Clann Bhride Book of Hours

7/21/2019 Clann Bhride Book of Hours

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/clann-bhride-book-of-hours 1/148

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Copyright 2013 by the authors:

Aster Breo

Finn

Gilbride

Sage

All material composed bymembers of Clann Bhride ecept !here other!ise noted

Graphic Artist: "ac# $op#ins

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%able of ontents

About lann Bhride &%he 'ine (lements of lann Bhride )*edication 21*aily +ractices 2,First $our: -ising +rayers 2.Second $our/ +rayers of %han#sgiing 2%hird $our/ +rayers Before Sleep 32ccasional +ractices 3.+rayer Beads 3

4ell %ending 3Saining &0$ealing &2Sloinntireachd Bride &&

Fire Festials &)-ites of +assage ,.Birth Blessing ,

5oung Adulthood Blessing ,)$ousehold Blessing .2*eath Blessing .3

(ssays and 6nformation .&Brighid: 7ady of ur $earths8 7ady of ur $earts ., 4hat 6s Brigidine +aganism9 10)%he Brig: *iine (nergy of Creation 11&Saint and Aatar 11*esigning an Altar 123

4eaing a Brighids Cross 12,%he Cauldron -itual 132

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Clann Bhride8 or the Children of Brighid8 is asmall group of people !ho hae come together to

build a religious structure and practice deoted tothe Celtic goddess Brighid and $er ;ysteries<

Clann Bhride relies on a solid foundation inhistory8 suriing fol#lore8 tradition8 and myth<$o!eer8 this foundation is only the beginning<%he ancient Celts depended on history and lore8but placed een greater emphasis and reerenceon 6mbas8 inspiration8 and adaptation<

As members of a modern/day 4estern society8

!e see# inspiration and contemporary creation8and to use the arious tools of scholarlyinterpretation of tets8 creatie !or#8 andsynthesis !ith other religious insights to buildupon the foundation of history< Although !e do

not consider ourseles Celtic -econstructionists8our goal is to create a spiritual path focusedspecifically on Brighid and $er ;ysteries8grounded in history and informed by inspiration<%hrough Clann Bhride8 !e hope to share our

understanding of Brighid and our !ay ofhonoring $er and to cultiate a practice that isreleant to our lies today and that !ould also berecogni=ed as authentic by any ancient deotee of

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Call to do $er !or#< Brighid has !or# to do8 andShe !ants us8 needs us8 to help $er do it<

%he @uestion each of us must as# ourseles isthis: >4hat !or# must 6 do for Brighid9? r>4hat is Brighid trying to do through me9? r>$o! can 6 best sere $er9?

As !e continue to build our practice8 !e !illbring our thoughts and personal theories to life8as Brighid $erself brings the fire of inspirationinto !ords and !or#s of art8 and into our stories<

/by Aster Breo and Finn

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1/ Clann Bhride8 or the Children of Brighid8 is areligious order for deotees of the goddess

Brighid !ho feel called to a lifestyle of daily prayer and spiritual practice<

Children of Brighid strie to lie lies ofetraordinary deotion and focus8 and to doBrighids !or# in this !orld by any meanspossible under $er guidance<

f course8 the best !ay to discoer !hat Brighid !ants you to do is simply to as# $er8 but it mayalso be helpful to thin# about the different aspects

of Brighid as paths of serice:

+oetry/ %his can refer not only to poetry8 but tomusic8 !isdom8 literature8 learning and mysticalpractice< All of these concepts !ere part of the

path of poetry among the ancient 6rish and otherCeltic peoples<

Smithcraft/ %his can refer to any form ofcraftsmanship8 sculpture or hands/on creatie

!or#<$ealing/ %his can refer to any type of physical8mental or spiritual healing<

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ustice/ %his can refer to adocacy for the

disenfranchised8 as in the lore of Brig Ambue< 6tcan refer to hospitality8 the proision of food anddrin# !ithout charge to !hoeer needs it8 as inthe lore of Brig Briugu< 6t can refer to >turningbac# the streams of !ar? by !or#ing for peace8as the abbesses of ildare !ere said to do<

4hile indiidual Children of Brighid may becalled primarily to !or# as poets8 smiths orhealers8 the Dustice aspect of Brighids serice isparticularly important to Clann Bhride< Children

of Brighid !or# for social Dustice and peace by allpossible means<

2/ Children of Brighid lie as priestesses and priests of the goddess Brighid in all $er forms

and by all $er names8 including the three sistersBrighid the +oet8 Brighid the Smith and Brighidthe $ealer8 the daughters of the *agda in Gaeliclore<

6n this contet8 the !ord >priestess? or >priest?does not refer to ministerial serice on behalf of acongregation8 but to deotional serice of thegoddess for $er o!n sa#e< A priestess of the

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Clann Bhride may or may not be inoled in alarger community for spiritual practice8 and may

or may not also fulfill a ministerial role in such acommunity depending on indiidualcircumstances< Being a priestess of Clann Bhrideis more li#e being a shrine priest of a temple inancient times/ the primary duty of a shrine priestis to !orship the deity on a daily basis<

3/ Children of Brighid honor $er as a primalcreator deity8 !ho forged the unierse Eli#e asmith or oersa! its birth Eli#e a mid!ife orsang it into being Eli#e a poet<

6n the polyalent logic of polytheist religion8 thebelief that Brighid created the unierse does notcontradict any legend or belief that another deitydid so<

&/ Children of Brighid recogni=e St< Brigid ofildare as an aatar of the earlier goddess8 andconsider the lore of the saint to refer e@ually tothe goddess<

ne theory about St< Brigid and her nineteennuns is that they !ere originally an order ofpriestesses or druidesses tending the eternal

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flame of the goddess Brighid at ildare< %he highpriestess of this order could hae been seen as

the earthly incarnation of Brighid< 6f this priestessconerted to Christianity to presere the flame ofBrighid through the conersion8 this could haebeen the origin of the legends of the saint< 6n ouro!n time8 Brighid is beginning to reeal $erselfas a goddess again after many centuries<

,/ 6nspired by the eample of St< Brigid ofildare as !ell as other manifestations of the

goddess Brighid such as Brig Ambue and BrigBrethach8 Children of Brighid are committed to

!or#ing for social Dustice and adancing thecause of peace<

Among the 6ron Age peoples !ho first called ourgoddess Brighid8 !arfare !as a nearly constant

fact of life< %heir myths and legends hae much todo !ith the deeds of !arrior heroes and thebattles of #ings and gods<

*espite this fact8 Brighid stands out from all

other deities for $er !or# to >turn bac# thestreams of !ar8? as $er later representaties theabbesses of ildare !ere said to hae done<Before the %uatha de *anann gods fought their

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great !ar !ith the Fomorian giants in 6rishmythology8 Brighid married the half/Fomorian

#ing Bres and bore him a son named -uadan8 asif to see# reconciliation bet!een the t!o sides< 4hen -uadan !as slain by Goibniu at theSecond Battle of ;oytura8 Brighid inented thecustom of #eening as She !ailed and mourned for$er slain son< $er sacred animals Fe8 ;en andthe %orc %riath !ere said to mourn the aftermathof raids and battles< 6n $er manifestation as Brig Ambue8 She defended the outcast Ambue or>Co!less? ones8 and purified reiers of this class !ho had committed acts of banditry to support

their families< 6n $er manifestation as BrigBrethach8 She gae legal Dudgments on behalf ofthe rights of !omen< 6n $er manifestation as BrigBriugu8 She proided limitless hospitality in theform of food8 drin# and lodging !ithout charge<

6n $er manifestation as St< Brigid of ildare8 She !as the unfailing champion of the poor andpo!erless8 and $er generosity !as legendary<

Although Brighid does hae a battle goddess

aspect Ein St< Brigids role as the soereignty of7einster and in $er epithet of Bride nam Buadhor >Bride of the ictories?8 She manifests in !arrior form only to defend against open

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aggression<

./ Children of Brighid honor and reerence $eras a goddess of Gaelic origins8 but also consider$er to be a much older and aster deity #no!nby different names and by different peoples<

Among the Celtic peoples8 all of the goddesses ofthe >Celtic ;inera? type may be !orshiped andhonored as part of our practice< Some of usbeliee that some or all of them are the same

goddess8 but this is not a re@uired doctrine<

Celtic goddesses of this type include:

%he Brigidine Goddesses

Brighid Ealso #no!n as Brigid8 Brigit8 Brighde8Brid8 Brig and Bride/ Gaelic goddess of poetry8

smithcraft and healing8 sometimes represented asthree sisters< *aughter of the *agda8 former !ifeof %uirenn and Bres8 mother of -uadan8 #eeper ofa diine co!8 the %orc %riath and the oen Fe and ;en< 6nentor of #eening< Associated !ith the

sun8 moon and stars8 fire and !ater8 the da!n8the sna#e8 the springtime and all liminal states ofbeing< >%he (alted ne<?

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Sulis / Brythonic goddess of healing8 healing !ellsand !aters8 cursing and Dustice< -epresented in

-omano/Brythonic iconography as a !oman !itha radiant face and short hair by the !ater< >%he All/Seeing ne<?

Sirona / Gaulish goddess of the night s#y8 healing8hot springs8 and fountains< -epresented in-omano/Gaulish iconography as a !omanholding a sna#e in one hand and a bo!l of eggsin the other< >%he Starry ne<?

Belisama / Gaulish goddess of light8 fire8 healing8

crafts8 !ater and riers< -epresented in -omano/Gaulish iconography as a radiant !oman !ith along s#irt but no shirt8 holding a sna#e< >SummerBright<?

;atres Brigaecae / Gaulish triple goddess offertility8 prosperity8 motherhood and nurture<-epresented in -omano/Gaulish iconography asthree seated !omen holding fruit8 bread orbabies< >%he (alted ;others<?

Briganti / Brythonic goddess of culture8 fertility8healing8 ictory and protection8 #no!n as>Brigantia? in the -omano/Brythonic period<

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-epresented in -omano/Brythonic iconographyas a !oman holding a spear in her right hand

and a ictory globe in her left< >%he (altedne<?

Brigindona / Gaulish goddess< >%he (altedne<?

Brig Ambue / >Brighid of the Co!less? or>Brighid of the *ispossessed<? A protector andpurifier of renegade !arriors !ho !ere outsidethe tribal structure< Brig Ambue could be ino#edto reintegrate these !arriors bac# into the

community and purify them of their deeds inbattle<

Brig Brethach / >Brighid of udgments<? A Dudge8la!gier and defender of the rights of !omen<

Brig Briugu / >Brighid of $ospitality<? A briugu or>hospitaller? !as a person !ho #ept open houseon a large scale8 offering free hospitality to all !ho passed<

Brig (uit / >Brighid of +iety<? St< Brigid ofildare<

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Great Brid of the $orses / A dar# aspect ofBrighid8 associated !ith the high/handed

behaior of the bards and !ith their manticpractices< 6n the story of Great Brid of the$orses8 she demands three impossible gifts of a#ing on behalf of the poets: blac#berries in anuary8 her fill of por# from a pig that !as neerborn8 and to ride on a red/eared !hite mare untiltired<

Cerrid!en / Ealso #no!n as Cerid!en orerrid!en< ;use of the 4elsh bards8 #eeper ofthe cauldron of !isdom and diine mother of the

bard %aliesin<

%he Cailleach / A primal creatri8 goddess of !inter and !ild nature< At Samhain8 the Cailleachor >Beira8? the mother of giants8 stri#es the

ground !ith her hammer and it free=es for the !inter< According to a late and possibly literarytale from Scotland8 the Cailleach imprisons Bridethe Hueen of Summer in the mountain of Ben'eis from Samhain until the spring< Bride is

rescued from her !intery prison in Ben 'eis bythe youthful god Aengus8 !ho has fallen in loe !ith her< %ogether they battle Aenguss mother8the Cailleach8 !ho see#s to preent the spring< 6n

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6rish lore8 Aengus and Brighid are siblings and Aengus is the son of Boann and the *agda<

According to another ersion of the same story8the Cailleach and Bride are the same entity8 andthe Cailleach transforms herself into Bride eeryspring<

/ Children of Brighid ac#no!ledge and honor$er history !ithin Gaelic culture8 but do notconsider $er to be solely a Gaelic goddess<

6n medieal times8 St< Brigid receied great honorand reerence in non/Gaelic areas such as the

Scottish 7o!lands and Borders8 (ngland andelse!here< 6n some form or other8 She has beenhonored outside of Gaelic culture for manycenturies no!< As such8 !e do not identify ourpractice !ith Celtic -econstructionism<

$o!eer8 one aspect of social Dustice is culturalsurial and autonomy for indigenous peoples<%he struggle for surial of the Celtic languagesand cultures E6rish8 ;an8 Scottish Gaelic8 4elsh8

Cornish and Breton is particularly releant fordeotees of Brighid considering $er long history !ithin Celtic cultures<

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Although !e dont thin# of Brighid as aneclusiely Gaelic or Celtic deity8 !e do honor

$er importance to the Gaelic culture and supportthe struggle of Gaelic/spea#ing people tomaintain their language and identity<

)/ All goddesses associated !ith the sun8 moon8and stars8 fire8 fresh !ater8 fertility andabundance8 healing8 #no!ledge and the craftsnecessary to society may be honored as part ofthis practice<

%here is no re@uired Clann Bhride doctrine

regarding the eact relationship of suchgoddesses to Brighid< Some of us beliee them tobe manifestations of the same po!er in differentcultural contets<

Goddesses !ith these associations include8 butare not limited to: esta8 ;inera8 Saule8 $inaand Sarasati<

Although Children of Brighid may study and

reerence such goddesses as part of this practice8it is important to remember that each goddesshas a cultural and religious contet of $er o!n8and een if these goddesses manifest the same

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underlying po!er as the goddess Brighid8 theyare not simply interchangeable< (ach one must be

studied and honored !ithin the contet and loreof the culture from !hich She originates<

/ Children of Brighid !orship our goddess as areal entity8 rather than a metaphor or archetype<She hears our prayers8 She appreciates ourofferings and She communicates !ith humanbeings through inspiration8 dreams and othermeans< As important as it is to study $er loreand history8 it is een more important to establisha personal relationship !ith $er8 because She is

still in the process of reealing $erself<

/by Gilbride8 Aster Breo and Sage

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Children of Brighid perform three sets of prayerson a daily basis: rising prayers8 prayers of

than#sgiing and prayers before sleep< %heelements of the practice can be aried toaccommodate indiidual needs< For instance8offerings can be made at any of the three hours8

practitioners can change the order of the prayersdepending on their schedules and practitioners!ithout sufficient time to recite all of the prayersmay recite a selection of them<

First $our: -ising +rayers

ptional: Gabhaim ;olta Bride8 SloinntireachdBride

1/ %hree Sisters +rayer

Brighid of poetry8 bless my heart !ith poetry8 andallo! me to see 5our poetry in all the things ofthis !orld<

Brighid of healing8 bless my heart !ith healing8

and allo! me to etend 5our healing to all thebeings of this !orld<

Brighid of smithcraft8 forge my heart !ith 5our

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hammer8 and allo! me to create on this day as 5ou 5ourself do each day<

