For Imbolc

I'm honored that you like it well enough to steal it. :P Plus I was thinking of you when I decided to post it in the first place. I didn't think too many other people would probably be interested, but I knew you'd want to read it!

Thank you! :E Too bad I was taught not to evangelizing folks... heck, I don't believe you can MAKE someone a pagan, they just are. *Shrug* would be nice to have more Celtic pagans around the place, then we can get drunk, get rowdy and go wild! (Err no, NO WAY you're going to make me wear a kilt)

Yup, nothing like a party with Celtic pagans! ;P I'm lucky to have some pagans around here, though not many of them are really Celtic. Eclectic paganism is more popular here than any specific tradition. Still, I can usually find someone to work with when I want.

Thanks, susieq! :) Imbolc is the festival of the Celtic Goddess Brigid (also known as Brid, Brigantia, and a few other names/spellings). It's basically the first of the spring holidays, though depending on where you live it might be a little early to celebrate Spring! It falls on Feb 2. Since it's not spring yet where I live then, I melt a bowl of snow symbolically to remind myself spring will come. It's usually considered a festival of hearth and home, and sometimes healing. Brigid is a rather flexible deity in a lot of ways. She is associated with both sacred flames and holy wells, so both fire and water. She's also associated with smithcraft, healing, and creative inspiration. I've also known her to be invoked a lot with things involving childbirth or dealing with children. My great-grandmother (who was my first teacher in spiritual matters) followed Brigid as her primary Goddess, and invoked her primarily for healing, which is why that's what I most associate with her, though I've also been known to call upon her when I have writer's block. I have a Brigid pendant that I wear a lot of the time, especially for things like doctor's appointments or anything else related to health. On Imbolc here I will burn many candles (for the first aspect), melt snow (for spring and water), and probably chant and dance (since that works well with my son, whom I do keep away from the candles!), as well as probably having a nice meal and planning fun things I want to do in spring.