Category: Spirituality

Rigid Spirituality

I don’t associate Brigid with rigid spirituality. At all. But she is linked with some rigid spiritual structures (ahem, Roman Catholic Church…) and it can be so difficult for people coming from these rigid spiritualities to then explore a looser form of spirituality. So, I’m going to talk about it.

What do I mean by “rigid spirituality”?

Honestly, the most common measure I use for this, is assessing whether people within this spirituality expect everyone to adhere to their social, religious and moral mores.

It sounds easy right? It’s not necessarily a clear rule, but it’s reasonable. I mean, I know plenty of Catholics, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc, etc, etc, who don’t expect anyone to live by their rules. Which is good, cos there are some conflicts even within the broad categories of religious organisations.

A picture of what I think is a nebula, white circle in top of the pic with a blueish background and a wider cloud like corona around it. Towards the bottom right, there's a ray-like red wash of colour. And dots of white/ star like images scattering the background. Got it when searching for "rigid spirituality".
Nebula? Not sure. But this is one of the pics that came up when I searched for “rigid spirituality”

So, for a bit more of a concrete definition of “rigid spirituality”, here we go. First off, there are likely to be a lot of rules. Not just about how to worship, but what to wear, eat, who you may engage with, how you interact with the world.

When I think of these sort of rules, I kinda think of documentaries on the various “family compounds” in Utah. (Not that there’s anything wrong with Utah, it’s just most of the documentaries I’ve seen are based there.) These are usually one man as head of the household and multiple wives. (In the documentaries. Not in Utah in general. Nothing against Utah ok?)

There are strict lines of authority in these religious organisations. There can be very strict control over finances, even outside the family home. Huge emphasis on socialising and engaging with the religious community above secular community or those outside the community. Marriage within the community. Family only within the community. Rigid spiritual structures.

This seems focused on one particular type of spirituality.

Yeah you’re right There are other ways to express rigid spirituality. I mean, if you follow the Roman Catholic Catechism to the letter, it’s fairly strict. Over the years, various things have dropped off the list. It’s no longer a requirement in Ireland anyway for a woman to cover her hair when entering a church, although you do see the remnants of this tradition in the whole “hats for weddings” thing.

When I was growing up, I never considered Catholicism that rigid. The rules didn’t really appear to intrude on my life at all. But when I look back, there were some fairly rigid spirituality rules that kinda permeated my life.

For example, I can count on one hand with fingers left over the number of times I missed Mass as a child. Because it was family routine, I never considered it rigid, until I started looking around me.

The Catholic messages around abortion and having multiple sexual partners entered my subconscious, although probably not with the intentions the church had. I figured having been assaulted at a young age, I was useless as a life partner. Might as well have fun then…

I have a whole series on Catholicism, so check it out…

Why is this a problem?

Well, here’s the thing. Many people leaving rigid spirituality structures can struggle a bit with their new “freedom”. Indeed, the freedom can feel as restricting as the previous restrictions from fear if nothing else.

There can appear to be unspoken rules everywhere in general life. And this affects women more than men, because, patriarchy is inherent in the majority (read: all) of the rigid spirituality structures I’ve come across. So, when you are leaving a strict set of rules, where you always knew how to behave because the rules were usual explicit, it can be really difficult to move into a less rigid, more secular role in society.

For example, if you have always been restricted in your clothing, so that there really was very little choice in what you wore, choosing what to wear in the morning could be reasonably straight forward. Then you leave that environment and there appear to be zero rules. Except there are. Lots of rules really. But no one makes them obvious. No one hands you a rule book. You have to figure it out as you go.

Now take that uncertainty, and think of your spiritual life. There may be parts of your previous spirituality, no matter how rigid, that were comforting and helpful to you. But now, because you have left that community, you’ve lost that connection and those supports.

What do you do?

Well, honestly, this is part of my work and part of what Brigid’s Path Collective is about. It does start with getting to know yourself, as I wrote about in the last post. We move forward in deciding what’s important for you on your spiritual path. How can we develop a path for you that helps you, comforts you, supports you?

Breaking free from rigid spirituality

This work isn’t easy. And many people go their whole lives without even questioning their spirituality. This isn’t work that everyone is drawn to. Most people will just trundle along.

But for some of us, this isn’t enough. We’re not willing to just go with the flow. Not in terms of spirituality. Because it’s too important to leave to chance, or the community you were born into.

Start by questioning. Are questions allowed in your community? If not, that is a major red flag. Do you feel restricted in your current path? Another reason to start questioning.

What do you want from your spiritual life? It’s a real tough one and not one with a quippy, one-line answer. But with hard work, you can get there!

Know yourself

It’s been a while since I posted, and I’m sorry about that. But today, the message that’s coming to me is to help you get to know yourself. And looking at some questions to get to know yourself.

Seems a bit strange, right? After all, how could you not know yourself? You’ve been living with yourself for decades at this point! And it is a bit of a natural lead on from the last set of posts on getting to know Brigid. (Check out here, here and here for starters!)

But really, getting to know yourself, really know yourself, is a good first step on any spiritual path. Otherwise, you run the risk of straying from the path that suits you best, or possibly getting bound into something that’s wrong for you.

Where do I start?

Well, for me, I like to encourage people to start with a list of journaling prompts or questions to get to know yourself. If you google “questions to get to know yourself”, you will come up with millions of pages (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration) with lists of questions to get started. Here are ten of my favourites:

  • Who am I?
  • What am I?
  • What am I proud of?
  • What do I regret?
  • What am I really glad I finished, completed or achieved?
  • What am I worried about?
  • Who or what gives me comfort?
  • How can I show myself compassion?
  • What is my biggest short term goal?
  • What is my biggest long term goal?

