In Irish myth and legend, Brigid’s Flame was held lit in Kildare from pre-Christian times up until the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. (Henry VIII needed some cash, basically). And then it was re-lit by the Brigidine sisters in Kildare in 1993, with the perpetual flame re-lit in 2006. (It’s known as St. Brigid’s Flame as well as Brigid’s Flame, depending on the inclination of the speaker)
Why call a course “Awakening the Flame”?
Because for me, the flame typifies Brigid more than the healing well. There is nothing wrong with the healing well. I use the healing waters of Brigid frequently in my work. But, I also feel like the fire, the flame of Brigid is a more potent force in the world.
A picture of St. Brigid’s flame in Kildare
I mean, usually, floods notwithstanding, a fire has a more direct, immediate effect than a flow of water. And fire is generally considered more aggressive than water.
I want people to feel assertive about their practice after this course. I don’t really want people feeling aggressive about it, but I do want people feeling confident, happy and content with their practices, their plans and their future with Brigid. Now most of the course can be applied, with a little tweaking, to any deity. But since Brigid is my main deity and she is the one I work with/for.. she’s who I’m aiming this at.
What does it mean to awaken the flame?
Never let the fire in your heart go out.
Romans 12:11-13, Bible
Yeah, it’s from the Bible. But it’s used elsewhere as well.
For me, awakening the flame is about lighting and feeding Brigid’s fire in our hearts. In our lives. In our souls.
Yeah, I might be going a bit esoterical there. But it’s worth it, I promise. For me, Brigid stands for justice, peace, doing the hard work, women in male-dominated spaces, children, healing, strength, resistance, perseverance…
The list goes on. Social justice features prominently in my practice for Brigid and honestly, self care does too. I can’t help others unless I myself am capable of doing something.
Awakening Brigid’s Flame means to allow her to settle into our lives, just become part of our lives, beyond prayers or candles or whatever. She just is. She can be a guiding light, and I have used her as such. But we need to maintain our practices to ensure she remains in our lives.
I mean, how long would you hang around someone who paid you no attention? Or paid you attention on auto-poilot for no apparent reason? The relationship with deity isn’t always a friendship and is highly unlikely to be equal. We’re talking about deity. But it can be in right relationship. A balance both sides are happy with.
That’s what I want to give people in this course. A selection of practices, journal questions, meditations, and other things to deepen your practice. Yes, this is aimed at preparing for Imbolc and all that celebration. But it’s also providing you with a means to light Brigid’s Flame and keep it lit.
It’s been ten long years since I last had a coil in, and I have had horrendous periods in that time. I’m not going to lie. I have always had heavy, painful periods. I have had multiple investigations done. And I’ve written about my periods, menstruation practices and the way these link with Brigid many times before! But I want to talk about another aspect today.
What’s the coil, Órlagh?
A picture of the Mirena coil shown in a hand to show scale.
The coil, in this case I’m referring to the Mirena coil, is a small, T-shaped plastic device that’s put into your womb (uterus) by a doctor or nurse. It contains a low dose of the hormone progesterone. For more information on the coil, other forms of contraception and what to think about when choosing contraception, check out the HSE website. The HSE is the Health and Safety Executive and is the governing body for all things health related in Ireland.
Now, while the coil is used for contraception, that’s not why I’m using it. And, there are other options, see the link above, for both contraception and heavy periods. Research is needed for what is best suited to you, your circumstances, your lifestyle etc.
Why did I get the coil back after a decade?
The one and only reason I got the coil taken out in the first place was to try and have a family. That didn’t happen. The family, I mean. So, after ten years and after my health scare a few weeks ago (I don’t think I wrote about that on the blog, but I did to my email list. Sign up here if you want to hear all about my life and practice!) I decided enough was enough.
Now, I am someone who was taken to the doctor at 15 to go on the pill so I’d have some chance of surviving the Junior Cert. Seriously. My mother was not impressed by said doctor telling me to have a few babies and I’d be fine. I’m not talking a minor cramping issue, now mind. I’m talking about throwing up, days in bed, inability to walk…
So, essentially, from the time I was 16 to the time I was 33(ish), I was on contraception. Now, several times during that time I changed types, mostly due to me complaining to various medical personnel about the pain I was suffering and about how the drugs just didn’t work anymore. Periods suck sometimes, y’know?
But the husband and I also wanted to try for a family. And we gave it a good go, did a lot of investigations, did a lot of work, practical and spiritual, spent an amount of money…. but no joy. So, we decided to get it back in.
How will this affect my practices around menstruation, periods and Brigid?
Well, here we go. The last time I was on the coil, my periods stopped. Completely. But then I was much younger than I am now and my body has changed a lot. So the insertion was a touch more difficult than usual, but no worse than my normal cramps. There may be a difference in the effects as well.
One thing that will change is my usual practices around menstruation. As in, if my periods stop again (please, Brigid, please!!) I will no longer be returning my menstrual blood to the land, because (please, please, please, Brigid) I will no longer be producing any. On the other hand, I will have more energy throughout the month and my iron levels will probably shoot up. (Yes, I loose that much blood every month).
So, I will be thinking about alternative ways to honour my body’s cycles and feed the land I live on. I haven’t got it all sorted out, but I think that monthly rest is going to become an essential part of my life, driven by my need not to burn out rather than by simply being forced to rest.
What does Brigid think about contraception in general?
