Watch Together on Boxing Day: "Brigit as a Constant Companion"

 

Watch Party: 26 December 2020 NOON Pacific Time (UTC +8) 

Please note that depending on where you are, this date and time will be quite different. Eg it is 7 PM on the 27th in Melbourne.

(More details at the bottom of this post)
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After the stress of the last year and in the wake of a public holiday, I want to invite you to spend time quieting your mind and body and joining me in contemplation of Brigit. I will be there the whole time and around afterward for a while if anyone wants to comment or ask any questions. Though you may be feeling too inward for that then. You are welcome to talk to me later if you like.

"Brigit as a Constant Companion, a Contemplation" employs images, words, and silence. You may wish to bring something small—a photo or object—that reminds you of yourself in a positive way and something else that reminds you of Brigit. If it would help you create a better environment for contemplation, you may want to light a dedicated candle and prepare a dish of water, perhaps with healing herbs floating in it. Have ready a comfortable place to sit, a snuggly blanket to pull around you if you get cool, and a flask of water in case you get thirsty.

WHAT: "Brigit as a Constant Companion, a Contemplation" Watch Together (not really a party  )

LENGTH: This video is approximately an hour and twenty minutes

WHEN: 26 December 2020 NOON Pacific Time 

WHERE: On the day, please follow the link at the top of this page to see the video. If you aren't there at noon, fear not. You can join us at any time. There is an introduction, an opening meditation, a few moments of me talking without the mike on (oops!), and then a restart. 

WHAT TO BRING: Water, a warm blanket if you are somewhere cool, and, if you like, an object to remind you of yourself, and another to remind you of Brigit.

REMEMBER: This is a chance to Watch Together. The video is already available at the same link as above. Feel free to enjoy the practice any time, maybe even gather your own group to Watch Together (have a Watch Party). 

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"Brigit as a Constant Companion" was my offering for Land, Sea, Sky Travel's 2020 event, Brigid: A Friend For Our Times

Brigit as a Constant Companion - Video Available

 

I have just uploaded the full video of a guided contemplation I led in September as a belated part of Land, Sea, Sky Travel's Brigid: A Friend for Our Times conference. It took three attempts and several months but we finally managed it, and with one wee glitch it went off fine this time. (I left my mic off for a while, but luckily it was in the transition into the contemplation proper, so no harm done. 

Unfortunately, Blogger wouldn't accept it as it was too long, but I was able to upload it on my Facebook Page, Brigit's Portal. Here is the direct link to Brigit as a Constant Companion. It is an immersion, nearly eighty minutes long, so set some time aside to really allow yourself to move into that quiet, contemplative space.

Blessings of Brigit on you.

 

Image: "Moštanica Monastery, chapel for lighting candles. Municipality of Kozarska Dubica, Republika Srpska" by Petar Milošević. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Meditation tomorrow: Brigit as a Constant Companion

Tomorrow I will be leading a meditation on Brigit to which you and anyone you care to invite are welcome. It is free, and will be about an hour long, or a bit less.

This is an opportunity for us to quiet ourselves and spend a while in contemplation. In these difficult days, quiet connection with ourselves and deity can be elusive. My hope is to open a small window onto that possibility with you.

You may wish to bring something to represent yourself, and something to represent Brigit, and have them where you can easily see them, perhaps on a special altar. These need not be elaborate. Two leaves, two stones--anything that you can engage with symbolically.

Prepare a space where you can be comfortable and focussed.

I look forward to being there with you.

Blessings of Brigit on us all.

***

This is a Facebook event, which I believe means an account is needed. Click here for more information and to register.

Brigid: A Friend For Our Times Conference

It suddenly occurred to me I should let you know that Land, Sea, Sky Travel is hosting a one-day online conference on 16 May 2020.

I will be talking about Brigit as a constant companion, and leading a contemplative session on that theme. I don't yet know who the other presenters are, but I have always enjoyed LSST's conferences, and I expect to do so again this time.

Perhaps I will see you there.

Also presenting:

Sage from Clann Bhride
Gwilym Morus-Baird from Celtic Source
Echo Summer-The Social Justice Druid
Amy Panetta from The Celtic Feminine Podcast
Paulie Rainbow from Denver Celtic Women's Circle
A.B from Kildare, who is going to come out and talk about their hometown

From their page:

A Year with the Witch
Brigid A Friend For Our Times
An Online Polytheist Conference

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

from "A Summer's Day" by Mary Oliver

Land, Sea, Sky Travel is proud to host our third year of curated online conferences. Over the course of the year, we will be hosting eight conferences. Each conference will hold a specific theme relevant to Irish, Welsh, Gallic, and Devotional Polytheists and Magic Workers.

