Butter Lamp GIF

I hope this works! (I've borrowed this gif from the site Hindu Wisdom. Lots of interesting stuff there.)

Here you go, flamelovers:

New Brigit Book: The Brighid Oracle by Ceri Norman

First mentioned on this blog in April 2011, Ceri Norman's The Brighid Oracle is out at last, after delays with the original publisher. Unfortunately, the planned deck is not a part of it, though the new ebook comes with instructions for making your own set.

I haven't seen  it yet, but here is what Ceri has forwarded about her new ebook. (Here's hoping it will go into paper eventually so old-fashioned folk like me can get our hands on it. Literally.)

To purchase the Kindle edition click here.

The Brighid Oracle by Ceri Norman

Brighid, the Ancient Celtic Goddess and Christian Saint, is closely associated with augury and divination, as well as the arts of healing, smithing and poetry. She was known by many epithets, including ‘Brighid of the Augury’ and ‘Prophetess of Christ’.  Her sacred flames and waters were used for divination, and still are today.

Within the oracle are practical instructions on how to conduct readings.  There are, for example, clear interpretations of the symbols, spreads that can be used, such as Brighid’s Cloak, and information on how to make and care for your own oracle set. There are 33 symbols which draw on the lore, legends and landscapes associated with Brighid; these include Brighid’s cross, Fire in the Forge, Kildare, Rowan and Swan. The oracle also includes a meditation to meet Brighid for yourself.

In this eBook Ceri Norman brings together information from a wide range of sources to explore the traditions, folklore and enduring legacy of Brighid, in a way that allows readers to utilise the information and work with Brighid for themselves.

The Brighid Oracle is easy enough to use straightaway; it requires no previous knowledge or experience and will, I hope, enrich the work of those drawn to work with Brighid, whatever your personal faith.

Welcome! Eye of my eye!

I went to St Andrew's Church Supply here in Vancouver today to pick up refills for the votive candles I use for my flame-tending shift. As I like to do, I noodled around looking at the statuary and cards and surplices and such. To my surprise there were two St Brigit statues--there have never been St Brigit statues there before. These two statues were nearly identical, except for the painting of the eyes. The one had perfectly symmetrical, belladona-widened eyes, giving her a pretty face. The other had one eye lower than the other, its pupil wider than its mate's, and the brow of that eye was arched.

She was not, of course, typically pretty. She was unique, and her face was a little startling. As I looked longer at it, I began to get a sense of a life behind these eyes, a history, wisdom perhaps, and pain.

It of course made me think of the story in Leabhar Breac of St Brigit's self-mutilation in order to avoid being married off when she wanted to be a monastic. It's a tad horrifying: be warned.

Shortly after that came a certain man of good kin unto Dubthach to ask for his daughter (in marriage). Dubthach and his sons were willing, but Brigit refused. Said a brother of her brethren named Beccán unto her: ‘Idle is the fair eye that is in thy head not be on a pillow near a husband.’ ‘The Son of the Virign knoweth,’ says Brigit, ‘it is not lively for us if it brings harm upon us.’ Then Brigit put her finger under her eye, and drew it out of her head until it was on her cheek, and she said: ‘Lo, here for thee is thy delightful eye, O Beccán!’ Then his eye burst forthwith. When Dubthach and her brethern beheld that, they promised that she should never be told to go unto a husband. Then she put her palm to her eye and it was quite whole at once. But Beccán's eye was not whole till his death.

Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

On the Life of St. Brigit (Leabhar Breac) (Author: Translated by Whitley Stokes)

It will not surprise you which statue I chose. Leaving the perfect one for another Brigidine who may wander in and find her with delight, I brought my new friend to the counter and from there, to my home.

Brigit's Cross in an Unexpected Place

When my father was dying a few years ago, I idly noticed the pattern on his johnny shirt (hospital gown). It was a series of sketched crosses, including Brigit's cross. Somehow the thought that this battered, beleaguered man was wrapped in her mantle so tangibly was a comfort to me, though it would have meant nothing to him.