Honestly? I’ve never had a problem with Brigid and contraception. The “ban-leighis” or “woman physician” mentioned in the Lebor Gabála Érenn is discussed as being a midwife or a physician of women in some texts. (Can I hell find the citation for this now, but I’m reasonably certain it was in Fergus Kelly’s Brehon Law book). (Yes, it’s also gendered language, but remember the time frame’s we’re talking about…)
A midwife has to know about things like preventing pregnancy as well as helping people through pregnancy and birth. What kills can often cure in smaller doses after all. And by understanding, in the context of the science available at the time, what’s going on inside a person’s body, the midwife can help the person bleeding a lot better. Now I have two courses where you can find out more about Brigid the Healer. The one over at IPS and the one on Brig in the LGE here in the Forge. Yes, there is a price difference. That’s the difference between a 5 week deep dive and a 2ish hour class!
Thus far in our multi-decade long relationship, Brigid has never had an issue with contraception, particularly when it’s for health reasons as well. And, I’ll be honest, I’ll be using the three months between Samhain and Imbolc to figure out what my new practices will be like. Click here if you want to join me on that journey! (or just check it out, find out more etc!)
This was a big move. And it meant giving up a dream both my husband and I had for a decade. But honestly, it was time to move on. The pain, the monthly retreat to the couch, most of the time in tears, with zero energy and less enthusiasm… none of it was worth it on an ongoing basis. And Brigid has work for me to do. So, I need to get on now and do it!!
This phrase (“what gets scheduled, gets done”) is often mentioned in time management courses. I may have been to a few time management courses in the last 2 decades and honestly,all of the instructors mentioned scheduling. People often complain about over-full diaries, schedule conflicts, that sort of thing. But it’s not often we consider our diaries and our ability to complete specific tasks given our current schedule.
I can hear you asking already – what the hell has this got to do with Brigid, Orlagh? Well…
An image of a lovely empty daily schedule planner!
Ritual preparation
I consider preparing for ritual to be as important, if not more so, than the ritual itself. And that means, I have to schedule the tasks I want to complete beforehand. Which means, I need to plan and schedule…
Now, I know, it’s Samhain coming up, not Imbolc, but really, how well my Imbolc ritual goes depends – partially – how well I manage my Samhain activities. My schedule this time of year is heavy. I have both parental birthdays in November, along with a few other key dates to remember. My maternal Grandad died on the 3rd November, many years ago, with the paternal Grandad following on the 9th December in the same year.
And that’s before I consider work, home, study, life…
OK fine, I need to schedule stuff, but come on
I’ve written before about my most basic Samhain activities, just so people are aware. But I think people underestimate just how much organisation even that much takes. Even a visit to a graveyard, which is an important part of my November activities, needs planning, scheduling and then JFDI-ing. (I mentally tie this to Samhain, although it’s not technically part of the festival)
If I want to do a more in-depth ritual, I need to take other things into account. For Samhain, I go through a more in-depth consideration in this class, but for a brief overview? Well, decide what you want to do, what resources you need to do that, assemble the resources, schedule out the time for the preparation and the ritual and the clean up… It’s like a mini project.
And I know – I have an unholy attraction to project plans and scheduling. My team at work often tells me so. But I also know that planning and scheduling makes success 100 times more likely.
Why are you bothered with this right now?
Well mainly because Samhain is getting closer. It’s already 9 days into October. Besides attending a party on the October bank holiday, I have no plans for Samhain yet. And I know that a good Samhain sets my dreaming and idea work in motion so when Imbolc comes round, I have plenty of seeds to plant for myself.
It might seem like a lot of work, but pursuing this cycle of festivals really helps me get shit done throughout the year. And I’m aware that for the last six months or so, I’ve been lurching from festival to festival, crisis to crisis, etc, etc. So, Samhain is a good time, in my opinion, to reset and restart again. I think any of the festivals are good times to do this, but Samhain is the one that close so…
So, this weekend, I will lay out what needs to get done and when I will do it. And I’ll have a chat with Al to make sure I’m not massively overestimating my own energy levels!!
Here’s a challenge: what do you need to site down and schedule or plan? What are you leaving til the last minute for whatever reason? What needs to change and can you use Samhain as a vehicle for that change?
I have previously written about UPG here, but I feel it’s time to revisit this issue. Especially in the light of the current tsunami of AI related content being produced as well in the world. (No, I’m not linking to anything – I won’t give them the traffic!)
Now, I get it. It may not be obvious why these things would be linked, but let’s delve into it ok?
What is UPG?
Unverified personal gnosis (UPG), sometimes referred to as subjective personal gnosis, is spiritual belief gained through personal experience or intuition that cannot be attributed to or corroborated by received tradition, professional scholarship, or direct citation in an accepted religious text.
Basically, UPG is personal gnosis, or that knowledge acquired through personal experience of the divine. (We’re not limiting who/what is included in “divine” here, ok?)
We all have some elements of UPG in our practice. I’m fairly certain my ongoing playful debate with Brigid regarding whether I work “with” or “for” her is pretty much UPG. I have some personal thoughts about who her mother is (not a debate I’m willing to get into in public, or indeed, in private!) that can only be based on my own experiences and a lot of extrapolation from the texts we have. There’s no problem with UPG.
If there’s no problem with UPG, then what’s the problem?
Well… the problem comes when people aren’t careful about labelling UPG as such. So for example, if I was teaching about Brigid, in a position of authority, and I gave a piece of seemingly solid information (let’s use the mother example again).
Just say, I was teaching and I said Fionnuala was Brigid’s mother (I picked Fionnuala cos it’s not a name in the Caith Maigh Tuireadh story… please, for the love of all you hold holy, don’t go saying Brigid’s mother was Fionnuala!!) People would pick that up and take it as fact. But we just don’t know who Brigid’s mother is. No where in the texts we have available to us does it outline who her mother is.
