I was delighted to discover this review on my Facebook feed today. Morgan Daimler (Pagan Portals: Brigid, among others) reviews the second of my online Brigit courses. (The first is Discovering Brigit. If you do that one, at the end you will find a coupon for Stepping Into Brigit which essentially reimburses $13 of the $15 you spent to take DB.)
This review is from Living Liminally: Reflections on Reconstructionist Polytheism, devotion to the Déithe and an-déithe, and living Paganism in a modern world
Many people are familiar with my dedication to the
Morrigan but what may not be as widely known is my love of Brighid. It is, by
its nature, a different sort of love, but it is just as much a presence in my
life in its own way. So when I was asked to help Beta test* a new course 'Stepping
Into Brigit' designed for people interested in Brighid to learn about
and connect to her I jumped at the chance.
The course is set up as an 11 module course, with each
module containing multiple lessons, and is meant to be done - ideally - over a
month. With roughly 38 overall lessons to complete (course surveys excluded)
one would need to either decide to do one or more lessons a day or set aside
time every few days to do a full module in order to finish in a month. What I
liked about the set up though is the learning is self paced, so that you can
choose to it at whatever speed you like and in whatever fashion works best for
you. I took the 'chunky' approach myself and did a full module at a go because
that was what worked best with my schedule, although other people may find a
slower spacing better.
Each lesson is fairly thorough but also brief. At some
points I felt perhaps a bit too brief, but the idea was to take time with each
one and contemplate it, write down thoughts and reflections on the material,
and really process it, rather than rushing through to get to the next one. They
often included outside recommended reading or references to follow up, such as
the Story
Archaeology's entry on discussing her which should take some time to do.
With that in mind the size of each lesson is pretty good, and it really was
designed to encourage engagement from the student. I also like the use of mixed
media throughout the course which used text, images, videos, and audio clips.
The material looks at Brighid in a holistic manner including
both the pagan Goddess as well as the Christian saint, and while I didn't feel
the same engagement with the material relating to the saint that reflects more
of my own bias than any flaw in the course. It certainly was the most
well-rounded view I think I've seen and I can't fault it's fairness in giving
an equal voice to all sides. the material is generally presented without any
favoring of one opinion over another and with clear citation of sources,
allowing a student to draw their own conclusions for the most part about the
very complex subject of Brighid pagan roots and Christian history.
Speaking of sources, I really did like the way the course
offered a lot of quotes directly from source material. I think often this is
the best way to let a student contemplate the original material without the
filter of an author's opinion. I also like the amount of poetry included and
the way that allowed me, as a student, to experience the material without
overthinking it and to appreciate the beauty of the ideas presented. I also
liked the option of entering feedback after each lesson, to share personal
experiences or thoughts. I did feel there was a lack of more directed exercises
beyond the journaling being encouraged, but I acknowledge that not all students
want to feel like they have written homework to complete. The overall feel of
the course was contemplative and engaging without being tedious or excessively
'school-like' in its feel, which I think will have a wide appeal to modern
adult spiritual seekers.
There are many people out there interested in Brighid and
many seeking classes or courses online to help them better connect to spiritual
things of interest. For those looking to learn about and connect to Brighid I
think this course would be a good option, if you find that online courses are
generally a good option for you. As with any such course it requires a person
to be self-motivated to do the lessons, and to incorporate the material in a
practical manner. However for someone who has the desire to truly make use of
what this course is offering I think a great deal of valuable knowledge can be
gained here.
*to be clear - I was asked to Beta test the course by its
creator, but this review is being offered by me freely and without any
compensation. As far as I am aware I was asked to help test the course in part
because of the book I had written on Brighid and my knowledge of Her, and in
the interest of transparency my book Pagan
Portals Brigid is recommended reading for this course. However I would
not and will not endorse nor recommend anything I do not genuinely see value in
and my opinions offered here are honest; had I not seen value in the course on
its own merits I would simply not have reviewed it.
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ABOUT Morgan
My name is Morgan Daimler. I have been a witch since 1991,
an Irish reconstructionist since about 1994, and heathen since 2006; I also
practice seidhr. I love studying other paths and other ways of doing things and
I enjoy discussing religion, philosophy and spirituality with people from
diverse paths. I am a Druid in the CR Druid group the Order of the White Oak,
as well as a member of ADF. I try to stay active in the pagan community and am
always interested in hearing about how other people are doing things. I have
had my poetry and prose published in different places including eight
anthologies, Circle magazine, as well as Witches and Pagans magazine. I am the
author of the book By Land, Sea, and Sky, the children's book a Child's Eye
View of the Fairy Faith which is published through Spero Publishing, and
through Moon Books: Where the Hawthorn Grows, Fairy Witchcraft, Pagan Portals:
the Morrigan, Pagan Portals: Irish Paganism, and the forthcoming Pagan Portals:
Brigid. I also have a self published urban fantasy/paranormal romance series,
Between the Worlds.
