Rekindling the Soul Flame
by Mara Freeman, M.A.
Early spring is the season of Brigid, the Celtic goddess of the Growing Light who walks the land thawing the ice and warming the cold Earth into life with every step she takes. She was also a goddess of inspiration and creativity who breathes her warmth and energy into the hearts and minds of all those who wish to give birth to something new and wonderful in their lives. In later times she became Saint Brigid, the most beloved of Irish saints.
This was the time of year when the Celtic peoples of Scotland and Ireland looked eagerly for hibernating animals to emerge from their winter dens – a sign that winter was almost over. In Scotland this might be a badger, a hedgehog or even a bear. In an old Scottish tradition, Bridget herself emerges from the Earth in early spring, just as in the Greek myth, the goddess Persephone came out of the underworld and spring returned once more. In ancient Greece this drama was enacted in the Eleusinian mysteries at this time of year.
Such myths are not only about the return of spring to the land, but also the return of the Soul – traditionally depicted as feminine – from its dwelling-place in the obscurity of the subconscious mind. In the western world, we tend to get so caught up in material pursuits that the soul is forgotten most of the time – even though we never feel truly at home to ourselves without that connection. At the dawn of the modern age, a poet wrote that “affairs are now soul size.” His words are even truer today: with the escalating crises in the world from wars to global warming, now is the time to fully awaken into what each of us has been called to do during our time on Earth, to emerge into a life that catches fire from the soul-flame within each of us.
When humanity listens to the voice of the soul, rather than being seduced by the astral glamour of consumer-driven culture, then the Soul of the World, the Anima Mundi, will also emerge, like Brigit or Persephone, from deep within the Earth where it has been hidden, and the long estrangement between ourselves and our first Mother will be over. This is the true meaning behind the “Quest for the Holy Grail,” a symbol of the Divine Feminine that was withdrawn from the world when our insatiable desire for dominance turned it into the wasteland. For the Grail to be found, for the wasteland to be restored, we must learn to become co-creators in partnership with all the Living Intelligences of our planet: human, animal, faery, or Devic.
Today we might regard this time as an opportunity to rekindle our own inner flame upon the shrine of the soul. Here is a meditation to help you do this:
Meditation: Kindling the Soul Flame
Sit quietly and light a candle before you. See the flame as the outer reflection of the One Light that shines through all the worlds, all beings, all times, and all places.
Take a few deep breaths, and imagine you are breathing in the light, and as you breathe out, let the light surround you like a luminous golden globe or bubble that covers your body and entire energetic field, or aura.
Feel the sparkling golden light protecting and blessing you.
Now tune in to that place within the middle of your body that feels like your ‘center.’ Sense a golden glow like a candle flame here.
Let it grow brighter and brighter with each breath you take.
Feel the warmth spread throughout your body and soul. Stay here and bask at your soul-shrine for as long as you like.
When you are ready, let the light within your center soften to become a gentle steady glow, and see the bubble of light dissolve around you.
As you go about your day, remember to tune into the inner flame from time to time, using your breath to help you see and feel the warm, luminous glow. This will help you feel connected and centered in your essential self, your soul, no matter what life brings.
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About the Author
Mara Freeman, M.A., is an internationally recognized British author and teacher of Celtic wisdom and the Western Mystery Tradition, which she has taught for over thirty years. She is an initiate of the Western Mysteries and has also been very active in modern druid organizations. Her first book, Kindling the Celtic Spirit, (Harper San Francisco, 2001) has been hailed as the best modern introduction to Celtic spirituality and sacred traditions. Her most recent book, Grail Alchemy: Initiation in the Celtic Mystery Tradition (Inner Traditions, 2014) has been called “a Celtic literary temenos of our time, a sacred space, in which to further explore one’s own inner journey and transformation.” http://www.chalicecentre.net/