I know. You’re looking at this right now and thinking “how in hell do I even start?”

A cartoon image of a figure with blonde hair, a hijabi with black hijab and green dress, dark hair with blue top, dark hair with yellow top and slightly less dark hair with blue top, all showing quizzical expressions and with question marks floating around their heads. How do you get to know yourself better?
How do you start getting to know yourself?
Seriously though, I don’t even know where to start with these questions.

Fair. It’s not easy at all. So here’s some help.

Make a ritual of it. Light a candle, do some meditation to start with, really ground and centre yourself. It’s easier not to go into this cold. Honestly, I’ve done this cold and it’s not worth my time.

But it can be really helpful to push yourself to make a real event for yourself here. Plan the occasion. Maybe have a sacred bath or shower beforehand. Dress comfortably. Engage with your favourite colour pen or fancy paper. Use a divination method to decide what questions to get to know yourself with!

Now, none of this is necessary. Of course, you can plop yourself down at your desk last minute and use whatever is to hand. That is always an option.

But if you are struggling to start with the questions, making a bit of ritual about it can help.

Ask Brigid

In life, we can forget about asking for help. I mean, I can’t guarantee she will appear in a flash of light, akin to what we think of when we think of the Madonna appearances. But she usually does respond to requests for help!

In a pinch, this can be a really simple, “I don’t know where to start, please help me!”

It can be a more complicated ritual all of its own. Depending on your relationship with Brigid, you will have different preferences and practices here and there’s nothing wrong with either approach. We tend to think that the Irish deities want us to be self-reliant, and they do! But they also will help us when needed.

Please, don’t worry about asking for help!

I feel like I know myself quite well

Brilliant. Then this exercise will be really easy for you! But I would argue that it’s still worthwhile.

Learning about ourselves is always valuable, in my opinion. And it’s possible, hell no, it’s probable that things will come up that are different. As people, we learn and grow throughout our lives. Your biggest regret may change over time – I know mine has! As I grow older, I find new regrets popping up all the time. And, old regrets just don’t seem that big a deal any more. Sometimes this is maturity. Sometimes it’s just the healing power of time.

We all know that life isn’t fair sometimes. And, we know that as we grow older, our outlooks change. If we are honest with ourselves, we can learn a lot about ourselves. I believe that this is a live long experience. Feel free to disagree! But it won’t change my mind about the exercise being valuable.

Are some questions better than others?

Well, here’s the thing. The best questions are those that you engage with. What suits your worldview? If you look at a list of questions, are there ones that you react strongly to? Being honest, if you are looking at a list of questions and you react either really positively or really negatively in your heart… probably a good idea to engage with that question.

But sometimes this is hard work. It sounds easy. Basically, you are sitting down and writing. Sure, what could be so difficult about that? Ye already know the answer here. In my practice, this is serious, worthwhile work. It’s not easy. Even just asking yourself to sit down with yourself and get to know yourself better… it’s hard.

So, go with your gut. Spend the time. Get to know yourself.

Then you can start tackling the really tough stuff!!

Irish Wish, Brigid, I suffered…

… so you don’t have to. I’m talking about the film, Irish Wish, and in particular, it’s portrayal of Brigid. As a bloody fairy. And then referred to as a saint. FFS.

I did not like this film. Seriously. It’s another one in the style of Rosemary and Thyme, or Darby O’Gill, etc, etc, etc.

Irish Wish is described on Wikipedia as an American fantasy and by any god you care to swear by, that’s true. Cos this isn’t Irish.

The poster for Irish Wish. Lindsay Lohan in the centre with hands at shoulder height, palms upward, shoulders shrugged in a "what to do" gesture. On either side are Ed Speleers as James Thomas and Alexander Vlahos as Paul Kennedy, trying to both look handsome.
The poster for Irish Wish
The plot

Irish Wish doesn’t want to complicate things too much, to be fair to it. Maddie Kelly (Lohan) has been secretly in love with the author (Paul Kennedy, played by Vlahos) whose book she’s editing for over a year. But he starts up with one of her best friends and three months later, they’re off to Ireland to get married. I’m presuming cos Kennedy is Irish (there are other Irish surnames, but Kennedy is a reasonably common one so I can’t really complain about this)

Shenanigans (of both the modern US definition and the darker, more traditional Irish definition I grew up with) ensue. (I’m not sure the makers of Irish Wish know about that other definition though!)

Essentially, Kelly meets a fairy (later described as “St. Brigid”) who grants her wish that she’ll be the one to marry Kennedy, even though she keeps bumping into this other lad (Speelers as James Thomas) who is brilliant and wonderful, etc, etc, etc.

Don’t worry, it all comes right in the end.

OK, this is small, I know, but really, people getting on and off buses without their tickets being checked or, indeed bought??? Bus travel isn’t free in this country unless you have the Free Travel Scheme approved. But then, this film isn’t really focused on the authenticity I think.

Then we have the women in scarves tied under their chins in a style I’ve not seen in at least three decades. It’s not that it never happens. But really, Irish Wish, do better. This is meant to be the modern Ireland right? At least the damn thing was filmed in Ireland I suppose.

Look, yes we have rain in this country. So a convertible is just plain impractical most of the time, but they do exist. The times they have the hood down? Extremely rare. Seriously. If it’s not for the rain, there’s the wind, the cold, the weather in general just isn’t that good. (Hence why I got so excited driving down a Californian highway last weekend ion a convertible with the top down!! Most on that to come) I get the fact that Irish Wish needed this convertible, but honestly, a tractor would have been more believable.

