Brigit's Sparkling Flame

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where Have You Been?

2012-01-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

"On Reading" by André Kertész. Esztergom Hungary 1915

I want to explain why Brigit's Sparkling Flame has been so quiet recently. I have indeed been working on it, but rather than doing my usual little posts I have been ploughing through approximately twenty-five books and articles about Brigit, reviewing them at greater or lesser length, and preparing the reviews for the blog. This was a much bigger job than expected, in part because I kept expanding the list (it has since contracted a little as I had to rein myself in a tad), and in part because of Life.

I have in fact finished the reading and am at the stage of final drafts and organization of sections, to go on when that is completed to adding links, images, etc. Portions of some of the reviews will also go on LibraryThing.com and Amazon.

Problem is, I am not well. Various commitments to bring me to a healthy state are now taking most of my time, and there is no energy left for finishing the project at the moment. So once again there is a delay, but I am determined to get it done as soon as I can, and perhaps in the meantime I ought to go back to posting the odd little bit of interest to lovers of Brigit, such as the previous piece about the Daughters of Bride.

My apologies, and blessings of Brigit on you all.

Mael

New Flame-Tending Group: Nigheanan Brighde, Daughters of Brìde

2012-01-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

There is a very interesting new flame-tending and well-tending group I've been made aware of. I like the inclusion of the well for those who are drawn more to that aspect of Brigidine devotion. Note that what Éireann is looking for is a close-knit group, rather than the more loosely organized community of mostly solitary flame-tenders that other groups generally consist of.

I'll give you the blurb from their yahoo site and then a brief note from their founder, Éireann nighean Brighde Johnson:

Nigheanan Brighde, Daughters of Brìde, is a Celtic Polytheist Order of Flame Keepers & Well Tenders for Brìde.

Nigheanan Brighde's goals are as follows:

1- To function as a flame keeping and well tending order firmly rooted in the traditional, polytheist Celtic cultural worldview and accordingly supporting, studying, and participating in traditional Celtic cultural expressions;

2- To tend the Sacred Living Flame of Brìde through keeping vigils over our portion of the flame in shifts;

3- To tend the Sacred Healing Well of Brìde through stewardship of the waters of the world by tending a watery location such as a section of a river or lake where each of us lives;

4- To forge deep communal bonds between Flame Keepers/Well Tenders through sharing our vigil experiences with each other, holding regular Chat sessions, and extending community-building beyond the bounds of the internet;

5- To explore the aspect of Brìde which has a special connection to women and women's wisdom.

As is traditional, this order will be a sisterhood of women. While male flame keeping is not frowned upon by Nigheanan Brighde, we cherish the inherent gifts of working in female-only space.

I asked Éireann what inspired her to start the order. This is her reply:

I have flame tended in the past with Ord Brighideach, on two different occasions, but ultimately what I longed for was a close community with the fellow flame tenders of my cill, and that didn't seem to be how the cills operated. It was in the end a very solitary experience and I didn't enjoy that.

After I left the second time I briefly facilitated an online meditation group dedicated to Brìde in which we would all meditate on Her once a week and then post to an email list about our experiences, but it fizzled out.

Later I ran across a blog which was a site for an independent flame tending group in which members blogged about their shifts and I was really drawn to that kind of sharing together of each member's experiences with Brìde. I tried to join, but the group seemed defunct at that time.

In the meantime I ran across a women's Celtic spirituality group online which included a well-tending practice and mentioned Brìde, and I was very drawn to this idea of participating in a devotional to Her watery side. The group also incorporated a flame tending circle but they worked separately. The overall membership in this group was deeply involved and not something I could pursue participating in.

I also got involved with another independent flame tending cill for awhile which has a tradition of a member's exchange at Imbolc, and I really liked the idea of breaking free of the internet constraints to connect with fellow flame tenders. The group was less social overall than I had hoped for however, and so I did not remain with them.

I also noticed that the Celtic polytheist worldview was not a focus of any one cill, and, while I do appreciate the bridging aspect of a group consisting of both Christians and pagans, I felt that as the original flame tending community was religiously and culturally homogenous and that this facet likely helped member bonding, I'd like to see such a group rooted in the Celtic Polytheist tradition.

Finally, I feel a special pull to women-only groups, and as the original flame tending was centered around women, I felt there was some special relationship alluded to there between Brìde and women, and I desired to actively explore that in the company and community of other women devoted to Her.

All of these ideas brewed inside me, percolated, and came out as a new kind of Brìde-devoted sisterhood in which members would commit to: sharing their flame tending vigils online each time so we could grow in our understanding of Her through all of our experiences and offer each other support as needed; to dedicating ourselves to a regional watery location such as a riverbank or lakeside or well to tend at least once seasonally by cleaning up trash and leaving prayers and offerings as a way to both meditate on Brìde's connection with water and to forge a mindful relationship with our own lands; to being firmly rooted together in the Celtic Polytheist tradition; and to further forge community by both holding group chats for as many members as could attend on each 20th shift, and by creating together an Imbolc exchange tradition.

Our group is not yet full. We began actively tending at Samhain and so far it has been a wonderful experience which I hope will continue to blossom for all of us, and for those members yet to come. To the best of my knowledge, this is a truly unique kind of flame-tending group and experience. It is not suited to the solitary or casual tender, however; but, for those willing to commit to deep community through Brìde, I think if offers a special opportunity to such women.

I am thankful for the long and winding road Brìde has set me on which has brought me here and to all those who have influenced and inspired me along the way.

Éireann

Hot off the "Press": Under the Oak on Brigit, Daughter of Duffy

2011-10-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned this blog before, and likely will again. Under the Oak is dedicated to postings on the Irish Saints, in particular Brigit of Kildare. Here is a snippet from her latest post:

Brigid, the Daughter of Duffy

A few days ago we looked at the feastday of Saint Dubhthach. I remarked then that this is a name borne by both Irish pagans and Christians, and suggested that perhaps the most famous of its pagan bearers was Dubhthach, the father of Saint Brigid of Kildare. It is also claimed that this name has been anglicized as the modern Irish surname Duffy, and it is in this form that Irish-American poet, Denis A. McCarthy (1870-1931), presents Saint Brigid as the champion of the poor and generous to a fault, something which provokes a culture clash with her pagan father...

The author of the post includes the poem by McCarthy, which begins thus:

ST. BRIGID

BY DENIS A. MCCARTHY

BRIGID, the daughter of Duffy, she wasn't like other young things,
Dreaming of lads for her lovers, and twirling her bracelets and rings;
Combing and coiling and curling her hair that was black as the sloes,
Painting her lips and her cheeks that were ruddy and fresh as the rose.
Ah, 'twasn't Brigid would waste all her days in such follies as these -
Christ was the Lover she worshipped for hour after hour on her knees;
Christ and His Church and His poor, - and 'twas many a mile that she trod
Serving the loathsomest lepers that ever were stricken by God...

To see the whole post, and go through the archives which contain many a gem, please go to:

http://brigid-undertheoak.blogspot.com/2011/10/brigid-daughter-of-duffy.html

Unfortunately, Blogger is misbehaving and I can't hyperlink that for you, but I'm sure you know what to do!

Mara Freeman Talks Brigit

2011-09-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Mara Freeman is "an author and teacher of Western Esoteric tradition, specifically the Celtic and British branches. She lives in a wooded valley in west Wales not far from the sea." She is the author of Kindling the Celtic Spirit, Harper San Francisco, 2001. In October of 2004 we linked to her Beliefnet guided meditation, Fire at the Forge.
Mara recently contacted me about two Brigit-related postings on her blog, which I would like now to share with you. I'll present here a snippet of each, and then provide a link to the full posting on her blog.

Freeing the Waters – Two Rediscovered Holy Wells of Wales

An age-old tradition links women with wells. In the ancient world

sacred springs were regarded as the entrance to the Underworld

where the spirits dwelled. Pilgrims visited them to receive oracular

utterances from the priestess who was guardian of the shrine – a

practice that was still alive not two hundred years ago in Cornwall.

A mediaeval Grail text tells us of the “Voices of the Wells,” which

were silenced when the Well Maidens were defiled by an evil king

and his followers. Because of this the Holy Grail was withdrawn

from the kingdom and its blessings no longer poured freely out

into our world. This last weekend I visited two wells in mid Wales

that were once lost but recently found again. Strangely enough, the

stories of their rediscovery all involve women....

Ffynnon Ffraid

Winding up through the Cambrian mountains in the hazy heat of early

July, I went in search of one of the few holy wells in Wales dedicated

to St Bridget. The Irish holy woman who was once the Celtic goddess

Brigit is known here as St. Ffraid (pronounced Fride), and a mediaeval

Ffynnon Ffraid had been rediscovered not long ago by a woman living

in a remote upland farm in these parts. According to tradition, when

Bridget was young her duties involved milking cows and making butter in

thehafod, the country people's summer home in the high pastures.

Brigit of the red kites,

Brigit of the moorland,

Brigit of the meadowsweet,

Brigit of the dragonflies . . .

The well was entirely unique in Wales, being covered by stones in the

shape of a beehive, but was in a bad state of repair. Annwen Davies

and her mother worked for years to get funding for its restoration,

but in the end had to use their own savings to get the job done...

To read the full text of this entry, please scoot over to the original posting on Mara's blog.

And from Mara's posting

MONDAY, 15 AUGUST 2011

What the Druids Knew

Bees were considered so important to early Irish society that there

were special bee laws designed to protect them, called the 'bech

tha.' A 7th century holy woman called Gobnait, who founded a

women's community in southwest Ireland, had a close relationship

with bees and used their honey for healing illnesses and treating

wounds. She was said to be one of three sisters who had power

over fire, and is clearly a Christianised version of the triple fire-

goddess, Brighid, with whom she shares the same feast-day in

early February. When a band of thieves attempted to steal the

community cattle, Gobnait let loose a swarm of bees on the

rustlers and sent them fleeing in terror. At her shrine in Bally-

vourney, Co. Cork, a statue depicts her standing on top of a hive,

surrounded by bees.

For the full posting, please follow this link.

Imbolc Down Under

2011-08-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

It just occurred to me to mention that when those of us in the northern hemisphere are celebrating Lughnasadh, a Celtic summer harvest festival, many NeoPagan folk in southern realms are celebrating its opposite, which is Imbolc. So a belated call of Joyous Imbolc! to our antipodean kin.

For those who would like to learn more about this North/South flip, from an Australian perspective, look no farther. Daughter of the Flame Roxanne Bodsworth is the author of:

Sunwyse: Celebrating the Sacred Wheel of the Year in Australia

Roxanne Bodsworth.
Hihorse Publishing, 2003 - 96 pages
Sunwyse celebrates the sacred Wheel of the Year in Australia. Following the Wheel is a way of developing a greater awareness of the natural cycles governing life on Earth and having fun in the process. Drawing from many traditions, Sunwyse explores eight festivals associated with the Wheel: two equinoxes, two solstices and four between these points - known as the cross-quarter festivals. Each festival is explained and its theme is explored through mythology. Related holidays and events are listed and there are suggestions for ways of celebrating each festival. Sunwyse is about honouring all aspects of our multicultural heritage and celebrating them in a truly Australian context.

More from Tairis : Making a Dealbh Bride

2011-05-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

I am lifting this entire short article from Seren's site to give a taste of what she has on offer (and because it's a cool posting for Brigidines!):

Making a Dealbh Bride

One of the central celebrations to Là Fhèill Brìghde is the making of the brideag or dealbh Bride – the 'Little Bride', or 'icon of Bride' as it is called in Scotland, or the brideóg as it called in Ireland. The brideag or brideóg was usually made by girls (although in parts of Ireland, boys also made and then paraded them), where as in Scotland, the dealbh Bride was made by the older (married) women of the house.¹

In a modern context, this can be an ideal activity for a group, a family, or even on your own, as part of your celebrations. The icons were originally made from sheaves of corn, saved from the harvest, although larger effigies that were to be paraded around the village (in Ireland, specifically) were often made using a churn dash which was then dressed and padded out to make it more lifelike.² In more recent times, corn might not have been used at all ³ (sometimes a child's doll was specially decorated for the occasion, if a dolly wasn't made from scratch), so using modern materials to make the icon can easily be seen as being within the continuum of practise. For many, corn can be hard to come by and the more modern materials available could be said to be more relevant to their circumstances as well.

The icon can be as large or small as you want, and as simple or as complicated as you like. You can use natural or manmade materials, and be as garish or tasteful as you like, and there are any number of different ways you make the doll itself – wire and beads, pipe cleaners, clothes pegs, papier machè, modelling clay, marzipan or icing (for something that's easily biodegradable, if that's a concern), sew it, or knit it. If you decide to sew or knit a brideag then you can easily stuff it with herbs to make it smell nice.

Most art and craft stores have kits you can buy if you're not feeling too confident in making something from scratch, but these can be expensive. Glitter and sparkles tend to be cheaper in toy shops that have an art and craft section, and will always appeal to younger children if you want to make it a joint effort. Alternatively, small shells, pebbles, sticks, bark and anything else you can find outside would make cheaper, more natural decorations.

In decorating the dealbh Bride, I tend to take into account the area I live in (which is coastal), so I often use beads in the shape of starfish, shells, fish and so on for decoration. Since the act of making the icon itself is essentially devotional, personalising it in this way helps me to visualise her making her visits in the area for the night.

As you make the icon – especially in a group – you can set the scene with music and traditional songs, stories or poems and some good food and drink (if you haven't already eaten). There are plenty of songs, stories and poems to choose from that would be appropriate for the day. As much as it can be seen as a devotional, it should be a festive occasion, too.

