Gabhaim Molta Bríde ~ I praise Brigit
Says the hymn, and I do, with all my heart.
Brigit is our bringer of Spring, our looker after of the lambs, our warm one who stirs up the fire and settles you in the most comfortable chair with a cup of tea.
She’s an Irish saint and goddess, and also the chariot driver and the rescuer of doomed men, the beloved of foxes and cows, the fix-it genius and friend par excellence.
When I am stumped by a moral quandary or an ethical tangle, I think of her. “What would Brigit do?” is a question that guides me (and in my fantasy, the bumper sticker on my Prius!).
Invariably, the answer is the same: Brigit would be kind. Clear and kind, mind you – not pushover kind. She would offer solace. She would make the choice that lifts and ennobles all involved. She would work for the most radiant solution.
She guides me, and I just love her.
How? You might ask. A fair question.
Like many others, I know her through stories, poems, images, and songs. I know her through Irish people’s devotion to her over – yes, it’s fair to say – millennia. She is there in the river and town names, the 7th century biography by Cogitosus, and in the 10th century dictionary that names her the triple goddess of poetry, smithcraft, and healing. She is there in the holy wells and healing trees and in the miracle stories in Irish and English. She is there in the customs that mark these late January and early February days – the crosses, the songs, the cloth hung out in the night to receive her blessing.
Today, her feast day, she helps me to open this new door into my creative life by honoring my new web home with her presence. I can’t think of a better guest to help me begin: Brigit of beginnings.
Dear friends, thank you for visiting me here. Let’s imagine for a moment that we are gathered around a blazing hearth. Brigit is here, smiling and passing out warm scones and mugs of tea. We’ll be singing soon.
Whatever you are beginning – or beginning again – today is the day to celebrate and bless it.
Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. Praise youth and it will flourish. We are all young in the spring of our souls, the fresh and gentle hopes we carry.
Today, with Brigit – this mighty goddess and saintly friend and enduring presence – we bless what is young in us. We love it, dearly, again!
Images: John Duncan, “St. Bride,” National Gallery of Scotland. My own photographs of snowdrops, the flower associated with Brigit, and Brigit crosses made last summer in the Harvard summer course I co-teach with Elizabeth Gray. The recording of “Gabhaim Molta Bride” comes from my CD, “The Irishy Girl.”
i love this , Kate, and it is an equal tribute to my Bridie Rose, who is as loving as this saint, her namesake. What a glorious, beautiful celebration! Love to you, dear one
And love to you and your beautiful Bridie Rose! Thank you for visiting and celebrating with me, Katie. You brought your LIGHT!
By the Imbolc Fires that see us through the Dark Night, Do we move in harmony between the Sun and the Moon*
That’s the hope, isn’t it? And given Brigit’s deep connection both to fire and to water, I’d say we do!
Kate, just chose my morning reading here and your words about St. Bridgit “we bless what is young in us. We love it, dearly, again!” I’m appreciating all of our/my “Young”selves sending love and blessings today, L.