Accents

(Yes, they deserve a separate heading!)

The accents. Just… the accents. I saw a video on Youtube over the weekend that said when Judy Dench does an Irish accent, she chooses a specific Irish accent to learn. And our accents are fairly local. Seriously. There just isn’t a “generic Irish accent”. And that doesn’t help this film at all.

There are people who suggest that if they used “proper” Irish accents (read: the way we actually speak in this country) no one would understand them. Well, we manager understand English from all over the world in this country, so why not show us the same respect? I mean, we can even tell the difference between an East Coast and West Coast accent from the States… Surely ye can tell the difference between Donegal and Kerry…

The Brigid stuff – to start with

This is the bit where I do feel very strongly from a spiritual point of view. As ye might imagine.

Now, ok Irish Wish got so much else not-right, I wasn’t expecting any Brigid related content to be correct. But really – did anyone even speak to an Irish person about Brigid?

Describing her as a fairy was their first mistake. One the one hand, I get it, she’s a member of the Tuatha De Dannan, and presumably went under the hills with the rest of them when the time came. But she didn’t stay there. And she’s not a fairy in the twee, modern, Victorian sense of the world – as she appears to be presented here.

While, I can see how she would be included in the Aos Sí, or people of the fairy hills, she is also out in the country protecting and supporting the people. She has supported the people more publicly than any of the other TDD over the generations, appearing as saint when needed to do so.

Now, I know, this gets into debates far beyond the remit of Irish Wish, but still. This is important. Either we respect our deities or we don’t. If you look at Monty Python’s Life of Brian, they take the piss out of the Christ story a lot, but Christ himself is treated with an element of reverence. And the comedy comes more from Brian’s escapades copying Christ inadvertently, than anything else.

In Irish Wish, Brigid is specifically named as both fairy and St. Brigid. This shows a basic misunderstanding at best…

Mischievous???

Towards the end of the film, it is revealed that this “fairy” is St. Brigid and she’s known to be mischievous. Seriously? And that she regularly grants wishes, but only gives you what you need and not what you want.

Reducing one of our powerful saints and deities to someone who grants wishes really plays in to a part of the US ideas around Ireland that I struggle with. I could start swearing here, but I think I’d never stop, so I’ll try and refrain.

The fairies in Ireland don’t grant wishes, they make bargains. They do nothing for nothing. And usually the bargains not in the human’s favour. Read our bloody lore to find this out. And yes, ok, describing the fairies as mischievous isn’t unheard of. But it’s usually darker than simply mischievous. They don’t make good bargains.

Irish Wish is simply playing into the modern notions of twee fairies again here.

Why this affects me for Brigid in particular

Then we come to describing Brigid in particular as mischievous. This hurt. I mean, really, physically hurt. Yeah, I know, it’s a piece of fiction, but really. This is infantilising my deity and saint. This is pushing her into a box to make her easier to laugh at, to ridicule, to make less. And the worst part about it it, I doubt the writers even thought that deeply about it. They figured having St. Brigid in the film would be “topical” because of the recent introduction of our February bank holiday. Or they came across the book Bad Bridget by Elaine Farrell & Leanne McCormick.

Or maybe they just had this idea that Brigid is a common name in Ireland. (Not so common as it used to be, just FYI).

Brigid is a serious, powerful force in this world and in this country. Belittling her like this as a comedic affect is painful to watch. May no good come of it!

Conclusions

Look, Irish Wish isn’t the worst of it’s sort. I get that. They at least managed to film in Ireland. And made some attempts at accents. But the way they’ve treated my deity and saint? I can’t forgive (thankfully, my spirituality doesn’t require forgiveness of me!)

It’s not a great film anyway, even by romantic comedy standards, but the treatment of Brigid tips it over the edge for me. I can’t recommend it. Can’t ask that you watch it. I can’t support it in any way.

I appear to be irreverent at times with Brigid, I know that. But there are some basic lines I don’t cross. There are basic lines anyone working with Irish deity doesn’t cross. This film crosses a lot of them, in fact, in implication, in practice. Either we treat our deities as deities, or what are we doing here?

And yeah, I know, a lot of people watching this won’t care about these things. That’s ok, not everyone has to care about everything. But I care. And if you’re reading this blog, I hope you care as well!

Do we need hierarchy?

An interesting question that came in as part of this series on spirituality was “what about hierarchy?” Now I found this interesting, because growing up as a Catholic, there was always the Church Hierarchy to deal with. From the curate to the parish priest, to the local bishop, to the arch-bishops, then cardinals with the top of the heap being the Pope. Honestly, hierarchy is just built into the organisation after two millennia (give or take).

It’s not that I have an issue with hierarchy in general, you understand. But there is a part of me that says no one can tell someone else what their spirituality should be. (OK, if you’ve read about my thoughts on cultural appropriation before now, you may disagree with that last statement. I stand by those comments. Public and private are under different rules, basically.)

What do I mean by hierarchy?

A hierarchy is a system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority. So, some people are higher and some people are lower.

Social hierarchies exist all over the place. Now, you understand, they are rarely explicit. But how often are you in a group and realise there is a recognised leader. Or maybe an internal expert. These hierarchies exist in families, friend groups, corporations, churches, youth groups…

Start looking – you will start to see them all over the place.

A picture showing 4 levels of hierarchy in a triangle shape, with 1 face at senior management, looking down at 4 faces at middle managements, 7 faces at lower managements and 12 faces at line workers (lowest level) There is a picture on the left hand side showing 3 hens with the words "pecking order" over them as well.
The corporate hierarchy – the bane of my life some days!!

