Imbolc, Candlemas or Brigids day ,Febuary 1st + 2nd
In the “belly” of the winter , we are still weeks away from Spring , but we can feel the longer days and see the Snowdrops ,shoots of Daffodils and Catkins hanging in the woods or by the roads,. Imbolc marks the midway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox .
“Imbolc is traditionally the great festival and honouring of Brigid (Brighid, Bride, Brigit), so loved as a pagan Goddess that her worship was woven into the Christian church as St Bridget. She is a Goddess of healing, poetry and smithcraft. She is a Goddess of Fire, of the Sun and of the Hearth. She brings fertility to the land and its people and is closely connected to midwives and new-born babies. She is the Triple Goddess, but at Imbolc she is in her Maiden aspect.” www.godessandgreenman.co.uk
This is the traditional Irish St Brigids cross made with reeds.
For us it may just be another day in Lockdown, but even in this we are almost in the middle and we can celebrate that the end is approaching. Marking the passing of time is something all humans have done and do, to help us come together, kindle hope and make a little sense of things, one way or another.Most Celtic days are linked to harvest and planting, the length of days and the heat of the sun.
For the Art of Leaving project I purposefully chose to spread it out between Halloween and Imbolc, the darkest time of year , the time to reflect, draw in, remember those we lost in the year through natural or untimely death. A time for stories and creative thinking honouring the cycles of life so beautifully shown with the falling of the leaves, the bare winter trees and the budding up that is beginning to happen now.
So I am ending this phase of the project, with a grand display of colour and light, using images made throughout the project, on a Billboard in St Werburghs ( paid for by my lovely wonderful community of coffee buyers). I'm calling it CSA, Community Supported Art and hope to make some more forays into this area of making things happen. It will be up for Imbolc opposite the Better Food Company .
Thanks to designer Maria Oyaga.
Be part of Imbolc, Candlemas and celebrate Brigid. If you light a candle on Monday 1st and or Tuesday 2nd, please take a photo and send it to me: either on deasybamford@gmail.com or post it onto my facebook https://www.facebook.com/deasy.bamford
or the Art of Leaving facebook
I will collect them and make something of them, I'm thinking of a tribute to all the healthcare workers who are suffering trauma , stress and exhaustion .
Thank you all for your support and interest over this project , its been a priviledge to be able to follow through an idea, reach out to others along the way, inspire a few to make mandalas and offerings to the spirit world, connect and share in this time of limited communication.
Ps if you want to support my work and future projects feel free to Buy me a cup of coffee or two. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DeasyBamford
This is our lovely shrine we made on Divali in Eastville woods , still going strong, tended by us and others we dont know , but the wonderful guardian Robin , pops down and sings to us on
each visit .
See you in the spring !