Showing posts with label Prayers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prayers. Show all posts

Thursday, August 13, 2026

"Finding Our Voice with Brigit, Goddess & Saint” with Mael Brigde


Last week I attended Vancouver Pagan Awareness Day, here in Vancouver, BC, Canada. In 2025, I offered the workshop “Brigit of the Powerful Voice,” where we looked at the traditional connections between Brigit and the voice, and tied that to our own voices, specifically the ways in which we have had our voices stifled, and ways in which we can reclaim them.

I was very happy with how it went, and subsequently led the same workshop online. This year I decided to fine-tune the workshop for both an in-person and an online venue and shift the focus from Brigit herself to the need to reclaim our voices. In truth, the same material was covered, but I wanted to make it clear from the outset that this would be an opportunity for folk to learn about how they might approach this important life task with the help of Brigit.

This year I added another offering. An hour before the workshop, I occupied the main ceremonial circle to lead a devotional and prayers to Brigit. I was very glad that my friend Ngoc had come with me, because everyone scattered when the previous ritual ended. I began setting up my tiny altar and spreading out the thin blanket Ngoc and I were going to sit on, and then I began the ritual with just the two of us. I felt rather silly at first, and wondered if I should skip it, but that felt wrong. I had committed to leading this ritual, and so I entered into it fully and it was grounding and reassuring to do so. When I lifted my voice to sing — three of the prayers in the ritual were sung — a couple of people joined us, and when it was over the four of us sat and talked for several pleasant minutes.

The workshop itself had a full circle of participants, and it also went well. I was very happy to get to speak with people in person about Brigit and do the work together.

I expect I will do another online workshop in the next few months. Perhaps in November; perhaps in the new year. If you are interested in being on a waiting list, please let me know.

Meanwhile, may Brigit bless you, and may you find your true voice, and set it free. 



 

Images: Two social media images with snowdrops as a background to text telling the names and nature of the two events, with dates and place (8 August, Trout Lake). The first image, for the workshop, has a photo of a pen and a journal, as well. All photos by Mael Brigde.

Saturday, January 12, 2019

Twenty Day Brigid Devotion with Clann Dord Fiann (Starts Today!)


Image may contain: plant, nature and outdoor

I am very keen to participate in this shared-yet-solitary daily offering to Brigit as we move toward Imbolc. What a wonderful idea! We begin in less than an hour--8 PM Irish time, noon British Columbia time--but the devotion may be done any time during each twenty-four hour period. Whatever works best for you. I'll let Clann Dord Fiann explain.

FLAMEKEEPING/ BRIGIDMAS/ IMBOLG 2019

For 2019 Clann Dord Fiann are working each evening from the 12th of January to the 31st with a 20 day devotional work with and to Brigid. As part of the extension of our work to have a public face, we invite others to join this activity if they wish. It is solitary and requires no other involvement.

Each day at 8pm (Irish time) we light a candle to Brigid and speak or sing the text of Gabhaim molta Bríghde/ I Give Praise to Brigid, a traditional Irish song and poem. This time is ideal, but need not be followed if not fitting with your life. This may be done at any time each day. We will post daily reminders at 7 daily for the 20 days. For those who would like to work with the text as gaeilge, but who do not speak the language, Gaol Naofa has a phonetic version. http://www.gaolnaofa.org/library/music/gabhaim-molta-bride/ . For the first 19 days we light and extinguish the candle after speaking Gabhaim molta Bríghde and a period of reflection. On the 20th day, Brigids eve, reeds are gathered for crosses, and an effigy of Brigid is brought to the place of the candle, be it an image or a Brideóg. An accompanying verse may be desired of this arrival of Brigid. A historical example is:

Oiche Bhríde brichíneach
Bain an ceann den croiceanach,
Gabhaigí ar na glúnaí,
Déanaigí umhlú
Is ligigí isteach Bríd Bheannaithe.
‘Sé beatha, ‘sé beatha, sé beatha.

"On St Brigid’s night
Take the head off the rushes,
Go on your knees,
Make obeisance
And let St Brigid in.
You’re welcome, you’re welcome, your welcome."

The candle is lit in a safe container and allowed to burn out in the company of Brigid, for on the 20th day Brigid keeps the flame.
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Gabhaim molta Bríghde Text (Gaeilge/ English)

Gabhaim molta Bríghde, iníon í le hÉireann
Iníon le gach tír í, molaimís go léir í.
Lóchrann geal na Laighneach, soils’ ar feadh na tíre
Ceann ar óigheacht Éireann, ceann na mban

Tig an Geimhreadh dian dubh, gearra lena géire
Ach ar lá le Bríghde, gar dúinn Earrach Éireann.
Iníon le gach tír í, molaimís go léir í.
Gabhaim molta Bríghde, iníon í le hÉireann

I give praise to Brigid, daughter of Ireland
Daughter of all lands, let us praise her.
The bright torch of Leinster, shining across the country
The leader of Ireland’s youth, leader of women.

The house of Winter is dark, cutting with its sharpness
But on Brigid’s Day, Spring in Ireland draws near to us.
I give praise to Brigid, daughter of Ireland
Daughter of all lands, let us praise her.