The corporate hierarchy is probably the clearest in the modern world. We mostly know who in work can gainsay someone else, even within the same levels. In some cases it’s documented who has the upper hand in what area.

It’s rarely that obvious though.

When are hierarchies useful?

Well, there are several occasions when hierarchy is useful. Usually in cases where definitive decisions need to be made. I mean, a hierarchy in battle is usually handy, I hear. Otherwise you have different soldiers running all over the place. All sorts of different objectives being pursued with no cohesion or plan behind it.

Sounds like chaos, right?

Probably not wrong. When you have a large, sprawling organisation, you kinda need some kind of reporting structure. And that usually means a group of people reporting in to one person. That person is part of another group of people reporting into another person. (You can see where this is going right?)

It means the organisation’s goals and objectives can be spread out throughout the group. Each level down takes a more and more specific action to further the goals, with each person ensuring their goals line up.

So, hierarchies can be useful in times where you need a group of people herded in one direction. (Yes, I still refer to my job as herding cats!) If you have a disparate group of people, trying to get them all moving in the one direction is incredibly difficult. Ask anyone trying to manage a volunteer committee.

Having a final decision maker, someone who is willing (or forced in some cases) to commit that final vote, action whatever, just to move the damn project forward is hugely useful.

But where can these things fall down?

When hierarchies fail…

Well, you remember when I was writing about cults a few weeks ago? Some examples of when hierarchy can fail can be taken from cults, where hierarchy has lead to some extreme actions. Mostly when too much authority is given to one person, or a small group of people.

Now, in all honesty, I have seen too much authority given to people within corporations leading to some major mistakes being made. People become too afraid to challenge the golden child. They can reach back rather than forward. People box themselves in so as to not challenge the acknowledged expert, even when they are not correct, for whatever reason.

It leads to the situation of the blind leading the blind…

Essentially, when the hierarchy starts telling people what they should be thinking… that’s where I start to draw the line. If you are not permitted to change your mind, or when you are told the “correct” way to think, then that’s where the hierarchy is reaching too far.

Do we need a hierarchy in paganism?

I’m hesitant to say yes or no here.

In some ways, yes, but not in a single organisation way. For example, if you were to ask me which translation of Old Irish I’d trust the most – I’d go with Morgan Daimler’s work, always. I have an internal hierarchy of people who translate or have translated Old Irish to English. And of those, Morgan Daimler’s work tops the list.

So when it comes to skills or talents, yes, I definitely have a mental hierarchy.

If you want to connect in with the Morrigan, I’m going to recommend Lora O’Brien. The Dagda? Jon O’Sullivan. Brigid? Well… me… but there are others I trust as well.

This is a form of hierarchy. And we all build them in our minds.

Where I don’t recommend it? I don’t think there needs to be a pagan equivalent of the Catholic Church. Yes, I know, there are pagan organisations with that sort of hierarchy, but I don’t really agree it’s needed. Sure, it’s useful for some people. But this is where we end up with people not being questioned, with abuses being swept under the carpet, with bad people escaping consequences because people think they are too far above them to challenge.

Can we not learn the lessons from two millennia of the Catholic Church? Where the Princes of the Church went unchallenged in their own fiefs? IS there a basic need in humanity for a hierarchy? I don’t think there is, but maybe I’m the outlier…

Good Evil and the rest

One question that consistently comes up in terms of spirituality (or possibly more properly, for folks coming from a Christian background) is the notion of good vs evil. Now, if you’re coming to this post from a Christian perspective, the notion of good and evil is inherent in the religion. (Check out previous posts on spirituality, religion and cults at the links!)

OK, so Catholics add on the notion of “original sin”, so that humans are technically more inclined towards evil.

(1) the sin that Adam committed;

(2) a consequence of this first sin, the hereditary stain with which we are born on account of our origin or descent from Adam.

Catholic Encyclopedia

There has been one person in this entire history of the world born without original sin, according to Catholicism, and that’s the Virgin Mary. Cos she had to be “perfect” to bear the son of God. Yes, misogyny permeates certain religions…

Anyway, back to good and evil. Evil is not submitting to God’s will according to some. All goodness flows from God and evil is working against him.

An image of (I presume) the Devil arm wrestling Jesus, with the Devil against a background of fire and brimstone and Jesus against a background of sunshine and pastoral views, symbolising the battle between good and evil
An image of (I presume) the Devil arm wrestling Jesus, with the Devil against a background of fire and brimstone and Jesus against a background of sunshine and pastoral views, symbolising the battle between good and evil
What about non-Christian backgrounds

Well, if you take the definitions mentioned above, with “good” meaning submitting to God’s will and “evil” meaning fighting against it, it’s difficult to consider good and evil outside of a monotheistic belief system.

Here’s the thing though. Plenty of people in this world exist outside a monotheistic belief system. According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 72% of people believe in God. Only 62% of them said they were religious though. 59% believe in Heaven; 53% believe in Hell.

Now, of course, if someone asked me to I believe in God as part of a high level poll, I’d probably answer “yes”. The actual answer is a bit more nuanced though. And this feeds into my beliefs around good and evil.

Most societies in the world have ideas around good and evil. Whether it’s correct behaviour, manners, courtesy, politeness, right & wrong… whatever it is, pretty much all societies have these sorts of rules.

We classify certain people and actions almost universally as evil. Hitler is usually a good one for this. (Although he still has his supporters…) Anyone killing babies indiscriminately is usually good for this. (Aside from some wars raging around the planet right now, anyway.)

