Whether you call it Candlemas or Imbolc (or Imbolg or Imbolic or Brignassa), the Sabbat between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox is a wonderful day to honor the Goddess Brighid (a.k.a. Brede or Bridget). Spelling aside, the Lady who is the patron of poets, smiths, bards and healers features in the celebrations many pagans at this time of year. Let’s consider some of the best songs for calling her to be with us. In a previous post, we described the Crow Women’s own Imbolc ritual, and the seven songs we use in our ceremony. In this post, I’ll feature four more songs, all about Brigit, with suggestions for how to incorporate them into Imbolc rituals. Of course, as they are all lovely songs, they are well worth listening to just for pleasure, whether you include them in a ritual or not.
Which song should you choose for your Imbolc ritual? That depends on what your purpose is.
Invoking Brighid
Your circle is cast, your quarters are set, and it’s time to invoke the Goddess. You can call Brighid to you with this song by Lisa Thiel. Sing it, play the track, or just speak the words aloud to invite the Bright Lady to be with you in sacred space. This song touches on most of Brede’s qualities: sacred fire, mistress of poetry, healing Goddess, she of many skills in many arts.
Blessed Woman come to me
Song to Brighid by Lisa Thiel, from the album Invocation of the Graces
Woman of the Fires,
Woman of Poetry
Blessed Woman come to me
Woman of Healing,
Woman of Skillful Means
Blessed woman of the land
Guide my heart and guide my hand
Blessed Woman of the streams
Guide my soul and guide my dreams
Blessed Woman come to me
Woman of the fires
Woman of Poetry,
Blessed Woman come to me
Woman of Healing
Woman of Skillful Means.
Blessed Woman of the hills
Heal all wounds and heal all ills
Blessed Woman of the flame
Awaken me to renew again.
Fire Magic with Brighid, Goddess of the Flame
Candles, hearthfires, bonfires–Imbolc is about light! There are so many ways you can work with light in an Imbolc ritual. In the Crow Women’s Imbolc ceremony, each person lights a candle to make vows for the coming year, in a ritual described in this post. You can honor the Goddess of fire with a nice outdoor bonfire, a powerful way of honoring the growing light and Brede’s aspect as Guardian of the Forge. Gather round, and share with one another the ways you wish to be forged anew.
If you have a fireplace, a gentler aspect as goddess of loving healing can be called upon at the hearthside, where she listens for your prayers for wellness. Create for her a “Bridget’s Bed” on your hearth or in a corner of your living room, to invite her to stop and rest in your home on Candlemas night.
If Brigit’s aspect as Goddess of the flame is the focus of your ritual, this lovely song by Kelliana is an excellent choice for your Imbolc ceremony. It works very well recited as spoken word by a group three times through, to build energy.
Blessed Brighid burning bright
Brighid by Heidi Couture and Kellianna, recorded by Kellianna on the album Lady Moon
Lead us from the darkest night
Triple Goddess of new life
Shine your flame on us tonight
Perpetual flame of love and light
Wise guardian of the hearth
You bless our homes and our lives
Keeper of the healing light
Shine your light on us tonight
Shine on us in love and light
Sacred muse of poetry
Inspire creativity
Sing to us your sacred song
Shine your spark on us tonight
Fiery spark of love and light
Brighid, Midwife Goddess
Are you in the midst of a time of potentiality? Imbolc occurs just before lambing season. I’ve heard the the word “Imbolg” means “in the belly”. At this time are lambs are in the bellies of the ewes, on the verge of birth. You can craft a sweet and gentle Imbolg ceremony around the ways you are gestating and moving toward rebirth. That’s what I was visualizing when I wrote the lyrics to the song Womb of Brighid. As I explain on the song’s page on our website, the basis of this track was a rough recording made with the Crow Women singer Donna on a little MP3 recorder. She passed into the Summerland before we were able to make a proper studio recording of the song. I really wanted to preserve this last existing recording of Donna singing, so we layered additional voices on top. The song had not really resolved into any clear meter, so master percussionist Issa Noor created a beautiful soundscape on the handpan that this song could nestle in.
Because these lyrics are so simple, a group singing this chant can master it quickly and then build harmonies around the central melodic idea. You can hear some of that in this track. I recommend that you combine this song with a meditation on being in the Womb of the Goddess, gestating, growing, transforming, becoming the individual you wish to become as you are reborn on Imbolc night.
In silence, drinking from her well—transformation
Womb of Brighid by Alane Brown, recorded by the Crow Women on Seasons: A Pagan Journey Around the Wheel.
While waiting, we move gently toward transformation
Oh Brighid, gravid with our future transformation
Prayer clooties at Brighid’s Well
The ancient Celtic Goddess Brid was honored at sacred wells throughout the Celtic world, through the era of Roman occupation and beyond. The Catholic Church turned her into Saint Bridget. In whatever form she has been venerated, sacred wells have been a part of her worship. In the song Brighid, Damh the Bard recounts some of her mythology. Brede is a Triple Goddess, and here she passes through her transformation from crone back into maiden.
Right up through the present day, people tie ribbons or strips of cloth (called clouties or clooties) above Bridget’s wells. These can be for the purpose of asking for a wish or blessing, or just to honor the Lady. In your own ritual, you can create a sacred well using a bowl of water with decorations surrounding it. If you can hold ceremony at an actual spring or well, that’s even better. Each person can tie a strip of cloth above the well and make a wish, or express gratitude to Brid, as the spirit moves. If you tie the clooties outdoors, they can disintigrate over the course of the passing months, gradually dispersing their magic into the world.
There’s a tree by the well in the wood that’s covered in garlands
Brighid by Damh the Bard, from the album Antlered Crown and Standing Stone
Clooties and ribbons that drift in the cool morning air
That’s where I met an old woman who came from a far land
Holding a flame o’er the well and chanting a prayer
Chorus:
Goddess of fire, Goddess of healing, Goddess of Spring, welcome again.
The told me she’d been a prisoner trapped in a mountain
Taken by the Queen of Winter at Summer’s end
But in her prison, she heard the spell the people were chanting
Three days of Summer and snowdrops are flowering again
She spoke of the Cell of the Oak where a fire is still burning
Nineteen priestesses tend the Eternal Flame
Oh but of you, my Lady we are still learning
Brighid, Brigantia, the Goddess of many names.
Then I saw her reflection in the mirrored well and I looked deep in her face,
The old woman gone, a maiden now knelt in her place
And from my pocket I pulled a ribbon and in honour of her maidenhood
I tied it there to the tree by the well in the wood
For additional songs about Bridget and the holiday of Imbolc, check out my Spotify playlist: Pagan Imbolc Sabbat. Bridget is a Goddess of Inspiration. Many pagan songwriters have spent time gazing at her sacred flame, drinking from her sacred well, and creating songs in her sacred forge. May it always be so.
For more on pagan music for Imbolc, as well as astrology, rituals and recipes for the Imbolc feast, be sure to visit our Imbolc Sabbat page.
For more information about the Crow Women pagan choir, and access to all the blog posts by Alane and the other 9 crowsingers who have written for Pagan Song, you can visit the Crow Women author page here on Pagan Song.
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