An overcast sky did not dull my trip to RVA's Wayside Spring (4900 block of New Kent Rd) to collect spring water as part of my preparations for Haven Song's 2025 Imbolc Ritual.
The Goddess Brigid is primarily known for her association with fire - the hearth, the forge, the Sun! As explored in Alexei Kondratiev's section on Brigid (aka Brigit) in Devoted to You (2003)¹, the Celts associated fire with ascending and rising up above obstacles, and they held its role in human history in high esteem.
Brigid's association with water may be less mainstream², but it's no less important. The Celts generally associated water with descending and the underworld, but there are ways for water to be "mixed" with fire. Spring water is one of these combinations³, with its defiant escape of the underworld, ascending to provide sustenance and other benefits. At our Imbolc celebration, we will be using spring water for its cleansing properties⁴ .
While I encourage you to visit the Spring yourself, please note that it's not terribly accessible if you would have any issues with walking down old stone stairs (as there are 47 of them). That being said, the water is cool and drinkable, ready to be of service.
Words & Photos by Acorn, 1°, Haven Song Grove
¹ ‘Imbolc—Brigit", Alexei Kondratiev, in Devoted to You, Judy Harrow (2003) Citadel Press⁵
² no pun intended haha
³ Other types of "combined" water and fire include: hot showers; hot springs; water left to soak in the sun on days that are of especial importance to the Sun (such as Beltane, Litha, etc.); and sparkling water, "with the fire-like motion in its liquid coolness" (p. 127, Kondratiev)
⁴ More on this in our next blog post!
⁵ I feel compelled to add the gain of salt of perspective for Kondratiev's writing - which is beautiful and evocative - but maybe not always in line with all known sources and history - "Brigit Reviews (Series Five): Nonfiction, Neo-Pagan", Mael Brigde: https://brigitssparklingflame.blogspot.com/2014/02/brigit-reviews-series-five-nonfiction.html
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