Meeting Bride

"Close your eyes and see yourself somewhere that makes you feel happy, you are waiting for the Goddess- enjoy your time in this space- what do you see? What do you hear? Take time to really take in this place as you wait for Bride...."

I'm sitting beside a small pool of ice cold water, there is a small bubbly waterfall filling the pool with clear, cold water. I look in and see myself looking back. The forest is wet and though bare there are sprigs of new life pushing through the crystallized snow. I put my hand into the water and the cold sends a small shock through my fingertips, Winter is still among us, holding on, but we will push through it and into the Spring. I continue to watch as the water rolls down the smooth rocks, swirling into little pools as it continues to flow from some distant lake or snaking stream. The pool is crystal clear and there is still ice around the edges of it. I raise my gaze to the clear blue sky, above me I hear and see birds flying high above the tree tops, oblivious to the cold. I continue to wait by my stream for the Goddess... I can hear footsteps is it Her? Has she finally come, I think to myself. Not this time as the footsteps belong to a lone silver furred wolf. Its green eyes intense. The animal stops for a moment and our eyes meet. Slowly the beast lowers its head as if to say hello and carries on its own journey. For a moment I wonder, if this my familiar, and I determine my animal friend is still to be found. I continue to enjoy my time of meditation and then it happens. I could feel inside my heart this warm and overpowering loving feeling. The pond began to glow with a golden hue, the animals once loud are now quiet- and then I see her. She emerges from the wood and greets me. "I am the Goddess Brighid and you are a daughter on my path." The Goddess comes and sits with me by the pool. We talk about things that have occurred this past Winter, and we discuss the future. She tells me I will begin to grow as the flowers and trees do in the Spring and she also tells me to try to find that creative spark I once had. The Goddess's face is young but stern. She is loving and kind but I fear her slightly. She is stunningly beautiful with red hair that has a golden aura. Her skin is as white as milk. I close my eyes and enjoy her, soaking in her energies.... I do not want to leave this place but I am summoned by the sounds of far off pipe music, the music is getting louder and more upbeat. I can hear pipes and drums and chanting. The music of magic is calling me to wake up, come dance and join the rest of the Imbolc Celebrations....
My mom hosted Imbolc this year. It was her first time writing a ritual herself and to be honest I was at first skeptical. I learned a good lesson that night, never assume. The ritual my mom wrote was by far one of the most personal, beautiful and effective rituals I have ever attended in my whole life. When my mother called the Goddess, I felt the Goddess. I know she was there that night. When my mother called to the Quarters the energy was there it was present. The wording flowed and everything looked so beautiful. She had us (my friend Nicole also attended) make crosses to represent ourselves and what we want help with at the crossroads of life. I made my cross and poured a lot my energy into the spell as I wove it together. It now hangs on my bedroom wall as a constant reminder NOT to let my depression control my life and to not let it ruin my romantic relationship.
Imbolc this year was really magical for me. It was not only super beneficial for me but for my best friend Nicole as well. She lost her father a year or two ago and still has not fully come to terms with her grief. She said at the ritual she finally found some peace and I think the Goddess is calling her to this path. I have never once talked to her about my faith or asked her about her's because I try to keep that aspect of my life private and I save it all for my blog lol. She said that she got a feeling at the ritual that she needs to explore more about Wicca and she wants me to teach her. I said I would teach her but I made it clear that I am more of a Pagan who flirts with the darkside but I would be happy to teach her most of everything I know.
Its interesting that my Christian-Pagan mother has managed to make someone who had no faith in anything suddenly think she found "God" or whatever you want to call it. I have not had an opportunity to really thank my mom for the spiritual experience she provided me with.
I also want to take a moment here to talk about the ritual other than the cross and the meditation. When she blessed the milk and oat cookies for Cakes and Ale my mom actually asked the Goddess to bless the food and then we prayed over it. What a nice feeling it was to share a moment with three ladies as we focused only good things onto the food and drink. The room was set up with each corner had its own altar. All the altars were beautifully decorated with items representing each element. North had a cactus plant and a spider plant, she also had stones out an a candle. East was beautiful she had eagles, birds and dragons set out on the table and many feathers that she had collected over the years. South was the most compelling altar of them all because on it she had a doll that my mom has had since she was 10. Its a Spanish dancing lady and when you look at her the first word that crosses your mind is fire. West was adorned with a vase filled with shells my mom has collected over the years at different beaches around where we live. Everything was so homey and personal. It really brought it to my level. It was amazing. I owe my mom a lot more credit than I give her and she truly is a personification of the Mother Goddess. )O(