Goddess Bride: Art by Maggie V. Jones

I first came across the art of Warwickshire, England's  Maggie V. Jones in 2008, and was struck by its vibrancy. I see Maggie has less of an internet presence than she did then--a situation I hope changes. Here are two images she painted of Bride, lush wonders that refer to her link to bees. As this is the season for gathering honey, it is a good time to share Maggie's images.

The Celtic Goddess Bride (Brigid). Medium: Digital. Completed Imbolc 2009.

Copyright Maggie V. Jones

Two versions of this, and I personally prefer the latter. Others may beg to differ.

Maggie says of herself: 

I think I'm boringly normal, but I think my mother thinks otherwise. She's always saying, "I don't know where I got her from!" I have two dogs called Jet and Titch, and a cockatiel called Bella. They rule me. I am partial to both chocolate and lemon puff biscuits,and if I go out for a tipple it's usually a lager with a dash of blackcurrant cordial (I know Im common). My usual order at a restaurant would be a nice fish platter. One of my enduring loves is the tarot which I was introduced to when I was nine years of age (thank-you Janet). They arent just packs of cards, they are old friends. I have three kids and one grandchild. They all never cease to amaze me with all their triumphs, trials and tribulations. Life is never boring, I can tell you. Im going to be with my husband to the death, and beyond. I'm terribly posessive. My favourite thing apart from my tarot cards is my case of Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils. Bloody marvellous things!

The Cloak: A Performance of St Brigid's Life

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  All performances will commence promptly at 8pm. Late arrivals will not be admitted.
  
  Starring Rebecca Storm
• 

St. Brigid of Kildare Gathering Festival September 2013

You are invited to come to Kildare Town this September for the St. Brigid of Kildare Gathering Festival.  There will be a special welcome “Céad Míle Fáilte” to those named Brigid and those who have variations of the name.  We also welcome people from around the world who have an affinity with St. Brigid through parishes, associations, churches and place names, to visitors from Ireland and overseas with an interest in Brigid and her legacy.

Come to Kildare Town, Ireland this September and take part in setting a Guinness Book of Records world record in  weaving St. Brigid’s crosses!

In addition to a Guinness Book of Records challenge at which we hope to involve all visitors in setting the record for the most people to weave St. Brigid’s crosses, there will be a packed programme of music and dance events in addition to walks, pilgrimages, craft demonstrations and craft workshops, each linking to Brigid and her legacy.

The festival is being organised by Solas Bhríde in collaboration with a number of other Kildare based groups and is part of the overall Government supported Gathering Festival 2013.

We are just 1.5 hours drive from Dublin airport and 2 hours from Shannon airport and a range of accommodation options are listed on each of www.intokildare.ie and www.discoverireland.ie.  More information on what to do in Kildare Town is available from www.destinationkildaretown.ie and also http://www.kildare.ie/kildareheritage/.

You are assured of a very warm welcome in Kildare Town this September and a truly memorable experience celebrating the life of St. Brigid.  Please get in touch if you have any questions and we very much hope to see you in September.

Events will include:

• 
• Official Opening & Celebration of St. Brigid *
• Guinness Book of Records Challenge *
• Re-enactment of the Legend of the Cloak of St. Brigid
• Concert in St. Brigid’s Cathedral (€)
• Celtic Music Recital (€)
• Harvest Gathering at St. Brigid’s Well
• Literary Event
• Guided Tour of the Monastic City of Kildare
• Walking in the Footsteps of Brigid of Kildare/ Pilgrimage
• Guided Tour of the Curragh Plains / St. Brigid Pastures
• Weaving of Brigid’s Cross – Craft Workshop
• Craft Workshop: Weaving of Brigid’s Cross
• Craft Participation: Weaving of Wall Hanging
• Craft Exhibitions
• Trad Music / Entertainment in local pubs *

Julie Feeney is performing in St. Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare Town, Sunday 15th September at 8pm.

Tickets for all events other than those marked * to be booked directly with event hosts

Unless marked (€) events are free of charge

Events marked * are open access, no tickets or charges apply

All events subject to change, additional events to be added

Event listings last updated: 1 May 2013, please check latest information in July for event bookings

Facebook page.