Now, I can say with certainty, Brigid’s mother is s a woman the Dagda had sex with. Which narrows it down slightly. But, y’know, he got about a bit… But we don’t know which woman. So, anyone saying X is Brigid’s Ma with certainty – is leading people down a false path.
Now, you may not see a major issue with this, but this is deity we’re dealing with. And there’s a common approach in certain areas of the internet that really, anything goes when it comes to spirituality – we’re building off partial texts and records at best. But here’s the thing. This isn’t something we all just decided to make up. There are traditions and practices, authentic traditions and practices, in Irish lore and Irish history about Brigid (and the other deities of the island). So just “making something up” isn’t going to help people create a real connection to the deity in question.
If we believe in the power of the gods, then surely we don’t want to piss them off too much by giving their rightful due and respect the runaround?
OK, but where does AI come into this?
AI, or artificial intelligence, is the simulation of human intelligence by machines. It’s not real intelligence. Machines can’t create, they can only re-create. Trust me – we’ve been chasing machine learning and AI in the engineering field for decades at this point. And where there’s an element of creative thinking or extrapolation, humans beat the machines every time.
Now, AI is useful in some respects. A lot of chatting tools on major websites use them. For example, you get in touch with customer services and type in your question. The chatbot or AI can come back with suggestions of helpful links in response to the keywords in your query. Sometimes that works, sometimes it’s more complicated and – again – you need an actual human to help you.
Again, where’s the problem?
Well… all these data bases that are churning out art or writing or poetry or whatever using AI, are doing so off the labour of artists. The unpaid labour of artists, writers, etc. Essentially, the AI is copying work that has previously been created and presenting it as new.
When someone is learning to write or draw or whatever, it is useful to do this – to copy a painting to see how to produce that effect. To use a similar turn of phrase or to look at the effect of certain words in a piece. But that isn’t then presented as something new and original. A copy of the Mona Lisa may be awesome, but it’s still a copy.
Presenting this work as original or new is unethical at least. To my mind, this is stealing someone else’s labour without adding any of your own.
Now, I do use AI myself. If I have a difficult conversation coming up, I will use AI to generate a potential list of questions to ask or to help drive the conversation. I would then heavily edit those questions to make them mine and to help me feel comfortable in using them. But I don’t present those questions as my own, original, creative work.
So you use AI as well?
Yes I do, in certain situations. But I don’t then present that work as my own or use that work to generate benefit for me. Benefit in this sense can mean social capital, actual earnings, obtaining resources in return for this work.
AI is hugely useful in automating regular, repetitive, consistent tasks. For example, a machine learning that this particular condition is a precursor to this particular failure and raising an alarm. Great use of AI there. It’s consistent, repetitive and the inputs and outputs are the same every time.
AI is not useful in producing new artistic or creative endeavors. AI can produce the same or similar results are what has gone before. It can’t create something new. So, all the AI bots out there producing art, writing etc – not creating something new, just copying things that have gone before and generating profit from the labour of others, without crediting them at all.
Who cares? Especially if it’s only for myself?
To a certain extent – no one. If you want to use AI to produce a new prayer to Brigid or a new piece of artwork, well, no one will stop you. If you then present that as new art or a new prayer in a public setting or in a setting that then gives you profit or social capital or other benefits – well it’s dishonest at best and stealing at worst.
This isn’t something created from thin air, it’s something stolen from others. The people who produced the work this “creation” is based on are getting no credit at all and their work has been stolen to feel into the AI bot’s database.
It’s benefitting from a crime.
Why link UPG and AI in conversation anyway?
They both come back to honesty, for me. Presenting AI results as creative personal endeavour and presenting UPG as fact are both dishonest.
I can say as a fact that “I had this experience with Brigid”. But I can’t say “this will be your experience with Brigid, because it was mine”. I can say, “I used AI to come up with the base list of questions for this quiz”. But I can’t say “I generated this list of questions myself”.
I, and many others in the Irish spirutal community, base my practice around right relationship. This doens’t mean I never lie – anyone who asks me how I am on a Monday morning will usually get a short “grand thanks” regardless of how I feel! But it does mean that when I’m dealing with others, there is a level of honesty I require of myself.
That means being very clear on the lore I base my practice on and where I deviate from the lore to veer into personal gnosis. It means being honest about the writing I do – honestly, I’m not sure AI could replicate my way of writing, cos it’s mainly the way I speak! But even if it could, I’d have to spend as long writing the prompts for AI as I would just writing it myself. What’s the point?
There’s nothing inherently wrong with having UPG or using AI. But there is something inherently wrong with passing either off as something they aren’t!
Pigs have always been important in Ireland, primarily as a food source, but for all sorts of other reasons as well. Most people are familiar with the Irish breakfast, which is heavily pig-based, and bloody delicious as well, but why is Brigid linked with pigs in the Lebor Gabala Erenn? Why is the king of boars, Triath, mentioned with her in the text?
Now, I’ll obviously go deeper into the Brigid connections in the upcoming class (this Saturday, 7pm in case you’re interested! Or available on demand if you’re reading this after Saturday 16th September 2023) But I wanted to go into the importance of pigs in Ireland throughout history because a) it’s interesting and b) I think people can underestimate the animal
Really ancient history of the pig in Ireland
The Irish word for pig is muc, and looking at dil.ie, this appears to be the old Irish word as well. Mucc is an alternative spelling, just for some variation. Because, as we know, prior to the Caighdeán in the 1950’s, spelling in Irish was a variable thing. To be fair, old spellings are still accurate and correct. It’s just that the newer spellings are simpler, even if they don’t always make as much sense from a linguistic point of view. Everything in the 50’s in Ireland was in short supply, even ink for pens…
But I digress. So, boars, the ancient, wild ancestors of the modern pig, were domesticated around 9000 years ago. Ish. It’s thought that the first pigs in Europe were domesticated round about 4500 BCE or about 6500 years ago. We’re talking archaeology here, so don’t give out to me for being a few thousand years off, alright? 🙂
Now, it looks like, from the Nature Journal, that wild boar were rampant across Europe. And famers basically bred the domesticated pigs that came from the Near East (I’m assuming through what is now Russia, Turkey and surrounding countries?) with the wild boar, eventually domesticating the boar.
