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Author Topic: 2015 Imbolc Exchange  (Read 8247 times)

Aster Breo

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2015 Imbolc Exchange
« on: November 21, 2014, 12:25:26 am »
Are we doing one this year?
"The status is not quo."  ~ Dr. Horrible

katbast

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Re: 2014 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2014, 08:12:26 pm »
Quote from: Aster Breo;165828
Are we doing one this year?

 
Who usually runs it?

SunflowerP

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Re: 2014 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2014, 09:32:12 pm »
Quote from: Aster Breo;165828
Are we doing one this year?

 
It seems a shame to break the tradition, but I'm not the best person to say that, since once again I don't feel confident enough about my capacity to follow through to be willing to commit myself to it. If this is a year when most people feel that way, possibly it's a year to skip.

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #3 on: December 11, 2014, 11:37:40 pm »
Quote from: Aster Breo;165828
Are we doing one this year?

 
Emerald just pointed out to me in chat that, though it's still 2014 now, by Imbolc it will be 2015; thread title edited accordingly. (It's possible that this is why there are so few responses!)

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Aster Breo

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2014, 01:50:50 am »
Quote from: SunflowerP;167237
Emerald just pointed out to me in chat that, though it's still 2014 now, by Imbolc it will be 2015; thread title edited accordingly. (It's possible that this is why there are so few responses!)

Sunflower

Ooops. Sorry.  And thanks for fixing that!

I usually organize the exchange and would be happy to do so again.

One possible modification to consider that might make it easier and/or less stressful for people to participate:  instead of asking participants to send their gifts in time for them to reach recipients by Imbolc, we could ask that they ship by the end of February. That would allow people to put materials or completed items out for Brighid's blessing on Imbolc, and then send them to participants -- which would give people more time.

Another Cill I'm in does it that way, and it works fine.

This is only a suggestion. I'm ok with doing it either way.  Or with not doing it at all this year, if that's the consensus -- although my vote is to do it, even if there are only a few participants.

~ Aster
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rocquelaire

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2014, 04:11:43 am »
Quote from: Aster Breo;167243
Ooops. Sorry.  And thanks for fixing that!

I usually organize the exchange and would be happy to do so again.

One possible modification to consider that might make it easier and/or less stressful for people to participate:  instead of asking participants to send their gifts in time for them to reach recipients by Imbolc, we could ask that they ship by the end of February. That would allow people to put materials or completed items out for Brighid's blessing on Imbolc, and then send them to participants -- which would give people more time.

Another Cill I'm in does it that way, and it works fine.

This is only a suggestion. I'm ok with doing it either way.  Or with not doing it at all this year, if that's the consensus -- although my vote is to do it, even if there are only a few participants.

~ Aster

 
I'm in, if we have enough people to do it. Aster, you know things are a bit frazzled for me right now so shipping by the end of February would work best for me. Purely because to ship internationally in time for Imbolc I would really need to have my gift in the post near the beginning of January which will be a push for me. However, if people want to stick with the usual way I'll certainly do my best to get something made in time.

katbast

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2014, 08:35:26 am »
Quote from: rocquelaire;167248
I'm in, if we have enough people to do it. Aster, you know things are a bit frazzled for me right now so shipping by the end of February would work best for me. Purely because to ship internationally in time for Imbolc I would really need to have my gift in the post near the beginning of January which will be a push for me. However, if people want to stick with the usual way I'll certainly do my best to get something made in time.

 
After reading the 2014 thread I'd like to participate. It sounds like fun.

Breeze

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #7 on: December 12, 2014, 10:33:24 am »
Quote from: Aster Breo;167243
Ooops. Sorry.  And thanks for fixing that!

I usually organize the exchange and would be happy to do so again.

One possible modification to consider that might make it easier and/or less stressful for people to participate:  instead of asking participants to send their gifts in time for them to reach recipients by Imbolc, we could ask that they ship by the end of February. That would allow people to put materials or completed items out for Brighid's blessing on Imbolc, and then send them to participants -- which would give people more time.

Another Cill I'm in does it that way, and it works fine.

This is only a suggestion. I'm ok with doing it either way.  Or with not doing it at all this year, if that's the consensus -- although my vote is to do it, even if there are only a few participants.

~ Aster


I sold everything and moved out of state at the beginning of the month, so I'm still in a really, really liminal sort of place stability wise.  Closer to the end of February I should have at least some sense of normalcy though.  I'm in either way, I'm pretty sure I could pull it together and I really liked participating last year.

Aster Breo

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #8 on: December 12, 2014, 01:03:56 pm »
Quote from: Breeze;167266

It sounds like we have enough people to do at least a small exchange. Yay!

Early next week, when I have a couple of days off, I'll post detailed instructions.  Unless anyone has objections, we'll use a due date of January 1 for participants to get their shipping info to me, then I'll do the random draw and let everyone know who their recipient is a few days later.  That way, people will have the option of shipping in time for packages to arrive by Imbolc OR shipping after Imbolc. Everything else will be the same as last year.

Look for specific instructions by next Wednesday.

Thanks, everyone!
"The status is not quo."  ~ Dr. Horrible

Aster Breo

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #9 on: December 16, 2014, 02:07:55 pm »
Quote from: Aster Breo;167278



As promised, here are the instructions for participating in the Imbolc Exchange, modified to accommodate shipping through the end of February.

For those of you who are new to the cill, we do an annual voluntary gift exchange in celebration of Imbolc.  Here's how it works:  Everyone who is interested in participating PMs me (specific instructions below).  I do a (mostly) random draw to assign each participant a recipient.  (Mostly random because I adjust for people who opt out of international shipping.  Again, specifics below.)  Then, participants make a Brighid's cross and/or a brat and send it to their recipient.  That's it.