Right Relationship

Well, in Irish spirituality, we have a notion called “right relationship”. Now, this concept, I’ve seen best explained by Lora O’Brien, over at the Irish Pagan School blog:

This concept, rooted in respect and reciprocity, helps us navigate the complex world of cultural appreciation versus appropriation. It’s more than just a set of guidelines; it’s a mindset that fosters deeper understanding and ethical interactions with the rich diversity of global cultures.

Lora O’Brien, at link above

Now, this concept of “right relationship” is more complex that good vs evil.

No one can come out and say “This is for definite absolutely wrong in any and all circumstances”. (Well ok, we can probably go back to baby-killing here. It’s not the only example of something I consider absolutely, no exceptions wrong. But it’s the easiest one to sell to people…)

There is always nuance. There are always considerations to be considered. (Oh yeah, I did that!) There is context, history, social norms, all sorts.

What does this look like?

In short – it’s complicated. And, it’s not always equally balanced. I don’t expect my relationship with Brigid to be a transactional tit-for-tat type thing. I have my jobs and she has hers. Sure, I can ask for help, same way she can and we can both say yes or no. To be fair, the consequences of me saying no are probably greater than for her to say no, but then her perspective and vision are far different from mine as well.

But for me – it means keeping to my end of the bargain. I have my jobs to do and I do my best to get them done. Just because I don’t do something, doesn’t mean I’m submitting to evil though. Neither does doing something make me “good” somehow. The concepts of good and evil just don’t enter my daily life in the same way as a pagan.

I think of things like positive action, supporting this or that cause, making the world better. I think of actions I’d prefer weren’t taken, illogical or hurtful laws. Good and evil don’t really enter my consciousness too much.

Problems with good and evil

Well here’s the thing. By attributing “good” and “evil” to God’s will alone, we kinda let humans off the hook. I’m fairly certain God didn’t call on Hitler to murder 6,000,000+ Jews. (Not to mention all the other people he killed. Maybe not personally, but y’know…)

I’m fairly certain no positive force in world wanted their people to go on Crusade, attack innocent villages, rip families apart, lock women up for book reading, and all the other horrible things that have been done in God’s name. And I’m in no way limiting this to just Christians by the way. If you look at China and the Uighurs, China and most religions, Burma and Sri Lanka with Buddhism vs Islam… and that’s just from memory.

Christianity isn’t the only deity based religion that does plenty evil by any manner or means. But it does happen to be the prevailing religion in the West shall we say (Europe and North America to be more exact) So, considering good and evil under the Christian guise is kinda important, I’d say.

Usually, the trouble comes when religious leaders renounce nuance and start making authoritative statements. “Killing is wrong”. Absolutely. What about self-defence?

To be fair, there’s usually a fair bit of hypocrisy coming from these authorities as well. How many Princes of the Church (thinking Catholic cardinals here) live in actual palaces? Think of the uproar Pope Francis caused when he refused to live in the usual papal quarters but took a small apartment in Rome instead. Uproar because he has sworn a vow of poverty… and there’s no bloody way the papal apartments in the Vatican represent poverty.

So, is hypocrisy evil? I don’t think so, in and of itself. But it’s not exactly good either, now is it?

Putting it to bed

Well, we’ve not gotten very far here. But there are a few things I would finish up with.

Most spiritual paths that aren’t established religions or cults in the negative sense encourage you to consider nuance and make your own decisions. Basically, do your own thinking. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t similar paths within established religions as well. It’s just, they tend to be more difficult to find. And, in my experience, it can take a lot of time and energy to find someone to discuss these things with.

Equally, “good” and “evil” are only useful concepts in terms of how they are defined. And there’s so little in this world that we can universally agree on that is 100% good or 100% evil.

In the end, it comes down to you. You have to step up and do your own thinking here. It comes down to doing your work, finding what facts you can, putting your energy where you feel it will do the most good.

There are no simple answer. As practitioners of Brigid, we should be used to living in the liminal. But, oh, there’s times it’s bloody hard! That’s no reason to give up though!

What is a cult?

“Cult” is a word that is used a lot these days. It’s not always a derogative term, to be fair. But, it does often hold negative connotations. So this week, we’re diving into “what is a cult?” (after diving into spirituality and religion over the last couple of weeks)

A cult is typically a group or organization that is devoted to a particular person, ideology, or set of beliefs. It is often under the control of a charismatic leader. Cults often exhibit patterns of manipulation, exploitation, and psychological control over their members. These groups may isolate members from mainstream society, employ mind control techniques, and demand unquestioning loyalty. A group given the label “cult” is not necessarily harmful, of course. However, many exhibit characteristics that can be detrimental to the well-being and autonomy of their members.

A picture of 5 hooded figures in grey, against a grey background, standing in a V shape, each facing outwards. Is this what you think of when you hear "what is a cult?"
Is this what you think of when you hear “what is a cult”?

I found a working paper from the European parliament, from back in 1997. I’m honestly not sure what the outcome was to be honest, and I’ve read it a few times. Essentially, there are two sides to the argument:

  • First side wants a legal definition of cult for the European parliament to be able to tackle ostensibly religious organisations who are engaging in illegal or violent activities
  • Second side want to avoid the use of the word “cult” because of the negative connotations in most countries in the EU.

The group decided that cults could not be made illegal. Mainly because, within the EU, there are stringent laws regarding freedom of religion and freedom of association in many countries. (If not all countries!)

