Brigid’s links with fire should be fairly obvious if you’ve been reading me a long time, but water might not be so clear. I called the blog “Brigid’s Forge!” after all. Why would I do that, if I didn’t see a clear link between Brigid and fire.
Well, here’s the thing. Water is as important in a forge as fire is. Water is used to clean off scale, clean tools, cool tools down and – depending on the item you’re making – occasionally used to temper the metal. Although, this isn’t too often, because water is a fairly severe quench and can cause metal to crack.
Still… I hope you can see why Brigid would have links to both fire and water, even in the forge!
Transformation
Fundamentally though, I chose the Forge as a name for this blog, because the forge is a place of transformation. And I’ll talk more about how both fire and water transform things in a bit.
I believe Brigid is a being of transformation. I’ve written before about her being the “gateway drug”, in getting people from mainstream religions (usually Catholicism, but wider Christianity and others as well) But just by being that gateway, she transforms us.
Brigid can use fire and water to transform, but she can definitely transform us!
Brigid and fire transformation
Now, if you think about it, fire is also fundamentally a transformational event. Fire turns flammable materials into heat and warmth – that’s what most of us think of fire these days. Fire doesn’t create or destroy as such. Although it is fair to say that in the transformation, things are lost.
But the transformation offered by fire tends to be hard and fast. Unlike Brigid and water, fire pushes hard, moves quickly and leaves behind… something. It’s for when things need to change now and we don’t have time to wait.
Think about fire. Even when it burns slowly, it’s still a relatively quick transformation. Now, I’m not saying the transformation is always good. It might be horrific. And I don’t think that Brigid focuses on the destruction part of the equation.
But when you want fast, abrupt, total transformation – fire is where you head to. We’re not really talking Pax Romana here either. While it may seem like the healthy forest you had growing previously is now wasteland and useless, it categorically won’t be long until those green shoots peek through the ground again.
Fire can be used for transformation. And within transformation, there nearly always is destruction, then creation. It can be sharp, sudden, fatal. But you will be changed afterwards!
Water transformation
I need to be careful here, because in my mind, water transformation is slower, and therefore, gentler, than fire transformation. This doesn’t mean the transformation is any less dramatic or spectacular. But it is the difference between the development of something like the Grand Canyon, over millennia and the after effects of forest fires.
Both are transformative, but the water transformation is, in many ways, slower, gentler. But it can be deeper and more long lasting as well. Think of it as a sprint versus a marathon. The energy expended per mile is probably the same, but they have different effects.
Water is often thought of as healing, predominantly, but really, that patient chipping away at things over time gets results. It’s the idea of turning up daily, consistently, continually.
Is one more suitable than the other?
Of course! But it depends on the situation. In times of crisis? Fire is definitely where I’d be looking. If you’ve had a heart attack, it’s possible that you need to implement life style changes immediately. If however, you’ve just noticed (or more probably, your doc has just noticed) certain blood markers have started wandering from where they should be – the water approach could be the route to talk.
(Please note, this is not medical advice!!! I’m just using examples here!)
I have used both routes in my life. Well, I should say that Brigid has pushed me towards both fire and water at different points. Although at the time, I would not have been able to describe them as fire or water routes. My moving from Catholic to Irish Catholic to Pagan Catholic was one of predominantly water, with bursts of fire in between. Building my career has been mostly water with a bit of fire.
As always, we don’t go for one over the other in totality, but consider what’s most appropriate in the time frame we have.
The right tool for the right job
Brigid uses fire and water in all her areas of influence. I’ve utilised the imagery of the forge earlier, but think of healing as well. Fevers burn in our bodies to fight infection. Water washes away the dirt that causes the infection. At different stages and for different parts of the body, both are useful. Sometimes, steam and cool air are used together to help lungs function better (think of babies with croup)
The poet as well uses fire and water. A hellraising speech given by a satirist to raise awareness of something happening and needing to be address right now is not the same as a more water-focused approach of getting legislation passed in government. Both have an impact.
It is, as always, a matter of choosing the correct tool for the job!
