Thursday, February 28, 2008

Brighid.org.uk -- A Brigit Site to Treasure


Brighid Goddess and Saint is a fine site compiled by Paul Williment. On it you will find information on customs, Brigit sites in Ireland, The Isle of Man, Scotland, Wales, and England, books and CDs, links to related sites, and information on both Her goddess and saint aspects.

It's wonderful stuff, expertly and beautifully constructed, with lots of photographs to fill out the picture of modern Brigit devotion.

Thank you, Paul!


"The banner above depicts Brighid against Eilean Bhride in the Hebrides. The scroll honours all those who have preserved Her story throughout the ages. The red hot iron spiral represents the goddess and suggests a crosier as a reminder that St. Bridget was consecrated as a religious using the form of the ordination of a bishop."

Paul Williment



Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Preserving Shrine of Erynn Laurie


Anyone interested in Celtic Reconstructionism and many followers of Brigit will enjoy and learn from the thoughtful teachings of Erynn Rowan Laurie, Poet, Fili, and Priestess.

Erynn's latest book, Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom, is an excellent resource. Philip Carr-Gomm, Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids, has this to say about the book: "At last. Magic, poetry and scholarship meet in perfect harmony. I will recommend this book to all students of The Order..."

Though of course her focus in the book is much broader than that of Brigit's Sparkling Flame, among the pieces of information she offers about Brigit is her association with birch, for instance the offering of birch branches to her at Imbolc.

See her website (The Preserving Shrine) for information on her books, ogam readings, etc., links to CR sites and Erynn's LiveJournal. Stop there, also, for access to these articles:

from her website:

The early Irish Brehon law texts ask "What is the preserving shrine? " This question has two answers:

"The preserving shrine is nature and what is preserved in it."
"The preserving shrine is memory and what is preserved in it."

This is the heart of Filidecht: the practice of sacred, ritual poetcraft in early Irish and Scottish tradition. Nature and memory are one in the Fili. The Filidecht of Inis Glas, the personal path Erynn co-founded and practices, is a way of devotional, poetic nature mysticism based in an attempt to reconstruct aspects of early Celtic spiritual practices.

In early Irish practice, poetry and the word were intrinsic components of magic and the worship of deity. The Filidh additionally taught, practiced divination and ritual, did healing work, sought visions, and pursued many other arts for the people and tribes they served.


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Daughters of Daghda, a Brigidine Celtic Reconstructionist Site

excerpted from the site:

Céad Mile Faílte! One hundred thousand welcomes to my site in honor of the Goddess Brighid! I am a Celtic Reconstructionist Pagan of Irish heritage, which dates back to 1706 in the New World, and that of Eastern Band Mississippi Choctaw. Here I have tried to provide interesting and informative links to sites about Brighid. There are also pages about my devotions and spirituality to Her as a CRP and pictures of my seasonal altars dedicated to Her for offerings and meditation. Of course, my kitties have their own cozy corner as they deserve a special space for themselves. My intense political life demands its own voice on the site as it is also an integral part of my love for and having been claimed by Herself.

...
I began wanting an Order of Flamekeepers where the women to whom I passed Her Flame were on the same CR path as myself. We have begun this project in our CR community under the inspiration of Kathryn Price NicDhana who is sworn to Brighid and a Flametender for many years. If you are a woman who is practicing the CR spirituality or very much interested in doing so and have special devotion to Brighid, please follow this link to our LiveJournal community of Brighidwomen. The Order is in its early formation and will be a collective effort in its foundation stages:
http://community.livejournal.com/brighidwomen/profile


Beannachdan!

S. Breen

Eurotales: Traditional Stories and Festivals Illustrated by Kids


Eurotales produces pages for children that tell traditional European stories and other pages that describe festivals. The festivals included range from the Finnish carnival of Vappu, Greek Christmas, English Weddings, and St. Brigit's Feast Day.
The lively art, done by children, and photos of kids celebrating the Day, or of various components of the particular festival, make the site well worth visiting.
(For a lovely Irish story, try "The King Who Hated To Have His Hair Cut".)