2/ Flame/7ighting +rayer

6 !ill light my candle as Brighid lights itI $ercandle is the sun and $er altar the earth< And asthis little candle lights my room8 may $er greatcandle light the unierse<

$ail to you8 oh foster/motherJ 5our loe is aflame< Gie me the strength to bear 5ourtendernessI gie me the po!er to bear 5our light<

7et my heart become li#e a perpetual fire tendedby the priestesses of all my thoughts<

$ail to you8 oh !oman/comradeJ $ail to you8 ohtrusted friendJ 6 !ill share my confidences !ith

5ou today for 6 #no! 5ou !ill comfort meI 6 !ill#indle my heart !ith 5our light until 6 glo! li#egold<

3/ -ising +rayer

Sun of the morning and @ueen of the daytime8maiden of flo!ers and hope of the da!nJ ;ay youbless me !ith sunlight and all fruitful blessingsI

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may you bless me !ith loe li#e the !armth of 5our fire<

h sun of the morning8 5our smile is beautifuland the glances from 5our eyes are the beams ofsunlightI !hen 5ou step out from the bed of theocean all the earth smiles in gratitudeI !hen 5ou !al# out upon the fields of the heaens8 all theearth sighs !ith Doy<

5ou brought me out from the night8 oh Brighid8and deliered me safely to the morning< ;ay 5oushepherd me no! through the daytime hours and

delier me again into the night<

h Brighid of the sunrise8 5our face is beautiful8 5our eyes are li#e the fire of heaen and 5our #issis li#e meadI on this day and on eery day may

you bless us !ith poetryI on this day and oneery day may 5ou bless us !ith loe<

6 am bending my head in prayer beneath the eyeof Brighid8 the rising sun among the !hite of the

clouds8 the smiling glory of the day< +our thehoney/s!eet mil# of 5our poetry into the chaliceof the morningI allo! me to taste 5our mil# ineach passing moment<

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Second $our/ +rayers of %han#sgiing

1/ Grace

h Brighid beloed8 for my food 6 than# 5ou< hBrighid beloed8 for my drin# 6 than# 5ou< hBrighid beloed8 for my breath 6 than# 5ou8 andfor all that the day shall bring my !ay<

2/ fferings +rayer

%he offerings ary depending on the season<%hey are based on a list of foods traditionally

eaten at the four fire festials8 as found inGoddesses in Celtic -eligion by 'oemie Bec#:

From 6mbolc to Beltane/ ritual !ashing of hands8head and feet !ith offering of any food

From Beltane to 7unasa/ offering of ale orcottage cheeseFrom 7unasa to Samhain/ offering of any fruits orherbs From Samhain to 6mbolc/ offering of any nuts8

meat8 ale8 buttermil# or butter

+ractitioners !ho are not in a position to ma#e afood offering may light a flame or pour clear

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!ater as a substitute8 or isuali=e the appropriateoffering<

(ach thought in my mind for 5ou8 each !ordfrom my mouth for 5ou8 each deed of my hand for 5ou8 oh Brighid of the blessings<

;ay 6 spea# each !ord !ith the Dustice ofBrighidI may 6 spea# each !ord !ith the !isdomof BrighidI may 6 spea# each !ord !ith the#indness of Brighid8 from this day until the end ofmy days<

6n eery plant of the flo!ering earth8 in eerybeast of the forest8 in eery fish of the blue/greenocean8 may 6 sense 5our presence< 6n eery ray ofthe life/giing sun8 in eery breath of the !ind8 ineery stirring of my o!n inner mind8 may 6 sense

5our presence<

Hueen/maiden of the fire and the !ater8 @ueen/maiden of gentleness8 @ueen/maiden of the boarand the oen8 @ueen/maiden of tears< Bright

goddess of the !ell of !isdom8 bright goddess ofhealing8 bright goddess of the co! of blessings8and of the harp of the bards<

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5ou are a groe of apple trees and a branch ofpeaceI 5ou are a cup of #indness and a drin# of

mirthI 5ou are a beam of the po!er of 6mbasupon the !aters of the Boyne<

3/ *aytime +rayer

h gentle Brighid of the golden hair8 be li#e ashining flame before the path 6 !al# on< +resereme from stumbling and infuse me !ith loe8 sothat 6 shine !ith 5our light to aid others<

6 am bending my head in prayer beneath the eye

of the sun8 beneath the grace of Brighid8 in loeand gratitude< Bring us to loe !here !e are !rathfulI bring us to beauty though !e !al#through ugliness< %hrough eery shado! andeery light8 through eery day and eery night<

h Brighid8 may 5our light descend on me8 may 5our light shine out through me8 from my cro!nto my soles< h Brighid8 may 5our light ascendthrough me8 may 5our light be ne! in me8 from

my soles to my cro!n<

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Brighid of the Spirit8 bless me !ith illumination8

bless those 6 loe !ith illumination8 bless all the !orld<

2/ Flame/7ighting +rayer

%ending BrighidKs flame is a popular !ay ofhonoring Brighid and of dedicating time to focuson deeloping a relationship !ith $er< Someflame#eepers belong to cills8 groups of 1 people!ho ta#e turns tending the flame oer a 20/daycycle so that it burns continuously< (ach

flame#eeper is responsible for the flame fromsunset to sunset< %he 20th day is said to beBrighidKs *ay8 and She is belieed to tend $ero!n flame on that day< $o!eer8 it is notnecessary to belong to a cill8 and many

flame#eepers maintain this practice alone< Sinceit is often unsafe in our modern lifestyle to leaea flame burning for a full 2& hours8 manyflame#eepers hae adopted !ays of tendingBrighidKs flame metaphorically8 using 7(*

candles8 special De!elry8 cell phone apps8 etc<8 torepresent the flame !hen a lie flame is unsafe orimpractical and to help the flame#eeper remainmindful of their commitments to Brighid<

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6 !ill light my candle as Brighid lights itI $er

candle is the sun and $er altar the earth< And asthis little candle lights my room8 may $er greatcandle light the unierse<

$ail to you8 oh foster/motherJ 5our loe is aflame< Gie me the strength to bear 5ourtendernessI gie me the po!er to bear 5our light<7et my heart become li#e a perpetual fire tendedby the priestesses of all my thoughts<

$ail to you8 oh !oman/comradeJ $ail to you8 oh

trusted friendJ 6 !ill share my confidences !ith 5ou today for 6 #no! 5ou !ill comfort meI 6 !ill#indle my heart !ith 5our light until 6 glo! li#egold<

3/ 'ighttime +rayer

$ail to 5ou8 oh shining mother8 radiant mother ofstars and !orlds< $ail to 5ou8 oh shiningstarsmith8 radiant forger of !orlds and suns< $ail

to 5ou8 oh shining ocean8 oh rier of mil# andlight8 oh @ueen of time<

h Brighid of the setting sun8 5ou sleep in the

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ocean li#e a bed of flo!ersI the rier of theheaens is the mil# of 5our co! and the roots of

the %ree of 7ife are li#e a pillo! for 5our head<Sun of the eening8 5our steps are proudI theclouds of the heaens are the fields of 5our !andering< %he stars of the heaens are 5oursisters and childrenI the ocean is 5our bed andthe !orld is 5our garden<

h Brighid of the starlight8 may my prayers riseup to 5ou8 may they rise li#e smo#e to 5ou8 fromthe offering of my heart< h Brighid of the

starlight8 be eer near to me8 so close that 6cannot see !here 5ou end and 6 begin<

Guide me8 oh Brighid8 across the ocean of night8li#e a star aboe the deep roaring !aters< As you

once forged my body in the core of 5our star8 maythe same star no! guide me through thedar#ness<

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+rayer Beads

For flame/#eeping shifts or other specialoccasions< +rayer beads can be made of irtuallyany material8 and the possible designs are limitedonly by the ma#erKs creatiity< %hey can be asimple set of plastic childrenKs beads strung ont!ine8 or an elaborate combination of epensie

gemstones< +rayer beads can be designed to be!orn as a bracelet or nec#lace8 or carried in a

poc#et8 or #ept on an altar< Clann Bhride prayerbeads are constructed of nine focus beads8 eachseparated by a small spacer bead< %he focus

beads are chosen to represent: Brighid as goddess of poetry

Brighid as goddess of healing

Brighid as goddess of smithcraft

Brighid as goddess of Dustice

BrighidKs association !ith fire BrighidKs association !ith !ater

the concept of fire/in/!ater Eoften relatedto inspiration

Brighid as 7ady of the Stars

an association or symbol of Brighid thatcarries particular releance to theindiidual dedicant

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6n addition to these primary focus beads8 a set of prayer beads can include amulets or other

symbols important to the dedicant8 !hich can besuspended from the end of the string<

Brighid of poetry8 bless my heart !ith poetry8 andallo! me to see 5our poetry in all the things ofthis !orld<

Brighid of healing8 bless my heart !ith healing8and allo! me to etend 5our healing to all thebeings of this !orld<

Brighid of smithcraft8 forge my heart !ith 5ourhammer8 and allo! me to create on this day as 5ou 5ourself do each day<

Brighid of Dustice8 fill my heart !ith Dustice8 gie

me strength to !or# for 5our Dustice8 in all mydeeds in this !orld<

Brighid of fire8 light my heart !ith 5our fire8 gieme passion to bla=e li#e 5our fire8 in all my deeds

in this !orld<Brighid of !ater8 cool my mind !ith 5our !ater8gie me calmness to flo! li#e 5our !ater8 in all

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my deeds in this !orld<

h Brighid of the fire in !ater8 reflect in me as 5ou do in 5our !ell8 and as the fire of 5oursunlight becomes one !ith 5our !aters8 gie methe grace 6 need8 to become one !ith 5ou<

h Brighid of the shining stars8 5ou forged mybody in starlight8 5ou forged the planets and theshining comets8 5ou forged the gods and theelements<

h Brighid of my deepest !ishes8 oh Brighid of

my heart8 #ind creator of the hopes 6 cherish8 andeerything that brings me Doy<

4ell/%ending

7i#e flame tending8 !ell tending is a practiceintended to honor Brighid and deepen oneKsrelationship !ith $er< 4ell tending is an offeringto Brighid in the form of time or moneycommitted to the care of a local body of !ater<

For eample8 !ell tenders might choose to spendtime pic#ing up trash along a beach or the ban#sof a stream8 or olunteer !ith a group !or#ing to

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restore a la#e8 or ma#e monetary donations to anenironmental organi=ation to adocating for

improed !atershed protection policies<

6 dip my cup into 5our cold clear !ater and raiseit to my lips !ith a solemn prayer: heal all that isill in me till 6 am clear li#e 5ou are8 till 6 amshining as 5ou are shining8 till 6 am blessed li#e 5our !aters<

Goddess of the moon and goddess of the sun8goddess of the earth and goddess of the stars8goddess of the Sea8 the 7and and the S#y<

h @ueen of the !ell of !isdom8 5ou #no! ourneedsI 5ou #no! the secret !ishes of the hiddenheart< Be !ith us in the eening and in the hoursof the nightI be !ith us in our hopes and our

yearning<Saining

Saining is performed !ith fire/blessed !ater< Atraditional !ay to sain yourself is to stand in

place8 etend your arm8 and piot around in acloc#!ise circle !hile ino#ing Brighids fierys!ord to protect you< %his is called the caim8

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!hich means encircling8 encompassing orlooping< 5ou can also perform the caim on

another person< Finally8 you can sain an area orsacred space by praying at the east8 south8 !estand north8 follo!ed by a prayer directed at theheaen aboe you and the earth belo! you< %hetraditional position for this sort of prayer is>orans?/ !ith your arms raised at the shoulder8elbo!s at right angles and palms open<

Bless eery sight that 5ou place in front of meIbless eery sound and eery tasteI bless eeryscent that 5ou place in front of me8 and bless

!hat 6 touch !ith 5our o!n blessing<

;ay Brighid !rap me in $er mantle andsurround me !ith $er flameI may She raise thecup of $er 6mbas to my lips so that my eins run

!ith fire<

h Brighid of poetry8 fill my day !ith beauty< Beli#e the sun in the s#y to light the path in front ofme8 and cast a blessing on all 6 see<

6 am placing my mind and my body in 5ourhands8 oh Brighid8 from the cro!n of my head tothe soles of my feet< indle my mind and my

41



thoughts !ith the spar# of 5our poetryI light mybody from head to toe !ith 5our eternal flame<

Foster/mother of the depths of my heart8 be li#ethe sunrise in my inner nighttime< Cast asunbeam of rose and gold across the surface ofmy oceanI spring forth aboe the depths of the !ater as all the !orld Doins in song<

Behold the foster/mother in the morning s#y andpraise $er !ith harp/strings as She nurses theearthI $er smile is soft and gentle and $er eyesare tenderI let the day be a song to $er8 and

eery day of the !orld<

$ealing

$er s#in is soft8 $er hair is soft8 $er eyes are

soft8 $er smile is softI $er hands are gentle and$er oice is !armI She blesses the !ell and Sheheals the ill< ;ay Brighid be !ith me in the hoursof the day8 and may Brighid be !ith me in thedescent to!ard eening<

She is as She al!ays !asI She is as She isI Sheis as She shall eer be8 the ebb and the flo!< ;ayBrighid be !ith me in the flo!ing of the tide8 and

42



may Brighid be !ith me as it ebbs from theshore<

;ay Brighid surround me8 may Brighid encloseme8 li#e the !armth of a mantle on a day of finerain< ;ay Brighid protect me8 may Brighidpresere me8 may bright Brighid heal me andbring me to $er<

%he sister of healing is aboe and belo! meI thesister of healing is around me and near meI thesister of healing is in the great roaring seaI thesister of healing is in the green fertile landI the

sister of healing is in the blue open s#y<

Brighid is my friend and my companionI She hascomposed a song for meI She has helped me andhealed me each day and it is She !hom 6 loe<

5ou are li#e a smooth path before my feet8 ohBrighid8I 5ou are the sun in the s#yI 5ou are theguiding star in the depths of night8 a healing balmfor my heart<

h Brighid of the earth8 heal this body< hBrighid of the sea8 heal this blood< h Brighid ofthe sun8 heal this face< h Brighid of the clouds8

43



heal this mind< h Brighid of the !ind8 heal thisbreath< h Brighid of the stones8 heal these

bones< h Brighid of the spirit8 heal this spirit<Sloinntireachd Bride

ne !ay to honor Brighids Gaelic history is tolearn the Sloinntireachd Bride or >Genealogy ofBrighid? in its original Scottish Gaelic form< %histraditional prayer !as recorded in AleanderCarmichaels Carmina Gadelica< 6t !asconsidered an etremely po!erful protectiecharm< f course8 it !ill be easier to recite the

Sloinntireachd in Gaelic if you study thelanguage8 at least to a beginners leel<

Gaelic is not as difficult to pronounce as iscommonly belieed8 but Gaelic pronunciation

rules are ery different from (nglish< 4henlearning Gaelic from a boo# or online course8 one!ay to learn ho! to pronounce the languagecorrectly is to sing along !ith recordings ofGaelic traditional songs< ften8 the liner notes

contain the lyrics in both Gaelic and (nglish< After singing along !ith a fe! of these albums fora fe! months8 you !ill not only find Gaelic mucheasier to pronounce but !ill probably also hae

