Out of the broom closet,witches

I am officially and publicly out of the broom closet.Yes I am a witch, a white witch. I proclaimed this on TV yesterday. Halloween or Samhain is an ancient Pagan/wiccan celebration honoring the close of the old year and it is New Years. It is the day when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. NOvember 1 is All saints Day or the Day of the dead. I was also initiated as a Green Witch by Susun Weed at her goat farm in Woodstock New York in 1987. 

Archetypal wicked witch, hag, crone.

Wicca or wiccan is a modern term for ancient pagan spiritual beliefs which honoured the Great Mother the earth and the Divine Feminine and  participated in the turning of the wheel of the year.It is a non-hierarchical, pantheistic religion. Although I hesitate to use the term religion as we associate it with organized Patriarchal religions. 

The Catholic Inquisition which initially was against all heretics, the Cathars in particular, terrified pagans for hundreds of years.  The Grand Inquisitors ruled from 1200 until the mid-19th century. The Malleus Maleficarum written in 1486 stated that witchcraft was to blame for bad weather. This charge was levelled mainly at women, which according to this text “all witchcraft comes from carnal lust which is in women insatiable”. 

Over the course of 300 years in Europe estimates as high as nine million people were accused of witchcraft, 80% were women were burned at the stake, sadistically tortured and their children were forced to watch them burn. This was the women’s Holocaust. This was worse than Hitler and the Catholic Church is wholly to blame for it. 

 

I remember being burned at the stake and the  Jesuit Priests who convicted me. The one who convicted me in the past turned out to be my ex-husband in this life I later discovered. One re-appeared as one of the realtors who tricked me into selling my house out from under me years ago. It’s a long story,and is part of the book I am still writing.

HOLOTROPIC BREATHWORK

I experienced a full memory of this past life during a Holotropic Breathwork workshop years ago. Holotropic Breathwork was invented by Dr. Stanislav Grof following his experiments using LSD in psychiatry in the 70’s. It is a breathing and music aided psych0-spiritual healing journey which induces a non-ordinary state of reality experience. Most people remember their birth and pre-births in this state. Some people remember death experiences. A number of women at this specific workshop stated that they also remembered their past life as witches and being tortured. 

I had been very angry at the Priest who sentenced me. I cursed him for his ignorance and for so wickedly and arrogantly destroying my life as well as the other women who were also being tortured. My heart broke to leave my husband and children. This was not the first time that I had been serving The Goddess and my life had been destroyed because of it. I also remember being a High Priestess of the Goddess in Greece years ago and having that be overrun an destroyed by  hostile invaders.

Those 7 million women who had been tortured in the past have  come back into this life to take back their power and to reinstate the worship of the Great Mother. That is why the pagan Goddess worshipping communities, websites, workshops, and courses are increasingly  popular now. I am working on launching Priestess workshops and online Moon lodges now.

In the West where women are largely well-educated, relatively good wage-earners, and have freedom {to some extent{ within this culture, we all now must proudly announce where our ancient soul reverence belongs.

It used to be shameful to be called a witch. The stereotype of the old hag, or crone, depicted as an ugly old woman with hooked nose and warts and wild hair, and the fairy tales about the Wicked Old Witch, eating children are a gross misrepresentation and total cultural propaganda.

Elder women were wise women and healers. whose knowledge as midwives and who also attended to those dying were respected and honoured. They had status. 

In a culture which worships youth and not the status of being a wise elder, women need to also embrace this aspect. We are all inevitably ageing. The masculine type of pursuit of immortality is rooted in the false belief that we are our bodies and not immortal souls. The word crone is equated with witches and it carries the same popular stigma. I like the term Crone because it simply means chronos, Time, seniority, maturity, and implies wisdom from living so long.

In my mind if you are older but not wiser that is why you would want to avoid being called a crone and not acknowledged for your wisdom. Language is also empowering. A  large part of Feminism  pointed out that reframing and respelling, sounds Magical doesn’t it?  changes the meaning of a word.

Let’s Re-Spell this.

I put forward that the word CHRONE spelled with the additional H be used proudly to represent a woman past -menopause. That could be any age from the late 40’s. It means a wise women, an elder worthy of respect and honored for her experience and wisdom. We can revere aging as beautiful.

