Today we celebrate the ancient Celtic Festival of Imbolc - a time of new beginnings and the awakening of the world below the Earth before Spring. This is also the feast day of the Goddess Brigid and I love to think of the Michael Hiep's Awakening of Spring as a young Brigid waking up deep within the earth. At this time of the year we may not see much change above the earth but we sense the heartbeat of the Earth growing stronger, animals awakening from hibernation, new animals being born, plants recharged and sending new green tendrils up through the soil. I am always reminded of Imbolc when I smell jasmin for the first time after winter and there is an abundance of it in gardens at the moment. Imbolc is a beautiful time to begin gently moving towards the dreams you wish to see bear fruit in the Spring and Summer months ahead. And today we are feeling the bright promise of the New Moon birthed last night. A perfect day for planting the seeds of your new life.
This morning I woke up thinking about the first class of our Women's Celtic Mysteries Course: Healer, Mystic, Creatrix. Our first class will be focussing on the Element of Earth with Airmid Irish goddess of herblore and herbalists. I wondered how she will teach us to heal ourselves and the gaelic words 'Oran Mor' rang in my ears. Oran Mor is the gaelic 'song of creation' or 'great song'. It is the song that births our world and creations into being and it reminded me that we can allow ourselves to be born into a new life every minute.
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| 'The Restorers' from The Druid Plant Oracle. Illustration by Will Worthington |
'It is this primordial myth that, like a Celtic knot, weaves throughout the entire corpus of the Celtic mythos, knitting an interwoven, cohesive mythology. The Oran Mór, as the primordial "sea melody," flows through the myths and legends of submerged lands, mystical springs, life-giving cauldrons, and holy grails. As Wisdom it "fills the head," and gives meaning to the severed heads that so disturbed Caesar. It is the "creative melody," always creating, both in the hearer and in the one singing. It is the myth of Uaithne and Boand who bear the three strains of music: innocence, sorrow, and joy. It is The Song of the Three Cauldrons giving and receiving creative blessing in its song. The words of the song are as diverse as there are people to hear it; always taking their meaning from their divinely breathed sound, never from that design which we impose. The Oran Mór’s divine sound gives meaning to – no, creates – the Celtic languages.'
'Oran Mor: The Primordial Celtic Myth' by Frank Mills
I encourage you to work with this beautiful chant at either sunrise or sunset (when the Celts believed the next day truly began). By singing this chant and bringing conscious energy to the experiences, healing and love we wish to create in our lives we connect to the divine and powerful spark of life that dwells within us all.
I have just 2 places left in Healer, Mystic Creatrix so please let me know as soon as you can if you feel called to learn more about the Celtic Mysteries.
And we have the bold and creative fire of sign of Leo to walk with us this month - happy birthday to all the wild and beautiful Lions!