44



learned a fe! songs<

By studying the Gaelic language and learningho! to sing traditional Gaelic songs8 you !illhelp contribute to the surial of the Gaeliclanguage and culture/ another !ay of doingBrighids !or# in the !orld<

%he song >Gabhaim ;olta Bride? is in 6rishrather than Scottish Gaelic8 so the pronunciationand ocabulary are some!hat different< $o!eer8learning ho! to sing this popular song ofBrigidine deotion is another good !ay to

!orship Brighid !hile honoring the Gaelicculture< ;any recordings of this song areaailable both online and else!here<

>+agani=ed? (nglish/language ersions of the

Sloinntireachd can be found in a number of places as !ell8 but !e chose not to use them<

-ather than altering any traditional Gaelic prayers to ma#e them more pagan8 !e chose to

compose our o!n prayers for this Boo# of$ours< %he prayers in the Carmina Gadelica8 astreasures of the Gaelic culture8 are not ours toalter<

45



For the same reason8 although !e !orship

Brighid as a goddess8 !e prefer to present theSloinntireachd unaltered8 including its traditionalmiture of Christian and pre/Christian elements<

SLOINNTIREACHD BHRIDE

SLOINNEADH na Ban-naomh Br!"#La$ar !h"a%ra&h or# m'm" &horr Chro$!a(Br!" n)hnn D')ha%% !'nn#*h& Ao!h# mh& Ar+# n+r& C'nn#*h& Cr"arar# mh& C$# mh& Carma)# mh&

Carr'nn(

,a&h %a a)'$ )a&h o!h&h" N m $%onn+r"a&h! ar Br!"#Cha mharhar m# &ha $.'%%"ar m#Cha &har&ar m# &ha &h'rar m#Cha mh' !h/ ha)a$ Cro$! an !"arma! m(

Cha %o$) +"n"# )ran# no )"a%a&h m#Cha ha+h %'n# %# no $a%a m#Cha r"' $a)h! $+h&h# no $h&h m#

I$ m o &homara) mo Naomh *'r"I$ mo &haomh mh'm" Br!"(

46



,ENEALO, O BRIDE

THE )"n"a%o) o +h" ho% ma!"n Br!"#Ra!an+ %am" o )o%!# no%" o$+"r-mo+h"r oChr$+#Br!" +h" !a')h+"r o D')a%% +h" ron#Son o Ao!h# $on o Ar+# $on o Conn#Son o Cr"arar# $on o C$# $on o Carma# $on o

Carr'n(

E"r !a an! ""r n)h+Tha+ I $a +h" )"n"a%o) o Br!"#I $ha%% no+ " %%"!# I $ha%% no+ " harr"!#I $ha%% no+ " .'+ n &"%%# I $ha%% no+ "#o'n!"!# N"+h"r $ha%% Chr$+ %"a" m" n or)"+'%n"$$(

No r"# no $'n# no moon $ha%% 'rn m"# No %a"# no a+"r# nor $"a $ha%% !ron m"#

No arro o ar nor !ar+ o a $ha%% o'n!m"#An! I 'n!"r +h" .ro+"&+on o m Ho% *ar# And my gentle foster/mother is my beloed Bride<

47



48



Brighid and the %hemes of the Festials

Festial celebrations are traditionally held on theeening before the actual date<

6mbolc: Brighid and $er co! isiting the homesof the !orld8 the infant Brighid or Brideog<

Beltane: Brighid and Aengus8 or Brighid as theShepherdess< 7unasa: Brighid as the $arest ;aiden<

Samhain: the Cailleach8 or Brighid as themournful mother<

-itual utline

1/ Spend the day doing appropriate actiitiesuntil sunset<

2/ Bless !ater !ith fire8 circumambulate theritual space and sain the four @uarters and all

participants<3/ -ead or sing prayers<

49



&/ $old a feast8 !ith one table setting forBrighid< Also leae some of the food aside for an

offering to Brighid8 to the Sidhe8 and to any otherappropriate po!ers<

,/ -ead or tell traditional tales<

./ 7eae the food offering outside or on the altar<7ibations such as mil# can also be poured on theground or the threshold<

/ Celebrate !ith music and dancing<

6mbolc

February 1

6n Gaelic/spea#ing areas8 this festial is #no!n as7a Feile Bride or >Brides Festial *ay<? 6t is

Brighids most important festial8 and thebeginning of the ritual year for the Children ofBrighid<

Suggested Actiities:

1/ ;a#e a Brideog doll or dealbh Bridedecorated !ith shells8 crystals8 ribbons8 flo!ersand one especially nice shell or crystal oer the

50



dolls heart #no!n as the reul/iuil/Bride or>guiding star of Bride<? +ut the doll in a leaba

Bride or >bed of Bride? !ith a !hite !and orslachdan Bride representing the !and !ith !hichshe ushers in the spring< %a#e the doll to thedoor!ay8 !elcome Bride in8 then bring her bac#in and set her up in a place of honor<2/ ;a#e Brighids crosses< $ang some up anddecorate Brides bed !ith others<3/ ;a#e food for the Feis Bride 8 including itemssuch as rolls8 bannoc#s8 porridge8 potatoes8onions8 bacon< +ile up buttered rolls8 cheese andother appropriate foods around the Bride doll<

&/ $ang the brat BrLde outside on a tree to begathered up in the morning as a sacred piece ofBrighids mantle !ith healing po!ers< %raditionalbrats are cloth M lengths of fabric or of hand/#itted or crocheted yarn8 items of clothing8

ribbons8 etc< Some Brighid dedicants prefer tobroaden the definition to include De!elry8blan#ets8 #ey chains8 and other items that canthen be carried on the person or used forcomfort<

,/ bsere the traditional prohibition on allactiities that inole turning !heels< E7i#e all theother suggestions8 this is optional<

51



7atha na aillich

/ %his minor Scottish Gaelicholiday is supposed to represent the final ictory

of Bride and Aengus Erepresenting the springoer the Cailleach Erepresenting the !inter8 orthe day on !hich the Cailleach bathes in the 4ellof 5outh and transforms into Bride for thesummer< %he day !as originally not fied8because it referred to !hicheer day happened tobe the last day of !intery !eather before truespring began< er time it became fied as ;arch2,8 !hich happens to be near the spring e@uino< 5ou can celebrate this day as a spring e@uinoholiday8 or you can celebrate it in conDunction

!ith (aster or St< +atric#s day as a simplespringtime party< %his !ould also be a good dayfor !ell/tending or rier/tending<

Beltane

;ay 1


1/ ;a#e flo!er arrangements8 bou@uets and

garlands< *ecorate the house !ith them insideand out<2/ Go out and gather a bough from a tree for the ;ay Bush< *ecorate it !ith flo!ers8 ribbons and

52



other things< $ang it up outside the house orburn it at the end of the day<

3/ ;a#e food for the feast8 including items suchas rolls8 bannoc#s8 porridge8 cheese and lamb<&/ isit a holy !ell if you are near one8 or a rieror stream< +lace nine !hite stones in the !ater asan offering to Brighid< E%his is a traditionalcustom from the Scottish Borders<

;idsummer/ %raditionally the festial of Aine of ;unster8 a goddess associated !ith healingherbs8 poetic inspiration and seuality8 fell on St< ohns *ay or une 2&< %his is near the summer

solstice but not directly associated !ith it< 6f you !ant to celebrate midsummer8 it !ould be a goodday to honor Brighid as the %hree Sisters:Brighid the +oetess E!hose sunbeams stri#e theplants along the Boyne rier once eery seen

years on this date8 creating the 6mbas8 Brighidthe healer Esince healing herbs gathered on thisdate !ere said to be at their most po!erful8 andBrighid the Smith Esince forge fires arereminiscent of the bonfires held on this day<

7unasa

August 1

53




1/ +lay games and sports of any #ind<2/ Go out and bury flo!ers in a pit8 on a hilltop ifpossible< %his is a traditional offering for thebounty of the harest<3/ Go berry/pic#ing<&/ ;a#e food for the feast8 including items suchas rolls8 bannoc#s8 porridge8 cheese and mashedpotatoes !ith butter8 mil# and garlic< %his feastshould feature plenty of fresh fruit8 especiallyberries<,/ ;a#e a harest maiden doll<

ailleach an *udain/

%he Scottish Gaelic festialof ;ichaelmas on September 2 Enear but not onthe autumn e@uino !as associated !ith carrotsas symbols of fertility and courtship< 4omen

!ould pic# !ild carrots and young !omen !ouldma#e gifts of them to young men they hoped !ould court them< A dance/play !as performedon this day in !hich a man !ith a druidic !and>#illed? the Cailleach8 mourned her8 then reied

her !ith his !and< %his represents the Cailleachsreturn !ith the end of summer< %he last sheaf ofthe harest !as also called the Cailleach< 6t !astraditionally considered acceptable to steal horses

54



on this day< 6f you !ant to celebrate the autumne@uino time period8 you could hae a meal !ith

carrots or stage a ersion of the Cailleach an*udain dance<

Samhain


1/ Care turnips or pump#ins<2/ ;a#e food for the feast8 including items suchas apples8 ca#es8 gingerbread8 rolls andbannoc#s<

3/ +ractice diination<&/ $old a >dumb supper? or silent meal8 !ith anetra plate for the honored dead<

;id!inter


Stay up all night !ith a burning candle in theshape of an old !oman8 representing theCailleach Etraditionally a >Cailleach log?<

55



56



Birth Blessing

17ight a candle !ith the flame/lighting prayer:

6 !ill light my candle as Brighid lights itI $ercandle is the sun and $er altar the earth< And asthis little candle lights my room8 may $er greatcandle light the unierse<

$ail to you8 oh foster/motherJ 5our loe is aflame< Gie me the strength to bear 5our

tendernessI gie me the po!er to bear 5our light<7et my heart become li#e a perpetual fire tendedby the priestesses of all my thoughts<

$ail to you8 oh !oman/comradeJ $ail to you8 oh

trusted friendJ 6 !ill share my confidences !ith 5ou today for 6 #no! 5ou !ill comfort meI 6 !ill#indle my heart !ith 5our light until 6 glo! li#egold<

2Shine the candle/light into the !ater to bless it<nce the !ater has been blessed8 anoint the

57



child !ith nine drops or palm/fulls of the !ater8!ith these !ords:

A droplet of !ater from the rier of Brighid8 adroplet of !ater from the !ell of Brighid8 adroplet of !ater from the hands of Brighid8 uponyour head and your heart8 beloed child<

%o help you8 to guard you8 to shield you8 tosurround you8 to !ash you and anoint you !iththe grace of the goddess<

A droplet for health8 a droplet for strength8 a

droplet for beauty8 a droplet for art8 a droplet forprosperity8 a droplet for peace8 a droplet forcourage8 a droplet for character8 a droplet for the Doy of Brighid8 may $er protection enfold you<

5oung Adulthood Blessing

Sain the participants by praying at the east8south8 !est and north8 follo!ed by a prayerdirected at the heaen aboe you and the earth

belo! you< %he traditional position for this sortof prayer is >orans?/ !ith your arms raised at theshoulder8 elbo!s at right angles and palms open<

58



Bless eery sight that 5ou place in front of meIbless eery sound and eery tasteI bless eery

scent that 5ou place in front of me8 and bless !hat 6 touch !ith 5our o!n blessing<

;ay Brighid !rap me in $er mantle andsurround me !ith $er flameI may She raise thecup of $er 6mbas to my lips so that my eins run !ith fire<

h Brighid of poetry8 fill my day !ith beauty< Beli#e the sun in the s#y to light the path in front ofme8 and cast a blessing on all 6 see<

6 am placing my mind and my body in 5ourhands8 oh Brighid8 from the cro!n of my head tothe soles of my feet< indle my mind and mythoughts !ith the spar# of 5our poetryI light my

body from head to toe !ith 5our eternal flame<

Foster/mother of the depths of my heart8 be li#ethe sunrise in my inner nighttime< Cast asunbeam of rose and gold across the surface of

my oceanI spring forth aboe the depths of the !ater as all the !orld Doins in song<

Behold the foster/mother in the morning s#y and

59



praise $er !ith harp/strings as She nurses theearthI $er smile is soft and gentle and $er eyes

are tenderI let the day be a song to $er8 andeery day of the !orld<

2

+repare a drin# of mil# !ith honey in it8 thenanoint the young adults palms and face !ith itand gie them a little of the honeyed mil# todrin#8 !ith these !ords:

6 bathe your palms in the mil# of Brighid8 in the

honey of Brighid8 in the blessing of Brighid8 and 6place the nine po!ers of Brighid in your mindand your heart:

%he po!er of enchantment8 the po!er of irtue8

the po!er of faith8 the po!er of great deeds8 thepo!er of elegance8 the po!er of character8 thepo!er of courage8 the po!er of charm<

3

%he young person then recites these !ords:

Brighid of the (arth8 bless me !ith prosperity8

60



bless those 6 loe !ith prosperity8 bless all the !orld<

Brighid of the 4aters8 bless me !ith health8 blessthose 6 loe !ith health8 bless all the !orld<

Brighid of the Sun8 bless me !ith beauty8 blessthose 6 loe !ith beauty8 bless all the !orld<

Brighid of the Clouds8 bless me !ith !isdom8bless those 6 loe !ith !isdom8 bless all the !orld<

Brighid of the 4inds8 bless me !ith itality8 blessthose 6 loe !ith itality8 bless all the !orld<

Brighid of the Stones8 bless me !ith strength8bless those 6 loe !ith strength8 bless all the

!orld<

Brighid of the Spirit8 bless me !ith illumination8bless those 6 loe !ith illumination8 bless all the !orld<

61



$ousehold Blessing

Sain the participants !ith this household blessingby praying at the east8 south8 !est and north8follo!ed by a prayer directed at the heaen aboe

you and the earth belo! you< %his can be used tobless any ne! household8 marriage or domesticarrangement<

+eace bet!een peoples8 peace bet!een #indreds8peace bet!een neighbors and peace in thishouse< 6n the loe of the @ueen of life and of thefire of !isdom<

Bless this house in the name of Brighid8 fromroof to foundation8 from foundation to roof<

;ay there al!ays be food here8 may there al!ays

be drin# here8 may there al!ays be comfort here8may there al!ays be Doy here<

;ay there al!ays be laughter here8 may thereal!ays be safety here8 may there al!ays be

nourishment8 may there al!ays be loe< And may the gold of Brighids shining beauty behere foreer in the fire of your hearth<

62



*eath Blessing

5ou are going home tonight to the arms ofBrighid8 to be held by Brighid8 to be soothed byBrighidI you are going home tonight to be caredfor by Brighid8 and to sleep in the bed of theearth and in the home of the seasons<

%he home of !inter and the home of autumn8 thehome of spring and the home of summer< %hehome of Brighid of the Seasons !hile She $erself#isses you<