In the past I've made the dealbh Bride a day or two before I celebrate Là Fhèill Brìghde because with a young family I find it a bit much to fit everything in in just one day. It makes it easier to get the children involved too.

Finally, here are some examples of the dealbh Bride that I've made in the past (some have been more successful than others):

This one I made from scratch. The next one I made using a doll-making kit from a toy shop to get the general doll shape, which I then dressed and decorated myself:

Last year's effort, made from a kit I bought:

This year's efforts, from myself and the kids (age three and five), using a different kit:

References

1 Carmichael, Carmina Gadelica, 1992, p582; Danaher, The Year in Ireland, 1972, p24.

2 Danaher, The Year in Ireland, 1972, p24.

3 http://www.thewildgeese.com/blogs/2006_01_01_archive.html

Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 February 2011 11:08

Gods as Ancestors : Brigit

2011-05-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

Scotland-based Celtic Reconstructionist Seren maintains an excellent website on the topic. In her posting "Gods as Ancestor" she investigates the evidence of local connections between particular deities and areas of Ireland. Of Wexford she writes:

In what is now County Wexford, there were the Benntraige, who traced their descent from Benta, son of Mál, all the way back to Lug son of Ethnenn (Ethne).²⁴ James MacKillop makes Lug the god of the Laigin, being of the opinion that Lug is who they derived their name from; this is linguistically unlikely,²⁵ however, and looking at the names of septs in the area – the Uí Brigte, for example, and possibly the Bairrche (though less likely to derive their name from Brigit),²⁶ along with the foundation of Brigid's monastery in Kildare – all suggests that Brigit was very much the goddess associated with the area.²⁷

Have a look at the whole article, and explore others on this fascinating site. Visit Tairis.

Iron Age Celts Home Education

2011-04-28T15:21:00.001-07:00

Brigit, it will come as no surprise to you, arises at least in part from Celtic culture, and some understanding of that culture is useful to those who are attracted to learning more about her. I stumbled across a site which has an interactive educational module on Celtic life, in particular Welsh, designed for youngsters. (Do we still use that word?) Not terribly young myself, I nevertheless enjoyed exploring the site.

Thanks to the BBC for this!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/

The Brighid Oracle

2011-04-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

"From a young age Ceri Norman's love of mythology and history has inspired her. After gaining a degree studying History and English, Ceri worked in libraries and museums sharing this love with the people she met. Seeing the pleasure that books and history gave, Ceri started writing fiction that people of all ages could enjoy and relate to. As a deeply spiritual person she prefers her writing to have a spiritual and mystical flavour."

Ceri is the author of Celtic Maidens, "a powerful and supernatural tale of love, lives and obsession set against the dramatic scenery of the Welsh Mountains". She writes for various magazines and contributed to Holly Swann's booklet, "Brighid and Me", mentioned elsewhere in this blog.

The Brighid Oracle, by Ceri Norman

From Ceri's site:

The Brighid Oracle by Ceri Norman will be released later this year by the Tarot Media Company.

The Brighid Oracle is a 33 card deck, with companion book, bringing the divine energy and wisdom of Brighid into daily life. Brighid is known to and loved by many people from a variety of backgrounds and paths as Celtic Goddess, Christian Saint, or Faerie Queen. The cards explore the mythical landscapes, sacred creatures, ancient rites, and rich treasures of creativity which Brighid provides. Many of Her myths and magical symbols are represented in the cards, such as Brighid's cross, swans, fire and Kildare.

I've been working with Brighid for many years and I am her Priestess, Flame Keeper and much more. I've not only written this Oracle for Brighid, I also had a go at illustrating it. Brighid is the light that guides my way in life, she is my guiding star . Brighid's inspiration is a constant source of strength and wisdom, and through this Oracle I share the experience of working with Brighid with others, to inspire them on their own path.

Whether you have a little bit of Irish in your genes, are fascinated by all things Celtic, or are looking to connect with a Goddess who will guide and inspire you, this Oracle has something that appeals to everyone.

The press release for The Brighid Oracle.

I will add more details to this page, such as the release date, as soon as I have more information.

St Bridget of Skenfrith, Wales

2011-03-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

St. Bridget's Church in the village of Skenfrith in the Welsh Marches turned 800 years old in 2007.

According to Filbee, whose Flickr photos of this church are worth a look, St. Bridget's is a "13th century church with squat tower and huge buttress. The interior has a Jacobean pew, 15th century embroidery, and the tomb of the last governor of the Three Castles (Grosmont, Skenfrith, and White).

"St Bridget’s Church was founded in 1207 by Hugh de Burgh who was also responsible for building Skenfrith castle. The tower is unusual. It belongs to the period when the Welsh border was subject to sudden raids and the villagers might need to seek refuge at any time. The tower has five feet thick walls and is capped with a 'Dovecote' which in times of scarcity or danger could have housed pigeons as well as bells. The clock was installed in 1926."

He provides a link to Mark Collins' Roughwood site, with its page on St Bridget's. There are some excellent pictures here. The interior shot above comes from his page.

The UKAttraction site has this to add:

"The church, dedicated to the Irish Abbess Bridget, was built in the 13th Century in Early English and Perpendicular styles. It has a wooden dovecote-topped tower with an open wood lantern containing 6 bells. There is medieval glass in the East window, fragments of wall paintings and an ancient tomb chest with Elizabethan figures depicting the wife and eight children of John Morgan dated 1557. A rare pre-Reformation cope (a cape-like garment worn by Bishops) is preserved in a glass-fronted case."

This handy page provides links to attractions in the area of the church, places to stay, and so on.

"The Giveaway" (from The Love Letters of Phyllis McGinley)

2011-03-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

"The Giveaway"

Saint Bridget was

A problem child.

Although a lass

Demure and mild,

And one who strove

To please her dad,

Saint Bridget drove

The family mad.

For here's the fault in Bridget lay:

She would give everything away.

To any soul

Whose luck was out

She'd give her bowl

Of stirabout;

She'd give her shawl,

Divide her purse

With one or all.

And what was worse,

When she ran out of things to give

She'd borrow from a relative.

Her father's gold,

Her grandsire's dinner,

She'd hand to cold

and hungry sinner;

Give wine, give meat,

No matter whose;

Take from her feet

The very shoes,

And when her shoes had gone to others,

Fetch forth her sister's and her mother's.

She could not quit.

She had to share;

Gave bit by bit

The silverware,

The barnyard geese,

The parlor rug,

Her little

niece's christening mug,

Even her bed to those in want,

And then the mattress of her aunt.

An easy touch

For poor and lowly,

She gave so much

And grew so holy

That when she died

Of years and fame,

The countryside

Put on her name,

And still the Isles of Erin fidget

With generous girls named Bride or Bridget.

Well, one must love her.

Nonetheless,

In thinking of her

Givingness,

There's no denial

She must have been

A sort of trial

Unto her kin.

The moral, too, seems rather quaint.

Who had the patience of a saint,

From evidence presented here?

Saint Bridget? Or her near and dear?

(from The Love Letters of Phyllis McGinley, New York, Viking Press, 1957) Thank you to Oremus.

Proclaim an Holy Year for Nuns!

2011-02-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

I received a comment on the last posting from St Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association asking that we help promote a Holy Year for Nuns. Sounds like a great idea to me. Here is the posting the link took me to (posted on St Brigit's Day):

Tuesday 1 February 2011
Proclaim an Holy Year for Nuns!

Following the Holy Year for Priests, it is surely time to pray for consecrated women. Therefore, dear reader, we urge you to ask Ecclesiastical Authorities to dedicate a special year to give thanks to God for Nuns and to pray for Nuns and for more Nuns. What better way to do honour to St. Brigid?

Please proclaim an Holy Year for Nuns!

Ora pro populo, interveni pro clero, intercede pro devoto femineo sexu!

Who are the St Conleth's group?

Friday 6 June 2008
Introduction
St. Conleth’s Catholic Heritage Association aims at safeguarding the rich liturgical heritage of the Catholic Church and promoting its use in the sacramental life of the Church in the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. In effect, this means that we seek the full implementation of Summorum Pontificum throughout the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, wherever there is a genuine pastoral need.

This blog will keep you informed of the activities of St. Conleth’s Catholic Heritage Association, and of progress made in implementing Summorum Pontificum, particularly throughout the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin.

Poetry: 'Brighid's Runes'

2011-02-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

I have just received a copy of 'Brighid's Runes', edited by Rachel Mica McCann.

"'Brighid's Runes' is a collection of around 40 poems by over twenty women from various parts of Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland. The poems celebrate the sacred in every day life and our relationship with the earth. They are funny, poignant, eloquent and passionate! Some of the poets are well published, others are new to print. The money raised from the sale of the book will go towards supporting Women's and Earth healing projects, especially the Green Belt Movement in Kenya established by nobel prize winner Wangari Maatthai which has empowered women through planting trees and community development."

'Brighid's Runes' can be purchased from Rachel, e-mail rmicamc AT yahoo.co.uk for costs.

Brigit Book Reviews (2): List of Books to be Reviewed

2010-11-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

To be honest, I'm a little uncertain about some of my categories--particular works might be as happy in one as in another--so use them as general guides only, to keep the picture a little clearer on the table, not as Ultimate Pronouncements in every case.

Books to be Reviewed

Picture books:

Brigid’s Cloak, Reg Keating (1997)

Brigid’s Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story, Bryce Milligan (2002)

The Life of Saint Brigid, Jane Meyer (2009)

(We need some goddess-oriented Brigidine picture books.)

Novels/Poetry/Play:

St Brigit of the Mantle, Norah Kelly (1924) (play)

Brigit of Kildare, Ann Egan (2001) (novel/poetry)

Brigid of Kildare, Cindy Thomson (2006) (novel)

Brigid of Kildare, Heather Terrell (2010) (novel)

(I hope novelists start finding more unusual names for their Brigit books; it’s getting a bit hard to tell them apart.)

Mention only:

Confessions of a Pagan Nun, Kate Horsley (2001) (novel)

Sister Fidelma series, Peter Tremayne/Peter Beresford Ellis (1994--) (novels)

Nonfiction: Popular (Saint):

Saint Brigid of Ireland, Alice Curtayne (1954)

Saint Bride, Iain MacDonald (1992)

Power of Raven, Wisdom of Serpent, Noragh Jones (1994)

Rekindling the Flame: a Pilgrimage in the Footsteps of Brigid of Kildare, Rita Minehan CSB (1999)

The Life of Saint Brigid, Ann Egan Smucker (2009)

Nonfiction: Popular (Neopagan):

Candlemas: Feast of Flames, Amber K and Azrael Arynn TK (2001)

“The Well of Her Memory” in Red-Haired Girl from the Bog, Patricia Monaghan (2003)

‘‘Imbolc—Brigit”, Alexei Kondratiev, in Devoted to You, Judy Harrow (2003)

Brighid’s Healing: Ireland’s Celtic Medicine Traditions, Gina McGarry (2005)

Brighid and Me: Experiences with the Goddess, Hollee Swann, ed. (2010)

Nonfiction: Academic/Popular Academic:

By popular academic I mean books written in a scholarly style for a general audience. These I can only observe as a reader, not criticize as an expert.

The Serpent and the Goddess, Mary Condren (1989)

“Fire and the Arts” (etc) in Pagan Past and Christian Present in Early Irish

Literature, Kim McCone (1990)

“The Gods Come Home” in Mythic Ireland, Michael Dames (1992)

The Festival of Brigit, Séamas Ó Catháin (1995)

"Imbolc: A New Interpretation", by Phillip A. Bernhardt-House (pp 57-76) in Cosmos 18 (2002)

The Rites of Brigit, Goddess and Saint, Séan Ó Duinn (2005)

Brigit: Soulsmith for the New Millennium, Mary Condren (2005)

Landscape with Two Saints: How Genovefa of Paris and Brigit of Kildare Built Christianity in Barbarian Europe, Lisa M. Bitel (2009)

Brigid: Goddess, Druidess and Saint, Brian Wright (2009)

Brigit Book Reviews (1): Introduction

2010-11-16T16:35:00.000-08:00

This post marks the introduction of a series of posts in which I will review books (and one or two major book chapters) about Brigit. The books will be grouped by category (eg picture books, novels) and over time I will add to them as more books come my way. To find all postings, please search by the term "Brigit Book Reviews" (though with any luck I will post them in a clump, so you can just scroll to the next one.)

Brigidine Books for Children and Adults

Twenty-five years ago or so I had difficulty finding much at all to do with Brigit. There was Alice Curtayne’s Saint Brigid of Ireland (1954), and rummaging in scholarly journals and books I found a few brief references; a smattering more appeared in feminist and Neopagan writings. Most presented the same few elements—her perpetual fire, her healing well, her triplicity, her sainthood—with an occasional new detail to whet my appetite.

I wanted more, and I was not alone. Due in large part to books like Barbara Walker’s The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, interest increased in this western European alternative to the patriarchal Christian God, and so did the publications. We learned about folk traditions and discovered prayers to Saint Bride in the Carmina Gadelica. Chapters and whole books devoted to her began to appear, from scholarly texts to children’s picture books. With the introduction of the internet, sites of devotion to her as goddess and saint have mushroomed. There is a plethora now of writings (not to mention meditation and music CDs, sculptures, crafts, and images galore), and a wee bit of confusion if you look too closely at them.