“Becoming Mary of the Gael”: a Note on the Paper (& Other Works) by D.A. Bray

“Becoming Mary of the Gael” was published in MEDIEVALISTS.NET: WHERE THE MIDDLE AGES BEGIN  – APRIL 19, 2013

The Celtic Studies Association of North America Annual Meeting – The University of Toronto, April 18-21, 2013

Dorothy Ann Bray (McGill University)

The second paper of the opening session moved away from archaeology and towards religious devotion and saint’s cults. Dorothy Ann Bray presented a paper on the background of St. Brigit’s association with the Virgin Mary in Ireland. St. Brigit is often represented as the Virgin Mary in Irish worship – this paper explored the reasons behind this phenomenon.

Texts offer a lengthy eulogy of the saint. This term, “Mary of the Gael”, has been firmly attached to St. Brigit. The Middle Irish version is based on an even earlier version and there is long tradition comparing St. Brigit to the Virgin Mary,

‘A fair both, fair dignity which will come to thee thereafter from thy children’s descendants, who shall be called from her great virtues truly pious Brig-eoit; she will be another Mary, mother of the Lord.” (‘The Old Irish Life of Saint Brigit’, Irish Historical Studies 1:2 (1938): 348)

Brigit has had a constant, insistent comparison to Mary but only in vernacular texts. The first instance appears in a ninth century biographical hymn. Naming of Brigit as the Mother of Jesus is bold and audacious but this has not received much mention by scholars. Bray has not found any women outside of Ireland so closely associated with Mary as Brigit. There was nothing heretical or especially devious about it but Bray wondered, ‘How did this arise?’. The assertion of Brigit as the mother of Christ was explained in 1955 as an Irish convention of symbolically sharing in motherhood. However, this doesn’t explain why other Irish saints are not associated with the mother of God. Some saints are associated as a sister but not Mother.

What about the laity? They would be the most likely audience of these hymns. When the cult of Mary in Ireland began is indeterminate but there is an indication that there was worship of Mary as early as the sixth century in Ireland and that a cult was well in place by the seventh century. Devotion to Mary carried Eastern influences; she was often referenced to the Queen of Sheba. Sheba became interpreted as a kind of Mary. In the East, she is celebrated more as the Queen of Heaven, in the West, she is worshipped more as the Mother of Christ. Jerome, Augustine and other theologians reinforced Mary’s role as a mother. Augustine grounded his thoughts on Mary in scripture, and the new “Eve” was the Church, not Mary. Under the influence of Ambrose, Augustine regards Mary as a model disciple. The emphasis on Mary as the Mother of Jesus is in line with earlier medieval views of martyrology. Most hymns to Brigit were heavy on praise and light on biography and in Latin hymns she is described “like” Mary but not taken to the complete level of identification as in Irish texts. Mary as the Mother of Christ was a powerful symbol in Irish devotion.

Related articles of interest by D. A. Bray:

• Bray (Dorothy Ann):, "Secunda Brigida: Saint Ita of Killeedy and Brigidine Tradition." In: Cyril J. Byrne, Margaret Harry, and Pádraig Ó Siadhail (eds.), Celtic Languages and Celtic Peoples: Proceedings of the Second North American Congress of Celtic Studies held in Halifax August 16–19, 1989, 27–38. Halifax 1992.
• Bray (Dorothy Ann): "Saint Brigit and the fire from heaven." In ÉtC 29 (1992), pp. 105-113.
• Bray (Dorothy Ann): "Further on white read-eared cows in fact and fiction." In Peritia 19 (2005), pp. 239-255. On the possible association  of the red-eared fairy cows of the Irish Otherworld and the wild cattle of Chillingham. 
• Bray (Dorothy Ann): "Ireland's other apostle: Cogitosus' St. Brigit." In CMCS 59 (Summer 2010), pp. 55-70
• Bray (Dorothy Ann): "The Vita prima of St. Brigit: a preliminary analysis of its composition." In Narrative in Celtic Tradition (2011), pp. 1-15
• A pithy review of Christina Harrington's Women in a Celtic Church, Oxford University Press, 2002. This review includes reference to other important Brigit papers of recent years. Published in the Medieval Review.
• The full text of "The Image of St Brigit in the Early Irish Church" may be found at the Monastic Matrix site. The Image of St. Brigit in the Early Irish Church in Études celtiques (1987). 24 (1987): 209-215.
• For a fuller list of her publications, click here. 