A!ay !ith all sorro!8 it is time to sleep< A!ay !ith all sorro!8 it is time to sleep< A!ay !ith allsorro!8 it is time to sleep8 !rapped tight in themantle of the goddess Brighid<

63



64



Brighid: 7ady of ur $earths8 7ady of

ur $earts

by Gilbride8 Sage8 Finn8 and Aster Breo

% his essay also appears in the Cauldron CillBrighid *eotional

Brighid1

is one of the most popular and !idely !orshiped figures !orld!ide as both Christiansaint and pagan goddess< As Saint Brigit8 $ermonastery in ildare held $er eternal flame untilit !as etinguished8 probably during the 1.th

century suppression of monasteries< 6n 138the Catholic order of Brigidine Sisters re/lit theflame in 13 and hae #ept it burning eersince< Groups and temples dedicated to bothBrighid the goddess and Brigit the saint honor$er each 6mbolc and many create communities

called cills to tend $er flame on a personal basis8in much the same !ay as it is tended at ildare<

%racing Brighid through Celtic myth and fol#lorecan be etremely difficult8 and yet there are bright

1 No+" Th"r" ar" man !"r"n+ $."%%n)$ o Br)h!/$nam"( or +h" .'r.o$" o &%ar+ n +h$ "$$a# " ha"&ho$"n Br)h! +o !"no+" +h" )o!!"$$ an! Br)++o !"no+" +h" $an+(

65



spar#s that can gie us direction< For eample8CormacKs Glossary describes Brighid as a trio of

identically/named sisters descended from the*agda8 identifying them ariously as >%he 7adyof +oetry8? >%he 7ady of ;edicine8? and >%he7ady of ;etal!or#<? 4eNmodern deotees caninfer then that Brighid is a goddess of healing8poetry8 and smithcraft< ther relatiely obscuresources refer to other similarly/named femalefigures8 such as the Durist Brig Ambue EBrighid ofthe >co!less?8 !hose >Dudgments? distinguish$er as a la!gier associated !ith all classes8een the outcast >co!less ones<? 4e interpret

this piece of eidence as support for the idea thatBrighid is also a goddess of Dustice8 particularlysocial Dustice<

%his interpretation finds further support in the

hagiographic tales of St< Brigit from 6reland8Scotland8 4ales8 Britain8 and else!here in theCeltic !orld< 6f !e accept the premise that thecharacter and stories of the saint are based onlegends of the original Celtic goddess M a

premise that is not accepted !ithout argument byCeltic studies scholars but !hich8 neertheless8resonates !ith many of BrighidKs deotees M !ecan find additional clues to Brighids nature< 6t is

66



clear from all these stories8 both pagan andChristian8 that Brighid is etremely generous8

compassionate8 and concerned !ith life in thecommunity and life on earth<

Some modern pagans see Brighid as more than agoddess and saint of the British 6sles8 imagining$er as a pan/Celtic deity !hose influence eistedlong before the Celts themseles arried in6reland and other parts of (urope< $er !orshipmay be een more !idespread under the namesof goddesses li#e Sulis/;inera8 encompassingnot only traditional associations of poetry8

smithcraft8 and healing8 but also the primalenergies of fire8 light8 and creation< $er realmsetend from the other!orlds to the heaens8 fromouter space to the sea8 and to the under!orld ofdeath itself< 6n short8 $er realm is all of creation8

for it !as She !ho forged it<

$o!eer8 seeral of the connections Brighidshares !ith goddesses from other areas spar#some interesting @uestions< For eample8 the

practices of flame/tending by BrighidKs follo!ersand by estaKs priestesses in ancient -ome8 andthe stri#ing similarities bet!een Brighid and theGree# ;inera8 and Brighid and Sulis from

67



Britain8 raise the @uestion of !hether Brighidmight be a far more primal8 ast8 and mysterious

deity than anyone has preiously thought< %his@uestion leads to +roto/6ndo/(uropean E+6(religion and the etremely interesting eamples ofseeral +6( goddesses !hose primary functionsand areas of concern eactly match BrighidKs8including the hearth goddess 4estya8 the co!goddess G!ou!inda8 and the da!n goddessOausos<2 6t is @uite possible that Brighid as !e#no! $er today has roots in these goddesses8and perhaps8 in an een older8 single goddess !hose function and concerns encompass all of

those mentioned aboe<

6f8 as !e beliee8 Brighid has been !orshiped forcenturies far before the Celtic era8 these +6(goddesses may proide us !ith the most primal

and ancient picture of !ho She is< (ploringthese roots is etremely important to us<$o!eer8 the aailable eidence8 and otherinspiration8 coninces us that there is somethingspecial and uni@ue about ho! the pre/Christian

Celts eperienced Brighid< ;ost of our2 S"r+h# C"$r( Deep Ancestors: Practicing the

Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans( T'&$on AD:'%$hn)# 2007(

68



#no!ledge of Brighid8 ho!eer incomplete8comes from the Celtic cultures8 especially those

in 6reland8 and through deeper understanding ofthe CeltsK eperience of $er8 !e can begin tomoe closer to $er<

$o!eer8 unli#e most of the !ell/#no!n 6rishdeities8 there is actually ery little to be foundabout Brighid in the suriing 6rish myths M and !hat !e can find are small tidbits tuc#ed insidelarger stories< %his essay8 compiled andcomposed by four deotees of Brighid8 is ourattempt to collect all the etant8 ancient 6rish lore

about Brighid together and interpret it as onebody of myth< 4e present this purely as adeotional offering8 not as a definitie piece ofacademic !or#<

%he 6rish 7ore

Considering Brighids central role in 6rish fol#tradition8 it is surprising ho! little material eistsabout $er in the ancient pagan literature< ne

possible eplanation for this M although not theonly one M is that the !orship of Brighiddeeloped fairly late in the pre/Christian period8in the 0s A*8 !hen refugees from the Brigante

69



tribe of northern Britain brought the !orship oftheir tribal goddess Briganti into 7einster<3

According to this theory8 in the century or so afterthe Brigantes settled in 6reland8 the men of7einster #no!n as the 7aighin briefly becamedominant oer much of the country< *uring thistime period8 their tutelary goddess Briganti mayhae become highly popular and morphed intothe 6rish goddess Brighid< %his !ould haeoccurred at a late enough era that She might nothae been fully absorbed into the localmythological narratie by the time theChristiani=ation of 6reland !as in full force<

%herefore8 her mythology could hae deelopedmore completely !ithin Christianity as the figureof St< Brigit than it eer had !ithin 6rish pre/Christian religion<

$o!eer8 this is only one possible eplanation ofBrighids notable absence in 6rish literature< Another possibility is that the mon#s and poets !ho !rote do!n the sagas presered morecomplete stories about characters li#e the

;orrigan or 7ugh because fe!8 if any8 people still3 ;r)h+# Bran( Brigid: Goddess, Druidess and Saint (

,%o'&"$+"r$hr" Th" H$+or :r"$$# 2009( :)$( 23 <26(

70



belieed in %hem8 and these stories !ould notencourage %heir !orship< Since Brighid had been

enthusiastically adopted as a saint8 thepreseration of her pre/Christian legends mayhae seemed more li#ely to encourage latentpagan tendencies< %his !ould hae been far moredangerous than the stories of the >forgotten? ;orrigan and 7ugh8 thus causing later translatorsto leae Brighid out of the story<

4hateer the eplanation8 the literary eidenceabout Brighid from ancient times is limited to afe! brief passages< ne is from the Cath ;agh

%uired or Second Battle of ;oytura8 and stresses$er role as the !ife of the un!orthy #ing Bres8 asthe mournful mother of -uadan !ho !as slain inthe battle bet!een the *anann gods and theFomorian giants8 and as the inentor of the

practice of #eening for the dead< Another suchpassage is from the Boo# of 6nasions andassociates $er !ith t!o opposite types ofcreatures: ciili=ed mythic oen8 Fe and ;en8 andthe monstrous rc %riath8 #ing of the boars< E%he

rc %riath also appears !ithout Brighid in 4elsh Arthurian lore as the %!rch %r!yth8 !here it is a !ildly destructie force of nature< As mentionedpreiously8 CormacKs Glossary stresses $er

71



status as the daughter of the *agda and as apo!erful and popular trio of goddess sisters

responsible for poetry8 healing and smithcraft<Finally8 some short passages in the ancient 6rishlegal codes and other sources refer to seeral !omen !hose names begin !ith the prefi >Brig?or >+o!er8? such as the aforementioned Brig Ambue8 !ho seem to be responsible for ariousduties associated !ith the goddess $erself< ;uch of the imagery associated !ith the deity bymodern deotees is actually deried from the loreand fol# practices associated !ith the later saintM although not !ithout reason8 as !e !ill discuss

later<

4ho 6s Brighid9

Brighid is often portrayed as being irginal or as

not haing a male consort< %his concept ofBrighid as a irgin is not deried solely from $erstatus as a Christian saint8 because it is anancient 6ndo/(uropean feature of hearthgoddesses8 culture goddesses and their

priestesses< For instance8 the -oman culturegoddess ;inera E!ho !as e@uated !ithBrythonic and Gaulish cognates of Brighid suchas Briganti and Sulis !as a irgin8 as !as the

72



-oman hearth goddess esta< estaKs priestesses8the estal irgins8 tended an eternal flame much

li#e BrighidKs eternal flame at ildare< So8 theconcept of Brighid as either a irgin or anunattached !oman is probably also of pre/Christian origins<

$o!eer8 mythology does not tend to be perfectlyconsistent8 and the 6rish sources say She !asmarried t!ice: once to Bres in a failed attempt toreconcile the gods and the giants and once to thethunder god %uirenn< %uirennKs children Brian86uchar and 6ucharba Ethe >%hree Gods of *anu?

after !hom all the 6rish Gods !ere named had aclan feud !ith the family of 7ugh&<

%here is some confusion bet!een the identities ofBrighids t!o husbands< According to the Boo# of

6nasions:

%hose are the %uatha *e *anann:gods !ere the people of art8 but

4 Th$ ma r""r +o a h$+or&a% $+r'))%" "+""n o%%o"r$

o +h" o%! C"%+& +h'n!"r )o! T'r"nn or Taran$ an! +h"n""r %)h+nn) )o! L')h or L')'$# ho$" or$h.!$.%a&"! +ha+ o +h" o%!"r )o!( Th" Ch%!r"n o T'r"nn$%" L')h/$ a+h"r# an! L')h or&"! +h"m +o 'n!"r+a"+h" m.o$$%" ='"$+ +ha+ %"! +h"m +o +h"r !"a+h$(

73



non/gods !ere the three gods of*anu8 from !hom are named the

husbandmen8 <i<e<8 the gods<%hese !ere the three gods of*anu from !hom they !erenamed8 to !it the three sons ofBres son of (latha8 or the threesons of %uirell Biccreo8 Brian86uchar8 6ucharba<,

%uirell Biccreo is another name for %uirenn8 sothis passage states that the >three gods of *anu? !ere the sons of either %uirenn or Bres< Since

%uirenn and Bres are BrighidKs t!o husbands8this raises the possibility that Brighid is to beidentified !ith the mother goddess *anu< %hispossibility is supported by the fact that the Boo#of 7einster names Brighid as their mother<.

%he situation gets een more comple !hen !erecall that %uirenn !as also supposed to bemarried to (rnmas< %he three daughters of(rnmas !ere the three ;orrigans8 sometimes

5 Br)+ >h++.??(mar@on"$('$?@&"?r)+(h+m%a&&"$$"! 8 *ar&h 2013(6 Br)+ >h++.??(mar@on"$('$?@&"?r)+(h+m%a&&"$$"! 8 *ar&h 2013(

74



listed as Anu8 Badb and ;acha< Anu or Anand ispossibly the same name as *anu8 and some

redactions of the Boo# of 6nasions name the ;orrigan or Anu as the mother of the >threegods of *anu<?

*iine genealogies are al!ays confusing8 but if Anu is *anu and Anu is one of the three ;orrigans and both Anu and Brighid are themothers of the >three gods8? then is Brighidsomeho! identical !ith the ;orrigan despitetheir drastically different personalities9

%his is possible8 gien the fluidity for !hich Celticdeities are notorious< Another possibility is thatthe ancient 6rish sa! the status of >mother of thethree gods? as the defining mar# of the supremeor most important goddess in the pantheon< 6f

this !as the case8 partisans of the ;orriganmight hae insisted that their o!n preferredgoddess !as also *anu8 the mother of the gods/and partisans of Brighid might hae made thesame claim for $er8 resulting in contradictory

legends<

7 An'?Anann >h++.??(mar@on"$('$?@&"?an'(h+m%a&&"$$"! 8 *ar&h 2013(

75



Brighid and 7iminality

BrighidKs eperience of marriage and motherhoodis tragic in these myths8 but $er role as the !ifeof Bres illustrates one of $er most importantcharacteristics: the tendency to cross boundariesbet!een groups normally perceied as hostile toeach other<

6n all 6ndo/(uropean mythologies8 the mostprimal mythic struggle is bet!een a tribe of godsand a tribe of anti/gods< 6n Greece8 the battle is

bet!een gods and titansI in 'or!ay itKs bet!eenthe Aesir and the otunsI in 6ndia itKs the deasand the asurasI and in 6reland itKs the %uatha *e*anann against the Fomorians< 5et Brighid8 amember of the %uatha *e *anann8 crosses oer

and marries a Fomorian8 possibly in an attemptto ma#e peace<

%he same pattern repeats throughout the historyof BrighidKs !orship< Besides crossing the

boundary bet!een god and giant8 She alsocrosses a number of other boundaries8 including:

+agan and Christian Eby becoming a

76



saint Celtic and -oman Edeities !ith

connections to Brighid such as Brigantiand Sulis !ere later !orshiped by both-omans and -omano/British

British and 6rish Eassuming itKs true thatthe Brigantes brought their deity Brigantito 6reland

Gaelic and (nglish Eeneration of St<Brigit spread to (ngland by the eighthcentury

$ighland and 7o!land ESt< Bride !as thepatron saint of the Border *ouglases as

!ell as being the most popular femalesaint in the $ighlands

(uropean and African ESt< Brigit !asincorporated into the Afro/Caribbeanreligion of odoun as ;aman Brigitte8

although her personality !as totallyaltered in the process Christian and +agan Ein $er reied role

as a pagan goddess !idely ac#no!ledgedand respected by progressie Christians

BrighidKs marriage to Bres proides thearchetype for all these transitions8 so een thoughit is only mentioned in passing in the lore it is still

77



etremely important in understanding $er role< 4hen others are caught up in seemingly

ineitable archetypal conflicts8 Brighid transcendsthe binary categories and reaches out to bless theother side< 4hy does She hae the po!er to dothis !hen others do not9 ;ost li#ely because of$er status as a threshold goddess: neither thisnor that8 not bound by binaries< Brighid is able tocross boundaries because $er nature is liminal<

6n the epic story of the !ar bet!een the gods andthe giants8 BrighidKs peacema#ing attempt is notsuccessful< $er son -uadan marches off to battle

on the side of the Fomorians8 !ith tragic results< According to the Second Battle of ;oytura:

