Fashioning Wheat Stalks into Brigid’s Cross, An Imbolc Tradition
NEW YORK — On a chilly Saturday afternoon in February, a dozen people from all over New York City gathered in The Meadow, a creative arts studio under the Manhattan Bridge overpass in Brooklyn. The practitioners of Celtic spirituality sat around a wooden table littered with half-eaten cookies, teacups of wildflower tea and piles of long stalks of wheat.
They came together to celebrate the Irish holiday of Imbolc, based on the Celtic Wheel of the Year and the Druidic calendar. Julie Flynn, a woman known as the Keeper of The Meadow, provided each person at the table with a pile of damp wheat stalks, a couple inches of twine and a paper printout of a plaited pattern. For the men and women gathered at the studio, the creation of Saint Brigid’s cross connects them to an Irish tradition that’s been around for centuries.
Flynn soaked the stems in water for 30 minutes to soften them before the lesson and stood up at the front of the room to demonstrate the crisscross design. With one stem held vertically and the other horizontally, she folded the second stem over the first and turned the wheat 90 degrees counterclockwise. With each turn she added one more stem, over and over until a T-shaped cross with a diamond center began to form. As she weaved, she explained that the symbol of Ireland is usually fashioned out of rushes and hung above the front door of a home to ward off evil.
The sound of rustling wheat stocks filled the room as devotees began to build their emblems. A woman near the head of the table finished making her cross within minutes, and people at the table stopped to admire her handiwork. Eventually the other practitioners caught up and began tying the arms of their tokens with twine to hold their shape. Flynn then explained how Brigid’s cross is different in design from the Christian symbol because it is hung with the arms at an angle instead of parallel to one another.
Along with the lesson, Flynn played a video from Marisa Goudy, a local scholar of Irish mythology. “Imbolc is really associated with being the season of Brigid herself,” said Goudy. “It’s when the snowbells are beginning to emerge, and it feels as if spring is touching the island of Ireland again.”
Goudy appeared on Flynn’s computer screen, wearing a scarf around her neck patterned with Brigid’s cross. “You'll hear many people refer to Brigid as goddess and saint in one breath because they really are indistinguishable in the modern imagination,” said Goudy. She sees Brigid as more of a goddess, one associated with witchcrafts, healing and poetry.
Imbolc honors a long arc of history in which Brigid was embraced by both pagan and Christian traditions. Some historians believe the ancient Celtic goddess was syncretized with Saint Brigid of the Christian faith. It isn’t known for certain whether Brigid and Saint Brigid are one in the same, but the overlap of Druid and Christian belief continues to this day.
An Imbolc Ritual: Quiet Reflection and Flowers of Ireland
NEW YORK — A hush settles over the room at The Meadow, the expressive arts space in the northernmost Brooklyn neighborhood of Dumbo. Men and women sit cross-legged on the floor, and the studio is quiet except for the sound of breaths. Gaelic embroidery of green fields and birch trees are strung from a branch on one wall. A colorful tapestry depicts the night sky speckled with stars and anchored by a crescent moon.
Today, a dozen people are taking part in the annual ritual of Imbolc. The tradition is dedicated to the deity and Druid high priestess Brigid, both a Celtic saint and a pagan goddess.
Saint Brigid is Ireland’s only female patron saint; she has long been admired in the Christian faith for her charitable work founding convents and monasteries on the island. In the Druidic faith, Brigid is known as the goddess of fire, healing and poetry. Today, she is recognized in both neopagan faiths and in the teachings of Christ for her Druid and Christian roots.
The celebration of Imbolc marks the change of the seasons and the start of spring. The Meadow’s seasonal circles are based on the Celtic Wheel of the Year, which is closely associated with the Druid calendar. The young and old sit in a circle on the floor of the dimly lit room around a flickering candle. Julie Flynn, the creative director of the space, passes around a tiny glass vial filled to the brim with a mixture of oil and rose petals.
“Imbolc marks the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox,” says Flynn. “As we honor Brigid, goddess of healing and fertility, I want you to picture your ancestors standing behind you, back and back, seven generations all supporting you. Now breathe in the oil and the flowers of Ireland, and imagine your descendants in front of you, generations on generations. Brigid is with you as we emerge into spring.”
The medicine bottle is small enough to hold in one hand and, although at first glance it may seem as though it’s a small part of today’s two-hour celebration, the participants hold the bottle with such tender care that the object’s significance is felt in the room. Brimming with Imbolc oil and crafted from wild roses grown in the Irish countryside, the vial is a central part of today’s ceremony.
The oil serves as a reminder to ground deeply and root into the present moment, providing an opportunity to plant wishes and desires for the future. Flynn continues to speak softly, leading the group in a meditation as members gently shut their eyes, some clasping their hands in their laps and some holding their hands over their hearts. She asks them to imagine they are closely aligned with nature, allowing the scent to transport them to a spring day.
One woman murmurs in understanding as others breathe deeply smelling the oil on their wrists. Flynn describes this time of year as a gentle season, asking the members to honor the days as they grow longer and look ahead to warmer times, as Brigid keeps the light alive with her flames. “Remember the trees with the strongest roots are the ones that will survive the storm,” says Flynn. “And the trees that aren’t deeply rooted are the most likely to be swept away.”