The Door Into the Dark: Memories of an Irish Smithy

The Forge

All I know is a door into the dark.

Outside, old axles and iron hoops rusting;

Inside, the hammered anvil’s short-pitched ring,

The unpredictable fantail of sparks

Or hiss when a new shoe toughens in water.

The anvil must be somewhere in the centre,

Horned as a unicorn, at one end and square,

Set there immoveable: an altar

Where he expends himself in shape and music. 

Sometimes, leather-aproned, hairs in his nose,

He leans out on the jamb, recalls a clatter

Of hoofs where traffic is flashing in rows;

Then grunts and goes in, with a slam and flick

To beat real iron out, to work the bellows. 

Seamus Heaney

1969

The other evening I was listening to a podcast from RTÉ.ie (Raidió Teilifís Éireann) which reminded me of Brigit, and thus of you. She was not mentioned, but one of her areas of expertise was the basis of the story: smithcraft. 

The Door Into the Dark, a fifteen minute excerpt from a longer documentary by  MaryAnn Vaughan, shares the memories of Pat Vaughn, Co. Waterford, of his father's forge, which closed in 1992. I enjoyed it so much I put images to it and saved it as a video to share with you all. If you like it, you might check out some of the many other shows at Documentary on One: 

'Documentary on One is the home of Irish radio documentaries and the largest library of documentary podcasts available anywhere in the world. We tell stories in sound, mostly Irish ones, and each documentary tells its own story.'

BLACKSMITH SHOP

I liked the bellows operated by rope.
A hand or a foot pedal – I don’t remember.
But that blowing and blazing of fire!
And a piece of iron in the fire, held there by tongs,
Red, softened, ready for the anvil,
Beaten with a hammer, bent into a horseshoe,
Thrown in a bucket of water, sizzle, steam.
And horses hitched to be shod,
Tossing their manes; and in the grass by the river
Plowshares, sledge runners, harrows waiting for repair.
At the entrance, my bare feet on the dirt floor,
Here, gusts of heat; at my back, white clouds,
I stare and stare. It seems I was called for this:
To glorify things just because they are.

–Czesław Miłosz

Translated by the author and Robert Hass

For those who want more, there is a truncated but interesting documentary on the Tradition of Blacksmithing in Ireland at Audioboo. (The intact portion is 86 year old Eamon Madden, master blacksmith from Athenry, interviewed by Ella McSweeney.)

"Think at the forge, work at the anvil."

"A blacksmith's children are not afraid of sparks." (Danish proverb)

Hymn to Brigit & Brigit Candle Cross-Stitch

The original version of this hymn is a prayer to God, not Brigit, collected by Alexander Carmichael in the Carmina Gadelica. I came across it in Esther de Waal's book on Celtic Christianity, Every Earthly Blessing, and was much moved by the text. In my efforts to memorize my modified version to use as a prayer on rising each morning, a tune began to attach itself to the phrases. I offer it to you now with a collection of images, mostly from old postcards and archival photos, but also including:

• images from the website of the Brigidine sisters of Australia
• hearth drawings by E. Estyn Evans
• the Solas Bhride hearth (photo by Erynn Laurie)
• Judy Chicago's Saint Bridget plate from The Dinner Party
• my own very humble clay crèche of Brigit, her cow, and the triple flame
• a Brigit candle cross-stitch design by Donna Amaral of the Daughters of the Flame
• a painting of a Renaissance woman blacksmith by Francesca Miller
• a photo of friends drumming around the fire in Haiti
• Mayra Gomez carrying Brigit's flame (from the AFRI website)
• a woman blacksmith in Sulawesi

I include Donna Amaral's cross-stitch pattern here. Please credit her wherever you may use it. Donna was an early and dedicated member of the Daughters of the Flame whose generosity and joy were a great inspiration and support to all who knew her. Her death was a great loss to us all.