But after the spear had been giento him8 -uadan turned and

!ounded Goibniu< $e pulled outthe spear and hurled it at -uadanso that it !ent through himI andhe died in his fatherKs presence inthe Fomorian assembly< Brig came

and #eened for her son< At firstshe shrie#ed8 in the end she !ept<%hen for the first time !eepingand shrie#ing !ere heard in

78



6reland<)

BrighidKs inention of #eening introduces t!oadditional roles< %he later >banshee? legends areusually connected to the !ar goddess #no!n asthe Badba Catha or >-aen of Battles8? one ofthe three forms of the ;orrigan< 5et the definingbehaior of the banshee/ #eening for the dead/ isattributed to Brighid8 not the ;orrigan< %his isone of a number of ambiguous connectionsbet!een the t!o deities8 !hose nature andfunctions are almost complete opposites in mostrespects<

%he second important point about this passage isthat Brighid mourns the iolence and suffering of !ar< Ancient Celtic society !as not remotelypeaceful8 and modern concepts of noniolence

!ould hae been @uite alien to most ancientCelts< 5et Brighid is portrayed as a goddess !homourns the death and destruction of the !arrior !ay of life< According to the Boo# of 6nasions:

Brigit the poetess8 daughter of the*agda8 she had Fe and ;en8 the

8 ,ra# E%a"+h# Th" S"&on! Ba++%" o *a) T'r"!(

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t!o royal oen8 from !hom Femenis named< She had %riath8 #ing of

her boars8 from !hom %reithirneis named< 4ith them !ere8 and !ere heard8 the three demoniacshouts after rapine in 6reland8 !histling and !eeping andlamentation<

%he reference to !histling in this passage isechoed in the Second Battle of ;oytura8 !hichsays >'o! she is the BrLg !ho inented a !histlefor signaling at night<? Although the meaning of

this line is unclear8 both passages refer toBrighidKs role in mourning the results of tribalconflict< 4hether #eening $er fallen son or>!histling8 !eeping and lamenting? after anattac# by reiers8 Brighid mourns the results of

!ar< 5et She is not completely peaceful $erself8and is the #eeper of po!ers capable of destroyingciili=ation if unleashed<

As an o!ner of sacred oen8 Brighid is

9 Br)+ +h" ,o!!"$$

>h++.??(r)+$or)"(&o('?r)+)o!!"$$(h+m%

a&&"$$"! 16 S".+"m"r 2012(

80



associated !ith the ciili=ing influence of plo!edfields and cultiated land< But as the o!ner of

%riath8 the #ing of the boars8 She is associated !ith !ild nature and its potential for destructiefury< %riath appears in 4elsh Arthurian lore as the%!rch %r!yth8 the saage boar that deastates 4ales in the story of Culh!ch and l!en in the ;abinogion<

%riathKs full name is rc %riath or %orc %riath8 !hich is the same as the 4elsh %!rch %r!yth< Sothe monstrous boar in the ;abinogion is noneother than BrighidKs petJ %his is another eample

of BrighidKs liminality M tame oen and !ild boar8 !ell/tilled fields and dangerous !ilderness< 5etboth $er oen and $er boar Doin $er in >!eepingand lamentation? after a tribal raid<

+rimary Associations

%he most famous passage about Brighid as agoddess is from CormacKs Glossary:

Brigit8 i<e<8 a poetess8 daughter ofthe *agda< %his is Brigit thefemale sage8 or !oman of !isdom8 i<e<8 Brigit the goddess

81



!hom poets adored8 because erygreat and ery famous !as her

protecting care< 6t is thereforethey call her goddess of poets8 bythis name< 4hose sisters !ereBrigit the female physicianE!oman of leech craft8 Brigit thefemale smith E!oman of smith !or#8 from !hose names !ith all6rishmen a goddess !as calledBrigit<10

Father SePn Q *uinn11 and Celtic scholars *PithL

Q hQgPin12 and +roinsias ;acCana813 hae allinterpreted this passage to mean that the ancient6rish used BrighidKs name as a uniersal title forany goddess< %his interpretation has beendisputed by others !ho point out that the original10 Br)+ +h" ,o!!"$$

>h++.??(r)+$or)"(&o('?r)+)o!!"$$(h+m%

a&&"$$"! 16 S".+"m"r 2012(11 F D'nn# S"Gn( The Rites of Brigid: Goddess and

Saint ( D'%n Th" Co%'ma :r"$$# 2004( :)( 60(12

F hF)Gn# DG+h( *+h# L")"n! Roman&" AnEn&&%o.a"!a o +h" Ir$h o% Tra!+on( N" or:r"n+&" Ha%% :r"$$# 1991( :)( 60(

13 *a&Cana# :ron$a$. eltic !"tholog"( N" or:"+"r B"!r& Boo$# 1983( :) 34(

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7atin can be interpreted to mean simply that agoddess named Brighid !as #no!n to all

6rishmen<%his is definitely possible8 but there are a fe!clues that the other interpretation may be correct<ne is the eistence of references to Brighid asthe mother of the three gods for !hom the entiretribe of the %uatha de *anann is named< 6fBrighid is *anu8 the mother of the gods8 then$er status as a uniersal or supreme goddess !ould seem to fit< Another clue is the eistence ofseeral !omen !ith >Brig? names in ancient 6rish

lore< As >Brig? means >+o!er8? these arearguably titles rather than names as such< %his !ould match the interpretation in !hich BrighidKsname is used as a title for many goddesses<

6n any case8 the triple/aspected Brighid describedin Cormacs Glossary M either as a singulargoddess or three diine sisters M is among $ermost popular and !idely/#no!n manifestations<f these three aspects8 the Brighid of healing

seems to get the most attention in 6rish lore< %hereasons for this are complicated< Gaelic cultureand fol# customs suried among the ruralpeasantry long after the decline of the old 6rish

83



aristocratic system and its institutions such as theprofessional bardic orders< By the time fol#lorists

started collecting lore from the oral tradition8there !ere no more fili left to tell them ho! theBrighid of +oetry !as perceied or enerated8 butthere !ere a lot of people from a farmingbac#ground !ho could tell them about BrighidKspo!er to heal sic# animals or assist a mid!ife !ith deliering a baby< For this reason8 most of the imagery !e no!associate !ith Brighid is a miture of elementsdra!n from the lore of the saint and rural fol#lore

about the Brighid of $ealing< Brighid8 sometimesunder the name of Bride8 is ino#ed in anynumber of fol# prayers to heal people or animals<Sacred items infused !ith $er po!er8 such as thebrat Bride or >BrighidKs mantle8? are used

primarily for healing purposes< Finally8 numeroushealing !ells are dedicated to Brighid in 6reland8Scotland8 (ngland and 4ales<

Because of the association bet!een the saint and

the healing aspect of the goddess8 the mostpopular image of Brighid today seems to be of ayoung !oman mid!ife8 healer or shepherdess !ith a calm8 gentle and loing demeanor< %his

84



image has inspired a ersion of Brigidine theologybased on the idea that Brighid desires only mercy

from $er follo!ers and neer sacrifice<1&

4hilethis theology has a lot to recommend it8 it is notsupported by the fol#lore about Brighid< She isdefinitely portrayed as a calm8 gentle andcompassionate goddess8 but She is alsoportrayed as a goddess !ho can become !rathful !ith $er o!n deotees and demand chthonicsacrifices of them<

%his under!orld aspect of the goddess can alsobe seen in some of the fol#lore about Brighid and

the bardic order< %he medieal fili had a compleideology of poetic inspiration that included thepractice of composing in total dar#ness in anenclosed hut as if in the !omb of the goddess< ACape Breton fol#tale about the >#ing poet?

SenchanKs !ife Brighid describes $er as >GreatBrid of the $orses? and associates $er !ithbloody animal sacrifices as !ell as chthonicsymbolism< So8 !hile the popular image of theloing and gentle Brighid is a alid and historical

14 Con!r"n# *ar# Br)+# *a+ron o :o"+r# H"a%n)#

Sm+hor an! *"r&# Jo'rna% o +h" E'ro."an So&"+

o ;om"n n Th"o%o)&a% R"$"ar&h# 2010(

85



one8 it !as only eer one aspect of the pre/Christian goddess8 !ho also had a dar# side

associated !ith the under!orld<%he *ar# Brighid

BrighidKs healing aspect !as $er one aspect thatcould easily translate bet!een the pre/Christianand Christian !orldie!s< %here !as really no !ay to claim that the aspect of Brighid ino#ed bythe fili during isionary trance/rites !as someho!the same as St< Brigit of ildare8 but it !ouldhae been @uite easy to interpret most of the lore

about the pre/Christian healing goddess asreferring to the saint<

%his has arguably had a distorting influence onmodern pagan perceptions of the goddess

Brighid8 !hich almost al!ays stress $er role as agentle8 calm8 compassionate healer and a gier ofunconditional loe< %hese attributes genuinelybelong to $er in some of $er aspects8 and thoseaspects hae suried most clearly in the oral

tradition because they oerlap !ith thepersonality usually attributed to the saint<

$o!eer8 the goddess also had other aspects8

86



chthonic and in some cases @uite dar# aspectsthat !ere recorded only in scattered hints in the

suriing lore< %his isnKt at all surprising for aCeltic goddess or for any pagan deity8 but itmight come as an unpleasant surprise for some<

For instance8 $ebridean families !ho belieedthey had offended Brighid !ould see# to placate$er by burying a rooster alie at a place !herethree streams met< %his practice has beenglossed oer by a lot of !riters8 probably due toits obious cruelty< $o!eer8 the symbolism of itis @uite clear<

6n the ancient Celtic !orldie!8 as in that of manyother cultures8 there are three >realms?: S#y87and and Sea8 or the heaens8 the earth and theunder!orld< Celtic temples had deep pits or !ells

in !hich offerings could be made to theunder!orld po!ers< Brighid is normally acelestial deity8 associated !ith the sun in the s#yand neer referred to as being of the Sidhe orunder!orld realm< %his is a clear contrast !ith

deities li#e the ;orrigan8 !ho is often referred toas being >from the Sidhe mounds<?

5et if Brighid becomes offended8 She can only be

87



placated !ith a chthonic sacrifice< %his impliesthe eistence of a !rathful8 under!orld aspect of

Brighid< %he eistence of such an aspect isconfirmed by the Cape Breton fol#tale >GreatBrid of the $orses8? in !hich the bardic assemblyis led by a !oman of that name< Since the bardsin @uestion are named in the tale as the CliarShenchain or >SenchanKs Band8? Great Brid ofthe $orses should probably be identified !ith thegreat bard Senchan %orpeistKs !ife Brighid<

6n the story8 Great Brid of the $orses demandsher fill of the flesh of a pig that has neer been

born8 as !ell as a ride on a !hite horse !ith redears< 4hite animals !ith red ears aretraditionally seen as creatures of the Sidhe8 andpigs !ere historically used for sacrifices tochthonic po!ers< %he #ing in the story slaughters

a pig deliered by Caesarean section and uses itsblood to paint a !hite horseKs ears red< %hisstory8 li#e the $ebridean rooster sacrifice8inoles an under!orld aspect of Brighid !ho !as once !orshiped through animal sacrifice<

4hile modern pagans in general !ould hae nointerest in reiing such a practice8 !e should bea!are of the li#elihood that our conception ofBrighid has been substantially Christiani=ed8 and

88



that the ancient pagan goddess probably had dar#or een bloody aspects in certain circumstances<

ognate Goddesses

;odern scholars are not in agreement about ho! !idespread the !orship of Brighid !as in theancient Celtic !orld<

*iine names similar to Brighid appear in anumber of different forms all oer the Celticterritories8 but scholars arenKt sure !hether theyall refer to the same entity<

Brigind NBrigind na

From the eastern part of Gaul !e hae Brigindo8a goddess about !hom almost nothing is #no!necept that she !as associated !ith healing8

fertility and the arts< An inscription to Brigindonahas been found in the area once ruled by the Aedui tribe<

;atres Brigaecae

%he >;atres Brigaecae? or >(alted ;others? !ere !orshiped in Celtic Spain< Celtic andGermanic deities described as ;atres or >%he ;others? are al!ays portrayed in triple form8 so

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the ;atres Brigaecae may be e@uialent to thethree Brighids described by Cormac<1,

Brigantia

From Britain !e hae Briganti8 a goddess of theBrigantes tribe !ho !as later e@uated !ith the-oman goddess ;inera< 6n -oman times8Briganti !as referred to as Brigantia8 the nameby !hich she is most commonly #no!n<

According to Bec#8 all of these names areetymologically e@uialent to Brighid< $o!eer8many scholars hae epressed s#epticism that

Brighid and Brigantia share any connection otherthan the etymological< A close eamination of theseen inscriptions dedicated to Brigantia mayhelp clarify the issue:

%he Brampton inscription describes $eras >the nymph Brigantia<? %his tells usthat Brigantia !as associated !ith healing

15 ,o!!"$$"$ n C"%+& R"%)on K C'%+ an! *+ho%o)

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%on2(r?!o&'m"n+$?%on2?2009?"&nM.87=Br)an+

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!aters8 as !as Brighid<

%he inscription at South Shieldsdescribes $er as >Brigantia Caelestis? or>celestial Brigantia<? Bec# tells us thatCaelestis8 in the interpretatio -omana 8 !as an aspect of uno considerede@uialent to the Carthaginian goddess6shtar< So the use of the phrase >BrigantiaCaelestis? tells us that Brigantia !asassociated !ith the upper or heaenlyrealm8 that she !as a mother goddessand that she !as considered an all/

po!erful deity li#e 6shtar< %heseassociations all match !hat !e #no!about Brighid<

%he inscriptions at Birrens8 Castleford

and Greetland all e@uate Brigantia !iththe -oman goddess ;inera8 !ho in turn !as e@uialent to the Gree# Athena< %histells us that Brigantia !as a deity of the>Celtic ;inera? type8 described by ulius

Caesar as the primary goddess of theGauls< %he e@uation !ith ;inera alsotells us that Brigantia !as seen as apatron of arts and culture8 li#e Brighid8

91



and that she !as at least sometimesportrayed as a irginal deity8 again li#e

Brighid< %hese carings emphasi=e ;ineraKs martial aspect M the caring atBirrens sho!s $er holding a spear and aglobe and !earing the seered head of theGorgon li#e a nec#lace M and also identify$er !ith ictoria or >ictory<?

%he inscription at Adel !as made by a !oman named Cingetissa< %his namemeans >the !arrior? or >the attac#er<?%his inscription is accompanied by a

caring of a sna#e8 !hich matches the$ighland lore associating Brighid !ithsna#es on 6mbolc< %he South Shieldsinscription also sho!s symbols of birdsand fertility goddess emblems such as the

patera and Dug<

Brigantia !as a deity associated !ith !ater8healing8 the heaenly realm8 motherhood8 thearts8 culture8 irginity8 fertility8 birds and sna#es<1.

16 ,o!!"$$"$ n C"%+& R"%)on K C'%+ an! *+ho%o)

A Com.ara+" S+'! o An&"n+ Ir"%an!# Br+an an!