Despite the antiquity and persistence of Brigit’s cult, and many years of study of the ancient Celts, there are major gaps in our knowledge of the nature and traditions of Brigit and her people. This leads naturally to guess-work and differing interpretations, depending on the sources used and the background and orientation of the authors. This is inevitable and good, when supported by evidence and footnoted in such a way that the interested reader can retrace arguments and come to her own conclusions. In this way, our understanding deepens and evolves. But it can lead, when there is a desire to offer an easily understandable picture, or where information is looked at without a good understanding of its context, to oversimplifications and misunderstandings, and a mushing together of the known and the invented. Borrowings, conscious or unintended, from unrelated doctrines—the Four Directions of Wicca, for example, which don’t exist in Celtic myth and religion—may be used to fill in the gaps: new traditions are grafted onto the old.

It can be argued that this is evolution, itself. The cult of Brigit is changed, now as in the past, by any new culture it comes in contact with. But for those of us who want to piece together an understanding based on what comes down to us from antiquity, it causes problems.

For some, historical accuracy is not as important as the lessons gleaned, the inspiration received, and the ease with which Brigit can be included in an existing practice or pantheon. This is a valid perspective. And surely, if we only wanted verifiable historical detail, Brigit would be a bad bet. Her “lives” were all written long after she died (if she lived at all) and her appearance as a goddess in the old texts comes even later. What we know about her comes almost entirely from a mixture of late period folklore, customs, place names, and Christian vitae. Still, an examination of those materials can give us a clearer picture of who she was to her people at various points in history. For many, this is the most comfortable starting point for a modern interpretation. Piecing together the many pieces of the puzzle is for them a rewarding intellectual and spiritual endeavour.

Having a satisfying bibliography and thorough footnotes doesn’t automatically prevent muddy thinking and misinformation, nor is it a case of academics being right and lay writers wrong. A healthy dose of skepticism is always advisable, and if you come across a particularly enticing piece of information, presented as fact, that you’ve never encountered before, you may want to follow it up and see where it comes from. There is a good chance that someone has made a guess and someone else has read that speculation as Truth.

For this reason you will find that I most prize authors who give their evidence, cite its origins, and then offer hypotheses based on that evidence. I am happier with gaps in the picture and a lack of certainty about ultimate truths than I am with murky provenance. On the other hand, I do appreciate reading a Brigidine’s vision of his benefactor and his interpretation of that vision, upwellings of inspired poetry, and creations of new ritual and charms. These are valid and valuable additions to her cultus. I treasure modern manifestations of her cult, “UPG” (Unconfirmed Personal Gnosis: inspiration about one’s personal deity), and spontaneous, joyful renderings, in addition to old traditions, academic observations, and considered conclusions. But I do like to know which is which.

When we can’t retrace a writer’s steps and weigh their conclusions, assertions once born as guesses or poetic imagery work their way into the literature as accepted fact. They may not be errors or even UPG—they may be legitimate pieces of historical information, but with no way of tracing them to their source they are untrustworthy and frustrating items to deal with. An example is the name Ingheau Anndagha or Daughters of the Flame.

I found this term in Merlin Stone’s Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood in 1992 and enthusiastically applied it to the group I had formed to relight Brigit’s perpetual flame. Because the Irish was daunting to non-Irish speakers, I reserved it for the newsletter and called the group Daughters of the Flame. I didn’t afterward find a single reference to the title Ingheau Anndagha in any but Neopagan writings—presumably they, too, got it from Merlin Stone.

So where did it come from? I wrote to Ms Stone in the 1990s and got no reply, so I can’t say. In time I dropped the dubious title from the newsletter, but we are quite content to this day to think of ourselves as daughters of Brigit’s flame, wherever the name may have come from. (The Truth may be out there somewhere; I eventually stopped looking. If you know the origins of Ingheau Anndagha, do tell!)

In my reviews of Brigidine books, I will primarily attempt to distinguish between:

works based on folk traditions, and/or written or geographical materials of ancient or medieval origin versus those which embark in new directions, infusing Wiccan and other ideas into their presentation of Brigit, versus works based largely on personal relationship with deity;
works that are well written and well presented versus those which are not;
works intended to further the study of or devotion to Brigit versus those which pursue other aims primarily;
works that are more useful for inspiration than for scholarship. (Since I can find inspiration in the driest scholarly presentation, if the ideas are exciting enough, I may not be able to offer the opposite: works that are more useful for scholarship than inspiration.)

All of this is intended as a sketchy roadmap for people to whom such distinctions are important. I’m grateful for this upsurging of Brigidine materials and devotion, in its many forms, and my intention is never to discourage authors, but to ask for and celebrate clarity in intent and presentation. I won’t be reviewing every book, or the many papers and articles available; if anyone is drawn to writing a scholarly critique of the literature, I would be delighted to read and link to it.

I distinguish in my categories between scholarly and popular books in part by the presence or absence of footnotes, index, and a bibliography based on primary and secondary source materials as opposed to one based on other popular books. This is not an indication of how serious or sincere a writer is. There are few books on the subject that have nothing at all to offer to our appreciation of Brigit and her cultus, and there are many perspectives available; mine is as subjective as any other.

I offer you, then, my sense of the books I have before me, pointing you in the direction of texts I personally find useful and raising a flag of caution here and there, in the hope this may help you in choosing which books you want to explore in more depth. If you have suggestions of other books that should be on the list—perhaps your own?—please let me know. If you are able to point me toward a review copy, so much the better.

Given all that, I invite you to dip into the waters of Brigit writings, and encourage you to add to that body of work if you are so inspired.

May you find many blessings in your research, and may her flame burn bright within you.

Brigit's Forge: Online Brigit Resource

2010-11-11T09:53:00.000-08:00

Brigit's Forge Website is the child of Hilaire Wood of Aberystwyth, Wales. In her words:

Brigit's Forge website is inspired by Brigit and dedicated to her. It represents the actual and virtual place where I work as a poet and healer and where I research and write about Brigit, Celtic mythology and folklore. I believe that healing, inspiration and creativity are linked, and that the ability to forge is important for bringing our creativity into manifestation. I draw my faith in the Otherworld, my inspiration, and the strength to cope with the challenges in my life, from Celtic mythology and religion in general and Brigit in particular. My method is to read and learn, to go to sacred places in Ireland and Wales, to spend time with land, sea and sky and to let all this inform my spiritual practice. This website is where I hope to share some of what I have learned with people who have the same interests.

The blacksmith's forge is the place where iron is forged to make useful and beautiful objects, and at one time it was also the meeting place for the community, a place to share stories and information, music and jesting, a place where the young men would engage in contests and shows of strength. In ancient times it also had a deeper and more magical significance as a place of initiation and creation.

My aim here is to balance more factual information with nourishment for the spirit and the senses, taking advantage of this medium to use colour, images and sound where possible.

On this site Hilaire offers:

Articles
Charms & Prayers
Meditations
Poems
Olive Branch
Links
Contact
blog

These articles begin where most do, with an introduction to Brigit as goddess and saint, but they move into areas not often examined, such as the the role of Brigit in war, Brigit in Wales (Ffraid, who does not share with her Irish and Scottish parallels an Imbolc feast day), and a comparison with the "Hindu Sarasvati, goddess of learning and the creative arts, who bears some striking resemblances to Brigit, as well as some important differences."

Hilaire's careful scholarship, deep commitment, and creative intellect make this website a valuable and precious resource.

St. Brigid's Farm

2010-10-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, most pictures of Saint Brigit have one of two things in them, if not both: a cow, and a book. As a goddess, Brigit is patron of Healing, Poetry, and Smithcraft. She comes from a rural society with a cattle-based economy, and she inspires and oversees the work of scholars and artisans. As a saint, Brigit is responsible for the blessing of cattle, and her miracles related to the production of milk, butter and meat are many.

In Maryland, USA, St. Brigid's Farm is dedicated to raising beef cattle humanely on grass* instead of grain, and veal calves are given far gentler lives than is normal in modern times. Here are a few words from their website:

"Our farm is named after St. Brigid, the patron saint of dairymaids and scholars who was renowned for her compassion and often featured with cows at her feet. She perfectly represents the pairing of Judy, the dairymaid and Bob, the scholar...

"The 55 acre farm, located on the scenic eastern shore of Maryland, is planted in permanent pasture, comprised predominantly of perennial rye grass and clover. The seasonally calved herd intensively grazes from April through November...

"Milk from our outstanding Jerseys is marketed through our cooperative, Land O’ Lakes...

"Grass fed Jersey beef and veal is...a delicious and healthy alternative to the options at the supermarket...

"The pairing of a dairymaid and scholar has resulted in a beautiful farm which produces high quality milk, beef, veal and dairy stock. Stop by anytime for a real life visit."

Silo View, St. Brigid's Farm
Kennedyville, Maryland, USA

Looking through the website and reading the links they provide, I was enthusiastic about St. Brigid's Farm. But I am uncomfortably aware of the issues concerning the meat industry and veal in particular. Before writing this post, I wrote to St. Brigid's Farm to ask about how they raise their calves. Below is our correspondence.

Mael Brigde:

"I would like to do a posting about St Brigid's Farm for my Brigit blog, but I'd like to know more about how you raise veal. Although you mention TLC on your site, and link to an interesting article on veal, it isn't clear exactly what SBF's methods are. There are lots of photos of mature cattle grazing but only one of a calf, with its mom; the other calves are shown tethered and separated from each other and their mothers. I know that although Brigidines love the image of the cow, many are vegetarians and most others are very careful about humane treatment. I'd like to be able to tell them straight out what you are up to."

Judy Gifford:

"In answer to your inquiry, we raise calves in three different ways and consider all of them humane.

"Our veal calves are reared on nurse cows from birth until 3 to 4 months. Currently we have 6 bull calves on four cows. This is the end of our season for veal. We will start new calves in the spring when we have grass for the nurse cows. June, at 10 years old is our oldest nurse cow. The other nurse cows are Isadora, Rouge and Viola. They range in age from three to six years of age and all are wonderful mothers and adopt new calves readily.

"Heifer calves are raised individually in the calf hutches you referred to from birth until they are about three months old and then they are moved to the calf barn. We have learned during our 12 years of calf raising that this is the best way to raise 40 calves born in a 15 week window. We can monitor feed intake and identify a sick calf immediately. Years ago, we raised our heifers on a mob feeder but had trouble with aggressive calves getting too much milk and slower calves not getting enough milk. Also, it is warmer and drier in the calf hutches especially during inclement weather when rain or snow can drench the open sided calf barn. When they are in the hutches, they can jump around and nibble on grass. Individual hutches also minimize the spread of disease when the calves are most vulnerable.

"The bull calves that we raise for steers are grouped and raised communally. We are a small farm and have to allocate our resources (time, labor and space) according to their best use.

"We are grateful for the wonderful life and farm that we have and work hard to take good care of our animals and the land. Before we were farmers, we visited Vancouver and loved it. You too live in a wonderful place. If you ever travel to the east coast, you can by all means just walk right in!!"

Have a look at the St. Brigid's Farm website. You'll find lots of information there, a great deal of which is gleaned from the many (and often beautiful) photographs. For those who wish to preserve a rural lifestyle while improving on modern farming techniques, there is much to encourage you here.

*See "How Cows (Grass-Fed Only) Could Save the Planet" for more info on the issue.

Imbolc Podcast

2010-10-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

The New Order of Druids has a lovely podcast telling the story of Imbolc and Brigit, with some very nice pronunciations of words many non-Celtic speaking folk struggle in vain with.

I am not sure who drew this lovely picture of Brigit. If you know, please tell!

http://neworderofdruids.mypodcast.com/2010/01/Imbolc_2009-179479.html

Brighid and Me: Experiences with the Goddess

2010-09-17T11:45:00.001-07:00

I`ve just received my contributor's copy in the mail--Holly Swann's new 48 pp pamphlet,

BRIGHID AND ME: Experiences With the Goddess.

It is a series of articles by devotees of Brighid, and I am thoroughly enjoying reading the offerings. What a brave and lovely group of beings!

Holly had wanted to do a book on Brigit but, on researching the subject, decided she'd be simply rehashing available materials. Instead when she reluctantly let go of the project, she was inspired to collect the stories of some of Brigit's followers and offer them to the world.

In honour of Brigit's attributes as a healer, and Holly's mother, who is in a care home with late stage Alzheimer's, donations from the sale of the book will go to the Alzheimer's Society.

£4.50 per copy. £4.10 for 3 or more copies in one order
Postage at cost. Overseas postal rates on request.
Email: helen(AT)goddessdance.co.uk for ordering and payment details. (Replace (AT) with @ )

Do You Recognize This Brigidine Church?

2010-09-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

I found this photo on the internet, on a Russian site--I am quite unable to read Russian. Do you by chance know where this building is, and what it's called? Ta!

(Here's the link.)

Hrana Janto Brigit Illumination

2010-09-07T01:29:00.001-07:00

There is so much amazing Brigidine art upwelling into the world these days! Another fine example: this illumination by Hrana Janto.

„Untersuchungen zu den ältesten Vitae sanctae Brigidae“

2010-09-07T00:57:00.000-07:00

There is online a German language thesis, written by Karina Hochegger, which compares the earliest life of Brigit (Cogitosus, 650 CE) with the Vita Prima Sanctae Brigidae (750 CE). These texts have different aims and means for achieving their goals, as described in Lisa Bitel's excellent book, Landscape with Two Saints. For those German speakers amongst us, I link you to „Untersuchungen zu den ältesten Vitae sanctae Brigidae“. Below find her abstract.