I had been saying I am ready to fully embrace my own power. I was sitting in front of the TV Tuesday night when a commercial came on for the CTV Morning show called Canada A.M. In my mind I said I want to be on that show. I stated that intention clearly.

Wed. October 28, I get an email from a producer at Canada A.M. asking me if I would be interested in being on the show for Halloween talking about wicca and witches. They gave me some homework to do to help them prep videos which I was happy to do.  watch the video below.

THE VEIL BETWEEN THE WORLDS 

Get in touch with your past lives tonight when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. Do a breathing exercise and meditation tonight. Bring out your crystals, create a sacred space. Set up a bowl made of dark opaque material to scry on. This is the night of connecting with your dead ancestors for their wisdom and guidance.

I will be out at an event this evening at SOHO HOUSE doing readings tonight.  Then I will be home doing ceremony and scrying. 

PLease share widely 

all writing is copyright of Tara Greene 

get a reading with Tara http://taratarotweb.tripod.com/

About Holotropic Breathwork http://reset.me/story/entering-psychedelic-state-without-psychedelics-inside-holotropic-breathwork/

Watch my on Canada A.M. I start at 1:14:52 

http://canadaam.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.2634823

STRANGE BREW-Cream 1967  

 

 

Halloween Horoscope preview by Tara Greene

Halloween at Midnight UT

Daylight Savings Time ends at 2:00 am on Halloween Night which is actually November 1st/ the Day of the Dead an ancient Festival in Mexico and for  witches, Wiccans, druids and neo-pagans it is the beginning of the spiritual New Year. It is the day when the veils between the living and the dead are thinnest and the best day to do divination work, to have seances to connect with the dead, to do scrying with a special bowl of water use crystals, runes, or tarot cards.

It is a celebration of the end of harvest and the beginning of the coldest half of the year. The name Samhain is pronounced saah-win or saa-wen. 

Astrologically 

the Moon enters Cancer early in the morning of the 31st. There is only one hard aspect  between the Moon and Saturn. A lovely trine from the Moon to Neptune means this Halloween will be excellent for visioning for oracles, divination, dreams connecting easily with the spiritual realms. Moon trines Sun in Scorpio in the early evening. 

If you are out late past midnight partying or scrying the Moon opposes PLUTO LORD OF THE DEAD at 1:53 am PDT/ 3:53 am EDT which is the absolute best time to connect with the other side. 

The secular Halloween in American is totally different than than the original pagan celebration. Although the use of imagery of cemeteries, ghosts and the popular icons of witches in pointed hats with their familiars black cats are used, secular Halloween is about dressing up in costumes, which has become a million dollar industry as adults have taken to celebrating this holiday more than children. Trick or Treating door to door and decorating houses with scary  stuff  and carving pumpkins, a symbol of a harvest fruit,  is also part of the celebration. 

Samhain is really a spiritual celebration of death as part of life. It is a day to honor your ancestors. In Mexico it is a happy celebration and everyone goes to the family cemetery to picnic beside ancestor’s graves to remember and honor them and keeping them in the family. Dinners always have empty place setting to honor the ancestors.  It is a great night to reflect. A bonfire is usually lit outdoors.  

Read more about the origins of Halloween http://taratarotweb.tripod.com/id169.html

THE VEIL BETWEEN THE WORLDS IS THINNEST ON HALLOWEEN

Use Halloween as a time to invite and call upon the PSYCHOPOMPS, deities of the Underworld, of which Pluto reigns over.These deities also govern resurrection. Eating pomegranate the symbol of the dead is recommended. 

Call upon the CRONE GODDESS, Hekate, Kali,Persephone, 

Ereshkigal is the first lady of the underworld, one of the oldest myths that we know of connected to the descent of the of the Goddess Inanna. 

YAMA is the Hindu God of the dead.

Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl are the chief God and Goddess of the Dead in Mexico. 

There are many Chinese Gods of the Dead and Ghost Kings. As well as Korean and Japanese.

Osiris in Ancient Egypt and Anubis are chief Gods of the Dead.

