Bealtaine Study Day with Woman Spirit Ireland

Bealtaine Study Day

Mercy International Centre, 64a Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2

Saturday 29th March 2014

10:30 - 5:00

(tea at 10:00)

WomanSpiritIreland

Exploring ancient Irish Mother Daughter Sites and Stories

Mirroring one another into creativity:

Celebrating the mother-daughter relationship.

 In the past, WomanSpiritIreland has celebrated Brighid, Goddess, Saint, and Wise Woman at her Springtime festival of Imbolc, February 1^st. Over the years, we have learned that Brighid of Imbolc is but one manifestation of the Old Wise Woman, The Cailleach, whose traditions are found all over the world, and have been especially honoured and preserved in Ireland and Scotland.

Brighid, therefore, also appears in various guises at the other three quarterly festivals: Bealtaine, (May 1^st); Lughnasadh, (August 1^st) and Samhain  (November 1^st).

At Bealtaine, May 1^st, Brigit appears as the Inion Buí (In yeen Bwee), or Daughter of the Hag or Cow. Throughout Ireland, we find sites dedicated to The Cow and the Calf. Sometimes these are called Inion Bui, and sometimes they are related to Bláthnait, (The Little Flower), who comes into bud at this season.

Our study day this year will also begin to explore, excavate and celebrate the mother-daughter relationship in its excruciating joy and ambivalence.    

For many years now the feminist movement has yearned to recuperate a symbolic system and ritual tradition that honours and brings to consciousness the dialectic between mother and daughter.   Against the cultural resonances of mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all - that attempt to set women in permanent opposition -- stories of the Cailleach and of Saint Brighid  (who freed her own mother from slavery) offer new images and potential. Drawing on such stories, personal reflections and BodySoul work, we will attempt to mirror one another - beyond destructive envy -- into creativity and liberation.

Who should come?

It will be of particular relevance to teachers, community and parish workers and those leading women's groups who wish to recuperate rituals, symbols and other resources to celebrate the mother daughter relationship at Bealtaine and to nourish their communities. 

What will they come away with?

Resources including songs, dances and stories from mythology and folklore, which will support them in developing and leading events in their own communities.

What to bring: 

Bring a packed lunch and a hand mirror.  Please also bring any Maytime traditions from your local area  - stories, songs, images and photographs of the Cailleach and her daughter, to share during the day.   Tea and coffee will be provided on arrival (10:00) and at lunch.

Resource Persons

Ann Concannon is a Sister of St. Louis who works in facilitation and leadership training.  She is interested in learning and sharing the Circle Dance tradition.

Mary Condren, Th.D is director of WomanspiritIreland and teaches at the Centre for Gender and Women's Studies, Trinity College Dublin:http://www.tcd.ie/cgws/staff/mcondren.php  

Fiona Rooney-Fitzpatrick, B.A. An archaeologist, for 13 years Fiona's work has been informed by Authentic Movement, Bodymind centring, Tai Chi and Ki-Aikido.  She has engaged in BodySoul professional training for many years.

Also contributing:    Fionnuala Bates, Brid Buckley, Joy Powell, Chris Neylon.

 Venue:  Mercy International Centre, 64a Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2

 Subscription:  70 euro for the day;   Early Bird, 50 Euro for bookings received before Tuesday 18th March.   Tea & coffee provided on arrival (10 o'clock) and at lunch.

 Pay by Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=RD2WERQL63EVJ

 or by cheque, to WomanSpiritIreland,

 60 Belgard  Green, Cookstown Rd., Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland       

 Contact:  Instfr@gmail.com : Please note: our website has been hacked and stolen,  and we are awaiting its rebuilding.

 (Scroll down for images)

(Tao Cross of Kilnaboy, Co Clare)

(Hag's Chair, Cairn T, Loughcrew, Co Meath)

(Pictish Mirror Stone)

Online Study Group Starting: The Rites of Brigid: Goddess & Saint by Seán Ó Duinn

Ani Greenwood will be leading a women's study group of Seán Ó Duinn's The Rites of Brigid: Goddess & Saint beginning very shortly. Ani has been a member of the Daughters of the Flame for twenty years, and a member of a much newer flame-tending group, Nigheanan Brighde, for the last year. Wishing a more active investigation of the aspects and culture of Brigit with her sisters, she has set up a Yahoo group Brigid Study for Flamekeepers, which will commence in mid April.

For more information, please contact Ani through her Yahoo group. To purchase a copy of the book, go to Bookfinder.com (this link leads to The Rites of Brigid at Bookfinder.com).

"We will take the next six weeks to get an overview of the material covered in this book, then reflect on the process in the seventh week, offering feedback, suggestions for going forward and naming any particular learnings we have received in the process.

"My role will be to read - and take the conversation into corners of the book for closer reading of areas that I imagine would be of particular interest for women tending the flame of Brigid either as a solitary, or as part of a flame-keeping group of women, or of men and women...

"Whatever we raise for consideration, we each strive to listen deeply to one another, through asking questions, speaking our truth or observing/comparing what we find in the material to our experience, other reading or observations of nature and culture. Comparisons and observations from outside of the celtic
cultural context are welcome, please identify your sources. Personal gnosis is part of the mix here, and I invite you to speak freely, simply noting when what you are saying is verifiable through studies in archaeology, cultural antrhopology, history, literature, and so on.I would invite anyone with specific
areas of expertise to identify that along the way, or in your introduction...