This ties in with the relationship with other animals to Brigid in this selection. Animals that had been wild and people then domesticated… And were in the province of women for at least part of the time.
Kings and rich people kept large herds, since the upkeep was essentially zero, except possibly for a swineherd or two. Pigs appear in many of the old story – aside from Brigid ones. For example, they appear in the story of Diarmaid and Gráinne, Bricciu’s Feast and of course, swineherds play a major role in the kicking off of the Battle Raid of Cooley…
Slightly less ancient history of the pig in Ireland
If we move on to more modern times, well kinda… Dear old Giraldus of Wales, in his 12th century propoganda piece for the English invasion, wrote:
In no part of the world are such vast herds of boars and wild pigs to be found
See, the thing about it is, that pigs can be fed on almost anything. So, people turned them out into forests and such to fend for themselves almost. Or, in towns/ urban areas, they were fed from scraps. Or buttermilk/ sour milk. Seriously – can survive on almost anything. Obviously, there are diets they are more and less suited to, depending on how much meat you want to get off the animal, but survival? Not a major issue in terms of foodstuffs.
In saying that, in the 15th century in Ireland there was a fairly rapid phase of deforestation. It’s at this stage we see a massive decline – to the point of extinction – of the wild boar. From here on out, people kept domesticated pigs only. No more hunting parties. Well, not for boar, anyway!
And it’s about this time we start seeing a lot of by-laws covering pigs in urban area.
More modern angles
The pig, no more than Brigid herself, has lasted well into the modern day in Ireland. In 1841, just before the Great Famine (An Gorta Mór) there were apparently 1.4 million pigs in Ireland. For comparison, there are apparently around 1.7million pigs in the country today.
Pork and pigs have always been a major export in modern Ireland. That mention of the famine? In 1846, Ireland exported 480,827 pigs to Britain. (Ireland Before and After the Famine, Cormac O Grada) If you extrapolate that over 5 years, that’s 2.5million pigs exported over the time period of the Famine. Ok, that’s not the most accurate calculation, but gives an idea.
Now, if you look at even more recent history, as I said in today’s email to my mailing list (want to join?) both my parents remember pigs at home and the slaughtering of pigs as a regular, normal event. In the 1960’s however, pork became more of a business/ consumer business. Now, to be clear, modernisation started in the late 19th century, but in the 1960’s things really kicked off. Smaller breeders gradually disappeared and modern, larger scale breeders developed. Today, the five main counties for pigs in Ireland are Cavan, Cork, Tipperary, Waterford and Longford.
Obviously though, pork and pork products are still a major part of Irish life.. Any supermarkets running out of rashers, sausages and black/white pudding would probably shut down for the duration. It wouldn’t be worth the scandal!!
The Brigid connection
Now, no more than a lot of Brigid connections, while this piece of lore comes from pre-Christian Ireland, a lot of the extrapolation comes from the hagiographies. St. Brigid is often mentioned as looking after pigs in the stories. She gives them away to the needy and hungry, only to have the correct amount of pigs appear when needed. (This is such a regular storiy in the hagiographies, I’m not even going to link to it – just have a read!)
Equally, the preparation of food stuffs was traditionally women’s work in Ireland, including making the puddings from the pig and the sausages and the rashers. This ties in with the work in the dairy that Brigid is closely related with and food prep in general.
The pig, similar t0 Brigid herself, has been here throughout Irish history, supporting the people as best it can. A relatively cheap source of food, and every part of the pig can be used in some way. The animal is present pretty much throughout human occupation of this island and in many ways has supported more Irish people than the cow has (sacrilege, I know!!)
Want to know more? Check out the Brigid in LGE class on Saturday, 16th September at 7pm. (Or it’s available at the link above on demand if you want to check it out after that date!)
I often refer to Brigid as a “gateway deity” of sorts. Recently, though, I’ve been reading some disturbing trends online and in communities that almost put her in a “lesser bracket” because of this straddling of realms. Now, I’ve written previously on Brigid and Liminality. My views there are widely know, but today I want to explore this idea of Brigid as a gateway.
What do I mean by gateway?
The term “gateway deity” is a play on the messages from my youth of the dangers of “gateway drugs”. The thought was that drugs like hash/marijuana/cannabis , were technically low risk in and of themselves. (My names could date me immensely!) However, they , were dangerous in that they lead on to more dangerous substances.
I can’t find any studies to back this thought up. But even back in the 90’s, the notion that hash wasn’t over dangerous in itself. It is still a regular conversation in drug addiction prevention, as far as I can see, from conversations with more modern teenagers!
What has Brigid got to do with gateways?
Well, this ties into Brigid’s role as a liminal deity. Primarily, people are more comfortable move slightly outside the known rather than completely outside their known arenas. With that, Brigid’s role as both pagan deity and Catholic saint offers a means to learn more about a being that is both pagan and Catholic. (I’m not sure about other Christian denominations’ positions regarding saints, although I believe the Church of England reveres her as saint as well?)