Odin, Hel and Freya are the Norse Gods and Goddesses.

Azreal is the Archangel of death in Islam. 

Also call upon the Horned God of Nature, Pan into your circle. This is a day to understand and honor the cycle of life, death and rebirth. If you have lost loved ones in the past year, seek comfort from speaking with them on this day. All of your ancestors who have passed on into the other worlds are more easily available and may come to you in your dreams as well. This is a sign that there is no death, only change of worlds. 

Please share widely

All writing is copyright of Tara Greene 

Get a reading with Tara http://taratarotweb.tripod.com/id78.html

Leave your Louboutin shoes at the Gates of Hell from Tara Greene

These are intense times folks. 7 days till the showdown at the NOT OK AT ALL Corporate ranch.

what happens on Jan 30? see below-  A RARE BLACK SUPER MOON!

VENUS initially MADE LOVE TO PLUTO, Lord of Death, sex, power and Rebirth on NOVEMBER 15 2013 at around 9 degrees of Capricorn when she was moving straight ahead. DID YOU FEEL IT?

You got planets their kids? Lets hear from you.

VENUS, GODDESS OF LOVE, BEAUTY, WOMEN, LUXURY, $$$$ has been RETROGRADE since WINTER SOLSTICE,

Dec 21 2013,she was at 28 degrees 59 minutes Capricorn..

VENUS in CAPRICORN, in any direction, is all about LOVE OF POWER & CORPORATE SUCCESS, {a BIG lie for women.}

It’s also about mature love, serious mating, cool detached yet earthy sensuality.

Romancing the stone. Capricorn is the earth itself. Goat Love. PAN LOVE. Fetta cheese etc.

As VENUS in her proper business suit is RETROGRADING back to the PLUTONIAN CORPORATE UNDERWORLD

she makes a menage a trois, over the next few weeks to mate in a near opposition with JUPITER, BIG DADDY on January 31 as she turns DIRECT,at 13 degrees 33 minutes Capricorn.

Sounds incestuous? It is. Wreaking with it.

NOTE THAT SPOT on your charts!

JUPITER in CANCER is also Retrograde till early March. So this three’s company is expansive,optimistic.

JUPITER in Cancer is all about returning to TRADITIONAL feminine values, of relationship, nurturing, family, children, home. This is NOT CHRISTIAN fundamentalism. No.

But in an entirely new way for women to have it all and on their terms. NOT the present terms though at all.

But we have to go through the DEATH and rebirth process first.

The FEMININE must REBIRTH HERSELF, return to connecting with the heart of DIVINE FEMININE Energy

with the earth, roots, all things in natural order, nothing artificial, PACHAMAMMA, they call her in PERU.

This is a COSMIC metaphor-the Modern incarnation of the Goddess INANNA voluntarily descending into the underworld of BIG BUSINESS. aka HELL.

EACH women must strip herself – no pole dancing ladies, in an initiation, of all her false values,  nails, boobs, liposuction, Botox, $800 Louboutin shows, Cartier jewelry, fake tans and other Fortune 500 signs of hollow excess/success.

She must get rid herself of Patriarchy’s fear of her power and her misguided insecurity and Masculine false values and embrace her once and always true, honored position as nurterer of all life giving things.

SHE MUST find her TRUE SACRED SELF once again. 

EVERY individual woman must come face to face with her own participation in the wholesale selling of,

her greatest gift, the Selling out of her DIVINE FEMININE SOUL, her true sexuality, her values, her intuition, her body…  in order to pay the high price tag of pseudo- admission to belong to the OLD BOYS CLUB.

It’s a dark, dangerous, shadow laden voyage where we witness and own our own depravity, greed, excess, glamour, false power. Love it and let it go.Then she can rise again as a more real, fulfilled, initiated GODDESS Women.

“EVERYTHING comes from the FEMININE and nothing is ever done to harm the children.” TWO SACRED LAWS.

This is a total spiritual inversion and reimmersion.

SHE/you  don’t have to whore herself out,  don’t have to kow tow and sell out her essence, the FEMININE values wholesale to the corporate world ever again..WITNESS JEFF BROWNS WRITINGS.

