I Keep Vigil to the Fire: Imbolc Poetry for a Goddess

February 1, 2012 By
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Today, pious Pagans around the globe are posting poetry online in honor of the Goddess, Brighid (otherwise known as Brigid, Brigit, or simply, "exalted one"). I join them here on Bishop In The Grove. Imbolc, as I wrote about yesterday, may have milky origins, but the day and the season speak to something much deeper than a single agricultural marker can convey. On Imbolc, we recognize the primal fire within us, and when we speak from that place with a clear, honest voice, beautiful … [Read more...]

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The Lactating Ewes of Imbolc

January 31, 2012 By
Sheep_and_cow_in_South_Africa

I don't know much about cows. Or sheep.   I know that cows tip (not from personal experience, though). I know that sheep are cute, and I love their hair. I was just working with some last night. I also, on occasion, like to eat a bit of both. I'm a city boy, born and bred. I don't really pattern my day-to-day life around the ways of farm animals. A few of my more hipster friends are keeping bees and chickens. They have a different relationship to animals than I do, because … [Read more...]

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Slow down, Teo. Slow down.

February 19, 2011 By

I've been moving too fast. Ever since Imbolc, and the completion of my deep Winter creative project, I've been rushing forward without a clear sense of direction. Movement for movement's sake, really. Last week, just before I was set to undergo another intense creative project, my body gave out under the pressure. Illness struck hard. My temperature rose to 102 degrees with little warning, and my corners and edges began to ache. Sweat to chill and back to sweat again; this would be my pattern … [Read more...]

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Prose or Poetry?

February 8, 2011 By

A question for all my fellow ADF'ers: What if I prepared my Dedicant Path submissions on the High Days as poems instead of the traditional prose/academic model? I could still site references (which could be kinda cool, actually - my poems would have footnotes!), and it would allow me to engage with the assigned writing in a way that is familiar to me. The idea occurred to me after writing my Imbolc post. While personally relevant and totally valid as a journal entry, I'm not sure it served as … [Read more...]

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My Heart Is Your Hearth: Imbolc 2011

February 4, 2011 By

My heart is your hearth. - A prayer offered to Brighid during my morning devotional I began preparing for Imbolc long before the first snow. I knew Winter would be a season of great creative work for me, and I decided that the way I would make it through that work successfully was to consider all of it one big offering to Brighid. I would lift the work up in her honor, and remember her fire as I made my way through the ups and downs of the creative process. My music would be my offering at … [Read more...]

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