,a'% >h++.??+h"$"$('n-

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All of these associations apply e@ually to Brighid<

$o!eer8 Brigantia is almost al!ays portrayed asa martial deity and Brighid is rarely so portrayed<%his is a significant difference8 but it should benoted that the epithet >Bride nam buadh? foundin $ighland prayers literally means >ictoriousBrighid? and directly translates the phrase>Brigantia ictoria<? %he only scenario in !hichthe 6rish St< Brighid is eer portrayed li#e aterritorial !ar goddess is in the defense of7einster8 the proince to !hich many Brigantesemigrated< %he !arli#e nature of Brigantia is thus

directly related to $er status as the tribalgoddess of the Brigantes8 and does notnecessarily carry oer to $er !orship in otherterritories and among other peoples< ther thanthis admittedly significant difference8 Brigantia

and Brighid share a number of oerlappingfunctions< %hey cannot eactly be considered thesame deity8 but nor can they be consideredcompletely different<

SulisNSulis ;iner0a

%on2(r?!o&'m"n+$?%on2?2009?"&nM.87=Br)an+

ao0ah)h%)h+ a&&"$$"! 18 *ar&h 2013(

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Sulis !as another Brythonic goddess e@uated !ith ;inera8 and $er name implies a solar

connection similar to BrighidKs<%he characteristics of the >Celtic ;inera?include an association !ith light8 fire8 the sun8healing !aters such as hot springs or holy !ells8and manifestations of culture such as arts andcrafts<

CormacKs Glossary proides a false etymology forthe name Brighid8 deriing it from a phrasemeaning >fiery arro!<? 4hile the etymology is

incorrect8 the fire association of the Celtic ;inera !as clearly attached to Brighid as !ell<

%he >Brigs?

Gaelic la! tracts8 legends and other ancient

literature describe a number of famous !omen !ho may be thought of as aatars ormanifestations of Brighid responsible for specificareas of life< %hese names usually begin !ith theprefi Brig8 meaning >+o!er of8? and include:

Brig Ambue : >Brighid of the Co!less? or>Brighid of the *ispossessed<? *uringthe 6mbolc season8 reiers or Fianna

94



!arriors !ith no sta#e in society !ouldstage raids to get their families through

the difficult time at the end of !inter< %hisactiity !as also referred to as>!ere!olfing<? +urification rituals !ereheld in the name of Brig Ambue toreintegrate these >!oles? bac# into thetribal community< %he prologue to theSenchus ;or calls her >the female epertof the men of 6reland in !isdom andprudence<?

Brig (uit : >Brig (uit? is mentioned in a

poem by ;occu ;ugairne connected !iththe origin stories of the Fothairt tribe< $edescribes her as >po!er of =eal8 trulygodly<? From the contet of the poem8 it isclear that he is referring to St< Brigit8

!hich is interesting because it indicatesthat she !as seen as one of the >Brig?figures< Brig (uit is the >Brig? or +o!erof religious =eal<

Brig Briugu : A briugu or >hospitaller? !as a person !ho #ept open house on alarge scale8 offering free hospitality to all !ho passed< 7ittle is #no!n about her8

95



but there are references to a Brig Briugu<%he legends of St< Brigit miraculously

bre!ing huge @uantities of beer probablyrelate to this aspect of Brighid<

Brig Brethach : Brig Brethach is a mostunusual form of Brighid8 a femme fatale ofsorts< %his Brig !as the !ife of a eryfierce lster !arrior named Celtchar ;acthechair< She seduced Blai Briuguby staying at his hostel !hen she #ne! it !as a geis8 or taboo8 of his that he had tosleep !ith any female guest< As a result of

this8 Blai !as #illed by Celtchar8 !ho !asthen slain trying to pay BlaiKs honor priceby performing arious @uests8 in the story>%he %ragic *eath of Celtchar ;acthechair<? Brig !as the daughter of

the lster Dudge8 poet and peacema#erSencha mac Ailella !ho taught elo@uenceto Cuchulain< 4hen he gae a Dudgmentunfaorable to !omen8 three blistersappeared on his face8 but they !ent a!ay

again !hen his daughter Brig correctedhis false Dudgment<

Great Brid of the $orses : %his little/

96



#no!n ersion of Brighid !as associated !ith the Great Bardic 6nstitution8 also

#no!n as the Grand Bardic Assembly<%his !as a band of poets !ho traeledfrom place to place ma#ing eorbitantdemands on the tribal #ings< %heir leader !as the poet Senchan %orpeist8 !ho !enton the @uest to recoer the lost epic of the%ain<

Saint Brigit

%here is no !ay to proe definitiely !hether

Saint Brigit !as an actual8 historical person or amyth< 6t is possible that a holy !oman namedBrigit8 daughter of a druid and a slae8 did8 infact8 lie in 6reland in the &00s A*8 did found theChristian community in ildare8 and !as the

subDect of the many stories told about SaintBrigit< 6t is also possible Ealthough8 in ouropinion8 much more li#ely that the stories ofSaint Brigit !ere the eolution of the stories toldabout the Goddess Brighid8 and that a ery cleer

and politically say !oman M or series of !omenM adopted the name Brighid Eor Brigit8 etc inorder to ta#e adantage of the po!er of thename< 4hateer the historical truth8 !e can

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easily see the Goddess in the Saint< %he arious7ies of Brigit list a number of miracles8 some of

!hich hae clear associations !ith pre/Christiangoddesses of the da!n8 the sun8 fire8 healing8fertility8 and soereignty< 4hile they might ormight not be direct connections to the GoddessBrighid8 these stories can certainly offerinspirations about the $er<

*a!nNSunNFire Ass ciati ns

A fiery pillar is seen rising from the place !here her mother is staying<

She is born at sunrise !hile her motherhas one foot inside and one foot outside8is bathed in the mil# her mother iscarrying< %hen the infant Brighid breathes

on the stillborn son of the @ueen and hecomes bac# to life<

%he house she is sleeping in is seen to beburning8 !ith the fire stretching from

earth to heaen< %hey go in to fight thefire8 but it disappears< She is unhurt butfilled !ith spiritual po!er<

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$ealing Ass ciati ns

$er nurse becomes ill8 and she turns !ell/!ater to ale8 !hich heals her nurse<

4hen her father tries to force her tomarry8 she pluc#s her eye out< 4hen herelents8 she heals it<

4hen a leper as#s her for a co!8 sheheals him of leprosy instead<

She turns !ater into mil#8 !hich heals the

sic#<

She has a disease of the eyes< She hitsher head on a stone in a chariot crash8and the gushing blood heals t!o mute

!omen< %hen she is healed<

4hen a serant drops the #ingKs esseland brea#s it8 she saes him by breathingon it and fiing it<

4hen t!o lepers are about to fight nearher8 the hand of one !ithers and the handof the other one shrin#s< %hen she heals

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them both of leprosy<

She cures a mute boy< She ma#es a lying !omanKs tongue s!ell

at the 7unasa %elto!n Fair so she cannotspea#8 then gets the truth from her infantchild about the identity of the father<

$er shado! cures a !oman ofconsumption<

$er girdle heals all illnesses8 and she

gies it to a poor !oman so she can ma#eher liing as a healer<

She blesses a tub of !ater< 4hendropped8 it rolls out the door and all the

!ay to 7och 7aphain !ithout brea#ing orspilling< %he !ater could cure alldiseases<

$er presence causes the fearful madman

of Sliab Fuait to pray and praise her< She has one leper !ash another8 and it

heals him< $e then refuses to !ash the

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first leper8 so she !ashes him and healshim< %he other leper feels spar#s of fire

brea#ing through his s#in8 and is coered !ith leprosy from cro!n to sole<

Fertility Ass ciati ns

(erything she puts her hand toincreases< She tends sheep8 feeds birds8and feeds the poor<

-obbers steal t!o of the s!ine she isherding8 but !hen the herd is counted

none are missing<

She feeds all the bacon intended for aguest to a hound8 but there are still fiepieces as before<

4hen churning butter8 she gies most ofit to the poor8 but it is miraculouslyreplenished<

She miraculously ma#es a large supply ofbeer from a single measure of malt<

She is gien apples8 and redistributes

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them to lepers< 4hen the giercomplains8 she curses her apple trees and

they become barren< She multiplies sheep and bread and mil#

to feed a multitude<

She blesses !ater to ma#e a manKs !ifedesire him again<

She gies a!ay a siler chain !ith ahuman shape on one end and an apple onthe other< 4hen her follo!ers complain8 it

is miraculously restored<

She ma#es co!s !ho hae already beenmil#ed t!ice gie an een bigger thirdmil#ing for a guest<

She #ept her reapers dry in a rainstorm<

She restores a calf a !ido! #illed for her8and fies her loom<

4hen a robber steals some of the sheepsheKs !atching8 none are found to bemissing<

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4hen a man of her household ma#es

mead for the ing of 7einster and it allgets drun# before the #ing gets there8 sheblesses the essels and restores it<

4hen she needs more mil# for guests8her co!s gie so much that it ma#es ala#e of mil#<

S 0ereignty Ass ciati ns

She gies a!ay all her fatherKs !ealth to

the poor8 so he tries to sell her to theing of 7einster< 4hile she is !aiting inthe chariot outside8 she gies his s!orda!ay to a leper< %he ing of 7einsterfrees her<

She raises the !aters of the 7iffey againstcattle raiders and they put their clothes onthe horns of the oen and send thembac#<

She miraculously frees a captie held by a#ing<

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$er father sends her to Ailill8 ing of7einster to as# the return of a loaned

s!ord< %he #ingKs slae as#s for her help<She as#s the #ing for both the s!ord andthe slaeKs freedom< $e as#s !hat shecan gie him8 and she offers ecellentchildren8 #ingship for his sons8 andheaen< $e says he only !ants long lifeand ictory in battle against the north<She grants it8 and he !ins 3 battles< After his death8 een the presence of hiscorpse guarantees ictory<

ing Ailill refuses rods needed for hersanctuary8 so she ma#es his horses stic#to the ground< $e gies her his fullhundred cartloads of rods8 and hesupplies the craftsmen to build the

sanctuary< She grants the #ingship of7einster to his descendants<

She raises the rier Barro! against aleper !ho !as ungrateful for her gift of a

co!8 but protects a grateful leper< A leper goes on hunger stri#e till he gets

the ing of 7einsterKs armor and

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!eapons< She ma#es it so he !andersaimlessly till he grants these things to the

leper<General Ass ciati ns !ith ;agic and the

2ther! rld

$er birth is foretold by a druid<

She cannot eat the food of this !orld8 butonly the mil# of a !hite8 red/eared co!<She omits up any other food<

She forces an eil spirit to reeal itselfand then depart<

She transforms salt to stones to epose aliar E!ho doesnKt !ant to admit he carries

aluable salt8 then turns them bac# tosalt !hen he tells the truth<

She sees a goatKs head in a chalice after aboy steals a goat< 4hen he repents the

ision disappears< She sends a man out fishing8 and he gets

carried a!ay and marooned by a seal< All

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in the same day8 he gets rescued8 finds theseal dead on the beach bac# in 6reland8

and brings it for her guests to eat ontime<

She turns roc#s into salt for a !oman !ho craes salt<

4hen a lo!born man #ills the ing of7einsterKs tric#/performing foaccidentally !hile cutting fire!ood8 shema#es an ordinary fo perform the sametric#s for the ing so the #ing !onKt #ill

the !oodcutter<

She sees a battle at a distance and causesothers to see it<

She @uells storms at sea<

onclusion

Brighid is a complicated8 multi/faceted diinity8

!hether !e loo# to $er as Celtic goddess orChristian saint8 through the lens of ancientscholarship or modern reelation< %his essay onlyoffers a glimpse into the !orld She inhabits8 one

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that may seem tantali=ingly comple upon first ie!< As !ith many deities8 BrighidKs

characteristics and identity are @uite fluid incomparison to humans< 4hile it might be helpfulat the beginning of a spiritual Dourney tocategori=e !hat is Brighid and !hat is 'otBrighid8 that categori=ation must be fleible< ur7ady has sho!n again and again ho! readily Shecrosses boundaries and defies epectations<7iterature8 lore8 and scholarship are only thestarting points in a much larger adenture<

%his essay is intended only to compile the

releant lore8 as !ell as some important researchand theories in a helpful user/friendly format< Atruly comprehensie !or# on Brigidine historyand theology !ould li#ely span multiple olumesM not to mention the lifetimes necessary to

collect8 analy=e8 and annotate that muchinformationJ 4hile such an approach !ouldcertainly be a noble goal for some deotees8 thisessay is presented !ith the hope simply ofinspiring further eploration< 4here that

eploration leads is bet!een you and Brighid< ;ay Brighid bless you and your spiritual DourneyJ

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4hat 6s Brigidine +aganism9

By Gilbride

riginally +ublished on +atheos Agora8 >7oop ofBrighid?

Brighid is one of the most beloed and !idely/ enerated deities in the entire !orld8 and the

!orship or eneration of Brighid in one of $ermany forms seems to cross all boundaries ofculture8 language and religious tradition< Goddessof poetry8 smithcraft and healing in ancient6reland8 Brighid is adored less for $er specificcharacteristics than for the energy of endlesscompassion8 gentleness and creatiity !ith !hichShe has al!ays been associated< According to theancient 6rish tet called Cormacs Glossary 8 $er !orship !as so popular in the pagan era that $ername could be used for any goddess<

%he implications of this statement are not oftenconsidered8 but to me it implies that Brighid !asseen as much more than Dust a >goddess ofpoetry? or a >goddess of healing? or een an

>6rish goddess<? 6 thin# She !as seen as all thosethings8 but also as something much aster andmore all/encompassing8 a feminine concept of thediine in the broadest possible sense<

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'ot eeryone !ould choose to interpret $er that

!ay8 but the fact remains that Brighid inspiresintense deotion een today8 although $er !orship is usually embedded !ithin otherreligious traditions rather than organi=ed as adistinct tradition of its o!n< %he most popularform of modern Brigidine deotion is probably>flame#eeping8? in !hich deotees ta#e turnstending a candle for Brighid on a t!enty/daycycle< %he largest flame#eeping organi=ation isthe rd Brighideach8 !hich !elcomes bothChristians and pagans8 men and !omen< Smaller

flame#eeping groups or >cills? may restrictmembership to !omen only8 or to pagans only< Asfar as 6 #no!8 no such organi=ation is restricted toChristians only or men only<

$ere are some of the >flaors? of Brigidine eneration<

Celtic Christian: %he eneration of St< Brigid ofildare !ithin the Catholic8 rthodo and

sometimes een +rotestant faith traditions< ;anyCeltic scholars beliee that the order of nuns !hotended the eternal flame at ildare in mediealtimes !as deried from an earlier order of

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priestesses deoted to the goddess< SomeChristian Brigidines8 such as the nuns !ho tend

the reied flame at ildare8 hae been friendlyand open to those !ho ie! $er as a goddess<thers insist on a clear distinction bet!een thegoddess and the saint<

Celtic Spirituality: Some people embrace both thepre/Christian mythological heritage of Celticculture and a broad 'e! Age interpretation ofCeltic Christianity8 !ithout identifying specificallyas either pagan or Christian< %hese peopleusually see the legend of St< Brigid as being

deried from the earlier lore of the goddessBrighid<

Goddess ;oement: *eotees of Brighid !hoidentify !ith feminist spirituality or the Goddess

;oement< Follo!ers of this moement !orship amore/or/less monotheistic Goddess !ith manydifferent names and aspects8 including Brighid<

4iccan: Some 4iccans identify Brighid !ith the

4iccan goddess8 usually in $er >maiden? form<%hose !ho consider themseles >Celtic 4iccans?may be ery focused on Brighid8 !hile others maysee $er as only one of their goddesss many

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forms<

-econstructionist: Celtic -econstructionistsattempt to accurately reconstruct the religion ofthe 6ron Age Celts< Brigidine deotion !ithinCeltic -econstructionism puts a high priority onthe historical accuracy of current practices<

%raditionalist: Groups that try to practice Gaelicfol# traditions in a Gaelic cultural and religiouscontet8 including the eneration of Brighid as asaint or goddess< Some groups !ith %raditionalistroots no! refer to their practice as %ribal

+olytheism or Sinnsireachd8 a !ord meaning>ancestral !ays<?