MEN this goes for you as well. Your soul, called the ANIMA is always FEMININE.  Look at where you have also sold your self out for false illusions of power, success, greed and divorced yourself from nurturing and being vulnerable.

We must find the TRUE FEMININE SOUL VOICE. For all women world-wide, brought up in 5,000 years of Patriarchal brainwashing in every quarter must now learn to listen to their own bodies, their intuition, their deep selves, their true selves. AND SAY NO NO and NO and YES YES YES to new values. That’s VENUS.

All each one of us has to do is listen within. See the Baloney that we have been sold. IT’s all pervasive. Dump that programme. Have ethics, values, a sense of right and wrong. The 20th Century has been a case of greed, glamour, false values and a disaster. 

It’s a huge struggle, VENUS in CAPRICORN is also LOVING and preserving the wealth of the earth itself with PLUTO it is about the death of corporate ownership of the land, if we are to survive as a species.

Witness NEIL YOUNG’S recent stand against the robber barons and Canad’as PM HArper against the Alberta Tar Sands waste land. Farmers protesting MONSANTO, the occupy movement, the Native rights movement, the deep ecology movement, David Suzuki, OPRAH herself,

Andrew Harvey’s SACRED ACTIVISM, JOANNA MACY, STARHAWK, DEENA METZGER, Marion Williamson, who is now running for Congress in CALIFORNIA. To name a few.

DO YOU GET THIS?  I Am totally impassioned about this.

JUPITER ,VENUS and PLUTO are almost exactly aligned on January 30th the NEW MOON which should properly be called the Dark MOON. We can use this time to create MAGIC, to change everything.

It’s a Super Moon and a rare BLACK MOON. Two NEW MOONS in one month.

Won’t happen again for years. The ancient pagans/wiccans would have called it a BLACK MOON as it was a very sacred time.

The BLACK MOON, not the same as Lilith, but associated by the darkness aspect.

The BLACK MOON is the Moon’s most traditionally FEMININE, most mysterious, magical,time.

Before electricity and when women lived closely in small towns or tribes they all menstruated at the same time,

during the BLACK MOON. This was the time of the RED TENT, moon lodge or menstrual yurt hut or cave usage.

Women would retreat together, to honour their sacred blood and feed and nourish the earth, with their sacred flows.

It was a well known fact that all women were considered SACRED, the origin of the words “taboo” when bleeding,

and at the height of their psychic powers, so men were in fear and awe of their sacredness. 

SACRED PRIESTESS Would make love to men to cleanse them on the time of the Black Moon,

therefore its reputation as being “dark” sinister and associated with later Patriarchal put downs.

THE BLACK MOON TIME is SACRED to the GODDESS HEKATE she of the three crossroads.  

HEKATE is an  ANCIENT chthonic, pre-Olympian Goddess

she rules over the earth, the sea and  the sky. A VIRGIN GODDESS, she belonging to no man.

She has the power to create or hold back storms,

she rules magic, spirits, the dead, sorcery, the DARK MOON,childbirth, often accompanied by dogs, and horses, 

she sits in judgement of Kings, those who worship Her are gifted.

So use this time wisely over the next 7 days, a sacred number to prepare for this auspicious SUPER BLACK MOON.

I will create an instruction Video and have a tele seminar ready hopefully as well.

ANY QUESTIONS about the BLACK MOON< your role? 

PLEASE PLEASE SHARE WIDELY it is so important that women take back their true feminine power,

Blessings, TARA Greene

all writing is copyright Tara Greene

get a reading with TARA GREENE http://www.taratarot.com

ANDREW HARVEY SACRED ACTIVISM http://www.andrewharvey.net/

MARION WILLIAMSON FOR CONGRESS http://www.marianneforcongress.com/

JEFF BROWN SOULSHAPING SOULSHAPING Jeff Brown

DEENA METZGER  DEENA METZGER

MOTHER OF DARKNESS 

I AM THE GODDESS by LISA THIEL 1985 

Saturnalia, Winter Solstice-hot-spots from Tara Greene

WINTER SOLSTICE is the shortest day of the year, the longest night. Called YULE in the Pagan circle of the year.