This committee’s objectives could be summed up under five headings:

  1. an in-depth study in Belgium on the basis of interviews with the competent authorities, experts, victims’ defence associations, victims’ families and any other relevant people;
  2. a more specialized study of methods of recruitment and practices within cults, to discover possible abuses and gain more information on their organizations, the resources at their disposal and in particular practices which violated social and fiscal legislation;
  3. a report on the legal remedies available, including jurisprudence enabling sanctions to be imposed for illegal acts committed by cults;
  4. proposals for changes to federal law with a view to restraining illegal action by cults against both adults and minors;
  5. any useful recommendations, at both federal and national level, with regard to measures to draw the attention of those involved to the extent of the phenomenon, the forms it took, its dangers, the means to combat it and the care to be given to victims and their families.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/workingpapers/cito/w10/page1_en.htm#:~:text=Legally%2C%20there%20was%20no%20such,and%20should%20be%20adhered%20to.

Can I find a follow up paper? Can I buggery!! Essentially though, within Europe, there is no legal definition for “cult”. Well not that I could find!

Now, while I was searching for papers on cults, I found this interesting one on on cults in businesses. To me, it seems pretty clear on what a cult is. Some elements they identify are:

  • tight control by management over how their employees think and behave
  • requirement for alignment and tightness of fit, with a clear mandate for consistency
  • Preservation at all costs of a fervently held self-image and self-identity includes fanatical attention to tiny details, including minutia regarding personal grooming and dress code
  • an uncanny concern with secrecy
  • incentives, decision-making, evaluations, and termination decisions favor insiders
  • organizations will create unique rituals, pep talks, slogans, motivational team-building activities
  • Having their own special language, terminology, and internal jargon

Once employees buy-in, they proceed with pride to work hard to perpetuate the instilled perspective of being special, unique, superior, and elite. The instilled intense sense of loyalty to the company and its values become a mechanism to influence and enforce the desired behavior

Journal, I. (2022). Is your workplace a “Cult?” International Journal of Business Marketing and Management (IJBMM).
Let’s move on to religious cults

I’m going to be honest. Pretty much any religion will have started off as a cult, in the sense of characterized by its devotion to a particular person, ideology, or set of beliefs. Or possibly being organised around a single charismatic leader. I mean, how did Christianity or Islam start? A religious movement organised around Jesus and Mohammed, respectively.

However, this paper highlights the internal regard of cults within religious movements:

Most religions, or subdivisions of religions, will regard themselves as good, legitimate and mainstream. Other religions, or even sects within the same religion, will be regarded as extreme, false and bad. They may be considered unorthodox or “way out”; their followers may act with excessive zeal. They may brainwash their members. They may even live in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian charismatic leader.

Allan, L, (1996) Religious Cults

So, even within religion, there comes a stage when a “cult” becomes so mainstream it, it becomes a religion.

The Cult of St. Brigid

Oh yes. I found a few papers on the cult of St. Brigid. And it brings us to another interesting facet of cults. Now, this is the point at which I have to say, the Irish have never been backward in venerating one of their own. We’ll tear them to shreds as well, but one of the best sentences I read in this paper is:

devotion to her was carried over to, and propagated throughout, Europe by the Scots peregrini wherever they settled, and their propaganda in her favour attained dizzy heights. In the Book of Leinster Brigid was compared to Our Lady and acclaimed as ‘ the Prophetess of Christ, the queen of the South, the Mary of the Gael [i.e. the Irish]

O’Riordan, S. (1951). The Cult of Saint Brigid. The Furrow, 2(2), 88–93. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27655719

Now, in terms of the breadth of the cult of St. Brigid, O’Riordan uses the evidence of the following:

  • the number of Irish girls and women called Brigid
  • the number of places called after her – far more than St. Patrick
  • the great number of St. Brigid’s Mantles, St. Brigid’s Girdle and of course, St Brigid’s crosses
  • pilgramages to her places
  • the great number of hymns and prayers to her
  • He also mentioned a great liturgical history that has been stripped from the Irish church during, as he describes “the period of oppression and of persecution”

He quotes some of this in Latin, which didn’t help me. So, in traditional modern fashion, I tried Google Translate.

The sixth lesson: once a certain holy man in a synod he saw a vision, and rising, he said: This is the other Mary which dwells among us

Response:

he virgin is carried away, and honor is heaped upon her
there: the synod was pressing, the ninth Brigida Star was flashing. Rites the band applauds, because it hears the heavenly signal.

Verse: The priest announces that this is another Mary.

O’Riordan, S. (1951). The Cult of Saint Brigid. The Furrow, 2(2), 88–93. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27655719

Now, obviously, I have an interest in this paper because it’s about Brigid. But I also wanted to explore this other meaning for “cult”.

Religious cults

Many times throughout my studies in Brigid, I see the term “cult” used to describe the worship or relationship with a particular saint. (This is, of course within Catholicism. Not every Christian sect has saints; and those that do, don’t always define them the same way Catholics do!)

So, here’s another way to think of a cult. It is still linked to that idea of devotion to a particular person. It’s not a negative term in this context. It simply describes the group of people devoted to that particular saint. Within Catholicism anyway, it’s a relatively neutral term.

So, am I member of a cult? Maybe. I definitely am involved in the worship of a particular person/saint/ deity.

I’m not necessarily saying to ignore the warnings about cults though.

The warning signs

This post has a really handy list of warning signs for cults

  1. Absolute authoritarianism without accountability
  2. Zero tolerance for criticism or questions
  3. Lack of meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget
  4. Unreasonable fears about the outside world that often involve evil conspiracies and persecutions
  5. A belief that former followers are always wrong for leaving and there is never a legitimate reason for anyone else to leave
  6. Abuse of members
  7. Records, books, articles, or programs documenting the abuses of the leader or group
  8. Followers feeling they are never able to be “good enough”
  9. A belief that the leader is right at all times
  10. A belief that the leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or giving validation

I like this list for a few reasons. It doesn’t really include any of the religious cults as described in O’Riordan’s paper above. The list above is a list of control and restriction. St. Brigid’s cult is not restricted or controlled at all – not even by the Catholic Church really.

