehem to attend the nativity of Christ. Here two angels carry the white robed saint across the sea. The seascape reflects Duncan's fascination with the Outer Hebrides and the Isle of Iona. The birds and seal provide an effective naturalistic foil for the supernatural angels overlapping the patterned border. Scenes from the life of Christ decorate the angel's robes, and may include the artist's self-portrait as the tiny clown (a holy fool) accompanying the procession of the magi on the leading angel's gown.

If you’ve been with me a while, you may remember the post I wrote about Saint Brigid at this time last year. As the Celtic wheel of the year shifts again and Imbolc returns, we can notice anew how we are responding to the invitation to allow the Christ consciousness to be born in us. Each of the eight festivals on the Celtic Wheel gives us a fresh opportunity to recommit to the journey and begin again. Because the wheel works more like a spiral than a closed circle, we greet each festival again but we are in a different place, perhaps a little deeper into, or higher up on our journey, whichever metaphor works for you.

One of several murals of Brigid on the walls in the town of Kildare, Ireland, home to Saint Brigid’s Abbey, now Kildare Cathedral.

Irish lore of Brigid the Goddess and Brigid the Saint depicts a worthy exemplar of Christ Consciousness. Brigid is considered to be the protector and encourager of transformation: she oversees the transformation of fire and metal into tools and creative arts, words into poetry, and healing water into health and wholeness. She is a fierce protector of the Celtic people, their animals and their land. The Celt’s loyal devotion to Brigid the Goddess was woven into hagiography of Brigid the Saint with the spread of Christianity in Ireland.

This year, more than ever, the need to be more Christ-like is urgent. While the Oval Office spews more chaos and calamity, we need to respond with more kindness and compassion. While the dark forces of Christian Nationalists invent more ways to corrupt the teachings of Christianity, we need to embrace the real mission of Christ with even more determination. The more we are like Christ in our daily interactions, the more good enters the world. To quote myself from a year ago: “The world needs more of this: more of us offering unconditional love to ourselves, and to those around us.”

An invitation:

Join our Wise Souls Circle to unpack what it means to be more Christ-like, and explore what having a Christ Consciousness looks like in the every day. For the next several months, we will be discussing some books that I have found to be essential in clarifying what it is I believe. We’ll begin with Henri Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son on Monday, February 10th at 7pm eastern via Zoom.

Here are some of the other books that we are considering:

• Creation and the Cross: The Mercy of
  God for a Planet in Peril, by Elizabeth A. Johnson

  • an unpacking of the theory of substitutionary atonement and the history of the Church

• Returning to Eden: A Field Guide for the Spiritual Journey, by Heather Hamilton

  • on understanding the Bible as a symbolic map to the inner world

• If Grace is True: Why God Will Save Every Person, by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland

  • in support of universal salvation

• Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, by N.T. Wright

  • in support of universal salvation

• Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times, by Gregory Boyle

We meet on the second and fourth Monday evening of the month. The Wise Souls Circle is supported by donations. We’d love to have you!

Interested in joining us? Click the button below to add your name to my list, and I’ll send you the Zoom link!