ANHANG

ABSTRACT

This thesis shall provide a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the two oldest Lives of saint Brigid of Kildare, the “Life by Cogitosus” and the so-called “Vita Prima”. It will also illustrate the most important findings concerning the intentions of the presumed authors in writing these Lives. Dating of the Life by Cogitosus to the third quarter of the 7th century appears to be appropriate based on the reference that Muirchú makes to Cogitosus and his work. Cogitosus was likely an intellectual member within Kildare’s monastic society and he would have been able to write. His political aim in creating a Life of saint Brigid and establishing her as one of the main saints was to strengthen both the influence and power of the monastic centre and its parochia. The Life contains accounts of miracles describing the beauty and greatness of the church of Kildare, the sepulture of Brigid and her bishop Conleth, and the wonders that supposedly took place after Brigid’s death. This would inspire believers from across Ireland to make pilgrimages to Kildare. The reason for establishing the Life may have been the competition between the two main churches of Ireland during the 7th century, Kildare and Armagh. Both of them wanted to spread their power and their parochia. There is no proof of a direct relationship between Cogitosus and the Uí Dúnlainge, the ruling dynasty of Leinster at that time. But it is clear that the expansion of the sphere of control of Kildare was on behalf of the governance of Leinster. There are compositional and structural aspects which support McCone’s theory that the Vita Prima came after the Life by Cogitosus, in the middle of the 8^th century. This is because passages from the Life by Cogitosus can be found at the end of Vita Prima and because of the friendly relationship between Patrick and Brigid, the two main saints of Armagh and Kildare. Despite the efforts of Vita prima’s author to create a thorough account of Brigid’s travels, there can be found inconsistencies throughout this Life. The author also neglected Kildare, and emphasized Brigid as a nomad saint; he intended to establish a national saint in Brigid by compiling miraculous stories in order to illustrate her nationwide political-ecclesiastic influence.

Karina Hochegger
angestrebter akademischer Grad
Magistra der Philosophie (Mag. phil.)
Vienna, 2009

Maud Gonne and the Daughters of Ireland

2010-09-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

From 1916: The 1916 Rising, Personalities and Perspectives, an online exhibition by the National Library of Ireland:

Maud Gonne’s most notable contribution was to the establishment in April 1900 of Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Ireland). The organisation was solely for women and adopted Saint Brigid as patron. Its agenda was political, social and feminist: it opposed the Irish Parliamentary Party and Home Rule, opting instead for full independence, but supported the Irish-Ireland movement, the concepts of self reliance preached by Sinn Féin, free meals in schools and women’s suffrage. It organised programmes of distinctively Irish cultural activities and promoted national self awareness. From 1908 onwards it published Bean na hÉireann (‘Irishwoman’), a nationalist womens’ journal. In 1914 Inghinidhe na hÉireann was absorbed into Cumann na mBan, the women’s auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers, although some trades union members then opted to join the Irish Citizen Army. In its time, Inghinidhe na hÉireann helped to politicise a generation of Irish women, many of whom afterwards participated in the 1916 Rising.

Jill Smith: Brighde of the Isles

2010-08-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Check out the English webzine Goddess Alive: a new magazine of Goddess celebration. Now into its 17th issue and its 8th year, if you peek back to issue 2 you will find fine paintings and an article about Brigit in the Hebrides, all by Jill Smith. Art from the series Brighde of the Isles was used on the cover of the Friends of Brides Mound CD, Songs of Bride.

“Brighde is an ancient creative force/goddess who later merged with St. Bridget of Kildare in Ireland to become something of both of them, yet more; and in the Hebrides she has her own distinct character.”

(For photos, ferry schedules, weather forecasts, jobs, events, and more for the Hebrides, click here to get to Western Isles of Scotland.)

Cill Dara Historical Society

2010-08-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

The Cill Dara Historical Society site has a number of goodly bits on offer. An article on Brigit, a history of the area, a collection of old postcards, including the market square, the round tower, and the interior of the church. I do wish these were clickable to see larger images but alas, no.

Also included are a table of annals (plus bibliography), from 484 when Brigit founded the monastery to 1539 when the “Carmelite friary in Kildare (was) suppressed on 3 Apr. The friary was surrendered by the prior. It consisted of a church, belfry, dormitory hall and two chambers. Kildare also owned a messuage, a garden and a close containing one acre, as well as a cottage and six acres of arable land in the vicinity.”

The site is hosted by Kildare.ie--the County Kildare Community Network--with everything from community events, forum, and business directory to an A-Z of County Kildare Websites. Check it out before you visit!

Book of Kells...Cartoon???

2010-08-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

The Secret of Kells

Here is a note of enthusiastic recommendation from one of the Daughters of the Flame:

Dear Ladies,
I watched this film last night and it blew me away. It was astonishing. I was drawn into this gorgeous world. The animation if nothing else is stunning. But the clever way there was always something celtic on each frame, be it a swirl or design was brilliant. The story was lovely too. And the faerie was very sweet. My husband isn't sure what to make of this film. Not sure what to say, other than he loved the art (he's an artist so duh!) but he's out on the rest of it. I'd give it full marks.

The trailer is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTPAvY4y0pY

The official website is here: http://www.thesecretofkells.com/

I'm sure you can get it from any store, Amazon would have it for sure. We got it from our local dvd rental.

I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

Blessings,
Vanna

And here is the trailer itself:

Downloadable Medieval Texts & A Research Guide to Irish Literature

2010-06-01T03:20:00.000-07:00

Two sites of interest for those eager for medieval Irish texts (etc!).

(1) In Parentheses:

In Parentheses is devoted to distributing texts, translations, and commentaries from a wide variety of areas and disciplines in an elegantly presented form.

These include:

Papers in Medieval Studies
Arthurian Series
Chinese Drama Series
Medieval Canadian Series
Medieval Castilian Series...
....Greek Series
Medieval Irish Series
Medieval Italian Series
Medieval Latin Series
Linguistics Series
Japanese Series
Malayan Series....
....Vaguely Decadent Series

Medieval IrishSeries
The Colloquy with the Ancients, tr. Standish Hayes O'Grady (480K PDF)
The Vision of Adamnán (Fis Adamnáin), tr. C.S. Boswell (80K PDF)
The Irish Æneid (Imtheachta Æniasa), tr. George Calder (244K PDF)
The Voyage of Bran (Immram Brain), tr. Kuno Meyer (59K PDF)
The Feast of Bricriu (Fled Bricrend), tr. George Henderson (152K PDF)
The Destruction of Dá Derga's Hostel, tr. Whitley Stokes (156K PDF)
The Pursuit of the Gilla Decair and his Horse, tr. Standish Hayes O'Grady (92K PDF)
The Tain, tr. L. Winifred Faraday (312K PDF)
The Vision of MacConglinne (Aislinge Meic Conglinne), tr. Kuno Meyer (120K PDF)
The Wandering of Ulixes Son of Laertes (Merugud Uilix Maicc Leirtis), tr. Kuno Meyer (52K PDF)
The Death of the Sons of Usnach, tr. Eleanor Hull (98K PDF)

Of Related Interest:
Giraldus Cambrensis, The Conquest of Ireland, tr. Thomas Forester, rev. Thomas Wright (476K PDF)
Giraldus Cambrensis, The Topography of Ireland, tr. Thomas Forester, rev. Thomas Wright (400K PDF)
Modern Irish Flash Cards 4500 words (928K PDF)

(2) The Kelly Library at U of T maintains a Research Guide to Irish Literature.

Included: Location of each work in the Kelly Library.

Last updated in November 2009. PDF version

Brigit and Celtic Libraries on LibraryThing

2010-05-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

LibraryThing is a wonderful site for lovers of books.

A home for your books.

A community of 1,000,000 book lovers.

Join the world’s largest book club.

Catalog your books from Amazon, the Library of Congress and 690 other world libraries. Import from anywhere.

Find people with eerily similar tastes.

Find new books to read.

Free Early Reviewer books from publishers and authors

Enter 200 books for free, as many as you like for $10 (year) or $25 (life).

Available in many languages: (others)

Mael Brigde has a small library listing there which includes books on Brigit as well as more general Celtic and Celtic Reconstructionist items. Numerous other folk have far larger libraries containing many books related to these topics. Groups such as Irish & Celtic Studies (For researchers and interested parties, whether formally academic or amateur enthusiasts... anything related to Irish/Celtic study or living is welcome!) and Irish Mythology provide places to ask questions and share information. Start your own group if what you are looking for isn't provided.

If you glance to the left of this posting you will find a LibraryThing widget that shows the covers of a few of the books in Mael Brigde's library.

She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain. (1873)

~ Louisa May Alcott ~

Brigit Systems, a division of Brigit Fire...

2010-05-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

I can't resist; this is too cool. A South African fire prevention company named Brigit Systems.

We are a Proud South African based company and we are a distributor of several world class fire and security products.

Brigit Systems, a division of Brigit Fire...

We specialize in fire detection, fire supression, video surveillance and integrated systems.

Brigit's Flame: Creativity makes you grow

2010-05-22T23:03:00.000-07:00

Building on the idea of Brigit as matron of poetry, LiveJournal hosts a community called Brigit's Flame which is of interest:

Brigit's Flame writing community is dedicated to helping people grow as writers. We run a monthly writing contest, offer peer editing, and are dedicated to making sure that every person who brings their writing to our community has their writing read and commented on.

Every day, our community has a daily "Chatter Post", which presents community members with a new question to think about and discuss among the members. All members are invited to join in our conversations.

If you'd like to visit a great online writing community that's dedicated to helping one another, visit the Brigits Flame LiveJournal Community!

We currently only accept active LiveJournal members to our group, but you're very welcome to create a LiveJournal and join us. Anyone is welcome to our community - we accept all people from all walks of life. Be prepared to have your ideas challenged, your thoughts explored, and your creativity exercised!

History of the Community

Brigits_Flame was founded by Boundfate on March 18, 2008, as an offshoot of a preexisting LiveJournal writing community called LJ Idol. It was seen as a way to take what Boundfate liked best about the Idol community and combine it with her own ideas and approaches to make a completely different community. Where LJ Idol combines the twists, turns, and excitement of reality TV with writing in an epic six month long contest, the Flame became more of a creative workshop with a contest edge, putting the emphasis on fine-tuning members' writing.

The name comes from the Celtic goddess of creativity, inspiration, healing, and smithcraft, Briget (pick a spelling). Some people believe that the phrase "creative spark" comes from her followers, as she is often depicted with a torch. Boundfate found her a good patroness for this group, and the name has become more and more fitting as the community has evolved: we've crafted our entries with great effort; we've healed ourselves and each other at times; and, of course, we pursue the creativity that makes us better than ever.

In its first couple of months, the community was very small. Its first contest had fourteen participants, and the community itself had about 35 members total. However, the community soon began to grow, most notably by being featured in LJ Spotlight twice - once in June of 2008 and then again in September of 2009. After the first spotlight, membership exploded from less than 100 up to 700. The moderators scrambled to stay organized, adding an editing team and adjusting to the fact that there were over 100 members competing for the following month. The moderation team grew, and with an enormous amount of help and patience from members, the Flame thrived.

Brigit's Garden

2010-04-30T00:52:00.000-07:00

Experience the Magic of Celtic Heritage at Brigit's Garden in the West of Ireland

Our Vision is to offer Brigit's Garden as a place of connection with nature, beauty and the cylces of life, and as a resource for education, reflection and creativity.

Brigit's Garden takes you on a magical journey through the sacred spiral of the seasons into the heart of Celtic heritage and mythology, making it one of the truly outstanding attractions in Galway.

Themed on the Celtic seasonal festivals, Brigit's Garden is widely regarded as one of the most spectacular gardens in Ireland set within 11 acres of native woodland & wildflower meadows. Its features include: a nature trail , ogham trees, children's discovery trail, living willow play area, an ancient ring fort (fairy fort), Roundhouse and calendar sundial , the largest in Ireland.

The Garden Café offers excellent cuisine with many vegetarian options made with organic ingredients fresh from the gardens whenever possible.

We offer a full calendar of family-friendly activities throughout the year, making Brigit's Garden one of leading family attractions in the region. Our summer camps for kids are among the most popular in Galway.

Our high-standard facilities and tranquil surroundings make Brigit’s Garden the ideal venue for hire for off-site meetings, weddings and special events. We cater to groups of all kinds, including sacred site tours and school tour groups.

A visit to Brigit's Garden offers an experience that will last a lifetime!

This Holiday weekend music & fun

►Sunday May 2nd from 2pm
Michael Folan (accordion) & friends

►Monday May 3rd from 2pm
Paul Bradley (fiddle) and Paddy Kerr (bouzouki)

Plus...Fun for kids! Pond-dipping for water bugs both days. Café will be open.

There's a lot see and do to this summer at Brigit's Garden Click here for more details!

A Woman for Our Times: St. Brigid of Ireland

2010-04-30T00:36:00.000-07:00

I found this article at CatholicIreland.net.

Brigid of Kildare is a patroness of those who have a care for the earth, for justice and equality, for peace and she is a model for a contemplative life. Brigidine sister Rita Minehan profiles her here.

A great resurgence of interest in all aspects of our Celtic heritage is leading many individuals and groups to rediscover - and draw inspiration from - the lives of the early Irish saints. St Brigid, the patroness of Ireland, is emerging as one whose life has relevance and inspiration for us as we try to face the issues that confront our country and our world at this time. When we look at the life of Brigid and at some of these issues we can see more clearly why she continues to be relevant to us today.

Carer of the earth
The feast of St Brigid on the first of February is a celebration of the wonderful springing back of the earth from its winter sleep. It is the season when we celebrate new beginnings and new life on earth. The sod is turned. The day lengthens. Seeds are sown and sails are hoisted.

Many of the stories about Brigid tell of her milking the cows, churning the milk, making up the firkins of butter, shepherding her flocks of sheep, helping with the harvest and even brewing the ale!

