The Christmas season, with its whirlwind of festive activities, can make it challenging to maintain a daily Brigid practice. I mean, it’s challenging enough in “normal” times. That’s why the world “almost” is so very important! Christmas, for those of us living and working in predominantly Christian societies, seems to take on a frenetic pace. However, drawing inspiration from authentic Irish traditions, we can discover ways to infuse spirituality into the holiday chaos. Today, we’ll look at practical hints and tips for maintaining a practice through the height of the festivities. And maintain a practice that Brigid will be happy with as well.
Why is a(n almost) daily spiritual practice important at all?
Well, here’s the thing about Irish deity – they’re all about the relationship. Sure, you can rock up on Imbolc, with a ritual and a few prayers. And you might get a response from Brigid. Or indeed, one of her relations. But the best work and the greatest success comes from a well-developed relationship over time.
Think about it. How do you feel when a stranger comes to you asking for a giant favour out of nowhere? Versus a family member or a close friend? You’re far more likely to give the attention to someone you have a developed relationship with rather than a stranger. It’s possible to respond to a stranger, of course, but it’s more likely you’ll respond to someone you know well.
Irish deities are no different. Irish saints as well. It really makes no difference here whether you’re looking at Brig or St. Brigid. Building a developing that relationship is best for long term outcomes and ongoing spiritual development.
How do you build relationship?
I’ve written before about how to build relationship with deity, so I won’t go into all the details here. But really, a daily spiritual practice an be a hugely vital part of it all, especially with Brigid.
If you good “how to make friends as adults” you will get millions of results. And honestly, to a certain extent, building relationship with deity isn’t too dissimilar. I’ll focus on Brigid below, but really, it’s applicable to most deities.
First off, shared interests. Now, I’ve said before there aren’t too many areas in this world that Brigid wouldn’t be interested in. By the time you cover the Smith, the Healer and the Poet, you’ve covered most of the areas of a modern university. Not that a university covers every area of life, but it covers a lot. So, there aren’t too many areas I’d say you can’t build a shared-interest type of relationship with Brigid. (I mean, I can’t see her supporting extremely right wing or extremely left wing views. Or wholesale genocide. In most circumstances.)
People are often advised to join sporting groups or community groups to make friends as adults. I don’t really see sport as my way to access Brigid, but it might be yours. Certainly, if there is an Irish twist to it (while Gaelic football and hurling at the main Gaelic games people think of, there are others) it can be considered a link to an Irish deity. Community groups would be more palatable to me. (I do admit that most people have marginally more sporting capacity than I do!)
Community groups, in particular, can be considered Brigid works. She is big on community and supporting the community. If you look at Irish history, community was vital for our success, at home and abroad. Listening to the Irish History Podcast, a lot of emigrants, no matter where they ended up, needed that community to survive. How to find places to stay, even en route to the ship to take you abroad, was all done by those who had gone before and left messages to say where to go and where to avoid.
Making offerings is another good way to develop a relationship. A cup of tea and coffee. A bit of bread, cake, milk, dairy. Anything just to show you’re thinking of Brigid. Most of us have a daily cuppa – incorporating that into your daily spiritual practice with Brigid is an easy way to keep things going.
Daily practice in a busy season
But all this takes time and effort. What to do when you have neither time or energy?
Well, there’s a few ideas.
- A few deep breaths. Seriously, people forget about breathing. And even a single, conscious deep breath can prove hard sometimes, especially if there are small kids wandering around the place and going to the bathroom can prove difficult. Going to the bathroom alone might be nigh impossible. But trust me, Brigid will appreciate those few seconds you can give her.
- Offerings. Even if you make an extra cup of coffee in the morning and put it to one side, tell Brigid it’s for her and off you go. If you’re pouring a glass of wine, pour an extra glass. That sort of thing.
- Prayer. Even a quick “Brigid, I need patience” or “Brigid, help me”. Just check in with her on an almost daily basis.
And yeah – I said “almost”. Even at the best of times we can occasionally miss a day or a practice. That’s why most of the time I remember to call my practice an “almost” daily practice. We are human, we are imperfect. That’s life. Occasionally, things come up. Take a deep breath and move on.
Now, I’m not saying you can skip your daily practice willy-nilly and make no effort and still build relationship. But I am saying that we are imperfect and human and sometimes that means we forget or miss things. And, if you’d like some more help here, I’ve a free webinar coming up on exactly this topic, so you can sign up here for more information there.
To finish
As the Christmas season unfolds, maintaining a daily spiritual practice with Brigid rooted in authentic Irish traditions can provide a sense of grounding and connection. I really do feel this is more important in busy times than in quiet times. Having those touchstones to regain composure and remember ourselves… it’s worth anything.
Take what time you can to engage in your spiritual practice with Brigid. Pare it all back to absolute essentials, if that’s what you have time for. Recognise your energy levels and adjust accordingly. And if you want more info about my upcoming webinar, sign up here.
