Happy Imbolc!

Tomorrow marks Imbolc, which is considered by many to be the festival of Brigid, Goddess and Saint of poetry, healing, and smith-craft (among other things).

(It’s also the start of the annual song-writing challenge, FAWM, which I’ve found so inspiring these past two years.)

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, in Wales, the land is starting to wake up after the long dark nights, and cold storms. There will likely still be hard frosts to come, but the snowdrops are emerging, and with it arises inspiration.

In Wales the Goddess of inspiration, the keeper of the Cauldron of Awen, is the Witch and Mother Ceridwen. Even in Christian bardic traditions it was often claimed that the divine inspiration, the Awen, flowed into the world through her cauldron, that’s how powerful her name is… they may not have called her a goddess then, but in modern paganism we certainly do.

She gathers the wisdom of the land and brews the potion to grant wisdom, creative insight, and magic.

And as the fire in the land begins to brighten, we remember the fire that flickered under the iron vessel, stirred by the child that would one day become a great bard…

This Imbolc I invite you to light a white candle, brew yourself a cup of tea – whether caffeinated or herbal is entirely up to you – and as you stir reflect on where you give yourself space to be inspired. How will you feed your creative springs in the days to come?

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When I have felt stuck, or like my creative well has run dry, I turn to magic, the stories, and my gods.

On April Fool’s day we will step into a three month journey with Ceridwen and Taliesin, the Goddess of Initiation and Inspiration, and the Greatest Bard that ever lived, in The Cauldron of Awen.

Together we will explore Bardic Skills, the magic of the voice, the power of breath, and tools for devotion, discipline, and overcoming creative block and the fear of being seen that keeps us from sharing our stories. We will gather tales, explore their magic, and build our skills to share them as enchantments weaving wonder in the world. I offer a focus on words and the voice, but this is open to wonder-weaving in all mediums.

This is your invitation to begin your Bardic Initiation with Ceridwen and Taliesin.

Are you ready to leap into inspiration?