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An Imbolc Meditation
©1996 - 2006 by Fiona Fitzgerald Broome
[you may copy this to your own website, with a link to this page]
It is a lovely early spring day. The air is fresh with the fragrance of green plants
eager to bloom. The sun's radiance bathes you in comfort, perhaps the first warmth you have
felt in many months.
 You sense that you are in Ireland, because it is so very green and
everything feels clean and alive. The landscape is timeless and magickal.
In the distance, you hear birds singing as they welcome the unexpected warmth of the day.
Happiness begins to bubble and dance within you, very quietly at first. It feels almost like
anticipation, but it puts a smile on your lips as well.
You are walking up a slight hill. You sense that something wonderful can be seen from the
top. As you walk, the grass is already tall enough to brush against your lower legs. This is a
wild place where Nature flourishes.
Near the top of the hill, you see a dolmen - two standing stones and a large stone across the
tops of them, like an arch. You wonder why you didn't see it sooner. This majestic dolmen
seemed to appear, like magick, when you were just twenty feet from it.
Does it mean something? Is it real? You do not pause to wonder, but keep walking towards it.
As you pass between the upright stones, you notice carvings and symbols on the sides of
the dolmen. Some of them are lines and marks, which you suspect are an ancient and timeless
Ogham message. Others are symbols and spirals, which you will return to look at, another day.
As you pass through the dolmen and continue up the hill, an invisible curtain brushes over
you gently.
In the space of a blink, it is a clear, crisp night. The stars are above you, brilliant and twinkling.
You know the moon is behind you, but you do not notice its light because there is a sparkling
fire just ahead, at the crest of the hill. There is no breeze, but the evening is chilly as you would
expect when winter is still a fresh memory.
 You pull your clothing more closely around you, as you continue up the hill. You are eager
to reach the warmth of the fire, which is bigger than you thought at first. In fact, it is a bonfire
and you realize you have arrived at Imbolc.
You run the last few steps to stand next to the fire, pushing your hands towards it, to capture
the heat from a safe distance. Tall yellow and white flames seem to warm you inside and out.
You pause to look at the sky again, and savour the moment.
Looking across the flames, you realize that you are not alone. You can see the top of
someone's head. You pause. Have you have intruded on a private ceremony? Slowly, you walk
around the fire, and your companion stands up from the rock she was sitting upon.
She is a tall, strong woman, with long hair so light you cannot tell if it is blonde or white. She
looks like the Queen of Pentacles in a way, with an ageless sense of knowing and
accomplishment. She wears a long gown and an embroidered cape, but you can see her bare
feet peeking out from under her skirt. You know she is someone noble yet without artifice.
Without a word, she stretches out her hands to take yours in welcome. You know, as if you've
known her all your life: This is Brighid. This is a special and sacred moment.
She welcomes you to her fire, which will burn tonight and every night, for Imbolc is her
festival and her fire is never extinguished.
You sit down next to her, on large flat rocks that are warm from the fire, and very
comfortable. She begins to explain to you the meaning of Imbolc, and its promise of a fresh
beginning--not just to the plants and animals, but also to everyone on Earth who chooses to
permit Imbolc into their lives.
She helps you to remember your past dreams, especially the childhood ones which began,
"When I grow up..."
As you recall these fantasies and goals, you discover that many of them were left behind with
your childhood, yet others are still alive in what you do each day. This is not a sad realization.
Tonight, you know that you can start afresh. Every one of those dreams is still with you.
Brighid picks up a fallen twig from a nearby yew tree. It looks like any other twig, in the
firelight.
However, when Brighid places it into the fire, the bark on it flares and flames like a sparkler,
giving enough heat energy to set the twig burning brightly. Silently, Brighid has shown that
even a small spark will set alight your oldest and most neglected dreams.
The lesson was simple, but vital.
Now it is time to return to your own world. As you stand, Brighid offers you a cup of clear
water, which you sip. The sensation in your mouth is unique. There is a kind of life-giving
energy, that is spring itself.
You take a larger swallow of the water, and your entire body responds to that water with a
vitality that--like your forgotten dreams--you had almost forgotten from childhood.
After returning the cup to Brighid, and then a quick embrace, you stride purposefully
around the fire and back to the dolmen. Passing under it, you emerge back into the daylight,
and the warm air and clear sunshine of an early spring day. You have not merely learned the
meaning of Imbolc, but actually experienced it in your soul.
From now on, every time you sip fresh water, or see twigs and branches burning in a bonfire,
you will feel Brighid's presence, and be reminded of the fire--and dreams--that burn within
you, too, and will never be extinguished.
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