Flowers for Brigid?

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[xsheogorathx]

I'm hoping I placing this in the correct area! I recently performed a healing rite and Brigid requested flowers as an offering. I'm not quite sure what sort of flowers to offer, especially since it is in the middle of winter. The very brief glimpse of 'flowers' I got was a many petaled flower blooming open very quickly and then fading away. To me it seemed like a carnation, but carnations as far as I know are not plants native to Ireland and I'm not sure if this matters much or at all. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Tana]

It might help, if you don't think about Brigid as only belonging to Ireland?
If she wants carnation flowers, why not? She sure knows that they exist.

See, here's only what I think about this topic - YMMV, but I always thought it not right to limit a deity to a certain period of history or a certain landscape at a certain time. This seems to me like thinking in very narrow human terms only.

I mean, I'm only a small human being, and I know at least a bit about other countries, what food they have, what plants grow there, what customs are usual - how could a god not know this? Because the ancient people in Ireland didn't know about carnation flowers this seems not a point for me, not to offer them?

Know what I mean?

[Juni]

I'm hoping I placing this in the correct area! I recently performed a healing rite and Brigid requested flowers as an offering. I'm not quite sure what sort of flowers to offer, especially since it is in the middle of winter. The very brief glimpse of 'flowers' I got was a many petaled flower blooming open very quickly and then fading away. To me it seemed like a carnation, but carnations as far as I know are not plants native to Ireland and I'm not sure if this matters much or at all. Does anyone have any suggestions?

If you think she's asking for carnations, I would go with it. I associate the daisy with her, personally ( have a faint recollection of reading it somewhere, but I couldn't tell you where.)

As for the native bit, and whether that matters- it depends. On the context, on the deity in question, on the person, sometimes. In some cases it's appropriate to stick with traditional offerings, and sometimes people give all sorts of offerings that ancient people would have been unable to give. There's no hard and fast rule. But if she seems to be asking for something specific, I'd say you can go outside of what's traditional or not and just give her want she wants.

[Matrinka]

I'm hoping I placing this in the correct area! I recently performed a healing rite and Brigid requested flowers as an offering. I'm not quite sure what sort of flowers to offer, especially since it is in the middle of winter. The very brief glimpse of 'flowers' I got was a many petaled flower blooming open very quickly and then fading away. To me it seemed like a carnation, but carnations as far as I know are not plants native to Ireland and I'm not sure if this matters much or at all. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Look up gilly flower or pinks.  They're the same thing- small members of the carnation family that are native to the islands. 

[Tana]

Look up gilly flower or pinks.  They're the same thing- small members of the carnation family that are native to the islands. 

Ah.. mystery solved.

[Aster Breo]

The very brief glimpse of 'flowers' I got was a many petaled flower blooming open very quickly and then fading away. To me it seemed like a carnation, but carnations as far as I know are not plants native to Ireland and I'm not sure if this matters much or at all. Does anyone have any suggestions?

It also could be dandelions, which are strongly associated with Brighid because the flowers look like the sun and the juice is milky.

There's also a red and white (I think) flower native to Ireland that is associated with Her, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're looking for.  I can't remember the name of it, but if you need it, I can dig up that reference.

[darashand]

It also could be dandelions, which are strongly associated with Brighid because the flowers look like the sun and the juice is milky.

Interesting, because no matter how hard one tries to get rid of dandelions, they keep coming back!  Brighid is much the same, don't you think?  People tried to get rid of Her through conquest and whatnot, but She never really went away.

[xsheogorathx]

Look up gilly flower or pinks.  They're the same thing- small members of the carnation family that are native to the islands. 

Thank you very much, this really helps! I had heard that Gilly Flower was a name for a kind of carnation but wasn't sure about it!

[xsheogorathx]

If you think she's asking for carnations, I would go with it. I associate the daisy with her, personally ( have a faint recollection of reading it somewhere, but I couldn't tell you where.)

As for the native bit, and whether that matters- it depends. On the context, on the deity in question, on the person, sometimes. In some cases it's appropriate to stick with traditional offerings, and sometimes people give all sorts of offerings that ancient people would have been unable to give. There's no hard and fast rule. But if she seems to be asking for something specific, I'd say you can go outside of what's traditional or not and just give her want she wants.

Thanks! This is the first time a Deity has asked for something specific and I was taken by surprise (and a little delight I have to say) and wanted to get everything right.

[xsheogorathx]

Thanks so much everyone for your advice! I'm going to go buy carnations on Monday!

[Matrinka]

Thank you very much, this really helps! I had heard that Gilly Flower was a name for a kind of carnation but wasn't sure about it!

They are one of my favorite flowers.  That clove scent is intoxicating.  I'm going to be putting more in this coming year.

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