I assume most Cill members are familiar with Brighid's cross.  If not, here are a couple of links showing the variety of shapes and designs they are made in, a traditional method for making them, and another method.  Traditionally, Brighid's crosses are made of rushes, but exchange participants have used all sorts of materials, including corn husks, pipe cleaners, wire, paper, and fabric.

Brats might be a little less well known, so here's what I posted about them previously:

Quote from: Aster Breo;37335

A brat symbolizes Brighid's mantle and is basically any piece of clothing or fabric that is left outside over night on Imbolc Eve (the night of January 31-February1) for Brighid to bless as She visits each family.  To be completely clear, this tradition is attested with regard to *Saint* Brigid, not the Goddess Brighid.  Which should make sense to anyone who has done any reading on ancient Celtic religion and/or Brighid -- since there is so little extant evidence about the Goddess Brighid or how the Celts worshiped Her or other deities.

However, many of us -- myself included -- have chosen to use information about Saint Brigid to inform our practices honoring the Goddess Brighid.  The way I feel about it is that the saint was likely a means to an end; a way for the Irish laypeople (as opposed to priests or monks or nuns) to retain an important and beloved goddess as they moved toward Christianity.  That idea can be easily challenged, of course, and there are probably just as many people who think the goddess died with paganism in Ireland and the saint is a completely independent entity.  

I've read about different ways to carry out the tradition of leaving a brat out for blessing.  There are numerous regional variations on the theme.  For example, people who lived on the coast would often leave out the coats worn by the men involved in seafaring.  In other places, the brat was simply a handkerchief or just a piece of cloth, pieces of which would be cut or torn off and used throughout the year to foster healing (especially for headaches), ease the pain of childbirth, protect the cattle, etc.  In some areas, the brat had to be a specific color or had to be put in a particular place (a bush or just outside the door, f'ex) or had to be brought inside before sunrise, etc.  (Sean ODuinn's book, The Rites of Brigid:  Goddess and Saint, is the best source I've found for Irish Imbolc traditions.)  

The way we -- members of the TC Cill -- have done the Imbolc exchange in the past (I don't remember if we've done it twice before or three times) is to give the sender the option of making a Brighid's cross OR a brat OR both.  But it's important to note that the exchange is NOT about spending money.  It's about creating and sharing a powerful symbol that is special to us, as Cill-mates.  

When I have received a brat, it has usually been knitted or crocheted.  I have two that are squares -- like the squares my grandmother crocheted and then put together to make a blanket.  I also have one that is a knot, which uses two colors of yarn.  I don't knit or crochet, but other Cill-mates do and can do a better job of describing this kind of brat.  

Since I don't knit or crochet, I've had to rely on other materials.  And I've also adopted a pretty loose definition of "brat."  For the purpose of the exchange, I've sent strips from the very first brat I put out, many years ago.  For my family's personal use, I've put all sorts of things outside to be blessed: scarves, bandanas, hats, pieces of fabric, ribbons, even jewelry.  Other people might take a more traditional view of the practice, though, and feel that I'm going too far astray.

 
The last few years' exchanges went well, so I'm just going to reuse those instructions, modified for later shipping options:

If you want to participate, please PM me BY END-OF-DAY on JANUARY 15 and give me your "real" name and your snail-mail address. Also, note whether you are OK with sending a package to someone in a different country. (That can be important, since the postage on international packages can be significantly higher than on domestic packages.)

In addition to the PM, please post in this thread to let me know you've PMed. That gives me a way to check that I've actually got everyone. After I receive your PM, I will acknowledge it via reply PM.


I know that sounds overly complex, but I've learned from experience that this system will head off problems down the road.

By the end of January 20, I will PM you with your recipient's name and address.

Please EITHER plan to send your package in time for your recipient to receive it on or before January 31 so the recipient can put it out for blessing on Imbolc Eve OR plan to put the materials for your gift out for blessing yourself, and then send it after Imbolc.  Either way, the item will receive Brighid's blessing.

If you plan to ship your gift BEFORE Imbolc, ideally, you should aim to get your package in the mail at least one week before January 31.  So, you could go ahead and start planning and making their crosses and/or brats, so they're ready to go when you get your recipient's contact info.

if you plan to ship your gift AFTER Imbolc, please try to send it by the end of February, so it doesn't get put off indefinitely and then forgotten.


Finally, please remember that this exchange is NOT about spending a lot of money. It's about celebrating together with our Cill-mates and sharing Imbolc with each other. Nobody should feel that they have to spend much money on this project. We strongly encourage using found materials for your cross and/or brat, if possible, and inexpensive materials, if you need to purchase something.

I think that's everything, but if you have questions, please post here and ask.

Let the PMing begin!

~ Aster
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Breeze

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #10 on: December 16, 2014, 02:30:51 pm »
Quote from: Aster Breo;167497



PM sent!

Aster Breo

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2014, 02:46:58 pm »
Quote from: Breeze;167498
PM sent!

Got it.  Thanks!
"The status is not quo."  ~ Dr. Horrible

katbast

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #12 on: December 16, 2014, 07:15:15 pm »
Quote from: Aster Breo;167499
Got it.  Thanks!

 
PM sent

Aster Breo

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #13 on: December 16, 2014, 07:50:45 pm »
Quote from: katbast;167513
PM sent

Got it.  Thanks!
"The status is not quo."  ~ Dr. Horrible

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Re: 2015 Imbolc Exchange?
« Reply #14 on: December 16, 2014, 09:40:14 pm »
Quote from: Aster Breo;167514
Got it.  Thanks!

 
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