Source: dreamstime.com
February 01st is
known in Ireland as St Brigid’s Day which according to Celtic ritual, signifies
the beginning of the Celtic spring (Imbolc) which took place after the winter
dark and is traditionally associated with fertility e.g. lambing season. The feast day later had associations with Candlemas,
the presenting of the infant Christ in the Temple which is of course today (although
some churches celebrated it last Sunday). Both feasts have at their core new
beginnings; for the farmer new life springing from birth of new-born lambs,
those seeds planted at the end of autumn which have laid dormant and are now beginning
to germinate. For Simeon and Anna waiting patiently in the Temple, the
presentation of the baby Jesus was the sign of a long sought-after salvation, “a
light to the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel.” Luke 2:30-32.
One of the characteristics of
Celtic Christianity in Ireland, was its adopting many of the legends and
customs which were practised by the pagan celts into Christian worship thus
showing that for a new religion to prosper, it was better to adapt rather than
destroy many of the old ways it sought to replace. This re-positioning of ideas
and practices is believed to be behind the story of the Saint who according to
legend founded the first convent close to what was believed to have been a
druid settlement in County Kildare. As David Cole in his 2017 book Forty
Days with the Celtic Saints recounts, her encounters with the pagan druids and
other spiritual people led to the famous story of her healing a pagan chief
back to health which led to her teaching him about the love of Christ, by weaving
a cross made of reeds as shown in the image above. This has led to the practice
of the ‘Brigid Cross’ still being used as a blessing for those places which are
used frequently during the spring and summer months.
Much has been made of the
similarities between Brigid the Celtic goddess of poetic arts, of healing and
metalwork and the Celtic saint known for her hospitality, healing and teaching.
Is the Brigid of Celtic Christianity a composite of her pagan predecessor as
some authors have suggested? Was the influence of the pagan goddess so strong
that the early Irish Christians had to personify her in the figure of St Brigid
of Kildare? For not only did they adopt pagan influences into their practices but
also Palestinian traditions around Christ and the Virgin Mary, so that Brigid
was likened to a second Mary. The
creation of composite characters from history is an important part of any writers
craft particularly fiction writers, but as writers are we not too sometimes composite
characters as much influenced by our surroundings as much as by past history that
we might seek to personify?
The imagery of new growth and the
impending season of spring could also be used as a metaphor for our own writing
ideas. We have got over the Christmas rush, seen in the New Year and drawn up any
resolutions we may have made – see last month’s blog on why this may also not
be the case – and looking forward to random thoughts scribbled in notebooks or
on post-its or backs of envelopes being brought to life. The gradual ending of Covid
restrictions, although not new covid cases, has also led to a desire among some
of us to push the reset button on many aspects of our current lives and finally
putting behind us the two years of disruption we have endured.
Although technically we are
still in winter, the Celtic Christians practice of adapting the month of February
whether as St Brigid’s day or Candlemas day as the start of a new beginning, is
an ideal opportunity to shine forth a new light into our own writing lives.
Michael Cronogue
originally from London now resides in Walsall in West Midlands region of UK.
Writer and blogger discussing matters of faith and theology on his website www.michaelcronogue.com His interest
in Celtic Christianity was the basis for his Theology degree dissertation asking
the question, “Can Celtic Christianity help to re-assert Christian Faith in the
Post-Modern age?” He pleaded the fifth on this one.
An interesting post, Michael. Here's the link to your January post for anyone wishing to refer back. https://morethanwriters.blogspot.com/2022/01/writing-resolutions-or-resolutions-for.html
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan - you are the Queen of Links! So helpful. A really interesting blog, Michael. I've heard of Saint Brigid but I knew nothing about her until now.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting, Michael - thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael! My prayer for this month addressed God as the God of new beginnings. I try to imagine each new month as a season to achieve goals. Today too, I have learnt a lot about Celtic. Thanks for all the information shared! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteThanks from someone who is a Celtic Christian at heart.
ReplyDelete