"I hope that our readings as a group will nurture respect for our diversity of opinion/understanding, respect for the sources based on an understanding of their verifiability, and inspiration for our personal cultivation of Brighid in our lives. I hope we will share along all of these lines in our conversations."

Electronic Texts on Brigit & Irish Studies

Several valuable internet resources exist for Irish documents. See, for example:
Bethu Brigte & Milk Symbolism in the Bethu Brigte & The Festival of Brigit the Holy Woman.

Thanks to the Brigit-loving people on Live Journal for these sources.

Brigit in Glastonbury

Kathy Jones, a resident in Glastonbury for nearly thirty years, has issued an online version of her out-of-print 1990 booklet The Goddess in Glastonbury, illustrated by Diana Griffiths and with photos by Simant Bostock.





From her introduction:

From time immemorial, the Isle of Avalon, in the Summerland (Somerset, England), has been home to the Goddess. This ancient sacred place is the legendary Western Isle of the Dead. Dedicated to an awesome and powerful Goddess, this Island lay far to the west in a shining sea. People were called here to die, to be transformed and to be reborn.

By tradition, a group of nine, thirteen or nineteen Maidens or Faerie Queens live, some say even today, upon this mysterious Western Isle. Skilled in healing and the magical arts of creation and death, they are the Keepers of the Mysteries of the Goddess. Their names come to us as those of Goddesses Anu, Danu, Mab, Morrigu, Madron, Mary, Arianrhod, Cerridwen, Rhiannon, Epona, Rigantona, Bride, Brigit, Hecate, Magdalena, Morgana, Gwenhwyfar, Vivien, Nimue.

Brigit is much mentioned in this interesting booklet.

Kathy Jones - Priestess Initiator & Teacher
Kathy has spent the last 28 years living in Glastonbury, also known as the Isle of Avalon, learning of the ways of the Goddess in this ancient and sacred place. She is a Priestess of Avalon and has played a key role in bringing back awareness of the Goddess into Glastonbury. She is the author of several well-loved Goddess books, including In the Nature of Avalon, The Goddess in Glastonbury, The Ancient British Goddess, Spinning the Wheel of Ana, On Finding Treasure, Breast Cancer: Hanging on by a Red Thread and Chiron in Labrys (all Ariadne Publications). She is a teacher of priestesses, offering with Ren Chapman and Brian Charles a three-year training to become a Priestess of Avalon. She also teaches Esoteric Soul Healing. She is a co-founder of the Glastonbury Goddess Temple and co-organiser with Tyna Redpath of the fabulous Glastonbury Goddess Conference.

She is animateur of Ariadne Productions, a community-based theatre company dedicated to ritual drama. Kathy is committed to the Goddess in all her expressions and to the life of the Spirit manifest.

Institute of Feminism & Religion Annual Festival of Brigit

the Institute for Feminism and Religion has a yearly celebration of Brigit at Imbolc. Although the Festival of Brigit for 2006 has passed, there is much of interest to look at on this site, including:

• a guide for those planning to

celebrate Brigit in their own locales,

an essay on the 2006 theme of Brigit's Cloak: Unfolding and Reclaiming Women's Ground (this on the Festival homepage, near the bottom),

one woman's writings about her experiences at a past festival,

a small selection of Brigit images (including one, i am pleased to note, taken from the Daughters of the Flame website. it is of a woman smith, not originally intended as Brigit but when i saw it on a folksinging pamphlet many years ago i thought--say! i know who that looks like!),

chants and songs (though unfortunately, only the words),

a collection of works from 2005's theme, Brigit as Wounder,
and of course, information on the Institute itself, its board, and so on.

there is also a discussion list.

The Institute for Feminism and Religion aims to explore a prophetic approach to feminism and religion, inclusive of many traditions and emerging consciousness in Ireland.

They do this by providing opportunities for women to reclaim religion by engaging theoretically and experientially with the issues or feminist theology, ethics, spirituality and ritual.

The Celtic Well

i've come across a very interesting site called the Celtic Well--"an e-mail mailing list for those interested in studying the evidence for ancient, medieval, and modern Celtic religious practices and beliefs." within this site are reading lists, discussions, photos and much more for those interested in a balanced and careful and deeply respectful approach to the sacred materials of the Celts.

"We believe that acquiring sound knowledge is one of the best ways to encourage healthy spiritual growth and inspiration. By assembling together in this virtual forum, we hope to promote knowledge and heal divisions among Celts of all religious persuasions.

"We will be discussing the objective evidence for Celtic religion as found in the art, architecture, archaeology, folklore, hagiography, history, language, mythology, and other sources. We recognize that intuition and personal experience form an essential part of one's personal religious practice. However, because there are other lists where personal practice can be discussed, such subjects generally are considered off-topic here."

the page dedicated to Brigit is named: Brighid--What Do We Really Know? and can be found at: http://www.applewarrior.com/celticwell/ejournal/imbolc/brighid.htm

other pages related to Brigit abound:

Imbolc: Feeding the Body & Soul
Brighid -- What Do We Really Know?
Imbolc in Wales
Imbolc in Yesterday's Ireland & Scotland
St. Brighid's Day in Today's Ireland
Feasting at Imbolc
Further Reading: Tales of Brighid
Music: Echoes of Brighid
Making a Brighid's Cross
Talismans for Imbolc
Insights from Celtic Well Listmembers
Prayers in the Carmina Gadelica