{"id":45450000,"date":"2021-12-14T14:00:45","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T14:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/?p=45450000"},"modified":"2021-12-14T14:00:45","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T14:00:45","slug":"the-illuminating-spark-brighid-weaving-her-mantle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/?p=45450000","title":{"rendered":"The Illuminating Spark: Brighid Weaving Her Mantle"},"content":{"rendered":"

A poem inspired by the start an art project.<\/h2>
<\/figure>

(Image description: A photo of green fields and hills, some plots separated by wooden posts. Some trees can be seen in parts of the image. The land stretches far off into the distance, with white puffy clouds against a blue sky.) Credit: Photo by K. Mitch Hodge<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>

During my flamekeeping shift, I returned to my loom. I\u2019ve been feeling the need to practice my weaving skills, as they\u2019ve gotten a bit rusty.<\/p>

The current project I\u2019m working on is for an Imbolc Exchange run by Clann Bhr\u00edde. It\u2019s somewhat similar to the Secret Santa tradition, instead taking place around Imbolc. Participants exchange handmade Brighid\u2019s crosses, Brighid\u2019s mantles, and other related crafts. It\u2019s meant to celebrate community in Brighid\u2019s honor.<\/p>

The weaving project prompted me to write this poem, as I wondered about Brighid\u2019s mantle and what Her experiences in making it might be like.<\/p>

Brighid Weaving Her Mantle<\/h3>

I think of Your famous mantle,<\/p>

draped around Your shoulders,<\/p>

a legend of Your kindness and cleverness.<\/p>

Was it given to You?<\/p>

Perhaps, but Your blessed mantle<\/p>

feels crafted by Your deft hands.<\/p>

Even with Your ability,<\/p>

did Your fingers fumble<\/p>

while arranging the warp?<\/p>

Did inexperience pass into expertise<\/p>

as You worked the yarn<\/p>

over and under, under and over?<\/p>

Emerald, sage, and grass green,<\/p>

hues of the land coming together, one day<\/p>

spanning the distance of the Curragh.<\/p>

Once removed from the loom,<\/p>

did You hang it on a sunbeam<\/p>

to admire Your handiwork?<\/p>

Your fair fingers idling<\/p>

over the delicate fringe<\/p>

as Your prayed or sang.<\/p>

I ponder these images,<\/p>

sacred scenes resonating<\/p>

as I weave.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A poem inspired by the start an art project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45450000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45450000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45450000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45450000\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45450000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45450000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45450000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}