She offers a route to explore, firstly, an alternative Christianity to the more fundamentalist sects, and then on to alternative religious structures altogether. She offers a more gentle change than the abrupt change that might occur with other deities.
Added to which, she is one who looks to include rather than exclude people. This isn’t a license to say/teach anything you like now, about Brigid. Lore exists, folklore exists, established practices from generations and centuries of ancestors exist. We can base our practices on these foundations. Separating personal gnosis from general gnosis is still really important.
A picture of St Brigid’s Statue in Kildare on a sunny day
What bothered me about what I’ve read recently?
Well, honestly, what bothered me was mainly the discussions, themes, threads that talked about Brigid as a gateway deity to more powerful deities. Or even to somehow “better”, “more authentic” deities.
Just because Brigid crosses boundaries that are largely human-created, in order to serve her people better, doesn’t make her a lesser deity than others who are strictly pagan, with no Christian connections. It annoys me, because I recognise just how powerful Brigid is and can be. She has an ability to pull people together and get shit done that is awesome. And I mean awesome there in the original sense, as in causes awe in observers. Well, in me anyway!!
Brigid is widely known and widely revered. She crosses national boundaries, religious boundaries, ecclesiastical boundaries. Even just by the pure numbers of her followers, she is powerful.
Having her viewed as some sort of “lesser deity” because she can serve as that gateway is abhorrent to me. She is not a stepping stone to “greater things” or “greater deities”. She is a a deity of great power, who covers a fairly large breadth of the modern human experience.
OK, so what does Brigid cover then?
I’ve said before that if you look at the Healer, Poet and Smith, there really isn’t that much left in the human experience that isn’t covered. Seriously – I won’t go into full details here, since there is already a 5 week course on those aspects, from me, over at the Irish Pagan School.
But here’s a brief overview:
The Healer: health, healing, physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental, health promotion, ill-health correction, fertility, conception, childbirth, health sciences, anything at all in the health and healing realm. Also, vetinary work. (The medical and vetinary areas of a modern university)
The Poet: law, justice, words, poetry, activism, campaigning, government, history, literature, stories, finance, social issues, business … (The Arts and Humanities area of a modern university)
The Smith: engineering, science, construction, IT, maths, architecture, housing, sustainability, computers (the science and engineering parts of a modern university)
And yes, I know using the construct of the modern university might be off-putting to some people. I am sorry about that – it’s the easiest way for my brain to compile the information.
Brigid is powerful. Brigid is available. Brigid crosses boundaries. She is not a second-class deity!!
I’m going to be completely honest here. This blog post was not inspired by Brigid at all. It was inspired by these – the HalaraMagic™ High Waisted Crossover Pocket Cool Touch Breathable Washed Stretchy Knit Denim Plus Size Casual Super Flare Pants. I know – cool, name huh? Ok, well, maybe long more than cool. Now I have written about power and Brigid before, but this is a slightly different take. It’s not really about Brigid goddess power at all.
The HalaraMagic™ High Waisted Crossover Pocket Cool Touch Breathable Washed Stretchy Knit Denim Plus Size Casual Super Flare Pants
Personal power
Before I dive into talking about these amazing new jeans , I will talk a bit about personal power. (no I swear I’m not being sponsored – if I’m ever sponsored, ye will hear the screams of joy across the Atlantic!!)
We often mistake this, especially when it comes to work with deities, even Brigid. Brigid, and indeed goddess power generally, is something we can borrow sometimes and use as personal power. But it’s not really ours.
Personal power can be described as the ability to influence people and events around us. If you google it, you will see millions of articles about personal power, but it’s from a mostly mundane rather than esoterical, spiritual or magical perspective. But at the fundamentals, I do agree with the basics. Personal power is te ability to influence people and events around us, but also maintain our own bodily integrity, mental integrity and spiritual integrity. Brigid, as I have said before, isn’t great with respecting boundaries she doesn’t see the need for. However, if you’re thinking in terms of personal power and the ability to say “no” to her, she will respect that. Always.
We underestimate our personal power. And by that I mean, we underestimate the resources we have at our disposal. We all have abilities we don’t fully utilise or maybe even, don’t fully appreciate we possess. And learning about those, utilising those resources, working to improve them? It’s all part of developing personal power.
but…
Feeling powerful
Our feelings don’t always reflect our reality. I know – feelings are important. I absolutely agree. And, so does Brigid. But allowing feelings to get in the way of facts isn’t the most sensible thing to do. And we can absolutely affect our feelings.
Which brings me back to those magic jeans.
I generally wear loose-fitting, wide-legged trousers. Or leggings. Comfort is the name of the game here! So, jeans don’t often appear in my wardrobe these days. It’s hard to find a comfy pair of jeans that look good. But I did…
I put this pair on and they felt so good. And yeah, ok, the husband’s reaction wasn’t too bad either! But seriously. I pulled these on and I felt young. I felt powerful. And, I felt sexy (which is also a form of personal power). Brigid herself would feel good and powerful in these jeans!
Now, ok these jeans won’t work for a business meeting. Although I am looking for them in black so I might manage it. But it really highlighted to me how a piece of clothing or an outfit can elevate our feelings of power and self-reliant.
Clothes and power
Now, I have other clothes that help me feel powerful. I have what I call my “goddess dress”. I have a large collection of underwear for different types of power. “Interview clothes” is a general heading in my wardrobe.
But mostly, these are constructed outfits, to fulfill a specific purpose. These jeans? I put them on and I felt powerful. Seriously powerful. I felt young, strong, sexy, capable… ready to set the world on fire! (Which Brigid might object to, but still… pretty fire!)
From the perfect length, to the comfy fit, to the pockets… it’s all there.