Brigid, in keeping with her Celtic traditions, was wonderfully attuned to the seasons and cycles of nature. She valued the elements of nature: earth, air, fire and water.

Light the fire
Today, we are becoming more aware of the fragility of our planet. Lands are becoming barren, skies fouled, waters poisoned. Many individuals and groups concerned about the environment draw inspiration from the reverence and respect which Brigid had for the land. She is often referred to as the Saint of Agriculture.

In a new hymn, composed by Fr Liam Lawton, Brigid is invoked 'to heal our wounds and green our earth again.'

'A Life of Brigid' (Vita Brigitae), composed by Cogitosus about 650 AD, places great emphasis on Brigid's faith, her healing powers, her hospitality, her generosity, her great skill with animals, and her compassion for the poor and the oppressed. Twenty three of the thirty two chapters tell of her extraordinary concern for the poor. One of the Brigidine legends illustrates this very effectively.

Woman of compassion
One day when Brigid was on a long journey she stopped to rest by the wayside. A rich lady heard about this and brought her a beautiful basket of choice apples. No sooner had she received them than a group of very poor people came by and begged her for food. Without a moment's hesitation, Brigid gave them the choice apples. The rich lady was utterly disgusted and she complained to Brigid, 'I brought those apples for you, not for them.' Brigid's reply was: 'What is mine is theirs.'

This Brigidine legend poses a challenge to all of us in terms of our world today, where forty-five thousand people die from hunger and hunger-related diseases every day and where twenty percent of the population own and consume about eighty percent of the earth's resources.

The poverty gap continues to widen both within and between countries, as the rich grow richer and the poor grow poorer. This legend challenges us to work for a more equitable distribution of the world's resources.

Model of equality
It is generally accepted that Brigid established her abbey and church in Kildare around 480 AD, on the site now occupied by St Brigid's Cathedral. Brigid held a unique position in the Irish Church and society of her day. As Abbess, she presided over the local Church of Kildare and was leader of a double monastery for men and women.

Tradition suggests that she invited Conleth, a hermit from Old Connell near Newbridge, to assist her in Kildare. Cogitosus tells us that 'they governed their Church by means of a mutually happy alliance.'

What emerges from many of these stories and legends about Brigid is the portrait of a strong and gentle woman, a powerful leader, a good organiser, a skilful healer and a wise spiritual guide. Brigid has become - for men as well as women - a potent symbol of Christian womanhood, showing us in so many different ways the feminine face of God.

Woman of peace
There was no lack of domestic strife in the Ireland of Brigid's day, where feuds between clans were commonplace. She is often depicted as a peacemaker who intervened in disputes between rival factions and brought healing and reconciliation. Folklorists tell us that in some parts of Ireland a St Brigid's cross was often used as a token of goodwill between neighbours, indicating a desire for peace and friendship after a local quarrel.

One of the best-known stories associated with St Brigid is that of her giving away her father's precious sword to a poor man so that he could barter it for food to feed his family. Thus, a sword, a weapon of war, was transformed into a life-giving instrument.

This story offers an important lesson for our world today where every minute thirteen million pounds is being spent on weapons of war.

One wonders what links Brigid would make today between the massive expenditure on arms and the welfare of the poor people of the world?

Woman of contemplation
Brigid emerges as a woman of action in the stories, legends and poems about her. If one, however, were to seek the source from which she drew her strength and energy, one could probably find the answer in this story.

One day, Saint Brendan the Navigator stood on a cliff top and watched two whales engaging in fierce combat.

Suddenly, the smaller whale, in a human voice, cried out for help not to Brendan but to Brigid, who was not even present. The cry was answered immediately, and the combat ceased.

Brendan was puzzled as to why he had been ignored. 'Do you always think about God?' asked Brigid, when the two met. 'Yes,' replied Brendan, 'except at times when my boat is caught in a storm at sea and I have to concentrate on keeping it afloat.'

'That's the explanation,' Brigid answered. 'From the moment I first knew God I have never let him out of my mind, and I never shall.'

An old Irish poem, written in the seventh century, speaks of her contemplation of the Trinity:

Deeper than the seas,
Greater than words can express,
Three persons in one only God;
Overflowing with wonder.'

Woman of inspiration
Even today, poets, writers and artists still find inspiration in the symbols, customs and folklore surrounding Brigid.

One writer recently referred to her as 'the woman who, above all others, embodies the spirit of pre-Christian and Christian Ireland'.

In a beautiful leadlight window in Kildare College Chapel, Holden Hill, South Australia (see image) the artist depicts Brigid dancing the dance of the new life of creation, carrying the Spirit of Jesus into the twenty-first century.

Many of the values associated with Brigid are captured in this delightful poem:

Lady, from winters dark,
Star of Imbolc, rise!
Dance around our threshold,
Scattering warm laughter,
Seeds of hospitality,
Tolerance, forgiveness!
Return again to the folk;
You the spring we yearn for!

What a lovely image to carry with us into the future!

This article first appeared in The Messenger (February 2002), a publication of the Irish Jesuits.

NeoDruid Clann mothered by Brigit: Tuatha De Brighid

2010-04-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

Tuatha De Brighid - The People of the Goddess Brighid - is a Clann of modern Druids who are honored to call Brighid our Matron and Guide. We are both a community and a spiritual tradition. Our Tradition is inspired by ancient and modern paths as we seek to transcend differences and find common ground personified in the timeless Spirit of Druidry.

Like a tapestry, we strive to create a beauty uniquely our own out of many threads, without losing the individual identity of those threads. Brighid, who is both a Goddess of the Pagan Celts and a Saint of the Christians, is a fitting Matron for this endeavor, and so we are Her Folk. We honor all life, all love, and all wisdom, and we welcome all earnest seekers.

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Brigit's Park in Dublin Urgent Support Requested

2010-04-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

The Institute for Feminism and Religion sent out this notice:

Dublin City Council is proposing renaming Merrion Square in the centre of Dublin. Currently it is called Archbishop Ryan Park, a name that has never "caught on".

The deadline for submissions is Friday April 23rd.

A campaign has been launched by several to rename it Brigit's Park, after Brigit -- goddess, saint, poet, healer, smithworker, pagan.

Below is the official announcement from Dublin City Council and also a copy of a letter that Mary Condren wrote to the Irish Times in support of that proposal.

To date NO submissions have been received by DCC in support of the "Brigit" proposal, and no significant parks in Ireland are named after women.

Please take a minute to respond to this call, and to circulate the information among your contacts and friends. Support is welcome from all over the world, not only from within Ireland. You can write to this address:

parks@dublincity. ie

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: OFFICIAL NOTICE

Invitation for submissions and/or suggestions on possible renaming of Archbishop Ryan Park

Dublin City Council invites submissions and/or suggestions from members of the public and interested parties on the possible renaming of Archbishop Ryan Park, Merrion Square, Dublin 2.

Those sending submissions/ suggestions on the issue should state:

· If they favour renaming Archbishop Ryan Park

· If in favour, the suggested name

If including reasons for a suggested new name please restrict this to a maximum of 300 words.

Submissions/ suggestions can be made in writing or by email to:

Executive Manager, Dublin City Council, Parks and Landscape Services; Culture, Recreation & Amenity Department, Ground Floor, Block 4, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8, Email: parks@dublincity. ie

The closing date for receipt of submissions/ suggestions is: 17.00hrs on 23rd April, 2010.

On 12/02/2010 19:15, Mary Condren wrote to the Irish Times :

(Extracts)

Dear Madam,

I write in support of the proposal to rename Merrion Square after Brigit (the Old Irish spelling!).
Brigit is non-denominational, pagan, pre-Reformation Christian, and post-Christian. Matronness of poetry, healing and smithwork, she symbolises an Old European tradition of female empowerment and her traditions cultivate a dialectic between the sexes, so badly lacking in the recent centuries of Christian history.

Renaming a city centre park (perhaps Brigit's Garden?) would begin the process of reclaiming a much neglected facet of our common heritage and signal the potential for a new cultural and spiritual awakening that draws on the past but looks toward the future in a spirit of poetry, healing, and cultivating inner fires of integrity and justice.

Gossamer Axe: Fantasy Fiction by Gael Baudino

2010-04-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

I've been noodling around reading a lot of books that I missed over the years; not reading a whole lot that is brand new.

This one took me by surprise. I've been passing over it on my friend's speculative fiction shelves for years now, then for some reason picked it up the other day and got hooked a couple of chapters in. I include it here because to my delight, the main character is a follower of the goddess Brigit. Brigit herself doesn't appear in the book, but it is lovely to have our hero talking about and to her now and then.

Gossamer Axe
Gael Baudino
Roc (1990), Paperback, 352 pages

Christa is a bisexual woman who escaped from the Celtic Otherworld 200 years ago, and is still trying to figure out how to free her inamorata from that unchanging, sterile place. She puts aside her harp and picks up an electric guitar to achieve her aims.

Certain elements are predictable: the antagonists, particularly, are uninspired. But the way Baudino handles the musical aspects, the world of rock and how it is for women, magic, cultural distress (for Christa), community and friendship--it's textured, fascinating, very well done.

As for authenticity (for the ancient Celtic part), she gets a lot right. My main complaint is that the Celts didn't celebrate the solstices and equinoxes as she has them do--Christa really is more modern Wiccan than ancient Celt in some ways--but regardless, the book holds together nicely. It is what it is.

A very pleasant surprise.

If you like this book, you may also enjoy Mildred Downey Broxon's ancient/modern Celtic fantasy: Too Long a Sacrifice (Orbit Books) 1983.

Weird. Blogger will let me link to Broxon but not Baudino. Ah, well. You know how to Search.

Sr. Mary Minehan: 1999 Interview by Melissa Thompson

2010-03-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

from: www.tallgirlshorts.net/thewayofwomen

Mary

The more I read about powerful women in Irish history, the more I kept bumping into Brigid. At the suggestion of Katie Donovan, I contacted Mary Minehan, a Brigidine sister in Kildare. I made my first trek to visit Sister Mary in December, 1998, with Marie Bashford-Synett, a writer I’d met in the UCD women’s studies program, who was also very interested in Brigid. After spending several hours with Sister Mary and learning about Brigid and the work of Cairde Bhríde, I decided the annual Feile Bride was something I could not miss. I attended the festival and also returned once more to do a proper interview with Sister Mary, a powerful woman in her own right.

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Interview with Sr. Mary Minehan 2/19/99