The conference will provide a balanced mix of hands-on, devotional, and experimental practice with academic and lore-based studies. In addition, a chat room will be provided to facilitate building friendships and meeting other polytheists. Each conference will feature at least five presenters, providing a mix of well known faces and fresh voices in polytheism today.

The conference may be accessed from any phone, tablet, or computer.

To help make it accessible to all participants, especially those who cannot commit to attending the full eight hours, a recording of the entire conference is included with your registration ticket. Participants will also receive a digital welcome packet with exciting content from each of our presenters, along with other offerings from polytheist groups, small businesses and community members. During the conference, we will be giving away items such e-books, books, tickets to a future conference in this series, and other exciting surprises.

Full and partial scholarships will be offered for the conference, along with discounts for group viewing parties. Registration will be offered for free to individuals under the age of twenty-one or over the age of seventy-one and all women of color...


Please follow this link to find out more.

Blessings of Brigit on you all.

Tangential to Brigit! Mael Brigde's Upcoming Hog Talk

I will be touching on Brigit and her pig connections, but by and large the subject is simply pigs in Celtic myth. I'd be delighted to hear of your favourite Celtic Pig tales and takes. (Images welcome, if you'll let me use them in the talk!)

Today's announcement by Land, Sea, Sky Travel:

Land Sea Sky Travel

7 hrs · 

So excited to have our first presentation submission in! We are happy to once again host Mael Brigde.

Mael Brigde will be presenting "High on the Hog: Why Pigs Are Worth Your Adoration."

Mael Brigde peers into piggies: where they are in a sampling of Irish (and Other Celtic) tales (with a glance at Brigit's traditions, of course), where the wild versus domestic pigs show up, and how they might be seen differently. She will talk a bit about her heart and spiritual connection to pigs, offer a poem, and invite you to meet a grand divine Muc or two. She promises not to read The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig*, though she'd love to (and absolutely encourages you to read it, yourself).

Mael Brigde is a devotee of the Irish goddess and saint, Brigit, and the founder of the Daughters of the Flame, which has tended Brigit’s flame since Imbolc 1993. She publishes a general interest Brigit blog, Brigit’s Sparkling Flame, and a Brigit poetry blog, Stone on the Belly. She teaches courses and webinars on Brigit, including Journey with Brigit, Goddess of Poetry, an intensive class that explores reading and writing poetry as a sacred act.

She has recently completed a book, Sun Among Stars: A Brigit of Ireland Devotional.

Mael Brigde lives in Vancouver, Canada.

* The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (1993). Nothing at all to do with Irish mythology.

Blessings of Imbolc!

There has been much excitement this year leading up to Imbolc. Clann Dord Fiann offered a three week daily devotion which many of us joined in on. I enjoyed it so much I am going to continue it. Land, Sea, Sky Travel put on a wonderful Brigit conference on 26 January, which consumed much of my bandwidth for weeks beforehand as I planned and organized my own contribution. And now Brigit lovers all over are posting images and stories and videos that teach and inspire and comfort us at this time.

Lora O'Brien sent a link out on her Irish Pagan School email listserve the other day that points us toward a great program on Brigit and her traditions by Blúiríní Béaloidis/Folklore Fragments on SoundCloud:



I am so happy to be surrounded by Brigit lovers and Brigit lore. May you all be blessed, this year and every year.

Blessings of Brigit

may Brigit bless you

with the lustre of her poetry

the vigour of her smithcraft

the mercy of her healing

and may you walk under

the protection of her blue mantle

all the days of your life.

Mael Brigde

Image: Brigit by Maggie Jones

Revisiting Brighid & Imbolc: A Year With The Gods Conference 26 January 2019

Very soon we will be treated to a second online Brigit conference through Land, Sea, Sky Travel. I'm so excited! I will be presenting--my only presentation with them in the coming year--a deep dive into meditation on Brigit. There is so much more. Explore the various posts on their Facebook page and definitely consider one of the scholarships if they apply.

I love the group of people that Vyviane has gathered together. These conferences have had a huge impact on my practice and on my sense of connection with the wider community. They are accessible in every way, inspiring, friendly, and filled with new ideas and information and ways of looking at things. A real blessing.

JAN26

Revisiting Brighid & Imbolc: A Year With The Gods Conference

Public

 · Hosted by Land Sea Sky Travel

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ~W.B. Yeats

Land, Sea, Sky Travel is pleased to announce we will be hosting a series of online conferences, A Year With Our Gods: An Online Polytheist Conference in 2019. Over the course of the year, we will be hosting an eight-part conference series. Each conference will hold a specific theme relevant to Irish, Welsh, Gallic, and Deovtional Polytheists. Our first conference is Revisiting Brighid & Imbolc and is meant to be a deeper dive into the work we stared last year with our very popular Brighid: A Fresh Perspective conference.

