St. Brigid of Kildare Icon Writing Retreat with Sophia Icon Studio

 

St. Brigid of Kildare Icon Writing Retreat with Sophia Icon Studio of Boise, Idaho.

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February 13-17

 

One-Week Online Retreat 

Monday - Friday (Full-days)

9am-4pm Mountain Time

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St. Brigid is one of the three patron saints of Ireland credited with spreading Christianity in the Celtic Isles. Many of the details of her life are more legend than fact, but her life and spirituality left a mark on the Celtic people that is real and robust. 

 

Brigid was born into slavery, but like many women in the Middle Ages found freedom in the Church. She followed the teachings of St. Patrick and founded several important monasteries, most notably in Kildare. She was known for her excessive generosity to the sick and poor. Named after the pagan goddess of the flame, Brigid's life became a bright light to the people around her, which continues to shine to this day.

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Class will be conducted live on Zoom. Sorry, no recordings are available at this time.

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​This icon will be painted on a 8x10" board. A prepared board will be provided along with instructional materials and gold leaf. First-time students have the option to purchase an Introductory Kit for $12 (recommended). See Essential Supplies for details.

 

Tuition cost: ​

$365 

Payment is due at the time of registration.

See Registration & Payment for more detailed information

 

REGISTRATION DEADLINE 

is February 6th

Icon of St. Brigid of Kildare Written through the hand of Kara Gillette, 2023

New: Imbolc Ritual and Practice by Orlagh Costello

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here to learn more and to sign up.

Image: Candle and sheaf of oats from IPS site.

Solas Bhríde - Online Meditation, Sacred Dance Class

 

Last chance to book!   Autumn Meditation Series (Online) 
Autumn heralds a season filled with change, celebrates harvest and ushers in the brilliant beauty of letting go. This is a calling for us to pause, to reflect and to practice gratitude and thankfulness as a way of reaping our own inner harvest.
Join us online for our Autumn meditation series which celebrates the Season of Creation and reflects in particular on the concepts of 'letting go' and 'time to rest' as we seek to mirror the rhythm of nature at this time of year.

Book your place for Thursday 7th October     7.30pm - 8.00pm 

Book your place for Thursday 14th October   7.30pm - 8.00pm
Cost €5

Sacred Dance Returns to Solas Bhride
Have you every wondered what 'sacred dance' is? Curious?
Sacred dancing is an ancient tradition for marking special occasions, rituals, strengthening community and encouraging togetherness.
Come along to Solas Bhride in Kildare Town and experience the joy and peace of dancing together in a harmonious circle through gentle movement.
No experience is necessary as Terry and Betty will expertly guide us into each danced prayer to carefully chosen music from around the globe.
This is a perfect time to reconnect with our inner self, each other and the Earth. 

BOOK NOW  to secure your place for this very special event on Wednesday 20th October (7.30pm - 9.00pm)
Cost €15

MotherHouse of the Goddess Brigid Resources

Lady of the Hearth Fire, 

Lady of the Forge Fire, 

Lady of Wisdom and Inspiration, 

Fiery Arrow of Knowledge, 

be with us.  

                                          'Brigit’s Litany' by Barbara Flaherty
                                                            Brigit: Sun of Womanhood

MotherHouse of the Goddess has assembled a portal to link folk to their various Brigit resources. The portal itself is a resource, with images and writings, as well as links to classes (including mine), recipes, and much more.

Click here to visit the page.

Brigit Classes with Mael Brigde

It is nearly Imbolc, and it is a time each year when I have been busy doing Brigit work for a couple of months. Readying the newsletter for the Daughters of the Flame 🔥 is a big part of that, and working with my flame sister, Nichole, to find out who is keeping her shift for another year and who is not. Assigning shifts to new members. And making contact with all manner of individuals on their journey with Brigit.

Some of the most rewarding of those contacts are with the folk who take my Brigit classes. There are many opportunities to reflect and build on our concept of and relationship to her in the classes, and I am moved by the depth of the reflections each student offers.

As the evenings draw nearer to Imbolc, many of us wish to deepen our connection with her. If you would benefit from some quiet contemplation of Brigit over the next days or weeks, my three Brigit courses may provide a safe place for you to do so.

The first two, Discovering Brigit and Stepping Into Brigit, focus on our ways of seeing and understanding her and exploring our connection with her. The third, an intensive and much longer course, immersed us in the reading and writing of poetry, under the mantle of Brigit, with an exploration of the poet in Ireland.

If you want to learn more about the classes, you may find them here. If you would like to learn more about me, go here. If you do take Discovering Brigit, remember that there is a coupon at the end for a substantial discount on the following class, Stepping Into Brigit.

May your Imbolc be a blessing, and may your gradually manifesting spring be a season of growth and insight.

Sweet blessings,

Mael Brigde

Gratitude Oblation: Brigit Classes for Friends

I am nearly finished my manuscript, Sun Among Stars - Poems and Prayers to Brigit of Ireland.

It's been a long, looong process, interrupted repeatedly by ill health and life challenges. I can barely believe I will soon be taking the next step toward offering it to the world.

In gratitude for this long and nourishing devotion, I'd like to foster our community in another way.

At present, I have three classes available through the Mystery School of the Goddess: Discovering Brigit and its sister course, Stepping Into Brigit, and the poetry intensive, Journey with Brigit, Goddess of Poetry.

To date people have taken the courses as individuals. I would like to offer them to you to take with friends, cill, or grove members. If you gather four people to take one or more class, one of you will not be charged. This way you can make a gift to one or settle amounts between yourselves in a way that supports your community. (Oh--and if anyone at all takes Discovering Brigit and then Stepping Into Brigit, there is a discount if you sign up through the first course.)

Blessings of Brigit on all. Thank you for your immense support. <3 span="">

Click here to find Mael Brigde's Classes.



Image: from Mother House of the Goddess, Journey Into Brigit, Goddess of Poetry.

Two New Brigit Courses (with Mael Brigde)

I can't believe I forgot to post these here! I have launched two courses on Brigit with Goddess Ink and the Mystery School of the Goddess. The first is a brief introduction which lays the groundwork for the second, a thirty day activation course. Next year I plan to launch a longer immersion course as well.

Something you might want to know before signing up: Discovering Brigit (the intro) is $15 US, but if you follow the link at the end of the course to sign up for Stepping Into Brigit you will receive a discount of $13. Not a bad deal.

It was very rewarding putting these courses together, despite this being a difficult year in other ways. Returning over and over to Brigit and her lore and traditions in the midst of loss gave me sustenance and joy. Now I get to share those efforts with others; a real blessing.

Mael Brigde

(Click below for more details on the courses.)