Who is Goddess Brigid?

Goddess Brigid

As a Celtic Witch, and a Druid in training, The Goddess Brigid has always meant a great deal to me.

Imbolc was the first ever Sabbat I celebrated with other people – many, many, moons ago now… in a cold forest in Kent with snow still on the ground, we sat in Circle and made wishes for the coming year. It was a beautiful ceremony and I will never forget it.

To this day, The Goddess Brigid holds a special place in my heart, though I do confess the popularized image of Her in white flowy dresses and windswept loose locks has never been an image I identify with.

As the Goddess of Blacksmithing, that’s how I visualise Goddess Brigid, and how She appears in meditation. Dressed in leathers, her hair plaited and tied up, curved knife strapped to her hip and an assortment of tools on her belt.
The Goddess is more common sense than whimsy, as anything flimsy would go up in a smoke around the fires, and her tools need to be shined and prepped, and She has always – to me – seemed no-nonsense and straight forward.

For my part, I think of this Goddess as being intertwined with many forms of alchemy; the ability to infuse and change all different forms of matter with magick.
Brigid is a Goddess of cycles, and of change.

At Imbolc Goddess Brigid is She who heals, renews, releases from grief and assists in finding new life.

Brigid in this form is the beautiful note of the poet singing their wisdom into eternity.
A return to hopefulness and health after a long drudge of illness.
The rays of the sun growing stronger and warming the Earth after a long winter.

This type of healing feeds into Her magic self as alchemist; the fires of change and transformation are Hers to Keep, and within her wisdom, we too can change, grow, and begin again.

Connecting to Goddess Brigid at Imbolc

Imbolc is one of those festivals that people sometimes struggle to connect with or by-pass entirely.

I wonder if this is – once again – a symptom of being disconnected from the Land and due to modern living.
People might be aware of the lengthening days or notice the first snowdrops if they’re paying attention, but in an age of artificial everything – lighting, food, art, even purpose – it’s easy to get lost.

I firmly believe this disconnect adds to seasonal depression and feeling detachment from self (and others.)

Fortunately, Goddess Brigid is an alchemist, who can take one thing and transformed it into another.

As the Keeper of the Sacred Flame at Kildare, we can call on Her to invoke our inner torch bearer.

Fire is key in processes of alchemy, and we can see it within Her main arenas; Fire has a long history with Blacksmithing, in Healing, and the fire of ‘inspiration’ (fire in the mind, or in the gut,) associated with Bardic Poetry.
Fire as an element is considered one of rapid transformation and purification; two pivotal energies for Imbolc (sacred to Brigid) or just rituals in our daily lives as we seek to purify the old and transition to a state of natures’ bounty, both within, and without.

We may wish to invoke the Goddess into our lives through the Inner eternal flame:

“Hail to You, Brigid
Keeper of the Sacred Flame
Burning eternal
Hail to You, Brigid
Who holds and bears the Torch!”
– Joey Morris, Celtic calling

We can also call on the Goddess Brigid in connection to water, as Goddess of the Sacred Wells, places still revered today for their healing powers.

It is thought that the tradition of throwing coins into a well to grant a wish can be traced back to offerings to the Goddess, and their remain stories of Her healing lepers in one of Her wells. She managed to survive the onset of Christianity by transforming into a saint – such was her importance to the people.

Water as an element in Celtic tradition is liminal, connective and healing.

It is thought to be a portal to the Otherworld, and carries memory within its structure.
As a healing energy, it is second to none; for all pain can be soothed by the sea, by tears, by water.
The Goddess Brigid also is said to have created “Keening” the ritual act of mourning through the loss of Her beloved son.

“Rise
Rise
Take me by the hand
Rise
Rise
Brigid of the Water… ”
– Joey Morris, Celtic calling