The conference will provide a balanced mix of hands-on, devotional, and experimental practice with academic and lore-based studies . In addition, a chat room will be provided to facilitate building friendships and meeting others interested in polytheism. Each conference will feature five presenters, a mix of well known faces and fresh voices.

The conference may be accessed from any phone, tablet, or computer.

To help make it accessible to all participants, especially those who cannot commit to attending the full eight hours, a recording of the entire conference is included with your registration ticket. Participants will also receive a digital welcome pack with exciting content from each of our presenters along with other offerings from polytheist groups and polytheist or pagan run small businesses. During the conference, we will be giving away items such as Kindle books, tickets to a future conference in this series, and other exciting surprises. If you own a pagan business and would like to be involved with our Welcome Packet or Give-Aways, please get in touch.

Full and partial scholarships will be offered for the conference along with group viewing party discounts. Registration will be offered for free to individuals under the age of twenty-one and over the age of seventy-one.

Conference review for Brighid: Her Flame Burns Brightly 27 Jan 2018

Potia Pitchford gives a generous and pithy review of Land, Sea, Sky's Brighid conference in her blog, Musings of a Scottish Hearth Druid (Thoughts about living, loving and worshiping as a Hearth Druid. One woman's journey.)

To read it, follow this link.

Image: Header from Potia's blog.

Tooting My Horn

I know I have posted a couple of times about this upcoming conference and you have likely gotten the message, but I got a great surprise when I read the introduction to today's post featuring yours truly. So I thought I would share that with you.

Land Sea Sky Travel shared a link.

5 hrs · Stone Mountain, GA, United States · 

Our most requested presenter was by far Mael Brigde. We were so tickled when she said yes to our request to join our conference. We've been itching to work with her for a good fifteen years or so since I first experienced the beauty of a Brighid Flame Tending practice. Can't wait!

Kindling Brigit's Flame

On Imbolc 1993, Mael Brigde launched the first modern Brigidine flame-tending group outside of the Catholic Church—the Daughters of the Flame. In her class she will speak of her own path with Brigit and her experience of leading a multi-faith group of women devoted to Brigit. She will touch on the history of Brigidine flame-tending, ancient and modern, and will address issues connected to modern flame-tending. These span the practical: how not to burn the house down while I’m asleep? to the personal: how do I come to know Brigit? to the ethical: how do we represent our understanding of Brigit to the world?

Mael Brigde will discuss the importance and difficulty of discovering the roots of various assumptions about Brigit, such as the origins of her perpetual flame, and how new understandings may at times challenge our beliefs. She will address how her changing understanding of Brigit affects her devotion and practice.

Finally, she will talk about the way flame-keepers care for each other as part of their practice, and speak to her priorities in tending both the flame and flame-keepers. We will have the opportunity to sing two Brigidine chants together, and there will be a chance for participants to express their intentions and uncertainties around flame-tending and starting a flame-tending group.

Mael Brigde's Bio: 
Mael Brigde is the founder of the Daughters of the Flame, a Brigidine flame-tending group which lit its first candle on Imbolc, 1993. She has since then only grown in her devotion to and appreciation of Brigit, and in her devotion to the women and men who follow Brigit. Mael Brigde began writing poems and prayers to Brigit very early on and has collected many of these in her upcoming book, Sun Among Stars: Poems & Prayers to Brigit of Ireland. She began publishing a general interest Brigit blog in 2004 (Brigit’s Sparkling Flame), and a Brigit poetry blog in 2015 (Stone on the Belly). She launched a major review of Brigit-related books in 2010 (“A Long Sip at the Well”), and in 2015 wrote “The Mythical Pairing of Brig and Bres: Its Origins and Meaning in Cath Maige Tuired (Revised)”. Both of these papers are available for free download through Brigit’s Sparkling Flame or Academia.edu. Mael Brigde lives in Vancouver, Canada.

You can find Mael Bridge at:
Here on Facebook: Mael Brigde

Website: http://www.obsidianmagazine.com/DaughtersoftheFla…/index.htm

Her Blog: http://brigitssparklingflame.blogspot.com

Images:

Carol Burnett By NBC photo by Elmer Holloway-stamp is faint. (eBay item photo front photo back) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Oak Leaf by Pria Graves

Internet home of the Daughters of the Flame

Daughters of the Flame: Keeping the perpetual flame for the Goddess Brigit

OBSIDIANMAGAZINE.COM

"Brighid: Her Flame Burns Brightly" Registration Now Open

Land Sea Sky Travel

15 hrs · Stone Mountain, GA, United States · 

Land Sea Sky Travel is delighted to announce that registration is now open for our upcoming online conference, Brighid: Her Flame Burns Brightly.