'eodruidic: Groups practicing *ruidry can rangefrom being irtually -econstructionist to being

irtually 'e! Age8 and there are also seeralolder British orders based on the 1)th century !ritings of 4elsh -omantic 6olo ;organ!g<Some 'eodruidic organi=ations include bothindiidual Brigidine deotees as !ell as temples8

groes8 orders or flame#eeping groups deoted toBrighid<

Brigidine +agan: %his is my o!n term for pagan

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!orship focused primarily on Brighid !hether ornot the deotee also identifies !ith Celtic

-econstructionism8 *ruidry or some other path<Some Brigidine pagans also !orship other Celticgods and goddesses or een non/Celtic deities8 !hile others !orship Brighid alone< SomeBrigidine pagans thin# of Brighid as a Enotnecessarily >the? creator of the unierse or the !orld8 !hile others thin# of $er as simply aCeltic goddess they happen to be personallydeoted to< Some thin# of St< Brigid as an aatarof the goddess and some do not< Some thin# ofcertain other goddesses such as Brigantia as

manifestations of Brighid !hile others do not<

%he defining feature of Brigidine paganism issimply deotion to Brighid as the core of onesreligious and spiritual life< Based on the number

of pagans !ho identify primarily as deotees ofBrighid on internet forums and in other contets8this seems to be a !idespread type of pagan !orship8 but it is not ery easy to pin do!n orcategori=e< Brigidine paganism aries @uite a bit

from one deotee to another8 so it does not hae astrictly/defined theology beyond its emphasis on$er< 6t is perhaps best understood through theenergy of the goddess $erself/ an energy of light

112



and fire8 of loe and healing8 of artistic inspirationand of peace and Dustice<

Brigidine pagans often see Brighids tendency tocross boundaries as a defining part of $er nature8and thus place much less emphasis on stricthistorical reconstruction than on personaldeotion< %hey also tend to be open to theChristian side of the Brigidine tradition een ifthey dont identify !ith Christianity<

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%he Brig: *iine (nergy of reation

By Gilbride

riginally +ublished on +atheos Agora8 >7oop ofBrighid?

6n >%he Second Battle of ;oytura8? Brighid$erself is simply referred to as >BrLg<? %his

!ord means >po!er? or >height8? and can referto high places such as hilltops or to heightenedmental states such as artistic inspiration< 'ames !ith the >brig? sound in them can be translatedas >%he $igh ne? or >%he (alted ne<?

*uring the Celtic 6ron Age8 chieftains oftengoerned from hill/forts8 !hich became to!nsand een small cities in some cases< Blac#smithsand other craftsmen had shops located !ithin thehill/fort !alls8 !hich also contained the tribes

religious sanctuary< %he sanctuary or >nemeton? !ould often be located at the top of the hill8 rightin the center of the fortified enclosure< %his couldhae led to an association bet!een the top of ahill8 the concept of sacred po!er8 and the

goddess !ho personified human culture and itsmanifestations such as blac#smithing<

Gaelic lore includes seeral figures described as

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human !omen but gien names beginning !ith>Brig<? >Brig? in this contet means >+o!er?

and these names al!ays indicate !hat the !omanin @uestion is the po!er of< 6t is unclear if these>brig/names? !ere originally Dust epithets of thegoddess Brighid8 or if the !omen bearing thesenames !ere thought of as aatars or incarnationsof some aspect of the goddess<

$o!eer8 if !e thin# of >Brig? as a !ord for+o!er8 !e can see the potential for a theologysimilar to Sha#tism8 the goddess/centered branchof $induism< 6n the Sha#ta religion all po!er8 in

!hateer form8 is a manifestation of Sha#ti8 thediine energy of creation< Sha#ti is not feminine inan absolute sense8 but can be conceied of as afeminine energy from our finite perspectie<

6f !e !ant to restrict ourseles to !hat can beproen about the past8 !e !ould be limited topointing out similarities8 connections andpossibilities/ but theology is not necessarilybound by history< 4e can ta#e the aailable facts

as seeds and then see ho! they gro!<+ersonally8 6 see the ultimate diine reality asbeing a po!er beyond all @ualities8 attributes or

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comprehension8 a po!er that spontaneouslygenerates or emanates unierses and realities out

of itself< %his process or energy of spontaneouscreatie output can be thought of as RBrig8R or thepo!er of creation<

Brig is beyond all categories such as gender8 butcan be thought of as a feminine diine energy dueto its @uality of giing birth to things< Brig canalso manifest as specific goddesses !ithpersonalities8 characteristics and po!ers<

Because Brig is the primal creatie energy of the

unierse8 Brig is inherent in all phenomena of any#ind< $o!eer8 the specific goddess !ho mostdirectly manifests the @uality of Brig is Brighid in$er broadest and most uniersal sense< Brighidis Rthe goddess of Brig<R

%his Rniersal BrighidR has manifested on (arthin multiple different forms8 some of !hich hae>brig? in their names !hile some dont< %hegoddesses of the >Celtic ;inera? type could be

seen as the >Brighid family? of Celtic goddesses8but broadly spea#ing the Brig is the *iineFeminine itself and all goddesses aremanifestations of it<

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For those !ho are dra!n to the goddess Brighid8

this theology allo!s us to approach $er on morethan one leel at the same time if !e so choose< 4e can see $er as a specific 6rish goddess8 as apan/Celtic family of goddesses !ith oerlappingfunctions8 as the concept of Goddess in thebroadest sense8 and as the ultimate diine realityin personali=ed form<

%hese leels are not mutually eclusie/ theres noneed to distinguish bet!een a >hard polytheist?and >soft polytheist? interpretation< By mentally

shifting bet!een different leels depending on thecontet8 !e can relate to Brighid as a specificdiine being !ith !hom !e can hae a closepersonal relationship/ or as a !ay of approachingthe ground of all being<

f course8 that doesnt mean that this particular !ay to approach the diine is someho! more truethan other !ays/ you cant build a fence aroundthe infinite< ust because the primordial creatie

po!er of the unierse can be thought of as Brig8that doesnt mean there arent countless other alid !ays to thin# of it<

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$o!eer8 modern pagans hae been so aerse toanything resembling dogma that some of us tend

to shy a!ay from theological thought entirely< 4ereally dont need this limitation< 5ou often hearpagans say that our religions are defined more bypractice than by ideas8 but there are somepractices you cant een access !ithout engagingthe ideas that ma#e them possible< 6f !e refuse toengage !ith theology8 !e also limit our practice<So8 for follo!ers of Brighid8 this concept of Brigas a uniersal creatie po!er is a !ay to start tosee Brighid in eerything/ a !ay to see eerythingin the unierse as $er diine fire<

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Saint and Aatar

By Gilbride

Among academics in the field of Celtic Studies8there has been much debate about the etent to !hich St< Brigit of ildare is connected to theearlier goddess of the same name< %here is a

great deal of circumstantial eidence but no proofas such8 and there neer !ill be any proof as suchbecause the pre/Christian Gaels !ere not aliterate culture< %hey used gham8 their o!nnatie script8 almost eclusiely for graestonesand boundary mar#ers/ not statements oftheology<

6f !e loo# at the issue the !ay an academic !ould8 !e can neer get beyond the statementthat some aspects of St< Brigits lore may hae

something to do !ith the goddess Brighid< 6f !eonly loo# at the aspects of the goddesss lore thatare proably pre/Christian in origin8 !e !ouldhae ery little to !or# !ith<

$o!eer8 !e dont hae to loo# at the issueeactly the !ay an academic !ould8 because thebelief in and !orship of deities is not part ofacademic study< (en if a particular academic did

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!orship Brighid in her priate life8 she !ould stillhae to be cautious and careful in her academic

!riting8 limiting her comments to !hat little canbe proen or strongly supported by eidence<

As deotees rather than historians8 !e can startfrom a different set of assumptions and come to adifferent set of conclusions< %he goddess !e !orship is a real entity of immense po!er< Shema#es decisions and ta#es action !hen action iscalled for< She operates in the !orld and haseffects on it<

*uring the struggle bet!een the %uatha de*anann gods and the Fomorian giants8 Brighidmarried Bres/ a half/Fomorian #ing< 6n doing so8She crossed a boundary/ Dust li#e St< Brigit did !hen she !as born at da!n in a door!ay< %he

saint later !ent on to cross many otherboundaries< *uring centuries of !ar bet!eenGael and (nglishman8 St< Brigit !as honored byboth peoples and in both languages< $er Scottishe@uialent St< Bride !as honored by both Gaelic/

spea#ing $ighlanders and Scots/spea#ing7o!landers<

Crossing boundaries is in Brighids nature8 and in

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crossing such boundaries She sho!s us that !ecan do the same<

4hen the ancient pagan !orld !as fading a!ayas Christianity spread8 the goddess !e !orshipdid not choose to step bac# and fade from humanconsciousness< She chose to cross the emergingboundary bet!een the old pagan !orld and thene! Christian one8 and to manifest in a ne! formto meet the needs of a changing time< $ertransition to sainthood !as not somethingimposed on $er by an alien religion/ it !assomething She chose< St< Brigit of ildare !as an

aatar of the goddess8 and She #ept the flame ofthe goddess burning during all the centuries in !hich Christianity !as the primary religion of the 4estern !orld<

ur o!n time is also a time of change<Christianity no longer has the cultural dominanceit once had8 and many people find that it does notans!er their spiritual needs< 6n this changing !orld8 there is once again an emerging boundary8

bet!een a traditional spiritual heritage defined byChristianity and numerous ne! religiousmoements that identify themseles as pagan<

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5et Brighid crosses this boundary Dust as easily asany other8 transitioning from sainthood to deity as

She once transitioned from deity to sainthood<From this perspectie8 Brighids long history as asaint cannot be fully understood by dissecting ithistorically8 because it can also be ie!ed as aprocess of reelation<

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*esigning an Altar

By Aster Breo

A Clann Bhride altar is a dedicated space for thesafe #eeping of the tools used by the practitionerto !orship Brighid< 6t can be a table8 shelf8 orother open surface8 or can be a dra!er or bo

that closes to protect the items stored there< %hedesign and layout of the altar is entirely up to thepractitioner8 as long as it includes certain specificitems intended to represent Brighid and $er mostfundamental associations< %he forms thoserepresentations ta#e is open to indiidual choice<

A Clann Bhride altar includes: representation of Brighid M this may be a

statue8 picture8 or abstract representationof any style8 or could be a BrighidKs cross

Ethe traditional symbol associated !ithBrighid

BrighidKs flame M a candle or lampdedicated to Brighid

BrighidKs !ater M a cup8 bo!l8 or other

essel filled daily !ith clean !ater offering bo!lNcup

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At the practitionerKs discretion8 other items maybe included on the altar8 such as:

BrighidKs cross Brat

candlesNlamps for flame#eeping E aseparate flame for each cill andNor forother specific purposes

prayer beads De!elry used for flame#eeping orother!ise dedicated to Brighid

representations of BrighidKs associationsEhealing8 poetryNlearning8 smithcraft8social Dustice

representation of the sun representation of stars representation of the moon representation of the realms of land8 sea8

and s#y symbols of personal importance diination tools prayer boNbagNcup

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4eaing a Brighids ross

BrighidKs crosses can be !oen using manydifferent #inds of materials8 including thetraditional fresh/cut rushes8 as !ell as stra!8grass8 corn hus#s8 raffia8 !ire8 drin#ing stra!s8strips of paper8 een pipe cleaners< %here are

many different styles of BrighidKs crosses8 butarguably the most recogni=able is the cross offour e@ual arms8 that probably eoled from as!asti#a and represented a sun!heel< %hree/armed crosses are !oen in the same !ay8 simplyomitting one of the arms<

;aterials for a four/armed cross: 10 e@ual/length pipe cleanersI of

these should be folded in half beforebeginning

& shorter pieces Eabout half the lengthof the longer pieces or & small rubber bands

%he cross pictured is !oen from pipe cleanersapproimately . inches long<

Step 1< Start !ith the unfolded pipe cleaner asthe center piece< Slip a folded piece oer the

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midpoint of the center piece at a right angle tocreate the beginning of the first arm<

Step 1

Step 2< Slip a second folded piece oer bothhales of the first folded pipe cleaner8 parallel tothe center piece to begin the second arm< Slidethe folded piece tightly against the center piece<

Step 2

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Steps 3 M &<

Add folded pieces to begin the thirdand fourth arms<

Step 3

Step &

Steps , M )< Continue to add folded pieces8 !or#ing out!ard in a spiral pattern8 until thearms of the cross reach the desired si=e<

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Step ,

Step .

Step

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Step )

Step < 7oosen the outermost piece of thesecond arm Ethe outermost piece folded oer the

first arm<

Step

Step 10< +lace the last folded piece oer thecenter piece to complete the first arm< But8 thistime8 slide it under the loosened loop<

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Step 10

Step 11< +ull the loosened loop tight to securethe last folded piece< %ighten and straighten all

folded pieces so all arms are snug and een<

Step 11

Steps 12 M 13< 4rap one small piece Eor rubberband around each end of the cross to finish thearms<

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Step 12

Step 13

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%he auldron -itual

By Gilbride

A Bardic ;ystical +ractice

%he Cauldron ritual is a form of 6mbas Forosnaior bardic mystical practice8 using the frame!or#

of the %hree Cauldrons from the Cauldron of+oesy tet:

%he Cauldron of 6ncubation is upright from the moment it isgenerated< 6t dispenses !isdom to people as they study inyouth<

%he Cauldron of ;otion8 ho!eer8 magnifies a person afterit is turned upright< 6t is on its side !hen first generated<

%he Cauldron of 4isdom is upside/do!n !hen generated<6f this cauldron can be turned8 it distributes the !isdom ofeery art there is<

Some people thin# of the %hree Cauldrons asbeing located in three different areas of the body:the Cauldron of 6ncubation in the belly8 theCauldron of ;otion in the chest and the Cauldron

of 4isdom in the head< ;y preference is to thin#of the %hree Cauldrons as a single Cauldron !iththree different states of being and three different

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names< 6n all three aspects8 this Cauldron islocated in the broinn or >bellyN!omb<?