Thursday, November 23, 2017

The Name Of Brigid, by Hugh de Blacam



The following is an interesting contemplation of the use of the name Brigit in Irish communities, from the 1942 book The Saints of Ireland: The Life-Stories of SS. Brigid and Columcille by Hugh de Blacam.

Digression: a reader made the following remark, which prompted a reply from me, a point I think is important, about what is correct and not correct when pronouncing Brigit's name.


Thank you for posting this! I've always been pronouncing her name "bridjid"...oops.

Remove

Mael Brigde I don't think it's a mistake to pronounce it Bridget--that is what almost every Irish person says when speaking English. Language changes, and where Hugh would like to turn the clock back, it isn't going to happen. We also have to be careful, those of us who are non-Irish nationals, not to come off holier than thou (Irisher than thou?), which is how it can sound if we insist on older Irish pronunciations and usage, and of course there are many other regional forms of the name, such as Ffraid in Wales. I use the Brigg-it pronunciation because I read this piece a long long time ago, and I wasn't expecting to have anyone hear me say it so there would be no worries about it. But I have to admit it is a bit of an obstacle for me now. I don't want to change it, because I have been saying it for so long, but it irks my Irish friends, and I am not happy about that. So by all means carry on with whatever usage you like. There is no right way, and they all have their up and down sides.

ReplyJust now
To which I received this response, also useful info:

Erin Nighean Brìghde Agreed. I would also note a couple other things. One, among the Irish, pronunciation might differ depending on location and dialect anyway, so is not standard, and two, the Scottish and Ulster Irish (to loop back to #1) often write the name, Brìde, which they pronounce, BREEDJ-uh (and is how I spell and say her name, and I say it this way also when spelling it Brighid, or maybe just say BREEDJ.).



SAINT BRIGID: THE MARY OF THE GAEL

Chapter II - BORN IN BONDAGE
1. The Name Of Brigid



Until the past half-century, every Irish family had a Patrick and a Brigid. These were the most common names in Ireland throughout the Penal days, when the race bound itself to its persecuted tradition by constantly invoking Patrick, Brigid, and Columcille. Nowadays, Patrick is the second most common man's name in Ireland. The late Rev. John Woulfe, author of the standard work on Irish names and surnames,[1] analysed a baptismal list of 1000 children in County Limerick. In this list, there were 94 Johns and 65 Patricks, with Michael as the third commonest name (51), and William as the fourth (43); Colum did not appear at all, since the name of the third Irish Patron long since has fallen into neglect, save in Columcille's native Donegal. The list, in respect of girls' names, showed Mary 150 times, for our Lady's sacred name is borne by the eldest girl in virtually every family. Margaret came next (75), then Catherine (45), Nora (40), Johanna or Siobhan (35), and Brigid only sixth, with 30 baptisms, the same number as Julia, and only five more than Elizabeth and Ellen, which numbered 25 each.

The decline in the popularity of the long-beloved name of Brigid is due to the corruption of the name into the undignified Biddy in the anglicised nineteenth century. In times when what we call the stage—Irish tradition was in vogue, "Irish Paddy" and "Irish Biddy" were figures of fun, symbols used in anti-Irish caricatures by the ill-bred, and it needed the Gaelic revival of the present century to restore the associations of the name which once stood in such high honour.

Another circumstance told against the Irish name. In the Penal age and far into the past century, the English-speaking world knew virtually nothing of the saint, whose written records were locked up in the unprinted, forgotten old Gaelic books, and whose traditional memory was cherished only in the secret world of Gaelic speech, by a race that lacked schools, printing press, political freedom, and worldly respect. Accordingly, when there was any mention of St. Brigid in the English-speaking world, it was common to confuse her with St. Bridget of Sweden, who died in 1373; it often happened, for example, that people seeking holy pictures of St. Brigid were supplied from Germany with images of the Scandinavian saint through the ignorance, in continental centres of ecclesiastical art, of the existence of any other saint of such a name. The Scandinavian spelling came into vogue; and Irish children were called Bridget, when the intention was to name them after Brigid. Apparently, the pronunciation of Bridget with a sound came in with the Swedish spelling. It is not agreeable, and the beauty of the Irish name suffered.

The Irish name ought to be pronounced with a hard ; that is, as "Brigg-id," not as "Bridjit." In its most ancient form, the name was spelt with a final t, Brigit, and was Latinised Brigitta. From an early time, however, and down the ages, it was spelt Brigid; Latin form, Brigida. However, the complicated matter of orthography is not ended at this point; for in Modern Gaelic—the language as spoken for the past seven centuries—the becomes silent, and the name usually is spelt in Gaelic Brighid ( Brighde), with a pronunciation "Bree-id." From this it will be seen how Kilbride and St. Bride's are derived.

