Brigit at Glastonbury, According to the Rev. Lionel Smithett Lewis, M. A.

 A dear friend of mine, once the owner of a secondhand bookstore where many a joyful hour was spent, is getting rid of her library as she prepares to move into assisted living. She gave me first crack, and I found this little gem of the Glastonbury Saint Brigit mythos.

The full title is Glastonbury “The Mother of Saints” – Her Saints A.D. 37–1539. It was published at Christmas, 1925, of which 1000 copies were printed. This is from the second edition, Christmas, 1927, of which 2000 copies were printed. The author, Rev. Lionel Smithett Lewis, M. A., was the vicar of Glastonbury.

Below you will find photographic images of the cover and pages pertinent to Saint Brigit, here called Saint Bride. Now, do remember to take every detail of this with a large cellar of salt. Click on the images to see a larger size.

Brigid - Music and Meditation with Singing the Land

 

Oh, I am looking forward to this.

Singing the Land is Elaine Máire Brigid Ní Chiardha, who lives a stone's throw from the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland. From her event site:

THURSDAY, 3 FEBRUARY 2022 FROM 7:30 PM Irish Time, 11:30-13:00 PST

Online event

An online celebration of Brigid this Imbolc with music and meditation, February 3rd at 7.30pm Irish time. This will be a healing transmission from Brigid through original songs, chants and guided meditation. I am a long time devotee of Brigid - she has been my central guide and spiritual companion from my first moment of spiritual experience over 20 years ago. As a singer and songwriter I write many songs inspired by and dedicated to her. Recently while holding meditation circles, a beautiful Brigid’s Fire meditation came through. I will combine these offerings with some simple Brigid songs and chants that we can all sing together, and perhaps share some stories, to create an evening of inspiration, healing and homecoming. I would love you to join me.

Brigid is revered in Ireland and beyond as a powerful and loving embodiment of the Divine Feminine. For me she is primarily a Mother – Muire na nGael, Mary of the Irish. In ancient Celtic tradition she is a triple Goddess, uniting the 3 phases of the Goddess – Maiden, Mother and Crone. Because she continued through the Christian era as Saint Brigid, her worship continues strongly today. She has many aspects and qualities – the perpetual flame, the holy well, healing and care, poetic inspiration, the power of manifestation – and more. And she is of course the bringer of spring, the time of Imbolc – im bolg, in the belly – bringing fertility and new life.

Exchange €15, €10 concession. We will gather online via zoom. I invite you to create your own comfy sacred space at home to receive maximum enjoyment and nourishment from the event. To register, send me an email and your payment via paypal to singingtheland@gmx.com and I will send you the zoom link. Please choose 'friends and family' payment option on paypal, or include an extra €1 to cover the payment fee. Bookings close at 3pm the day of the event. I will record the call and you will receive the video link as part of the ticket price. 

I am excited to share that I am working on some studio recordings of Brigid songs, an EP or album dedicated to Brigid and the Divine Feminine. I’m not sure if any of the recordings will be ready for release this Brigid’s Day, but I am inspired still to share these songs and their stories and medicine to celebrate her day and Imbolc this year.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a sacred musician and singer based in Co. Meath, Ireland. I played for some years on the South of England folk scene, after completing a music degree there. I’ve been playing original sacred music and chant in Meath and nearby for 6 years now, for local concerts, festivals and sacred gatherings. I am also a certified Shamanic Energy Therapist and Naked Voice facilitator and hold meditation and chanting circles.

You can listen to some simple recordings of my music here:
https://soundcloud.com/singingtheland/brigid-of-the-flame
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJVIy--Hf90

THURSDAY, 3 FEBRUARY  2022

What I’m listening to coming up to Imbolc

 

The Story Archaeologists put out a wonderful podcast about Brigit a number of years ago. I’ve listened to it several times and I am listening to it again. Here is the link, Mythical Women 05: The Search for Brigid.

In a later series, the Story Archaeologists looked at our fair goddess again, in Revisiting Mythical Women 05: The Search for Brigid.

Image . Brigid’s Well at Fochard Bríde

What I'm reading coming up to Imbolc...

 

There are so many sources for immersing ourselves in Brigit as we come up to her festival, but what is my first choice?

Pagan Portals - Brigid by Morgan Daimler. It is the best source for getting a clear understanding of the goddess. (There are other great sources for the saint.)

 

My second choice is the sadly out of print Rites of Brigid, Goddess and Saint by Seán Ó Duinn OSB.

 

And how did I not know there was an Irish language version of that book, Gnas Na Feile Bride? Perhaps still less available than the English.

 

Nevertheless, I will be dipping in to this one, as well, as the month goes on.

 

New: Imbolc Ritual and Practice by Orlagh Costello

 

Imbolc (Imbolg) Ritual & Practice The Fire Festivals Ritual Series by Orlagh Costello at the Irish Pagan School

From the Irish Pagan School page for this class and ritual: 

"Class Series providing practical rituals for all seasons, as we work through the Fire Festivals Cycle in the Irish Tradition:

"Have you ever wanted to do a ritual to authentically celebrate the Irish Fire Festivals (Samhain, Imbolg, Bealtaine, or Lúnasa)... but weren't sure what to do or where to start? 

"Each session in this series will cover the basic associations and practices for each festival to give you a good grounding with regard to the ancient Imbolc (Imbolg) traditions in Ireland. Then you'll move into the main event - a ritual attuned to those associations, including guided meditation and original Irish language prayers.

"This ritual can be personalised afterwards for your own use, but will give you a solid framework right now, which you can develop further as your personal practice grows."

Click here to learn more and to sign up.

Image: Candle and sheaf of oats from IPS site.

Join Mael Brigde for Daily Brigit Devotions, Nineteen Days & One

 I have been wanting to make contact with the Brigit community in January, but have been uncertain what offering I could make. An online gathering? A long contemplation, as I did last year? Nothing felt exactly right, particularly as I have been hard hit by the death of my brother in October, and have very little bandwidth for anything energetic.

 

Finally I realised that what I most wanted was to spend some quiet time with Brigit and her devotees over the days leading up to her festival – regular, repeated, simple, and brief – as an offering and as a way of preparing for Imbolc.

 

Therefore…

 

I would like to share my daily devotions with you for the nineteen-plus-one days leading up to and culminating in Lá Fhéile Bhríde, Saint Brigit’s Day, and Imbolc.

 

Beginning on Thursday, 13 January 2022, I will be streaming via Facebook Live each day at 11:45 A.M. Pacific Standard Time // 7:45 P.M. Irish Standard Time // 6:45 A.M. Australia Time (this last is on the following date).^[1] Just come to my profile page: 

www.facebook.com/mael.brigde/ at that time. I'll be there as close to that time as tech allows.