It’s CAPRICORN time. Ruled by Saturn, the planet/God of Time, testing, maturity, old age. The ancient Romans celebrated this tradition as the Saturnalia. A time of revelry, when slaves were free and became the masters, everyone was celebrating the Return of the  Light, the King, in infant form. The Christians overlaid the story of Jesus onto the ancient worship. Everything we associate with Christmas are ancient pagan symbols -the holly, the mistletoe, the Yule log, the tree. Paganism is the fastest growing “religion” in the U.K. and the U.S. Actually it is not an organized religion at all per se, it is a practice of spiritual immanence with Nature, the Goddess and the God, with All That Is. Paganism is  more of a group spirituality that can be practiced alone. It has nothing to do with devil worship. The popularity of Harry Potter has also certainly brought back its popularity. Pagans worship nature, Druids worshipped trees.

So it’s Capricorn time. The sun is on the Tropic of Capricorn 23.26 degrees South of the Equator.  The Tropic Of Capricorn has many countries world-wide which it runs through. Five in Africa, North of Alice Springs, Queensland, Australia,and four countries in Brasil.

All Capricorn’s, especially those Old Bill Goat Gruff’s and Goatees born December 23- January 5 this is a huge  year for you. Or anyone with Capricorn planets at 9-14 degrees. You know PLUTO is forcing the old you to die and be reborn, unless you are truly following your soul’s path. Then Pluto can bring power, rewards, riches. An entirely new you is being forged deep in the bowels of the earth. And if that’s not enough to change your soul totally. Then Uranus Mars and Jupiter get in on the act to revolutionize, ignite and expand your horizons respectively.

Where the PLanetary Lines fall on the Winter Solstice chart map in Astro Cartography is where the greatest tension will be for the next 3 months to a year. Especially where  Mars Uranus Jupiter and Pluto lines fall are the areas to watch.

PLUTO runs right through Maputo South Africa,North through Zambia, Zaire,Chad, Western Libya,France,South West England, Ireland. PLUTO MARS and URANUS CONJUNCT exactly in the middle of CHAD AFRICA. TRIPLE HOT SPOT with Jupiter crossing north of the others in LIBYA.

Pluto conjuncts the Moon over ICELAND, right over the Northern most part of   Canada, including that north Pole passage and down through, North West Alberta and bisects British Columbia and goes out to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and South of New Zealand.

PLUTO is on the Mid Heaven and runs through Argentina, BOLIVIA, Venezuela, Western Puerto Rico, North to Boston and into Quebec and Labrador.

PLUTO conjuncts URANUS right on Tiera Del Fuego Argentina and again in Northern Russian down through Ulan Bator MONGOLIA.. Those are HOT SPOTS.

On the other side of the World Pluto is on the I.C. of Indonesia,BEIJING , into Mongolia and Russia.  If you are a Capricorn and living on these lines you will be transformed even more. Or got to these places if you are seeking Plutonic transformation.

URANUS and MARs actually cross paths directly over New York, near Washington , through the Caribbean, right over HAITI, Venezuela and Columbia. Also through Western Alaska, near Hawaii. They cross Pluto right at the Society Islands. On the Western side, Uranus and Mars cross paths  right through Stockholm, Sweden,Warsaw, Poland, Budapest Hungary, down through Belgrade Yugoslavia, South through Libya, Chad, directly South through Botswana, Africa. Mars and Uranus Ascend through JAVA and Indonesia. Uranus and Pluto cross over each other in Mongolia.

JUPITER is on the Mid Heaven through TAIWAN, MANILLA Philipines, Indonesia and Western Australia. Jupiter on the I.C. through Nova Scotia, South through Guyana, Paraguay, Argentina and the FALKLAND ISLANDS.

JUPITER ASCENDS through TASMANIA, SUDAN, crosses MARS & URANUS in LIBYA!!!!! VERY HOTTTT,

Jupiter Ascends through France, Britain, Ireland, Jupiter Descends through NOrthern CANADA, NOrth of HUDSON”S BAY,Northern Saskatchewan, right through the ALBERTA TAR SANDS, right through Mt. ST. HELEN’s And WASHINGTON STATE and Descends through the Pacific near the Society Islands and South of New Zealand.