Accordingly, in writing English we adhere to Brigid as the correct historic and literary form. Let us pronounce it "Briggid," although we often hear people nowadays, under the influence of the revived Irish language, saying "Breeid," which is, as we have shown, fully permissible. In Munster, the pronunciation "Bride" has come into use, and often the name is written Bride, instead of Brigid. Since this development is native and natural, we can make no objection to it, and would be glad to find children christened Bride as well as Brigid, whenever a due respect for our saint is recovered. The colloquial pet form is not the ugly Biddy, but Bridie...

Endnote:
1 Rev. P. Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1906).


Image: 'Pilgrim's prayer, from St. Brigid's well, Near Buttevant, County Cork, Ireland.' by Alison CassidyThis file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported2.5 Generic2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.
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Well, I can't agree that the form "Biddy" is ugly, but I can understand why the writer thought sohow often we reject words that have come to symbolize our own or another's oppression. Now that I am aging up a bit, I think I shall adopt the word "biddy" to refer to myself. I am an old biddy, daughter of Brigit, and proud of it!

Image: Great Expectations: 'Pip and Biddy sitting on a bank in the Marshes', by John McLenan.  License: John McLenan   [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.


Wednesday, September 02, 2015

The Scribe That Shouldn't Be


I was just grabbing an embed code from YouTube, where I had uploaded "I Will Kindle My Fire", and I noticed under the "More" button: Transcript.

Oh, good idea, thought I, who had just been in the throes of creating one myself. Let's see what they have:

(Ahem.)

0:15
I leukemia do my father who this my whole room
0:20
in the through dozens who viewed noontime who you yumm
0:27
who she is keen dude in my heart it do you feel you
0:33
hopefully move love to my new you
0:37
her to my food to move away from noon to my keen to you
0:44
to movie reviews her new you to move
0:49
room we found out my
0:53
wounds without shedding Lucy
0:56
we've heard hmm
0:58
a movie we found few you...

(Ahem.)

I especially like "wounds without shedding Lucy". If you would like to
experience the whole transcript, or indeed, listen to the song and look at 
the pictures of hearths and sacred flames, you may find them at the 
following link.

Or for the song without the "transcript", see below:



Sunday, February 15, 2015

Father Monica & Saint Brigid's, Calgary


I was invited today to a small gathering at the Listening Post in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, a drop-in centre where the people of Canada's poorest (and one of its most drug-riddled) neighbourhoods may walk in and sit in quiet, pray if that is what they want to do, meditate, sleep, or find a willing ear if they want to talk. I have used the facility myself and been very grateful to have it.

Today's gathering was different. I was there with about ten other people for a Roman Catholic Womanpriest led mass, officiated by Rev. Dr. Victoria (Vikki) Marie for the Our Lady of Guadalupe Tonantzin Community.

I was impressed. I am no longer a Christian myself, but I was raised Catholic and anyone who has read this blog can see that I retain an emotional attachment to elements of that faith and community. The people I met today were warm and welcoming, the service utterly inclusive and though focussed on the spirit, had a firm foundation in social justice for everyone.

Of course, I have heard of the ordained Roman Catholic women priests who endure excommunication to follow their calling, but this was the first chance I had to see one in action, and if I still swung that way I would certainly become a regular attendee.

I was pleased therefore to come home and learn from their website that in Calgary, a few mountain chains away from Vancouver at the edge of the Canadian prairie, another RCWP community has claimed St Brigit as their patron. Here is a little about them. Er, I should mention that Father is not actually what you call Monica. It's just the word that pops still to mind when I consider a Catholic priest.

Mea culpa.




Our Ministry Statement

The Saint Brigid of Kildare Catholic Faith Community provides Christian ministry to individuals, families and society in solidarity with the guidance and prophetic vision of the international Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement. We are rooted in the the life-giving aspects of the Roman Catholic sacramental tradition, while maintaining a commitment to ecumenical sharing, spiritual openness and interfaith dialogue.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Brigid’s Blessing by Joanna Powell Colbert


Thanks to Becky of the Daughters of the Flame for this one.

From the SageWoman blog
Witches and Pagans Magazine


(Brigid speaks:)
May you accept this offering of my Sacred Fire. 
May your heart and hands burn with creative passion.
May you bring forth poetry, music, and art!
May your head burn with the fire of seership, marking you as shaman or bard.
May your hands be healing hands, glowing with inner light.
May you allow yourself to be transformed in the flames of my forge.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Prayer Responses to Massacre of Children


The Daughters of the Flame, as many others, were very shaken by the attack on the teachers and children at school in Newtown. We organized a prayer vigil, and members reached out in many ways to others who were affected by the tragedy. I would like to share two prayers here, one which I wrote for our vigil, and one written by Kathryn Price NicDhàna. Kathryn's prayer is accompanied by a photo taken by her.


Prayer for the Grieving

Dear Mother Goddess Brigit
whose own son turned
in murderous treachery
against his mother’s people
and died


You know the grieving of our hearts

Bless us Brigit
in our anger and our shock
in our broken hearted sorrow
Bring healing to those who live
and peace to those who died

Build us whole again
Sing our rebirth
that we may live
in awareness and compassion
on this beautiful
troubled Earth

Mael Brigde


Prayer for Grieving Mothers






















Kathryn Price NicDhàna