MM: OK, Melissa. I’m Mary Minehan. I’m a Brigidine sister living here in Kildare. I was born in a small country village, Puckane, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. My parents decided to send me to boarding school when I finished primary school as we had a family-run business and they thought I would study better in a quiet atmosphere. I went to a Brigidine secondary school in Mountrath, about forty miles from home.
MT: Why did you decide to become a Brigidine?
MM: I really didn’t think about becoming a Brigidine until I was in my last year in secondary school. During a retreat, the retreat guide asked me if I ever thought of becoming a sister. I was considering being a physical education teacher or an air-hostess. This question sowed the seeds of my vocation to be a Brigidine. It’s strange. I didn’t really want to be a sister as I thought I’d have to give up too much such as as dances, boyfriends, having children of my own and so forth. I stayed at home for a short time after secondary school and lived life to the full. However, the idea of giving my life to God as a Brigidine kept niggling at me. I felt I would have to try and see if I had a vocation to Religious life. I wasn’t sure whether I’d stay or not. I remember friends having a party for me shortly before I left home, and they told me they’d have another one for me three weeks from that day when they expected to see me back home again!
MT: How did your family feel about you going into the convent?
MM: Initially, they were shocked. As I was the eldest in the family, my parents thought I would run the family business. They were anxious, wondering if I would be happy.   Each time they came to visit me in the Novitiate, my dad would say, “Are you coming home?” And I’d say, “Not yet, Dad.” When they saw that I was happy and that it was what I wanted to do with my life, they accepted the fact that I wouldn’t be returning home. That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t lonely for home and for the friends I’d left behind. Life wasn’t easy in the Novitiate. There were times when I questioned whether it was the life for me, but my faith was strong and carried me through the difficult and lonely times. I took “the road less travelled by.” I don’t regret my life decision. I’m a very happy Brigidine. I live life to the full.
MT: And how did you get from Mountrath to Kildare then?
MM: I did my Novitiate programme in Tullow, Co. Carlow. After that I trained as a primary school teacher and worked in different Brigidine schools around the country. In the 1980s we Brigidines, in the Irish-UK province began a discernment process about our future. A decision was taken to send a few Brigidine sisters to Kildare. I’m going to tell you a little of our history. The Brigidines are a restoration of the ancient order of Brigid of Kildare. Brigid founded her monastery in Kildare in the fifth century, and there were Brigidine monasteries in Ireland up to the time of the Reformation in the sixteenth century.   Daniel Delany, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, refounded the Sisterhood of St. Brigid in Tullow, Co. Carlow in 1807. Our annals tell us that he brought an corn from Kildare and planted it in the Convent grounds in Tullow, on St. Brigid’s Day, 1807. A mighty oak tree now stands in the grounds in Tullow. Brigidines today work in Ireland, Wales, the UK, the US, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Kenya, and Papua New Guinea.
Now to get back to your question about my being here in Kildare. In 1992, Phil O’Shea and myself were asked to come to Kildare and to explore our Celtic Heritage -- to reclaim Brigid of Kildare in a new way for a new millennium. There is a huge resurgence of interest in Brigid. Some come here to find out more about St. Brigid. Some come to find out more about the Goddess Brigid. Brigid the saint inherits much of the folklore associated with the Goddess Brigid, a dimension which contributes to her popularity. Our great Celtic scholar here in Ireland, An t-Athair Sean O Quinn, a Benedictine monk, would say it’s an exercise in futility to try and separate the historical Christian Brigid from the Goddess since clearly the two are so interwoven.   People come here from all over the world. Recently we had a group from Germany. Their church of St. Brigid was founded by a Brigidine monk from Kildare. Brigid had a double monastery for men and women. We also had a group of twenty-five women from Tonsberg, Norway. There are over a thousand women across Scandinavia who model their lives on the values of Brigid of Kildare. They are married and single women who belong to the Lutheran tradition.
MT: How did you first hear of St. Brigid?   Was it when you went to boarding school or was it before that?
MM: My granny used make Brigid’s crosses with rushes.   If she hadn’t rushes she would cross matches and put them over the door on the eve of St. Brigid’s Day, the 1st of February. This was to bring a blessing on the house. I also remember my mother having an ulcer on her leg. A customer told her to leave out a piece of cloth on the eve of Brigid’s feast. There was a belief that St. Brigid left her curative powers on the cloth on the eve of the feast day. I can’t remember if it cured mam’s sore leg but I remember the faith and belief she had in Brigid. I have learnt since that the cloth is called the Brat Bríde. The custom is being revived in Kildare, so my earliest memories are of Brigid the protector, Brigid the healer. It is great to be living in Kildare. We have an outreach community of about fifty people, men and women, who call themselves Cairde Bríde, “friends of Brigid.” They walk the journey with us. We do a ritual at the well, which brings out the different qualities of Brigid, you see. We tell different legends of Brigid and we do circle dancing. Inspired by the values of Brigid, we work together to promote peace, justice and reconciliation.
MT: What kind of things do Cairde Bhríde do during the year?
MM: We meet with Cairde Bhríde on the last Wednesday of each month.   They greet pilgrims with us and participate in the rituals at St. Brigid’s well. Two members of Cairde Bhríde are keepers of the well. They are very involved in caring for the earth and some members have formed the Kildare Environmental Circle. Every year they’re involved with us in organizing Feile Bride, “Brigid’s festival.”   They celebrate the Celtic feasts in this room which is called Brigid’s room. I’ll tell you briefly the story about the history of the light you se burning in this room. “Brigid’s fire,” a perpetual flame, burned in Kildare in pre-Christian Ireland times and was kept alight by Brigid and her nuns, possibly up to the sixteenth century. It was relit in 1993 by Mary Teresa Cullen, the then leader of the Brigidine sisters, in the Market Square, Kildare, at the opening of a justice and peace conference. The conference, entitled “Brigid: Prophetess, Earthwoman, Peacemaker,” was organized by AFRI (Action from Ireland), a justice, peace and human rights group, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its St. Brigid’s Peace Cross Project. The relighting of the Brigid flame/fire seems to have caught the imagination of people all over the world. Since then, Phil and I are honored to be the keepers of the flame here in Solas Bhríde -- which means the light of Brigid. Tog et back to Cairde Bhríde, they’re a very creative group of women and men. They get involved in the justice and peace issues which are dealt with during the Feile Bride conference each year.
MT: I loved how the conference brought all these different elements and issues together really seamlessly.
MM: It is always a holistic conference,   something for mind, body, and spirit. We have a pilgrimage each year before the opening of the conference. This year you were with us on the Curragh at the Oak Peace Pole, which was carved by Cairde Bhríde and on which were inscribed the words, “May peace prevail on earth.” You also saw the labyrinth which was built by Cairde Bhríde. The conferences deal with issues such as militarism, poverty, the environment, third world debt, and so forth.

Before I got the chance to ask Sister Mary more about Brigid’s fire, we had our own fire to contend with! At this point in the interview, which we were shooting in the house where Mary lives, the lights we were using began to smoke. First one blew and then a few minutes later the second one went as well. So at Mary’s suggestion we took the interview on the road -- to Brigid’s well.

MM: Melissa, this is St. Brigid’s well, Tobair Bríde, and when pilgrims come they gather here. We all wait here to get in touch with the well inside ourselves. Wells are sacred places where down through the years people gathered to pray and to reflect. They take a few moments just to get in touch with the sounds around before entering this sacred place.   Tourists come sometimes but they don’t let the place speak to them.
This is a great man here, a great Kildare man, Mr. Dunne, who welcomed the Brigidines when they came back to Kildare.
MD: Hello, Mary.
MM: You live up here, don’t you? Isn’t the well beautiful?
MD: Lovely well. I’m not able to walk.
MM: You’re not able to walk?
MD: Got arthritis.
MM: Arthritis. Are you asking Brigid to help you?
MD: I am.
MM: Good, well she will. They say that you should take cod liver oil, that it’s very good.
MD: I’ve taken everything. Everything.
MM: You have been gardening in the Japanese gardens for how long?
MD: Fifty years. Over fifty years.
MM: Tell them a little a bit about St. Brigid.
MD: She used to get the water here.
MM: That’s right, from the well.
MD: She used to mind the sheep.
MM: She minded the sheep out on the Curragh, Brigid’s pastures, that’s right. Two of the Cairde Bhríde now keep the well. Isn’t it lovely?
MD: Yes. Lovely.
MM: Every Monday two of the women spend time at the well. We won’t keep you standing. It was good to see you. Bye.
MD: Bye now.
MM: As we cross over this bridge sometimes we ask ourselves what bridges we need to cross in our lives.   We’ve many bridges to build here in Ireland today. Usually people would say, “Welcome to the well.” Since it’s springtime and February is called Mí na Feile Bríde you’ve all the beautiful spring flowers here, the snowdrops, crocuses, the daffodils, polyanthus. We have a red oak that was planted by Thomas Berry, one of the ecologists today. He was here in ‘95. He’s written a lovely book, The Dream of the Earth.   So here at the water’s edge we just get in touch with our inner lives. Here we listen to the sound of the water. Blessing ourselves with the water, sending out water to the different places where healing is needed. And I would like now just to send some water up to a place, Drumcree, Portadown, Co. Armagh, in Northern Ireland, where there is not peace at the moment. In scripture there are so many references to wells. Jesus said, “I will give you living water and you will never be thirsty again.”   There is a lovely little chant that we sing: “Come to the water you who are thirsty, though you have nothing, I bid you come and be filled with the goodness I have to offer. Come. Listen. Live.”    Pilgrims spend a lot of time thinking about what they are thirsting for today. People come and spend quiet time here. There are five prayer stones standing in line, and the practice is to stop at each stone in turn and dwell on an aspect or quality of Brigid.
We move onto the first stone. Between each stone we say a little prayer. A Naomh Bríd Gui Orainn which is, “St. Brigid pray for us.” A Naomh Bríd Gui Orainn. And here at the first stone we look on Brigid as the earth woman. Brigid the woman of the land was so much in touch with the seasons. Her feast day is the first day of February, the first of Spring, when the days are getting longer. There’s a lovely Irish poem -- “Anois teacht an Earraidh, beidh an la ag dul chun sineadh, is tar eis na Feile Bríde, ardoidh mé mo sheoil.” “Now it’s springtime, the days are getting longer and after St. Brigid’s Day I can hoist my sails again.” They say after St. Brigid’s Day every day stretches and gets longer. So Brigid was one who cared for the earth, a Celtic Woman who loved nature, and very often we come to this stone we invite people just to feel the earth. “The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth.” With the rivers are being polluted and the ozone layer being destroyed, we need to really care for our earth. There’s a lovely line, “Touch the earth with gentleness, touch the earth with love, touch her with future, by the way we live today, God has given us the power to create the world anew, if we touch the earth together, me and you.”
A Naomh Bríd Gui Orainn
We move on to the second stone. And here we reflect on Brigid as peacemaker, Brigid who crossed all divides. Her father was a wealthy pagan chieftain and her mother a poor Christian bondswoman. Here in Kildare as you notice we have St. Brigid’s Catholic Church, St. Brigid’s Church of Ireland, and we had a group last year from St. Brigid’s Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland. One of Brigid’s legends tells that one day this poor man came to Brigid looking for food for his family, but there was no food in the house, so she gave away her father’s precious sword. And she said, “Go and exchange it for food for your family.” Just think today -- 1.3 million spent every day on weapons for war and people dying of hunger and hunger related diseases. 75% of the world’s resources are consumed and owned by 25% of the people. This legend has much to teach us. She changed an instrument of death into an instrument for life. If only we could exchange bombs for food today. Brigid, very much a peacemaker, she gave away the sword, so that people could have something to eat.
A Naomh Bríd Gui Orainn.
We move to the third stone. We look on Brigid as the hearth-woman and the heart woman. She kept the fire lighting. She was famous for her hospitality. I think Brigid too was a woman who celebrated. I love the poem to Brigid with words adapted by Brendan Kennelly. “I’d like to give a lake of beer to God and I’d love the heavenly hosts to be tippling there for all eternity. I’d love the men to be there to dance and sing. If they wanted I’d put at their disposal vats of suffering. I’d like the men to be happy and I’d like Jesus to be there too. I’d like the people of heaven to gather from all the parishes around. I’d give a special welcome to the women, the three Marys of great renown. And we’d sit by the lake of beer, with the men, the women and God, and we’d be drinking good health forever and every drop would be a prayer.”
A Naomh Bríd Gui Orainn.
We move to the fourth stone. We remember Brigid the healer. On the Eve of Brigid’s Day we leave a piece of cloth out here and believe that Brigid’s curative powers are left on this cloth. All of us are in need of healing, all of us are wounded in some way or another, so we just take a minute here to get in touch with ourselves, with our inner selves, and maybe the need for healing in our lives, healing in our family, healing in our country, healing in our world. Very often we sing a little verse of a hymn. “Lay your hands gently upon us, let their touch render your peace, let them bring your forgiveness and healing, lay your hands gently, lay your hands.”
A Naomh Bríd Gui Orainn.
At this last stone we reflect on Brigid as the champion of the poor. The first book we have on Brigid was written about a hundred years after her death by a monk in the Brigidine abbey, Cogitosis. There are thirty-two chapters in this book, and twenty-three of them deal with her love for the poor, the sick, the lonely. Another legend tells us that one day a friend of hers came with a beautiful basket of choice apples and Brigid began to give the apples to the sick and the poor that were around and her friend said, “But Brigid, those apples are for you.”   And she said, “Well what’s mine is theirs.” So think of the implications of that today where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. So we have to ask ourselves: am I sharing the “choice apples” in my life, so that my brothers and sisters who are living in poverty can live with basic dignity?
A Naomh Bríd Gui Orainn.
Now we circle the well. Circles are Celtic, there’s no beginning or an end to a circle, we are all on the same level. And we say a little prayer: “Circle us O Lord. Keep protection near and danger afar. Circle us, keep love within our hearts and hatred out. Circle us keeping hope within and doubt out. Circle us O Lord keep peace within and evil out.” It is customary to leave something at the well, and I often ask pilgrims to leave a worry or an anxiety or a fear they have, just here. And we circle the well in a clockwise direction symbolizing unity within ourselves, within one another, and the whole of creation.
So, Melissa, this is what happens here at Brigid’s Well. Many, many pilgrims come here from all over the world. They love it, they spend quiet time here.
MT: One thing I wanted to ask about was: What is the history as you understand it of the wells in Ireland?
MM: In pre-Christian times, wells were associated with the presence of a Goddess and were seen as the entrance to the womb of Mother Earth, the source of life. With the coming of Christianity, wells were used for Christian worship
MT: And would a different well have a different cure?
MM: Yes, St. Brigid’s well is reputed to have a cure for sore eyes.
MT: I’ve asked all the other women I’ve interviewed about women role models and heroines. In addition to Brigid, would there be any other strong women in Irish history that you have looked to?
MM: Countess Markiewicz was a very strong woman. I loved Mary Robinson. I thought she was a great president. I think Mary McAleese is too. I think she’s not getting as much media coverage as Mary Robinson, although she’s a very strong woman too. Mary Robinson was a role model for Irish women. She came I think at the right time. She had the courage to speak out and brought a whole feminine dimension into public life. I also consider my own mother and grandmother as powerful women who had a great influence on my life.
MT: What was that nice quote you had from Mary Robinson about the St. Brigid’s cross?
MM: As you are aware we have four provinces in Ireland. In ancient Irish literature Ireland had five provinces -- an invisible one in the centre of Ireland. Mary Robinson referred to this quite often. For me it resembled in a sense the Brigid’s cross. You have North, South, East, West, but you also have the center which I liken to the fifth province, the province of healing and reconciliation which is neither North, South, East or West. When you’re making a Brigid’s cross, unless you keep the center together, the whole thing falls apart.
MT: The Catholic Church has been under so much criticism for not allowing women to go further within the Church. Do you have any feelings about that?
MM: Yes. I would like to see women more involved, having power into the decision making within the Church. If women are not involved, the Church is less feminine -- I think the Church is less human. Women have great power of creativity and imagination. We are very lucky here in Kildare. We have priests who appreciate the gifts and women and men. That is what Brigid would want today.
MT: Wasn’t there some story about her being ordained a bishop?
MM: Yes, yes, the story goes that St. Mel, on the day of Brigid’s profession, said the prayer of consecration of a bishop. When asked, “Mel, why did you do this?” he said, “This was out of my control, those words just came. I had no power over them.” Brigid was looked on as a bishop in fifth-sixth century Ireland. She was a leader, a strong woman, and yet she knew she couldn’t do it all by herself. She and St. Conleth had a dual monastery for men and women in Kildare.
MT: There are so many stories about Brigid -- what are some of your favorite ones?
MM: You might have noticed the harp in our house. There is a legend about her going to the king of Leinster, and there were harps hanging up around the walls. Brigid said, “Who can play the harp?’” And the servants said, “Nobody can play the harp.” Legend has it that she blessed the hands of some of the people there and they got down the harps and they played beautiful music.   When the king came back he was really enthralled and he said to Brigid, “Anything you want I’ll give you.” She replied, “Release these prisoners.” I think this is a really powerful legend -- there is so much potential in all of us, if only we could release the potential that’s there. Release whatever is binding us. We might not be prisoners in jail but we might be prisoners to our own darkness.
MT: One of my favorite stories about Brigid is the one about the cloak.
MM: Yes, the story goes that Brigid was looking for land for her monastery. After much persistence on Brigid’s part, the King of Leinster agreed to give her as much land as her cloak would cover. Miraculously, it spread over the Curragh plain.
MT: I’m asking all the women that I’m interviewing if they were named for anyone in particular.
MM: Yes, my grandmother’s name was Mary, actually my two grandmother’s names were Mary. My mum would have had great devotion to Mary the mother of God. I was born in May, and May is known the month of Mary. Mary was a strong, yet gentle woman, like Brigid. Of course Brigid is called Muire na Gael -- the Mary of Ireland.
MT: I wanted to ask you because I’ve interviewed so many women named Mary and I think the name of the project is going to be “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary.” It seems like the role of Mary in Ireland is really special, and I was wondering if you could comment on that.
MM: Yes, there is great devotion to Mary in Ireland. In the past most girls were called Mary -- not so today. Mary was seen as a woman of great faith, who put all her trust in God. There are many stories about Mary. I love the one when she was pregnant and she went to Elizabeth, her cousin, who was very advanced in years and was pregnant also. She needed to talk to an older woman, a wiser woman, to listen and to seek advice. Mary was a woman who let God’s glory shine through her. The older people in Ireland had tremendous devotion to the Rosary -- Mary’s prayer. Every night the rosary was said in my Granny’s home. The family knelt down and said five decades of the rosary.
MT: Not having grown up Catholic, I have such a stereotyped idea of nuns... from movies and stuff... It’s been such an education for me to be in Ireland and spent time with you and other religious women that I’ve met. Did I tell you I got to meet Margaret MacCurtain? She knows a lot about Brigid.
MM: She loves Brigid. When we first came to Kildare, I remember her saying, “When an idea is right, nothing can stop it happening.” You know, the idea for us to come back to Kildare in 1992 was so right. Brigid’s time has come again.
MT: Was Brigid actually from Kildare? Some of the stories I’ve read said she was from here and others talk about her being from Faughart.
MM: There are no historical facts about Brigid at all but an amalgamation of folklore, myth and legend -- which is in our collective memory and which we must not dismiss. Where Brigid was born, nobody really knows. But what we do know is that her spirit lives on very strong -- in Faughart and in Kildare -- today. Somebody said there are two different Brigids -- in Kildare Brigid is a woman for today whereas Faughart, in a sense, has more traditional devotion to St. Brigid.