The Winter Solstice is a very GALACTIC SOLSTICE or SOULSTITCH

“A stitch in time saves nine.” Francis Bailey, English Astronomer 1797

http://www.taratarot.com/id32.html

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY

All writing copyright Tara Greene

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Imbolc,Candlemas,St. Brigid’s Day,Groundhog Day Feb 1-2 Tara Greene rituals

Feb. 1st –2nd IMBOLC Traditional Irish and Pagan Holiday Celebrations

 

 

 

Traditionally what we modern Westerners know as Groundhog Day was and is, on Feb 1st or 2nd is celebrated in the Modern Irish Calendar as Saint Brigid’s Day,or Bride’s Day. Both a Catholic and an ancient Pagan Celebration,an ancient Goddess tradition, also called Imbolc, still celebrated by Wiccans/Pagan based Earth honouring religions. Christians overlaid the Ancient Goddess worshipers’ holiday renaming it Candlemas or the fest of the Purification of the Virgin. This celebration also relates to the midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.

It is a “cross-quarter” day in the 8 rounds of the Wheel of Time in the Solar based year. Since the Celtic Year was based on both lunar and solar cycles, it is most likely the holiday would be celebrated on the Full Moon nearest those 2 midpoints, when early spring flowers would begin to rise up through the snow, and snakes would come out of the ground. This is the precursor of the Groundhog, which the Romans replaced with a Hedgehog, which we… On Feb. 2nd this year there is a NEW MOON IN AQUARIUS at 12:45 am EST.
That Ancient peoples of Ireland kept this day as very sacred. At the Megalithic and Neolithic sites, such as the Loughcrew burial mounds and the Mound of the Hostages in Tara, Ireland, the inner chambers of the passage tombs are perfectly aligned with the rising sun of both Imbolc and Samhain attesting to the value placed on this day.

Triple Goddess/Saint Brigid/Bride

She is according to Robert Graves, the most Ancient Triple Goddess worshipped since time out of mind. The Goddess rules over scholars and poets. She is the Goddess of fire and inspirations in Ireland, the Goddess of poetry, creativity, smithcraft and healing. She also rules healing with water, and divination. She is said to rule over people who work with cows and chickens, brewers, fugitives, midwives, infants, printers, sailors, travelers, New Zealand, & Irish nuns. This day symbolizes a time of transitions, initiations, new beginnings, of planting seeds that will sprout later. Brigid/Birgita represents the light half of the year,Her power brings the people out of the dark season of winter into spring, so, it is a very important time of the year.

She is the Goddess of Augury

In the Druidic tradition, poetry and augury were associated. She is patron of prophets and seers.

Celtic seers divined by looking into deep water and into flames. This is a great time to do divination. STare at a candle, a fireplace with conscious intention. Call upon Brigid to come to you.

Triple Goddess

She has two sisters with the same name. One aspect of her carries a blacksmith tongs and a sword, because she is also patroness of war; another aspect holds 2 healing snakes, from which the modern Doctor’s symbol is derived, the caduceus, the third aspect carries a wand with a crescent moon and a tablet.

Elements

Brigid rules the Waters. Many healing springs are dedicated to Brigid. Natural bodies of water also signify Her presence, particularly where three streams joined together. She also rules Fire, so it is customary to make candles for the coming year and bless them on this day.

Protecting Goddess

In her aspect as Brigantia, she carries a spear, an orb of victory, and wears a war crown. She symbolizes protection of the country from invaders and slavery.

Midwives

As Patroness of Midwives, she was invoked at the door of the home where the woman was giving birth, by the midwife. Who speke:

Bride, Bride, come in! Thy welcome is truly made, Give thou relief to the woman, And give thou the conception to the Trinity.

Brigid is the guardian of every newborn, their cradles protected with a woven Brigit’s Cross, an equal armed cross. Upon a safe delivery, the infant was blessed or “sained” by the midwife, with 3 drops of water on the child’s forehead, dedicating the Child to the Triple Goddess. The “Holy Trinity” in its modernized Christian aspect, was just an overlay of the Goddess Triple Aspect since time out of memory. A candle was carried ‘round the bed sun wise three times. As Brigid is a Solar Goddess. We think of the Sun as masculine but originally all aspects of the Universe were considered Feminine.

