Imbolc | The heART of Ritual

The heART of Ritual

musings

Welcome to the MUSINGS room of our digital hearth.

This is a living archive – a gathering of writings, poems, stories, recipes, videos, and handcraft tutorials. Each one is woven through the rhythms of nature, the turning of the Celtic Wheel, and the elemental and archetypal movements of the Irish year. Rooted in the cosmology, indigenous festivals, folklore, myths, and seasonal customs of Ireland, these offerings speak from the old ways into the now – and are gathered here as both an honouring of those who have gone before us, and a lasting reference for those who are to come.

This collection is freely shared as an ongoing gift to the community – yet each piece is the fruit of long attention and handcraft. If you carry it onward, please do so with integrity and give proper credit to the author and source, so the lineage remains unbroken.

Go raibh maith agat.

The Blackbird – An Lon Dubh, Song, Season, and Cultural Knowledge

Imbolc is most often associated with the snowdrop – the first visible plant to break winter ground and a familiar emblem of the season’s quiet turning. As a plant herald, the snowdrop marks Imbolc through presence alone, appearing when the land has not yet outwardly changed. Less often named, but no less significant, is the blackbird. Where the snowdrop marks Imbolc through sight, the blackbird marks it through sound. Its song is among the earliest sustained voices to return

Imbolc and Brigid: On Timing, Thresholds (and Confusion)

Willow, snowdrop and rowan protective talisman for the hearth and home As February approaches, references to Imbolc and Brigid begin to circulate again. Articles are shared, festivals announced, and familiar language returns – new beginnings, fresh starts, the promise of spring. The tone is often hopeful, sometimes celebratory, and usually well-intentioned. Yet for many people, it does not quite land. The difficulty is not with the impulse to mark change, but with how several

The ancient roots of 'Valentine's Day'

Although the heart is probably the symbol most associate with Valentines Day, it might surprise people that the wolf can also lay claim...

St Brigid, Lá Fhéile Bríde, and Imbolc – Clarifying the Distinction and the Thread Between Them

If you are Irish, as I am, you will know that today, February 1st, is the feast day of St Brigid – Lá Fhéile Bhríde – a fixed-date holy day honouring Ireland’s female patron saint. Imbolc, one of the eight indigenous festivals of the Celtic Wheel of the Year, takes place on February 4th in 2024 when observed astronomically. This article aims to clarify the distinction between these two dates, as well as the deep relationship between them. I also recommend reading the other B