At this point, Mary offered to drive us to Suncroft to see a statue of Brigid crafted under auspicious conditions....

MM: This is Bríd and the children. We’re in St. Brigid’s parish in Suncroft in Co. Kildare. The parish priest, Father Flanagan, was asked if he would do Brigid -- he was a very famous sculptor. He got in all the limestone and he was about to do this when he got a massive heart attack and died. So they wondered who would do it. So there is this lady, Annette McCormac, who is in Cairde Bhríde which is our outreach community. And she’d never done anything before but with great encouragement we got her to do this, and this is the result here. Brigid and the children. And if you look -- she wanted her to be different from Mary so she gave her a cross and what appeared in the center of the cross but a fossil in the shape of a crescent moon! And I think that is speaking loudly to us today -- the symbol of feminine energy. And I think Brigid is saying, “Come on, you women, appreciate yourselves, love yourselves and take your role today in the church and in society.”
I love this sculpture of Bríd and the children -- and of course am very proud that it was done by a member of Cairde Bhríde. Only a woman could do Brigid.

Top of Page

for more info about Brigid, also see interviews with Katie Donovan, Margaret MacCurtain, and Mary Condren

for more info about Solas Bhride and Brigid websites, see the religious organizations section of the links page

for info about Feile Bride, write to afri@iol.ie.

Job Opportunity: Brigit's Garden Visitor Centre Manager

2010-03-09T01:01:00.000-08:00

Brigit's Garden is looking for a new Visitor Centre manager. Click here to visit their website, or click below to go to the job site.

Visitor Centre Manager
Job Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity for the right person to work in a unique situation and play a key role in moving Brigit’s Garden into the next phase in its development.

The person appointed will be responsible for reception and hospitality, the Café and gift shop.

Proven experience in management in hospitality, tourism or retail is essential.

The closing date for applications is Friday March 12th.

For a full job description please email jenny@brigitsgarden.ie

Join a team that strives for Quality & Excellence!

►Member of Houses, Castles and Gardens of Ireland

►The Garden Café recommended in Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide and the Bridgestone Guide

►Galway Co. Council Heritage Award winners 2006

►Gardens designed by Mary Reynolds, Chelsea Gold Medal winner

www.brigitsgarden.ie Garden
Brigit's
Roscahill
Co. Galway
091 55 09 05
info@brigitsgarden.ie

Call for Submissions: Why is Brighid a special Goddess for you?

2010-02-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

A new book about the people who follow Brigit is being planned. Helen Roberts sent us this call for submissions.

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES OF THE GODDESS BRIGHID & CONTRIBUTE TO A BOOK

Why is Brighid a special Goddess for you?
What experiences have you had with Brighid?
How has She communicated with you?
How has She helped you?
What rituals or practices in Brighid’s honour have you found to be particularly moving, inspiring or special?
How often do you connect with Brighid? – daily, monthly, seasonally, when a need arises and she is the most appropriate Goddess to turn to?

I am planning a book about the people who have had a connection with Brighid and I need your input. It may have been a once in a lifetime experience, or you may be a regular devotee. If you are willing to share your experiences, send them by email to

helen(at)goddessdance.co.uk

Please indicate whether you want your contribution to be anonymous or give the name to which it should be attributed e.g. Helen/Helen Roberts/ Helen from Gloucestershire
Many thanks and Blessings for your assistance.

Helen has offered the following questions as additional guides to writing your submission:

What about the people who are devoted to Brighid?
Why is Brighid so popular?
How do people relate to her, communicate with her, honour her etc. How did they first discover Brighid? Was it gradual or an epiphany?
How do they manifest her qualities in their lives?
Which of her many aspects do they connect with?
How does she inspire them?

Deadline: Midsummer, 2010.

update:
Dear Contributors,

I have had several people asking the same questions and some asking questions which hadn't crossed my mind so this is a general round-up of answers. If you had a more specific, personal query, I'll reply individually.

This book is not a commercial venture - it is a labour of love which I hope will benefit and interest both the experienced devotee and the beginner.

There will be a charge for the book to cover the cost of the print run. (Fingers crossed that I sell them all.)

As you will have deduced from the above, I will not be able to pay anyone for their contribution.

Deadline for submissions is the summer solstice. (Brighid showed me the timeline for this.)

So, if you change your mind and want to withdraw your submission, please let me know before midsummer.

I would like a short title for each article (or I will have to think of one myself.) If you have already sent me your article, just send a quick email with a title. Thanks.

Copyright belongs to the author of each submission.

I shall include a note to the effect that whilst short quotations are acceptable, permission to quote extensively or to copy the whole article must be obtained from the author via me. I will forward requests.

Personal experiences and devotional practices are fine. However, if you're using prayers written by someone else, please give the source rather than writing out the whole prayer (for both space and copyright reasons.) However, short quotations are acceptable.

Poetry and creative writing about or inspired by Brighid belong to a different genre of book.This one is about personal experience, personal ritual and Brighid as she manifests in your daily life. As Goddess of healing and smithcraft, she was very practical and "hands on".

If you know anyone else who would be interested in contributing, do please let them know. I'll add my original questions and suggestions below so that you only need to forward one email to them.

I hope I have answered all of the questions you have sent me - plus a few that you haven't.

Many thanks,

Helen.

The Cult of Brighde by Kelly B.Taylor

2010-02-19T04:28:00.000-08:00

Kelly Taylor has posted online a 55 page student paper called The Cult of Brighde in Ireland. I will confess I have only so far glanced at it. Shocking number of spelling mistakes and typos, and some awkward turns of phrase in the sections I've looked at, which doesn't bode entirely well. Still, she seems to have done her homework, and has covered a lot of interesting terrain, so I will give it a go eventually. In the meantime, here are a couple of short excerpts:

The Cult of Brighde in Ireland

By Kelly B. Taylor
http://crowdog.net/webdiv3/
The modern usage of the word "cult" has taken on a negative, obsessive, almost demonic connotation. This is not what I am referring to by the "cult" of St. Brigid. Rather, I refer to more of the religion-within-a-religion that is the rites, beliefs and history behind the practice of the veneration or worship of the Irish Catholic Saint, Brigid of Kildare. It is not an aberrant part of the society, nor are there secret doctrines that specifically go against the teachings of the Catholic Church. But the full complexity of the role of St. Brigid in the Irish Church is so vast, I believe it could be maintained as a religion in its own right...
(pg 1)

It is my goal to fully convince the reader that there has been a continuous practice of the worship of the Celtic goddess Brighde from pre-Christian era of the first and second centuries, through to today. I will explain how this was made possible by the form of Celtic Monasticism in Ireland, the acceptance of the cult of the saint in Roman Catholicism, and the ever-present need for a mother-figure, a healer, an artisan of words and metal and a fertility goddess in agricultural Ireland... (pg 3)

Songs of Bride: Fundraising CD for Friends of Bride's Mound

2010-02-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

"Songs of Bride" arrived today. I was afraid I wouldn't like it -- a lot of pagan music is rockier than I enjoy. But saving Bride's Mound is a worthwhile project and I'm happy to kick in a little now and then to help pay off the bank loan, which is what earnings from this CD are meant to do. (Though regular old donations probably do still more in that regard. Or membership sales.)

I was pleasantly surprised. The music is good, well performed and well presented, and appeals to me (as a bonus). The cover is graced with lovely artwork, and the words are included. Very pleased to have these love songs to Brigit.

From the Friends of Bride's Mound website:

Songs of Bride: CD of music honouring Bride by various artists including Jana Runnalls, Julie Felix, Silver on the Tree, Triskelian... Cover art by Dorrie Joy and sleeve art by Jill Smith. This CD has been produced to raise funds for the Friends of Bride's Mound and all the tracks have been donated free of charge by the artists.

Hello and Welcome to Friends of Bride's Mound ^TM

Bride's Mound is a mound to the West of Glastonbury, just near the foot of Wearyall Hill (on the right in the photo).

Small it may be, but its history is great, being known as the western gateway to Avalon where pilgrims would stay in vigil through the night before passing on up the processional way to Avalon proper - and to the Tor.

The mound appears to have served this function through a seamless transition into the Christian period, as this is the legendary site of a pre-Christian bruga - a Druidic hostel/college. Such an established spritual community would have been a fertile source of recruitment for monks at the fledgeling abbey. Later, King Arthur is said to have had a vision of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child here, and that St. Brigid of Kildare (Brighde) stayed here in 488 AD.

Two stone chapels were dedicated to her and built, consecutively, on the same site where, as legend would have it, stood a much earlier wooden structure - the Shrine of Saint Mary Magdalene- during Brigid's time. As so often happens on the Isle of Avalon, the results of archaeological investigations turn out to be remarkably consistant with ancient legend.

Download our January 2008 Newsletter Here (pdf file)

"The Brídeog": a Short Story

2010-02-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

I am preparing to review a number of Brigit books and it suddenly occurred to me that this past summer a short story concerning Brigit appeared in Escape Clause: A Speculative Fiction Annual, edited by Clélie Rich.

In the story, "The Brídeog" by Casey Wolf*, a young woman disenchanted with country life interferes with her mother's heartfelt traditional welcoming of Brigit--to the distress of the mother and the great irritation of the Brídeog herself.

* Author of Finding Creatures & Other Stories (as C. June Wolf). Wattle and Daub Books (2008).

Brigit CDs

2010-02-10T02:49:00.000-08:00

Paul Williment, on his site Brighid Goddess and Saint, has a list of CDs of interest to any Brigidine. We have a few other CDs mentioned on this site that aren't listed below. Click on CDs in the label list to the left and below, or enter it in the Search box to the left and above, to see what else we have here. (As above, so below?) Or, heck! I can post the link here: http://brigitssparklingflame.blogspot.com/search/label/CDs

Paul's Brighid CD list:

http://www.brighid.org.uk/cds.html

Brighid Cds

Anahata

A collection of wyrd folk, including Brigid of the Healers with lyrics based on the Carmina Gadelica, by Jenne Micale, from New York State, whose matron deity is Brigid. Padma Records published 2005.

Braiding the Flame of Brigid*

(see bottom of post for lyrics)

A CD of 13 songs celebrating the spirit of Brigid of Kildare composed, performed and produced by Minette Quick in time for the Feile Bhride 2000. Available from Solas Bhride.

Brigid, Celtic Goddess and Christian Saint

A CD of 13 stories and songs recorded on Brigid's Eve at the Findhorn Foundation by Peter Vallance — storyteller and teacher of sacred dance — and Diana Elaina, singer and harpist. Available from Peter Vallance.