I will kindle my fire (Brigit Song)

I will kindle my fire this morning

in the presence of Brigit and her holy women.
Brigit kindle in my heart within
a flame of love to my neighbour
to my foe, to my friend, to my kindred all
to the brave, to the knave, to the thrall.
Without malice, without jealousy
without envy, without fear
without terror of anyone under the sun.

For the original words, collected by Alexander Carmichael, see the Comment section below.

Brigit Quilts

The previous post shows a parish kneeler with a St Brigit design on it. Discovering this craft has led me to search online for quilts made in honour of Brigit. Here is what I found.

From the site of the International Quilt Festival in London, Ontario, this vast and beautiful depiction of Brigit and her world from an unnamed church in Wexford, Ireland. Click on the  photo below for a larger image--it's too complex to take in at this size.

Next, a phoenix-inspired Goddess/Saint Brigit from American fibre artist Catherine Marie, who attempts "to interweave Goddesses into (her) own birthright of Catholicism (a challenge!)."

She says, "St. Brigid and Brigid the Goddess reside together in this large quilt. I depicted her with phoenix feathers, because her eternal fire, though first doused with the turbulent meeting of paganism and Christianity, has been resurrected, presently being tended by the Brigidine sisters of Kildare.

"This quilt was given to a friend who was battling cancer with a courageous and focused resolve.  I was hoping, in my own sense of helplessness, that the quilt could warm her as it’s image reminded all of us that there is a new beginning after the flames.

"I then thought that it could be a good image for a prayer wallhanging.  The work on that wall hanging is covered in an earlier post:  Bridging Paganism and Christianity with Brigit."

Here is the wall hanging:

C. Neely created a small, found-art quilt made from lacy fabric, a holy card and medal, ribbon and buttons--an inspiration for those of us who would like to make our own fabric celebrations of Brigit.

And for the traditional quilter, this lovely "Cross of Saint Brigit" pattern can be found in Colorful Quilts: 12 easy and fun designs by Sharyn Squier Craig, Christiane Meunier, and Others.

Wonderfully, Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur hosts a blog dedicated to saintly quilt patterns, and offers a free download of the St. Brigit block below:

Tina Cockburn made a lovely Saint Brigit's quilt:

Angie Quinby has a number of Imbolc quilt blocks at this link.

... There were more yet! Just dig around and you will find them.

Oh! How could I forget this one, by Barrie Maguire?

Parish Kneelers--Works of Art for Prayer

Perhaps everyone else in the world has always known of them, but I discovered the world of parish kneelers only recently, at St James Anglican Church in Vancouver, BC. Their small side chapel has about forty burnished oak chairs, each with a small stool tucked in underneath them. They aren't footstools, they are kneelers--pulled out when needed and pushed out of sight when not.

Each one has a beautiful hand-stitched emblem over the padded top. Inspired by these, I looked on the internet to see if I could find any stitched in honour of St Brigit. I found this one (actually two of the same pattern):

Both may be seen in person at All Saints Church, Monk Sherborne, Hampshire, in the south of England.

The site which displays this and many other Welsh and English kneelers--Parish Kneelers--is a clear labour of love. There you can learn how to make your own, where to find others, and so on. You can even upload photos of your own kneelers, should you make them.

Enjoy!

Schedule of Events for Today's Brigit Book Launch & Arts Festival

Hello All!

Today's the big day! Looking forward to seeing some of you tonight for the Brigit 
book launch and arts festival.

I have put the schedule of presentations with presenter bios and info about 
presentations on the Facebook page: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/563309347032827/?fref=ts

and on Life Force Arts Center's website calendar: 
http://www.lifeforcearts.org/site/calendar/icalrepeat.detail/2013/05/11/5517/-/
brigit-sun-of-womanhood-book-launch-a-arts-festival-

Feel free to share!

Also, if you can't make it tonight but would like to purchase the book online 
(cost is $16.95):
http://store.goddess-ink.com/index.aspx

Any other questions/comments, please ask.

Hail, Brigit! 

Joan