4hicheer approach you ta#e8 the Cauldron of6ncubation >coo#s? the basic s#ills andtechni@ues of the art you practice< nce you haeachieed a leel of basic technical s#ill in yourchosen art8 the Cauldron of 6ncubation has doneits !or#<

According to the Cauldron tet8 eeryone cangenerate and ma#e use of the Cauldron of6ncubation8 but only about half of the human race

is capable of using the Cauldron of ;otion< %hisCauldron is upside/do!n in those !ho lac# theartistic temperament or insight to actiate it8 andon its side in those !ho hae some leel ofartistic ability< %he Cauldron of ;otion can be

turned upright and fully actiated by any po!erfulemotion8 especially the nine emotions listed in theCauldron tet:

$uman Sorro!s: longing8 grief8 heartbrea#

*iine Sorro!: ascetic religious practice such assolitude8 fasting and so forth$uman oys: erotic yearning8 health andprosperity8 artistic accomplishment8 6mbas Epoetic

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ecstasy*iine oy: spiritual !isdom

6f the Cauldron of ;otion is fully actiated by*iine oy8 it can actiate the Cauldron of 4isdom8 granting a range of miraculous po!ersand deep spiritual insight< Full actiation of theCauldron of 4isdom is a godli#e state8 li#e thatof the archetypal bards Amergin and %aliesin orthe !onder/!or#ing saints of the early Celticchurch< ;omentary actiation of the Cauldron of 4isdom is much more common8 but still life/changing<

%he goal of the Cauldron ritual is to turn theCauldron of ;otion upright and actiate itspo!er8 through the use of 6mbas Forosnai8 theancient 6rish ersion of a !idespread ancient

practice #no!n as >oracular incubation<? %his isthe practice of entering trance or sleep in totaldar#ness and silence to receie a dream or ision<EAn aisling as it is often called in 6rish tradition<

6n my interpretation8 the practice of incubation inthe >dar# cell? is considered e@uialent to beingin the !omb of the goddess Brighid8 !hich isalso e@uialent to the dar#ness of the

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under!orld8 the depths of the Sea8 the depths ofthe unconscious and the realm of death< At the

same time8 the practitioner isuali=es herself asbeing >pregnant !ith poetry8? incubating a pieceof art in her o!n broinn or >bellyN!omb<? ;alepractitioners do eactly the same<

%he ancient fili or bards used 6mbas Forosnai toans!er any @uestion they !anted ans!ered8 butthey also used ery similar methods of incubationto compose all their poetry< Both concepts arecombined in this Cauldron ritual8 !hich uses thesorro!s and Doys to turn the Cauldron upright8

receie 6mbas or poetic ecstasy8 and compose apoem Eor create any other type of art<

%he Cauldron of ;otion stays upright only for aslong as the 6mbas is flo!ing/ after that8 it turns

bac# on its side until you actiate it again< 4ithrepeated practice8 you may succeed in actiatingthe Cauldron of 4isdom een if only for a fe!moments8 a spiritual state e@uialent to !hatother traditions !ould describe as an

enlightenment eperience< Full actiation of theCauldron of 4isdom is supposed to grantomnicompetence8 the ability to perform any art ors#ill<

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%he auldron -itual

1/ +reparation

1/ +repare a drin# to represent the holy drin# of6mbas offered to poets by the goddess Brighid<%his drin# can be honeyed mil#8 beer8 honey/beer8mead8 berry/!ine8 mead mied !ith mil#8 honey/beer mied !ith mil#8 or berry/!ine mied !ithmil#<

2/ +repare a food offering< %his can be either a

bo!l of blac#berries8 or a miture containingcheese curds8 garlic8 sloes8 green lee#s8 onions8sour apples and blac#berries<

3/ +repare an altar/space in the area !here you

!ill be performing the ritual< %he altar caninclude symbolic representations of !hicheerdeities you intend to call on<

&/ +repare a place !here you can lie do!n8 and

something to coer your face if you thin# it !ouldbe helpful< +lacing a !eight on the belly isoptional<

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6t is acceptable to mentally isuali=e both theofferings and the altar if you prefer< 6n mental

isuali=ation8 ra! por# can be substituted for thefood offering< *o not use ra! por# ecept in isuali=ation8 because it is not safe<

2/ %he ther!orld Feast

1/ *rin# some of the holy drin#< 6f you choose adrin# containing alcohol8 dont hae enough toma#e your mind race/ Dust enough to rela you<

2/ Che! on the food offering8 but do not s!allo!

it< isuali=e that you are che!ing on the food ofthe other!orld feast to open the doors of yourmind<

3/ %he ffering

1/ +lace the che!ed/up food offering into a bo!land put it on your altar8 along !ith the rest of theholy drin# of 6mbas<

2/ neel or stand in front of your altar8 raise yourhands in the orans prayer position E!ith palmsfacing out!ard and recite these lines:

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am gaeth i mmuiram tond trethan

am fuaim mara

5ou can recite these lines in the original ld 6rish8or in (nglish if you prefer<

%he first line8 >6 am a !ind on the sea8? gies thefeeling of diing do!n into the deep8 dar# !aters<%he second line8 >6 am a !ae of the deep8? giesa feeling of heainess< %he third line8 >6 am thesound of the sea8? gies the feeling of horror asyou enter trance< %his feeling of >horror? is not

negatie or eil/ its the sense of numinous a!e asyour mind dies deep do!n!ard into theunconscious and comes in contact !ith the astand primal forces of the diine<

5ou can isuali=e yourself as being guided do!nto the under!orld by Great BrLd of the $orsesriding a red/eared !hite horse8 or by theCailleach in her role as the Fomorian mothergoddess< Alternatiely8 you can simply picture

yourself descending into dar#ness and silence !ithout isual images<

(ither !ay8 you should continue repeating this

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chant until you are deeply entranced<

&/ %he 6nocation

1/ Ga=e do!n into your open palms and recite aninocation< %he inocation you choose is up toyou8 but here are some options from the >Song of Amergin<?

%o ino#e Brighid in her form as a goddess oflimitless compassion and loe8 chant am dr

grne or >6 am a tear of the sun?<

%o ino#e Brighid in her form as a goddess ofprophesy8 po!er and the under!orld8 chant ambri danae or >6 am a hill of +oetry?<

%hese t!o chants can be used regardless of

!hich emotion you are !or#ing !ith8 but you canuse these other options if you prefer:

For the emotional agility to !or# !ith 7onging !ithout being trapped by it8 chant am sig i n/aill

or >6 am a ha!# on a cliff?<For the strength to !or# !ith Grief8 chant amdam secht ndirend or >6 am a stag of seen

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points?<

For the broader perspectie needed to transcend$eartbrea#8 chant am loch i mmaig or >6 am ala#e on a plain?<

For the courage to eplore the ascetic practices of*iine Sorro!8 chant am torc ar gail or >6 am aboar for alour?<

For the beauty and Doy of (rotic 5earning8 chantam cain lubai or >6 am the fairest of flo!ers?<

For ictory in your daily struggles leading to the Doy of $ealth and +rosperity8 chant am gai i fodbferas feochtu or >6 am a battle/!aging spear !ithtrophies?<

For the Doy of Artistic Accomplishment8 chant amhe i llind or >6 am a salmon in a pool?<

%o ino#e and eplore the Doy of poetic ecstasy or6mbas8 chant am bri danae or >6 am a hill of

+oetry?<%o ino#e and eplore *iine oy8 chant am dr

grne or >6 am a tear of the sun?<

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2/ Continue chanting until you feel ready to enter

6ncubation<,/ %he 6ncubation

1/ 7ie do!n in the place you hae prepared8coer or close your eyes8 place a !eight on yourbelly to encourage deep breathing if desired8 andmeditate on the topic you hae chosen for yourritual< For instance8 if you are eploring thesorro! of grief8 you could isuali=e Brighid#eening for her slain son -uadan after the

Second Battle of ;oytura< 6f you are eploringdiine Doy8 you could isuali=e Brighid as agloriously radiant solar goddess radiating blissand ecstasy throughout the unierse< %he choiceof isuali=ation is up to you<

2/ -emain in the >dar# cell? until your Cauldronof ;otion turns and you receie 6mbas in someform< %his can mean many different things< 5oucould >hear? a line around !hich you can build a

poem or song< 5ou could >see? an image for apainting or sculpture< 5ou could receie aspiritual insight8 or an ans!er to a @uestion< 5oucould eperience mystical ecstasy in many forms

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!hether light or dar#8 calm or !ild<

3/ 4hen you are finished8 !rite do!n !hateeryou hae receied in a Dournal or noteboo#< 4henyou hae time8 complete the poem or art!or#inspired by your eperiences in the ritual<

onclusions

%he #ey point here is that you !ant to go deeperthan your o!n thoughts8 !ishes or feelings inorder to receie 6mbas from the other!orld< %hishas to be something that happens to you/ not Dust

something you imagine<

$o! can you ma#e this a reality8 and ho! can youtell !hen youe succeeded9 6ts actually not thathard< 5ou use the isuali=ation to start your

6ncubation8 and you try to ma#e it as iid andreal as possible/ imagine the colors8 the tetures8the sounds8 the smells< But isuali=ation is onlyyour o!n imagination< 6ts something you ma#eup yourself<

After a certain point in your 6ncubation8 you !illfall into a state of half/sleep #no!n as hypnagogictrance or hypnogogia< -ather than trying to

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refocus and !a#e up fully as you !ould in mosttraditional forms of meditation8 you !ant to let

this happen8 because in hypnagogia your ego isno longer in control of !hat you see and hear<6mages/ sometimes ery iid ones/ !ill suddenlyappear in front of your eyes< oices !ill saythings to you< %his is not psychosis8 but a brain/state in/bet!een sleep and !a#ing8 a dreamingstate you can more easily remember than you canmost dreams<

6n my interpretation of the Cauldron system8 thisfree/flo!ing rier of consciousness is the mental

e@uialent of the Boyne< %he things you see andhear in this state are considered the >bubbles of6mbas? that arise !hen Brighids Fire ofno!ledge stri#es the !aters of the Boyne<

%hey are direct8 prophetic communicationscontaining the !isdom of the under!orld< ;anyof them !ill ma#e no apparent sense< Some !illseem to hae some bearing on the topic of yourmeditation< Some may een be life/changing

spiritual reelations<(ery time you complete a meditation8 !ritedo!n anything you sa! or heard in this state in a

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Dournal< Also !rite do!n any dreams you haeduring the same time/period8 particularly those

!ith mythic themes or imagery< 6n some cases8you !ill immediately #no! !hat the line or imagemeans to you< 6n other cases8 you !ill suddenlyfigure it out in a flash of intuition months later asyou read through your Dournal<

Sometimes you may find yourself entering anecstatic state instead of a hypnagogic state< %hiscould manifest as spontaneous laughter8 a senseof energy flo!ing through you8 a sense of diinepresence8 a feeling of Doy far more intense than

anything normally eperienced in life8 or een a ision< %he ecstasy is >diine Doy? filling up yourCauldron of ;otion and turning it fully upright8an important prere@uisite to generating theCauldron of 4isdom< 5ou may not receie any

specific oracular information in the ecstatic state8but that doesnt matter/ if you really need anans!er you can as# again8 but the ecstasy isimportant on its o!n<

%he really important point here is that the thingsyou imagine in your isuali=ation are not eryimportant< isuali=ation is Dust a tool< %he half/dreams8 the dream oices8 the ecstasies and the

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mythic dreams are !hat you should pay attentionto/ these are the 6mbas<

4hen youre using 6mbas Forosnai as an oracle toresole a @uestion in your daily life8 you !ill needto either continue it or repeat it until you receie6mbas !ith a clear ans!er to your problem< %he6mbas itself doesnt hae to be clear/ prophesyrarely is< 6ts li#ely to be a strange image you !illhae to interpret< 4hat you need is aninterpretation clear enough to gie you adirection<

5ou can also !or# !ith this method !heneer lifecauses you to eperience po!erful emotions suchas the four sorro!s and the fie Doys: longing8grief8 heartbrea#8 asceticism8 erotic yearning8health and prosperity8 artistic accomplishment8

the 6mbas8 and the Doy of the diine< For instance8if you eperience heartbrea# you can shut yourselfup in the 6ncubation and meditate on this emotionuntil you receie the inspiration to transform youremotion into art< r8 you can engage in ascetic

practices such as fasting or celibacy until youreceie artistic inspiration<

4hen youre practicing the 6mbas Forosnai to

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process the Doys and sorro!s in your innercauldron8 the goal is to receie 6mbas releant to

the emotion you are trying to process< %his mayre@uire seeral repetitions of the isuali=ation insome cases< 5ou !ill probably get rapid results insome cases and get stuc# for !ee#s in others< ust be patient and #eep !or#ing on itI the 6mbas !ill come<

Spiritually spea#ing8 the ultimate goal is to getyour Cauldron of 4isdom to turn partiallyupright at least once< %his !ould be a high/leelmystical state far beyond the normal eperience

of 6mbas< A general guideline might be this/ >ifits not life/changing8 its not the Cauldron of 4isdom yet<?

6f you !rite do!n the strange things you see and

hear !hen you receie the 6mbas and arrangethem in some sort of order8 you !ill produce youro!n ery aant/garde modern roscanna 8 at leastas obscure as anything an ancient fili could haecreated< %ry it8 its funJ

Summary

$eres a brief summary of the Cauldron ritual for

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ease of use:

1/ +reparation: prepare a holy drin#8 a foodoffering8 an altar and a place to lie do!n< All ofthese elements can be isuali=ed if you prefer8ecept the place to lie do!n<2/ %he ther!orld Feast: drin# some of the holydrin# and che! on the food offering !ithouts!allo!ing it<3/ %he ffering: leae the rest of the drin# andthe che!ed/up food on the altar< Chant or intonethe !ords >am gaeth i mmuir8 am tond trethan8am fuaim mara? or >6 am a !ind on the sea8 6 am

a !ae of the deep8 6 am the sound of the sea?until you feel yourself entering trance<&/ %he 6nocation: ga=e do!n into your openpalms and chant either am dr grne or >6 am atear of the sun8? or am bri danae or >6 am a hill

of +oetry?<,/ %he 6ncubation: lie do!n in dar#ness andsilence meditating on the theme of your ritualuntil you receie 6mbas<

Short ersion

5ou can also abbreiate the entire Cauldron ritualby simply lying do!n8 closing your eyes and

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chanting one of the mantras listed here Eeitheraloud or in your mind until you receie the

6mbas< %his method can be Dust as effectie as thelonger ersion once youre used to it8 but it !ill !or# better if you practice the full ritual fromtime to time<

%o 7earn ;ore

5ou can find much more information about the%hree Cauldrons practice in A God 4ho ;a#esFire: Bardic ;ysticism of Amergin byChristopher Scott %hompson<

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