In the end

Honestly? Probably any new religious movement goes through a cult like phase. It’s rare a new religion doesn’t form around a charismatic leader.

But there’s the restricted, brainwashing type. And then there’s the more organic, less controlled kind. And both types exist within religious organisations. For example, the Opus Dei organisation within the Catholic Church could be considered to show cult-like tendencies. Certainly, it’s a fairly secretive organisation, although it was sanctioned by Pope John Paul II. (He’s not my favourite pope by any means and was extremely conservative!! Pope Francis is better. Not brilliant, but better.)

So, if the organisation you’re looking at asks you to abandon everyone you know outside the cult, uproot your life, donate all financial assets to the intitution… probably a cult on the dodgy side.

Otherwise – proceed. Definitely, proceed with caution, but proceed…

What is religion?

You would think after last week, this would be straightforward. What is religion but something inherently linked to spirituality? Well, as it turns out, not so much…

I came across this paper by Dr. Mike Sosteric. It’s described as “introductory unit, Athabasca University Sociology 231: The Sociology of Religion”, which you’d hope would make it straightforward. Again… not so much…

To start with, it’s fairly straightforward:

Religion is an institution setup to meet various and specific needs. What needs a particular religious institution will meet will depend on the intent of the people who set it up

Dr. Mike Sosteric, https://www.academia.edu/80934448/What_is_Religion

It’s a complicated topic and it’s made the more difficult, because it is so personal.

What’s so complicated about it?

Well here’s the thing. Sosteric, in that paper linked above, highlights the fact that it’s extremely difficult to consider religion while removing our own biases. If you’re raised religious and believe deeply, then you believe. If you’re atheist and believe deeply, you might think it’s all a pile of manure.

Marx reduced religion to “opiate.” Freud reduced it to an “infantile delusion.” Durkheim called religion a projection of society, and most scholars who approach it reduce it to a belief in spirits of some sort.

Dr. Mike Sosteric, https://www.academia.edu/80934448/What_is_Religion

Plus we can all probably list religions:

  • Christianity
  • Islam
  • Judaism
  • Hinuism
  • Buddhism
  • Confucianism
  • Taoism
  • Jainism
  • Sikhism
  • And there’s loads more here

Not to mention, under each of those headings there are up to dozens of flavours of those religions that might have relatively little in common with each other. I mean, I was in my teens before I realised that Catholicism and Protestantism were both under the umbrella of Christianity… I’m really not joking here!

The same Wikipedia post used above gives this as a quote to define a religion:

[a] system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic

(Clifford Geertz, Religion as a Cultural System, 1973)

I mean, ok the definition is limited to men. The feminist in me wants to shout out what definition works for women… But here we are.

Where does this leave us?

In a bit of a quandary to be honest. Some define religion in terms of belief in supernatural beings or forces, while others emphasize rituals, ethics, or community affiliation. And if I’m honest, I think there’s a bit of truth in all of this. Googling “what is religion” really didn’t help much. Dr. Sosteric is correct in his statement that depending on your viewpoint on religion, you either accept your religion or no religion…

It’s a difficult one. For me though, I’d like to think of it like this:

  • includes a belief in something greater than ourselves, whether that is a deity, nature, the Otherworld or a combination
  • A structured framework of belief, possibly dogma even (dogma = a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true)
  • prescribed set of rituals
  • material things such as building or items of clothing or holy objects/ relics etc
  • there is usually a community involved, some sort of social gathering for ritual or other reasons
  • there’s usually also a spiritual or mystical element – an experience of the otherworldly or supernatural being
  • storytelling – all religions have stories. Whether it’s the hagiographies of the saints from the early Christian Church to the stories of Buddha or the various creation stories around the world
  • There’s nearly always something around healing. Seriously.
How accurate is my list?

Well, I’m not a scholar of humanities or of world religions. The items in the list above come from my own, somewhat erratic reading around the subject. They come from my own experience in the last four decades. And from the experiences of people I know.

So, y’know, take it with a pinch of salt.

But it’s not that easy to define. There are too many different opinions and thoughts around it. And indeed, our own background, upbringing and religious experiences or lack thereof will fuel our own beliefs in this area.

Why bother trying to define religion then?

Mostly, because it is a thinking point. It’s not necessarily something I spend a lot of time on, but it is part of my spiritual practice to think on these things. Religion has been the cause of major upheaval, violence, racism, genocide and other evils in this world. I think given that, it behooves us to at least try and understand it.

We may never come up with a generally accepted definition of “religion”. But if we understand the concepts that generally make up a religion, we can start to understand why some people act the way they do, in direct contravention to the ways we think of as correct. Maybe neither party is fully correct, but by going back to first principles, we can make progress to understanding each other.

Finally, and I really do mean finally, most of what I’ve read about the core tenets of any of the major religions I’ve come across can be boiled down to this: be decent to each other.

That’s it…

What is spirituality

I talk about a daily spiritual practice, but what is spirituality? Well, the idea is fairly intangible. But here we go.

The idea of spirituality is based in the concept of there being a realm or a place beyond the material world. The world of the soul. Now of course, there are entire books and learned people investigating what is a soul, so I’m not going to go into that here. For now – I will merely allow that it is a place of spirit, of ether, of that intangible part of us that is neither physcial, nor mental.

Any science behind this?

Well, yes! A quick search on Google Scholar for “What is Spirituality2?” got me about 2,940,000 results (0.13 sec)… I’m going to be honest here. I have not read all 2.94million results. I did however browse through four of them.