Pricing
$40 USD - Land Sea Sky Alumni
$40 USD- Before January 15th, early bird special!
$50 USD- After January 15th

Additionally, a Conference Pass is available for $325USD, which provides access to all eight conferences. This offers an overall savings of $125USD, since our Beltane and Samhain two-day conferences are $75USD each.

Scholarships Available
To apply for a scholarship, please email us a note, including why this conference is important to you, and what you hope to get out of it. There is no need to provide financial reasons for needing a scholarship. You may apply to other conferences in the future, even if you have received a scholarship from us in a past.

Wisdom of the Ages
To help us honor and host the youngest and eldest voices in our community, this conference is free to individuals under 21 and over 71 at the time of the conference. Please email us and ask for your Wisdom Of The Ages Pass. You may attend as many of our 2018 Year With Our God conferences as you wish on this pass.

Viewing Parties
Viewing Party passes for groups are a cost-effective and fun way of attending. Passes are $100USD for up to 10 people, and $200USD for larger groups. Each guest receives a Digital Download Welcome Packet, as well as a recording of the conference. Plan on gathering your guests together to watch the conference in person on a single screen. To take advantage of this, please send a separate email, including a list of your guests with their respective email addresses.

What's Included
Your registration gets you into our all-day online conference, held on Zoom, to watch our five

Update on Brigid Conference

From Land, Sea, Sky Travel: an update on their upcoming Brighid conference:

Land Sea Sky Travel‎A Year With Our Gods: Brighid

Like This Page · 10 hrs · 

 

Hold tight, registration is still on the way! Did you know along with entrance into eight hours of classes from amazing presenters such as Morgan Daimler,Mael Brigde Lora O'Brien - Irish Author and Gemma McGowan you will also receive a digital download welcome pack with prayers, videos, photos and chants to Brighid and other Irish deities along with special discounts and offers from businesses on Brighid goodies? It's true! We are so excited about our digital download packets.

‎A Year With Our Gods: Brighid, An Online Conference with Land Sea Sky Travel

I ought to have posted about this conference already (oops--ball dropped) but I now have even more reason to do so: I am delighted to announce that I have been invited to be one of the presenters.

To stay on top of developments, follow the Facebook page or sign up for Land, Sea, Sky's mailing list at www.landseaskytravel.com.

From the Facebook page:

Land, Sea, Sky Travel is pleased to announce we will be hosting a series of online conferences, A Year With Our Gods: An Online Polytheist Conference in 2018. Over the course of the year, we will be hosting an eight-part series focusing on the holy days, equinoxes and solstices, each holding a specific theme relevant to Irish and Welsh Polytheists. 

Brighid: Her Flame Burns Brightly.
Our first conference is devoted to Brighid and Imbolc and will be online, Saturday, January 27 from 10:30AM-8:30PM EST. The conference may be accessed from any phone, tablet, or computer.

The conference will provide a balanced mix of hands-on, devotional, and experimental practice with academic and lore-based studies. In addition, a chat room will be provided to facilitate building friendships and meeting others interested in Brighid. Our keynote speaker is Morgan Daimler, author of Pagan Portals Brighid, and she will be making the main presentation, Imbolc & Brighid: Old Beliefs & Fresh Views.We are also pleased to have two Native Irish women, Lora O'Brien - Irish Author, and Brighid Priestess Gemma McGowan. Two other speakers will be announced soon.

To help make it accessible to all participants, especially those who cannot commit to attending the full eight hours, a recording of the entire conference is included. Participants will also receive a digital welcome pack with exciting content from each of our presenters along with other offerings from polytheist groups and polytheist or pagan run small businesses. During the conference, we will be giving away items such as Kindle books, tickets to a future conference in this series and other exciting surprises. If you own a pagan business and would like to be involved with our Welcome Packet or Give-Aways please get in touch. We are looking for quality groups and businesses to work with.

Pricing and registration will be available no later than January 1, 2018. Like and Follow this event page for updates or join our mailing list atwww.landseaskytravel.com Full and partial scholarships will be offered for the conference along with group viewing party discounts. Registration will be offered for free to individuals under the age of twenty-one and over the age of seventy-one.

Conferences will be held in accordance with Our Hospitality Statement

http://www.landseaskytravel.com/hospitality/