Brigid, as both Goddess and Christian saint stands at the heart of the Celtic spiritual tradition.  Brigid is greatly loved and revered all over Ireland and as each year passes has an increasing following world-wide. Brigid often described as “breathing life into the mouth of dead winter” is associated with inspiration, new ideas, and new possibilities.

Two festivals honour Brigid in Ireland at this time– the Brigid of Faughart festival in the Dundalk area and Fheile Bhride in Kildare town. In the Brigid of Faughart festival we celebrate, not only the ancient heritage of Brigid of Faughart, but we ask the following questions:  “What does Brigid represent in modern Ireland,”  “What qualities does she embody that would serve us in our world today?” and, “How can Brigid and what she represents  inspire us humans to live wisely amidst the change, the turmoil and the uncertainty that is so much a part of our lives in 21st  century Ireland?”

When we read the stories associated with Brigid we learn that she was a woman who trusted completely in God and life to provide what was needed in each moment. She was renowned for her generosity to everyone, which I believe was born out of  her trust in the abundance of the universe.  She was a woman who courageously challenged the status quo and what was seen as possible. She made bold choices in her life; choices that were life-enhancing.

Now, more than ever, we need not only to call on her to support or heal us, but we need to go one step further. We must develop within ourselves those qualities that distinguished Brigid in her day, so that in doing this we ourselves become  catalysts for change in today’s world, as she was in her time.

So at this time we invoke her energy and guidance in becoming alive again to all the new possibilities present in the midst of the darkness and doom and gloom which pervades our reality.  We ask her to support us to say YES to our dream of what else might be possible within our life!

Brigid of the sunrise
Rising in the morning  
Rising with the springtime
Greening all the land

In this springtime if each of us chooses to include one new possibility within our lives and develop these possibilities through our decisions and choices, what a wonderful world it will become!
We invoke Brigid to bless and protect us and our dreams.

“The mantle of Brigid about us
The memory of Brigid within us
The protection of Brigid keeping us from harm,
From ignorance, from heartlessness
This day and night from dawn till dark.”

Dolores Whelan,  Imbolc  2012

In this deep dark season that is the stillness of mid-winter, a new light is born.  This light is fragile, and needs to be protected and nurtured, so that it can grow and blossom later in the year. For 5000 years, this mystery has been observed and honoured consciously and unconsciously in the wonderful monument in Newgrange Ireland whose older name in Irish is Uaimh Na Greinne (the womb of the sun).  See http://www.newgrange.com/winter_solstice.htm. At sunrise on 5 consecutive mornings around the time of Winter Solstice from Dec18^th until Dec 22^nd people gather inside and outside this monument and watch and wait as the sun travels up the narrow passage and impregnates the dark and empty chamber filling it with light and transforming the darkness! In the Christian tradition, the birth of the Christ child represents an evolution of this ancient mystery. The birth of the Christ-child represents the birth of a new consciousness, the Christ consciousness of unconditional Love.

This is a time when we connect with each other in a way that is different and unique. In doing so, we are remembering and re-living a custom from earlier times when the reality of winter and darkness were physically more challenging. People came together to support each other though the darkest time of the year by exchanging gifts and sharing food together. Now more than ever we need to come together to support each other as we come through the dark times in which we find ourselves. So at this time of uncertainty, as we enter 2012, may we each trust the new light that is emerging within us  and nurture it  in ourselves and in others and

“May the Love and Light of the Christ Consciousness Be born again in your heart this Solstice and Christmas time and may it radiate out into the world around you Transforming everything it touches”

Le gra agus Beannachtai

Dolores Whelan

Blog for website Samhain 2011.

My name is Dolores Whelan and I want to welcome you to my first ever blog.  This feels like an exciting new adventure for me one I hope that you will also enjoy. Welcome to the Celtic New Year which begins with the Season of Samhain. The festival of Samhain which is celebrated from Oct 31st till Nov 2nd represents the space between the old and New Year.  20 years ago I celebrated the festival of Samhain for the first time.

Since then I have studied the season, the festivals and the ritual practises associated with the festivals of the Celtic year. During this period the festivals have come alive in me and have become a significant part of my lived reality… In Ever Ancient Ever New (2006/ 2011) I wrote extensively about the Celtic year and the significance of reclaiming it wisdom in 21st century. In 2007 I created an audio CD “A Journey through the Celtic Year “which also explores the many different layers and aspects of the Celtic calendar and the sophisticated mindset of the people who created and lived by this calendar. This year I have collaborated with Cynthai Matyi (www.matyiart.com) an American artist whose work specialises in modern interpretations of Celtic designs. Together we have co-created a Perpetual Celtic calendar using reproductions of Cynthia’s paintings and insights about the seasons of the Celtic year from my work. We are both delighted with the beauty and the wisdom present in this piece of sacred work. The calendar is available through both of our websites. So why all this focus on the Celtic Year? I believe that held within this calendar are many of the essential teachings of the Celtic and pre- Celtic peoples that have endured throughout the Millennia.

The Celtic year begins with the season of Samhain where in the northern hemisphere the days become shorter and the nights longer… Darkness and death is visible everywhere in the natural world.  This is a time for inwardly focused activity and for reflecting and dreaming. It is a time when the seeds of the coming year’s possibilities are nurtured deep with the earth… The season of Samhain is a profoundly important season, not only because of what happens in the earth but also within the human journey. Right now we, as a society, are in a Samhain season.  In order to engage with the energies of Samhain in a way that will bring  transformation  and new life, we need to learn about this season, Its gifts and its challenges, we need to  know the skills that are needed to successfully negotiate this season. So what are these skills?  They include a willingness to become still, to listen deep within, and to develop the feminine qualities of being, of surrender and active waiting for subtle signs. In this season letting go of what no longer serves us is another essential task. This can be very challenging for those of us who constantly want to be active and DO and be in control! The Cailleach (or the hag) aspect of the Divine Feminine is the dominant energy that operates within this season. This energy insists that we allow her to guide us as we move deeper into the void until we reach the place of surrender and stillness at the winter solstice (Dec 21st). Only when we arrive at this point can the new possibility present itself to us. It is only at this time of immense darkness that the birth of the new light, new life, new possibilities begins.

I wish you every blessing in your journey during this Samhain season. May you have the courage to allow yourself to sink into that deep creative place, where transformation and new life are to be found?