We talk about Brigid, goddess powers, deity powers a lot in spiritual community. But we rarely look at how we generate our own power. And there’s different clothes for different events, sure. What makes me feel powerful in the bedroom wouldn’t work in the day job for example. Or actually – it might, but the lads are scared enough as it is!
Short of buying these damn jeans, Orlagh, what can I do?
Well here’s the thing. I know, a black vest top and a pair of well fitting jeans really helps me feel on top of the world. I can take on anything dressed like that, I feel badass to be honest. (How I look is an entirely different question, but it’s a good, powerful outfit for me!) I also know there is a power in the way I dress for work – my style in work is chosen very carefully.
Black trousers, with pockets, jersey material usually, comfy, not tight. Colourful top. Boring? Sure. but it downplays my femininity, which is important at times when I’m working with a group of men. It also allows me to move however I need to, whether climbing over pipework or just marching around the site.
OK, it’s hard to imagine Brigid as goddess, wielding her immense power, from a pair of glorified pair of trackies (track suit bottoms), but I can total see her commanding armies in jeans! I mean the black vest and jeans is a classic outfit right? For informal occasions anyway.
Other types of power clothing
But when it comes to VIPs visiting or an interview or an important presentation? Well I dress up a bit more. Things get more structured. This is when the underwired bras tend to come out, as well as the matching knickers. I will move towards a more shirt-like top, rather than a more casual top. The trousers might be a bit more structured as well. If it’s off site, I may go for a skirt or a dress.
The thing is – this type of dressing depends on two things: how you feel and how you feel about how you look. I have worked with personal shoppers in the past to help me expand my clothing repertoire. (Debenhams used to be great for this before they shut up shop in Ireland!) I buy cheap clothes to try out styles or colours or cuts and then look for better options if they work. I experiment to see how I feel and how I look. You know I mentioned the “goddess dress” earlier? It’s because I feel like a damn goddess in it. I feel like all the power in Brigid’s arsenal could come to me and I could contain it in that dress (How realistic that is is another day’s work, ok?)
And I’m very privileged to do this. I know there are people who can’t do this, because of resources, or lack thereof.
Let’s tie in Brigid here shall we?
Now, Brigid was a royal personage in Caith Maigh Tuired. So, she would have understood the power of clothes. Because she was also not part of the privileged group. (Seriously, the Brehon laws were not egalitarian and the word of a woman was equal to half that of a man’s word) So she will have worked with herself, her clothing, her situation to make the best of it. I’m fully sure of that. (Although to be fair, it is based on my own reading an interpretations) Brigid-as-goddess and the power contained within? Think of the many different ways she appears to us and how that magnifies or dampens her power. She knows damn well how to affect us like that!
And, if you think about, while I harp on about the power of words in magic and spirituality, wearing the right clothes can amplify your power as well. It effects how you feel about the probability of a positive outcome. Now I do believe that you can do a serious magical ceremony or ritual in your jammies, if that’s what suits. But maybe on occasion you might think about the clothes you’re planning on wearing, and how they might affect the work you’re trying to do.
OK, finishing up now!
Just as there is no point in a barrister turning up to court with their wig and robes and expect to be taken seriously, there is no point in turning up for our deities for a formal occasion without making the effort, either. This doesn’t mean run out a buy couture fashion. But it does mean thinking about what’s appropriate for the occasion and giving your best.
If you feel powerful, you will act powerful and probably get more positive outcomes in your endeavours. And if that means looking at the clothes you wear, using symbolism to support your case or your efforts? Then go for it! If it means adjusting your personal style slightly to better fit in or stand out? Go for it!
Work with the clothes you have to think about outfits for particular occasions in advance. That way you don’t have to scrounge around when the time comes. And if you know something is coming up, but aren’t sure what to wear, try visualising yourself in different outfits to see how it feels. Try them on. Really look at yourself. You might surprise yourself on what you end up with.
And yes, I have another 3 pairs of those jeans winging their way to me through the post!
Oh yes, people, I’m going there. We’re talking about Brigid and sex. (I don’t mention sex too often here really, a quick search just gave me this blog!! Which is not where I expected to find a sex mention tbh…)
We’ll see about that working. I may have to change it to a link. If there isn’t a Youtube video of the Salt n Pepa classic, Let’s talk about sex, baby, up there, someone comment for me? It looks grand in preview, but we all know about how I trust code…
Anyway. Back to sex.
For those on the email list, ye already know that last week I got the results from the college course I’ve been doing for the last year and I got a first class honours. (I know, I was shocked as well, given how few lectures I actually attended!) And for the most part, I found it really engaging. Plus, y’know, I enjoy sex. Not everyone does, and if you don’t, it’s ok if you want to skip this one. Because we don’t often think about our deities and sex. Unless you want to go down the “sexy goddess” route. I wouldn’t advise it with any of the Irish deities, but you do you.
Why I did a course on sex ed
Yeah, it’s a bit of a strange one I know. But I really do have an interest in learning more about sex and about how sex is taught. I even taught a course on menstruation spirituality myself a few years ago (you can check that out here)
I have this book and have read it several times. Has some good ideas in it!
I’ve got books like the one above (The Sacred Sex Bible by Cassandra Lorins) they have been essential to my journey of accepting that a) sex is not a sin; b) sex is fun and c) just cos my sex life doesn’t look like the traditional “acceptable” sex life doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
And yeah, Brigid has been a part of that.
But what tipped me over the edge with doing this course was the attitude to a 14-yr-old asking for ways to keep themselves safe during sex. Now, yeah, I know, the social and life outcomes for having sex later than 14 are significant. But closing ranks and just not telling kids about sex and how to keep themselves safe just doesn’t work. If it did, there would have been no reason for Mother and Baby Homes in Ireland.