(Yes, this is the sort of reading I do in my spare time!)

Murgia et al above tell me that:

In Sanskrit, the term Atman [self] has been defined as: “Spiritual essence of life”.

Murgia, C., Notarnicola, I., Rocco, G., & Stievano, A. (2020). Spirituality in nursing: A concept analysis

Now, that’s a definition, but pretty much all the papers above mention the difficulty in setting “spirituality” aside from “religion”. I’m not gonna lie – it’s difficult. I am going to try though. Whether I succeed or remains to be seen. Lepherd (2015) tells us: There seem to be almost as many definitions of spirituality as there are writers on the subject. Yes, it does bear a remarkable resemblance to my attitude to Brigid.

Vague science, then?

Indeed. When it comes to defining spirituality, most researchers veer away, being more comfortable using terms like “describe” rather than “define”. However, let’s have a go…

There are few items that are mentioned frequently:

  • sense of interconnectedness with the cosmos, nature
  • reverence for life
  • transcendence
  • meaning in life
Sense of interconnectedness

This aspect of spirituality can be a connection to a Higher Power, deity, something like that. Or it can be considered a connection to the world around us. And sometimes – a combination of both.

What does this mean?

Well, in terms of my own spiritual practice, I look at this in terms of noticing the little things. Whether it’s the ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds or an unexpected present or even just a nice compliment for something… Noticing positive, pleasant or otherwise happy things in life has become an important part of my spirituality. And it helps me feel connected to the world.

Some of my worst bouts of depression have been associated with a lack of that sense of connection with the world, so I value it highly. But I also have to work to maintain it. It’s not something that happens naturally with me. And so, we come to the concept that spirituality might an element of work.

Reverence for life
A picture of a skull, white boned
Doesn’t matter how evolved we are, the body returns to bones and dust at the end…

The more I work with Brigid, the more I feel that reverence for life. And it’s mentioned often in terms of spirituality. Now, this doesn’t mean that someone is against all killing. I enjoy eating a nice bit of meat the same as the next person.

But, for me, it does mean that the meat I eat was treated with respect, both before and after it stopped breathing. (Or in the case of fish – whatever it is fish do!) This is a common theme through papers. It’s not necessarily that all life is equal or sacred. No one will ever convince me that ants have the right to enter my kitchen! But it is the feeling that all life has the right to exist. Just… not in my kitchen…

I think this is an off shoot of the connection to the world, to be honest. I can’t see how you can feel connected to the world, to nature and not feel reverence towards it. It’s an integral part of the whole thing for me.

Transcendence

OK, I have to admit, I have an issue with this one. Transcendence appears to be the will or ability to “rise above” our mundane, physical life. Above the dirt, the grime, the reality of the world to a “higher plane” of some sort.

And that’s ok for some people. But I think it leaves out a lot of the reality of the world. To me, this gives the impression of someone gone beyond the mundane existence of most of us, as if that mundane existence has no value. And I accept that this is probably one of the chips on my shoulder… but it’s still a belief.

If I redefine it slightly though, it works a bit better. So, if I see it as being, not ignoring the reality of life, but being able to acknowledge the beauty in all life… Maybe even have reverence for all life. Even the dirty bits. Because, let’s face it – it doesn’t matter how evolved you are, there’s very few people in this world that can survive without food and water. And once you consume, you also produce waste. For me – if you can achieve transcendence while sitting on the toilet, I’ll accept the reality of it!

A picture of a human body in the lotus position - cross legged, wrists on knees, hands are palms upwards, with one finger on each hand touching the thumb. There is a central circle of light around the sternum of the body, the body is levitating off the ground and is surrounded by circles of light of increasing diameter and varying thicknesses
This would be the transcendence piece alright!

Moreover, spirituality serves as a catalyst for personal growth and transformation, illuminating the path towards self-realization and inner harmony. By cultivating virtues such as compassion, gratitude, and empathy, individuals embark on a journey of self-discovery that transcends the confines of the ego and embraces the interconnectedness of all beings. In doing so, spirituality fosters a sense of unity and belonging, bridging the perceived divides between individuals and fostering a deeper sense of community and collective well-being.

Meaning of life

Ah the big one. When people ask “what is spirituality”, this is often where we end up. Finding meaning in life is hugely important, in my opinion. It doesn’t have to be a grand plan. Most of us won’t be changing the world.

But we can affect the world around us. Whether that’s starting off a smile outbreak, or just making the effort to make someone else’s life just that bit easier. Saying thank you to a tired waiter. Being patient when on hold to a call centre. (These are ideals, I don’t always manage it! I have been known to tell a call centre worker to put me on to their manager, since they don’t get paid enough to deal with the amount of outrage I’m feeling, though!)

We can all make small differences to the world. We can all make a difference in this world. Come back to the connection piece of the question. What part of the world do you most connect with?

Some ideas for meaning in action might be:

  • organising a beach clean up
  • speaking to a girls’ school about introducing girls to male-dominated professions
  • supporting a charity of choice monetarily
  • raising a family
  • supporting a local sports club
  • founding a community organisation – or indeed volunteering with them
  • pick your cause of choice: homelessness, poverty, abuse, oppression… let’s face it, there’s loads of them. But do something with it.
Where does this leave us?

Well, this is only an introduction, of course. I did say this would end up being a series of posts and in the next one I’ll look at religion I think. But I hope this is enough to get you started on considering what spirituality means to you!

Because, let’s face it, spirituality is, above all, personal. Maybe some of what I’ve written here resonates with you. If so, brilliant! If not, I’m sorry. But please feel free to comment below or email me with your thoughts on the matter!