Brighid's Kiss

Gerry O'Connor and Eithne Ni Uallachain's CD of 11 Gaelic songs including the delightful, “Brighid's Kiss” inspired by the song Galshaim Molta Bride — I praise Brighid, Beloved of Ireland, Beloved of all Lands, We all praise her. Lughnasa Music LUGCD961 published 1996.

Circle of the Seasons

Lisa Thiel 's CD of ritual music for the wheel of the year includes a song for Imbolc entitled, Blessed Bridget. Sacred Dream published 2005.

Flame of Ireland

Canty's absolutely beautiful recording of medieval Irish plainchant for the feast of St. Brigit. From a fifteenth century noted breviary in the library of Trinity College Dublin.Gaudeamus CD GAU354 published 2005.

Invocation of the Graces

Lisa Thiel 's CD of 14 songs based on traditional material from the Carmina Gadelica. The cover art depicts Brighid as the Queen of Faery. It includes the beautiful, 'Song to Brighid'. This song has been choreographed as a gentle sacred circle dance to empower the sacred feminine, Blessed Woman by Lucy van Leeuwen. Sacred Dream published 2001.

Lady Moon

Kellianna's CD of 11 goddess inspired songs includes a track to Brighid with lyrics written by Heidi Couture for an Imbolc gatheringin 2002 — Blessed Brighid burning bright lead us from the darkest night… published 2003 and available from CD Babyor direct from Kellianna.

Missa Celtica

The English Chamber Orchestra and the Choir of New College, Oxford perform John Cameron's, Missa Celtica celebrating a golden age of Celtic art. The CD includes a setting of Bridget's Descent from Carmina Gadelica — I am under the shielding of good Brigit each day… Erato 3984-25494-2 published 1999.

Return to the Goddess

Jana Runnalls CD of 13 goddess songs thanking the earth for her beauty and the gift of life includes the track, Brighde Our Lady. published 1999 and available from wild women music.

Songs of Bride

CD of music honouring Bride by various artists including Jana Runnalls, Julie Felix, Silver on the Tree, Triskelian... Cover art by Dorrie Joy and sleeve art by Jill Smith. This CD has been produced to raise funds for the Friends of Bride's Mound and all the tracks have been donated free of charge by the artists.

Songs of the Celtic Night

Trio Nocturna's CD of Celtic inspired songs includes the evocative song, Bridghid's Fire — Where have they gone? The price of their fame. The old ways have gone and fools forget they name. Trio Nocturna was formed in 1992 by the harpist, Thomas Dodd. Published in 1996 and now hard to find.

Singing the Wheel of BrigitAna

VocalAna's first CD of 10 songs written by Sally Pullinger celebrating and invoking the ancient goddesses of Celtic Britain celebrated in the Wheel of Ana at the Glastonbury Goddess Temple. The CD includes a Song for Bridie — Bridie, maiden of the fire, Goddess of the source… published 2004 and available from VocalAna.

Vox de Nube

Nóirín Ní Riain and the monks of Glenstal Abbey sing choral music linking heaven and earth, including a setting of Brigid's Prayer — I'd like to give a lake of beer to God. Sounds True STAA318 published 1999.

Welcome Brigid

A collection of celtic, medieval and original songs to the Divine Feminine sung by Katy Taylor and Amy Fradon. The CD includes 3 songs to Brighid (Welcome Brigid, Lady Gregory's Poem to Brigid and a Brigidine version of Ave Maris Stella) along with others to Mary and Sophia. Published 2005.

BRAIDING THE FLAME OF BRIGID

With the fire in the head

The fire in the forge

With the fire in the cauldron burning

Let us braid a new cord

Lay down every sword

God's love in our hearts a-burning

chorus:

Over and Under and Over and 'Round

We are braiding the flame of Brigid

Over and Under and Over and 'Round

She is braiding our hearts, our Brigid

Come drink at her well

Seek healing's true wealth

Take courage her flame is still burning

Seek justice and peace

Come share in the feast

Her spirit is now preparing

(chorus) Over and Under...

She brings us new hope

The strength of the oak

God's love in our hearts is yearning

Thanksgiving and grace

For the whole human race

Her love for the earth we're sharing

(chorus) Over and Under...

May the spark she ignites

Blaze up and burn bright

Showering blessings all over Creation

May we welcome her fire

Our hearts to inspire

May her flame light a New Millenium

- Minette Quick

5th annual Cyberspace Poetry Slam for Brigid

2010-02-02T16:18:00.001-08:00

Autumn Hiscock passed on through Facebook the invitation to publish Brigit poetry all over the web today.

(Go to the bottom of this post to see my offering.)

Autumn encourages us to "Help weave a web of poetry today in honour of Brigid by posting a poem (original or otherwise) on your blog, journal, Facebook page, Twitter, or somewhere else (who says you can’t write one out and pin it to a bulletin board at work, or tape it to your office door?). Leave links to it in the comments area of other post...ed poems; follow the other links you find online to read a vast woven web of poetry today."

Here is the original invitation from Oak:

5th annual Cyberspace Poetry Slam for Brigid
Feel free to copy the following to your blog/facebook/website and spread
the word. Let poetry bless the blogosphere once again!
WHAT: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading
WHEN: Anytime February 2, 2010
WHERE: Your blog
WHY: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, aka Groundhog Day
HOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to
post February 2nd.
RSVP: If you plan to publish, feel free to leave a comment and link on
this post. Last year when the call went out there was more poetry in
cyberspace than I could keep track of. So, link to whoever you hear
about this from and a mighty web of poetry will be spun.
Please pass this invitation on…

Hail, Poetry! Let the web be woven!

Autumn's offering can be found at http://www.owldaughter.org/blog/?p=2761

And here is mine, from 20 February 1995:

St. Brigit of Kildare

she was a short woman with heavy hair
the colour of peat
plaited and pinned back recklessly
her skin bore a swarthy
neolithic caste
hips hands forehead
broad and strong as rock

she never read
nor spoke from a pulpit
and no
she didn't appoint bishops
hang her garment on a beam of sun
cause the milk to flow
from calfless teats

she never met saint patrick
didn't catch the slippery christ
as he was squeezed from his mother's pelvis
she never was a goddess
though she believed in many
her god was well accompanied

the land spoke to both of them
birds' pathways meant much
and a poem sung on an injured part could heal

yeats would not have known her
we would not have known her
she would have stared at us
from crooked brows
if she had seen how we'd picture her

she would have trod on
momentarily
a sort of prayer inherent
in her breath her step
her glance at the harebell
on the moist edge of the spring

Mael Brigde

Meditation Matters - St. Brigid's Day

2010-02-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

Ellie Finlay presents a lovely Brigid's Cross on her blog "Meditation Matters". She says, "Making a Brigid's cross is a wonderfully meditative experience. You can learn how to do it right here."

Meditation Matters - St. John's Center - Reflections and announcements by Sr. Ellie Finlay of St. John's Center for Spiritual Formation.

The Anam Cara Experience & A Brigit Breviary: An Interview

2010-02-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

Bee Smith, author of the soon-to-be-released poetry collection A Brigit Breviary is interviewed online with her husband Tony Cuckson of The Anamcara Experience. The show is Tell Me Your Story, with interviewer Richard Dugan, and the interview can be found right here:

http://www.richarddugan.com/AUDIO/tmys/100130.mp3

Tony Cuckson is a storyteller and Anam cara, born one of twins in Milford, County Armagh not far from where Macha ran her legendary race at Navan Fort before giving birth herself to twins. In Ireland the mythic and one's own personal story never seem far from one to the other, with frequent overlaps and meaningful coincidences.

He weaves Irish mythology into his updated wonder tales and peoples them with those known as the Tuatha de Dannan. These are the people who were once the Shining Ones and who were driven underground by the invading Milesians. The Tuatha de Dannan are the people who then became the fairie folk known as the little people.

As a storyteller Tony takes this metaphor and turns it into stories for modern minds and hearts. Using storytelling, songs and poetry from Ireland and beyond you are invited to reclaim the beauty that you are. Tony invites this return to beauty and power through writing and in live performance using storytelling, song and poetry.

This storyteller met his anam cara in 1980 when he returned from a spiritual pilgrimage to India. He was staying with a friend in London and saw that the local library had a Poetry Circle on every Thursday evening.

When he walked through the door of the Dalston Junction Public Library on a rainy November evening he clapped his eyes on a young blonde haired woman seated at the conference table of local poets. The thought sprang into his head, "That woman is going to be my wife." The next thought was, "What an odd thing to think!"

Surprising thoughts not withstanding, nearly three decades later, poetry continues to be a strong soul link in their relationship. Sometimes soul friends also become soul mates.

Bee Smith writes many of the articles on Practices and includes some of her own Soul Friends in the Radiant Soul Friend section of the website.

Bee has had her poetry, fiction and non-fiction published in magazines, pamphlets and small presses in England, Ireland and the USA. Her special interest is haiku as a spiritual practice. A Brigit Breviary will be available soon from Wattle and Daub Books.

Blessings of Brigit on this Imbolc!

2010-01-31T22:17:00.000-08:00

Blessings of Brigit upon you and yours

upon us and ours.

May our world heal and our eyes open.

Pamela Davis

Attributed to Jane Brideson

Sharon McLeod

"Bridget, Breo-Saighit, Brigit, Brighid, Brighde, Bhride, Bride, Brid"

2010-01-31T00:45:00.000-08:00

"Bridget, Breo-Saighit, Brigit, Brighid, Brighde, Bhride, Bride, Brid"

Donald L. Engstrom-Reese has a tribute page to Brigit that features a number of photos of Brigit associations -- The Pride of Poets

,The Clan of the Caduceus, The Guild of Smithies, The Mugwort Clan, The Boar Clan...

As well are some very familiar descriptions of her attributes: "Bridget is often seen dressed sensibly in clothing appropriate to the job She is currently engaged in. Though their is often a bit of decoration on any outfit She chooses to wear. Brid’s beekeeping out fit is stunning. For instance, Her white bee veil is embroidered with hundreds of golden bees. Our Bhride also always keeps a small collection of gowns at hand for those special nights out to the opera or theater. Brid delights in the reds, pinks, yellow, oranges, ivories and blues of spring. But, She also has plenty of dark outfits one may need for a number of those special occasions. Brid delights in honey colored jewels; amber, topaz, diamonds, sapphires, etc. She adores all metals, particularly all well crafted objects of steel. Bridget often wears plain kaki work clothes as She drives through the countryside in Her vintage 1980 Land Rover pickup truck."

Image of Brighde by Anne-Marie Perks: "This watercolour represents my interpretation of Bríghde. This is her as seer, swirling the waters in the bowl that tells her stories around it. I used oil crayons and watercolour in this painting."

Brigid of Kildare gaining popularity: reprinted from Clerical Whispers

2010-01-24T01:53:00.000-08:00

The blog "Clerical Whispers" (Irish RC Clergy Giving The Uncomfortable Truth From Within) posted this article about Brigid and her followers. (I am trying to track down the name of the artist who did the piece on the left.)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2009 Brigid of Kildare gaining popularity

Kildare and Leighlin Diocese is to celebrate the feast of St Brigid, (principal patron of the diocese) in a special way as it falls on a Sunday this year. Celebrants can use special prayers for the Feast of St. Brigid along with a communion reflection and the Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is suggested that a St Brigid’s cross be displayed during the communion reflection which refers to how St Brigid weaved a cross from rushes as she visited a dying chieftain.

The cross has become a symbol of peace and protection, and a blessing for the home and hearth.

It was exchanged as a sign of reconciliation during clan feuds in Brigid’s time.

It continues to be weaved to this day.St Brigid’s festival in Kildare, Féile Bríde, is also going from strength to strength. This is the 17th year of the festival and up to 600 are expected at the well alone, and hundreds more to poetry readings, musical evenings, workshops, conferences and Mass and other prayer services that take place around the town. Among the visitors will be 20 Swedish ladies who represent 1000 of their number in Scandinavia who model themselves on the life of St Brigid of Kildare. These are Lutheran women who read books by Fr John Ryan and Sr Rita Minehan and got in touch with the Brigidine sisters who run Solas Bhríde in Kildare. 600 of them have come to the festival over the years. They meet twice a month, read something of St Brigid, share, pray and have charitable events. “St Brigid was a woman for today with her concern for the earth plus the arrival of spring on her feast day. There are tremendous celebrations around Ireland, in Clare, Kildare, Roscommon and there is a whole following of St Brigid right across the world.

St Brigid’s legends are like parables - like giving away her father’s sword - get rid of war and weapons and feed the hungry – that is a real message for today,” Sr Mary Minehan, Solas Bhríde, told ciNews.

“As I am looking out the window I see some snowdrops in full bloom in the garden and the snowdrops are called the footsteps of St Brigid.” Brigid of Kildare is a patroness of those who have a care for the earth, for justice and equality, for peace and she is a model for a contemplative life, she said. Feile Bhríde includes a Peace and Justice conference in collaboration with Afri - Action from Ireland - at Derby House Hotel, Kildare Town.“Seeds of Change: Seeds of Hope” conference speakers include Denis Halliday former UN Assistant Secretary General and Frida Berrigan niece of anti-war campaigner Fr. Dan Berrigan. For further information or to book, see www.afri.ie. Other events will include Brigid’s Banquet, poetry readings and concerts and the Annual Celtic Lecture “The Flame of Justice – Brigid and the practice of Social Ethics” with Prof. Johnston McMaster from the Irish School of Ecumenics.

For further details: www.solasbhride.ie.

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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

(Source: CIN)POSTED AT 1/30/2009 12:14:00 AM

Sotto Voce

CW EMAIL: clericalwhispers@gmail.com

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