I was genuinely shocked at some of the ways in which information was imparted to this teenager. And, if I’m honest, maybe the information I did manage to give her wasn’t brilliant, but it was accurate at least. Like, no condoms are not 100% certain to stop infections or pregnancy… but they’re up at what? 98% effective? That’s not nothing… So I did this course. I wanted to learn more about the latest teachings in how to impart sex ed to people.
Not just teenagers, because there’s a lot of grown adults out there that could do with some extra information.
But seriously, Orlagh – Brigid and sex?
I know, I get seriously annoyed if people talk about Brigid as a sex goddess. But, given we don’t have a tradition of virgin births in Irish lore, the fact that she had children means she had sex. It’s not like Brigid and sex are two words that never come together at all in my practice. I have found that incorporating some aspects of the sacred sex I’ve read about into my sex life can help heal some of the trauma I’ve experienced in the past. (This worked for me – it might not work for you and if you’re suffering from sex-related trauma, I’d seriously advice getting professional help rather than taking advice from a random person on the internet, ok?)
It’s important in Irish lore to remember that our deities are not usually the singular God(dess) of X. They just don’t work with that. The best we can do is to say, well you know, through this bit of lore, we can link this deity to this aspect of life. So, me linking Brigid with sex because she had kids – it’s a me thing. UPG even. It’s not generally accepted. Childbirth? Sure, lots of people associate her with childbirth, but sex? Oh no.
Mind you, there is a saying in Ireland that Gaybo only invented sex in the 80’s.(Although the internet is telling me “gaybo” is a derogatory term for a gay man? Seriously?? Wtf people!!) So it’s possible all births were thought to be virgin births unless definitely proved otherwise. I doubt it though. From the other fragments of lore we have, sex wasn’t that unknown in the ancient world. Just read up on Queen Medb (of the friendly thighs – although, if you’re thinking of working with Queen Medb, do some work on her before you think about her thighs)
For me, Brigid definitely had sex. That’s there in the lore with her sons. But she also has an interest in her followers health – and that includes sexual health. Which includes, just by the way, attitudes to sex as well we what we usually term sexual health. I’m not downgrading people who don’t have sex by the way. When I say attitudes to sex, I mean that whatever you’re doing, you’re happy to be doing this and you’re not feeling shame or guilt over it. Unless you’re breaking one of the “consenting adults in private” provisions of course. Then, you might need to reconsider a few things. Especially around the consenting part. That’s always necessary.
So how do you incorporate Brigid into your sex life?
Ew. No. Just no. My sex life is between me and humans. No deities invited. Just to be very clear. Not even Brigid.
On the other hand, I see no problem in asking Brigid for helping me with the following:
Strength to deal with past sex-related trauma
Help with considering the best course of action to take
Assistance in working out if I’m happy with taking a course of action
Direction on whether something is appropriate right now, or ever
Disection on whether this is something I need to work on or not
It’s a list that could be expanded to any other part of my life as well, these are the things I think about when I’m dealing with Brigid. And some of my work for her is sex related as well – that spiritual menstruation course is an example. I tried to make it more inclusive than previous courses I’ve taken, because while I’m cis, I found it hard to connect with the maiden, mother enchantress/queen, crone structure. So I created a less gendered one.
And as part of that course I did, I created a 12 week course for people who menstruate to learn more about their bodies, how they work and how to work with said bodies and make choices that work for them. I’m putting in a special sign up below this paragraph – throw your email in there if you wish to hear more on this. This is separate from the main list, so even if you’re already on there and you want to learn more about the 12 week course, drop the address in there.
And of course, if you don’t want to know more about it, that’s no bother either.
So Brigid and sex isn’t really a topic?
Honestly, I think it’s a massive topic, and I might do something longer on this at some point. But it was in my mind right now, because of those results last week, so ye got these meanderings around Brigid and sex. And where my mind is at the minute with it.
I do think that as so many of us in the world today suffer from sex-related trauma, it’s a major topic. Unfortunately, I only have experience guiding me here, not training or qualifications. So I’m trying to be very careful here not to be telling people to do anything.
But don’t think you can’t talk to Brigid about sex. She’s not asexual in my experience (not that there’d be anything wrong if she were!) To me, as in her messages to me around sex, are that sex is part of a healthy life for those who enjoy it. It’s not like water, which is a requirement for everyone human on earth as far as I know. But it is important. And if you have an interest in sex, but struggle with incorporating it into your life in a way you enjoy, well you can ask Brigid for help. Don’t suffer in silence – there’s few enough pleasurable activities that can be 100% free if you choose in this life!
I’ve written before about Brigid and her anvil, but since at that time I was focused mostly on what it isn’t, I thought it time to revisit the idea. Just to reconfirm, the anvil isn’t and never will be:
abuse
your fault
miscarriage
trauma
something that someone else has done, i.e. not a robbery or not an attack
pointless
without end
I don’t subscribe to the idea that these things are sent to us to have us learn a lesson and I doubt I ever will.
What is an anvil?
A diagram of an anvil in black and white with parts labelled
An anvil is a tool for making other tools. There is a chance that at times you might be serving as such for other people! Delivering the messages or guidance that others might need to hear. I wouldn’t go about saying that mind, or indeed offering to be one for someone else. If you do serve in such a role, it’s doubtful you’d be fully aware of it at the time, in my experience.
An anvil is a rock solid, dense piece of metal. It has to be, to stand up to the blows and tempering done on it. So, to be an anvil is tough to say the least. You withstand blows that shatter other pieces. You also, to a certain extent, protect other pieces. It might seem like a passive role, but only in that resistant can be passive.