Brigid Ruler of the Hearth

Especially in Gaelic Scotland, Brigid’s dolls are placed near the hearth on her Feast Day. The doll is usually dressed in white, decorated. A white wand is placed in her bed as a fertility charm. As she is patroness of agriculture, pastures, livestock, and abundance. An offering is made to her of dairy products. The Brigid doll is kept throughout the year near the hearth hung on a wall, or by a door, as a talisman of protection, then burnt the next year.

Light a Candle and Invoke the Goddess at this time-

I kindle this candle in the name of Brighid, Goddess of Smiths,

I sain this house in the name of Brighid, Goddess of Healers,

I smoor this candle in the name of Brighid, Goddess of Poets.

One folk tradition still continues in both Christian and Pagan homes on St. Brigid’s Day is that of St. Brigid’s Bed. Girls and young unmarried women create corn dollies to represent Brigid, these are adorned with ribbons, baubles shells or stones. A bed is made for the doll to lie in. On St. Brigid’s Eve Jan 31, the girls gather together in one house and stay up all night with the doll, are are later visited by all the young men, who ask permission to enter the home, and then treat the young maidens and the dolly with respect. The next day the girls carry the doll through the neighbourhood from house to house, where she is welcomed with great honour. Adult women stay home to welcome the Brigid procession and offer snacks and coins to the young girls and maidens.

Brigid is said to walk the earth on Imbolc eve. Feb 1st. Before going to bed, each member of the household may leave a piece of clothing or strip of fabric outside for Brigid to bless. The cloth are brought inside the next morning, believed to now have the powers of healing and protection.

BRIGID is alive and well.

The name “Britain” is a derivation of Brigit’s name. Britain was named for an ancient Celtic tribe, the Brigantes, who were the largest Celtic tribe in the country in pre-Roman times who worshipped Her as their Deity. The tribe originated from an area now called Bregenz in Austria near Lake Constance. The word “brigand” comes from this tribe of fierce warriors. Her symbol is a flaming spear. Her worship spread, leaving behind places named in Her honour-Brittany in France, Brechin in Scotland, the name Brent, in England, any name containing Bride. Britain’s symbol, the Goddess Brigantia, still found on their 50 cent coin is Brigid in her aspect as Goddess of the Land. In Old German/Yiddish the word “Fabrent” meaning burnt honours this Ancient Goddess. Of course Britany Spears is carrying the modern archetype of Brigid, and strangely enough one of Brigid’s symbols is a flaming spear!

A Sample of prayers used at St. Bridgid’s Day

Light 1 candle-

We gather together in this time of darkness. We look to the return of the light.

We look to the first light of Spring.

(Light two more candles.)

Goddess Midwife: Healer, Nurturer, and Herbalist.

Goddess Poetess: Bringer of Wisdom, Guidance and Prophesy.

Goddess Smithcraft: Keeper of Fire, Craftswomen, and Transformation.

Maiden, Mother, and Crone – A Triple Goddess.

Her symbols are Brigid’s cross, the flaming arrow, Brigid’s bed.

It was customary to write wishes upon scraps of cloth

and tie them to the bushes near her sacred wells.

This is Her Time of Year, a very special moment.

Her day is the Second of February,

A day upon which to seek wisdom from inside the Earth.

In the time before Patrick, serpents were sent

because they dwell in both worlds, above ground and below.

In Christian Times, the serpent became a Groundhog.

Our lady is a goddess of many aspects: Crone, Matron,

but she is pictured most often as the maiden.

Chant: Welcome Brigid, Welcome Brigid (the burning arrow of the power – Bridgette)

(Candles are lit. Maiden Goddess appears.)

Brigid: Blessings of the season upon you, my People.

I am She, that is the natural mother of all things,

Mistress and governess of all the elements,

The initial progeny of worlds,

Chief of the powers divine,

Queen of all that are in the other world,

the principal of them that dwell above,

Manifested alone and under one form

Of all the Gods and Goddesses.

Festival of coming Spring, Groundhog Day