How do I know I’m on the Anvil?
Well, try asking Brigid for a start. Let’s face it, she’s usually pretty good at letting us know what she wants us to know. But also, it’s not always good for us to know when we’re on the anvil. It can be easier to focus on getting through rather than worrying about the process. Think about the effort required to train in martial arts, or medicine, or engineering – none of it is painless. But a lot of the time, we have to trust that process and focus on getting the next box ticker.
Now, we all know stories of people asking Brigid for help and finding their lives turned upside-down. From my own stories of feeding two people on a tenner a month (yes, seriously!) to others describing break-ups, abrupt evictions, job losses… it’s not always easy when Brigid (or indeed any deity) gives you assistance. They have this insistence that they know better how to get you what you need…
So bear in mind, that even the act of asking Brigid for help can be perilous at times. On the other hand, sometimes she decides we need time on the anvil. So there is an aspect here of “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” (even if I don’t fully agree with that). A better way of looking at it might be of tempering a metal to make it more useful.
And it fits better with the whole Anvil theme as well.
OK, but seriously, how do I know I’m on the bloody Anvil?
Well, how are you feeling? Are you going through a tough time that’s forcing you to develop new resilience, new skills, new habits? Is your life being turned upside down, but it appears it might work out better than it was?
Is it tough, with no end in sight, but you feel optimistic? Do you know this is a process you need to go through to attain a goal?
Have you asked her? Have you spoken to her? Remember your basics. For me, these are: sleep, food, fresh air, water, walking. These are the foundation blocks, the basics for my life working. Regardless of whether I’m on the anvil, being the anvil or just living normally, these are the things that help everything else work.
Surviving the Anvil
Really, for me, it is about those basics. The Anvil is a time of pressure, of tempering, whether the soul, the mind or the body. So, there needs to be a certain quality of metal involved to help survival in the first place. I wouldn’t worry too much about that, mind you. If Brigid decides you’re hitting the Anvil, chances are, you have been tested a bit before this already. Whether you realise it or not.
And this advice can help with all the tough times. Decide on your basics and make sure they’re in place. Sleep, food, fresh air, water and walking are mine, but yours may differ. To be honest, reading is a basic as well, but it’s like breathing for me, so I don’t bother putting it on the list. What are the foundation pillars for you life and how do you ensure they get done?
Then think about the next level – how do you ensure income, shelter, etc during tough periods. Money is a great buffer against problems, but unfortunately not available to everyone. What supports in the community can you access?
Is there someone close to you who can help you in a spiritual way? Is there a counsellor, priest/ess/ex, therapist, whatever you can talk to about this time? It’s not easy, I know it’s really not. But if you’re going through the Anvil, the outcome is nearly always worth it!
I had intended to run another “30 Days of Brigid” course in April, but March kinda ran away from me. I’m going with it though. Brigid can be a bit elusive at times and I think helping people with concrete examples of what they can do is useful. But there are always a few questions that come up for this course.
Why 30 days?
Well, first off, 30 days fits into a month (unless it’s February, and I won’t be running this in February, since it makes miles more sense to run it in January). 30 days is long enough to be a real commitment. It’s also short enough to not be a “forever” commitment.
It’s also long enough to experience a range of different activities, or indeed different versions of those activities. But again, not throwing so much at people that they become overwhelmed. This is important, because it’s the relationship that’s important. Only those activities that will help develop that daily practice, that spiritual muscle, are the ones that people will end up keeping.
Of course, with Brigid being the way she is, the specific activities that work for individuals will vary. Considerably.
PIcture of my Brigid stature, holding a flame, in front of a cauldron, with a lit tea light on the cauldron and a Brigid’s cross in between B
Why so many ways to connect?
Well, I’ve found that different people want to engage with the material in different ways. With that in mind, there are 4 different ways to engage with the material:
The daily email sent approx 3pm Irish time
The lesson plans in the school
The Facebook group specifically for the students on this course
The Youtube videos
The idea is that however you want to consume the lesson on a given day, you have a suitable option. Also, if you want feedback or interaction on any given activity – or indeed all of them – there is the possibility for that as well. I can’t guarantee I will respond to Facebook comments immediately. I will be responding at least once per day during the 30 days!
How did I choose the activities included in the 30 days?
Well, Brigid herself had a hand in them. These are practices that I use myself in my own practice. Activities that have stood me in good stead over the years. And, ok, I’ve chosen some purely cos I enjoy them. There’s a whole lesson on how Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie plays a role in my practice. And yes, I use Shakira’s music regularly, even though it has nothing to do with Irish Brigid on the surface.
There are activities that Brigid almost forced me to include. It took me a long time to change my attitudes on prayer, for example. But I find including prayer as well as meditation in my practice is spiritually rewarding. So, I try to have a balance throughout the 30 days. And every time I run the course, there will be something for everyone to love and something for everyone to feel really reluctant to try. That’s ok. It’s really up to you how you engage with the activities, what you choose to do or not do.
What support is there during the course?
Well, as I said above, there is the Facebook group specifically set up for this course. You get the link to the group when you sign up. And I am active in the group over the 30 days. I can and will also answer emails or comments on the course files in the school. So, however you choose to reach out, I will respond within the day. Most of the time, it’s quicker, but sometimes it can take a day.
Any other questions?
They are the main questions I tend to get asked about the course. But, if you have a question that I’ve not answered, reply to the post on here, or email me. Or reach out on the Facebook group. You can try psychic communication but I’m not 100% at receiving… And remember – all information will be here regarding price and dates etc. So take a look and sign up if it appeals!
