BRIGHID

© The Goddess Brighid, Miranda Gray;
© Border by Courtney Davis

Project Created by Kerritwyn )0(

© All original material in this site is under copyright protection
and is the intellectual property of the author.

Historical Myth.

Tales of the Irish Goddess Brighid originate in the most ancient Irish mythology, said in medieval manuscripts to be from the "time of the Deluge"i.

Five successive groups were said to have invaded Ireland, in waves, and Brighid was a member of the fifth, the Tuatha De Danann, the People of the Goddess Danu. They were the immediate predecessors to the Sons of Mil, the next group of invaders who became the ancestors of the modern Irish. The Tuatha were said to have been a people of magick wonders, learned in all the arts and masters of wizardry ii. Although all the other invaders reached Ireland by ship, the Tuatha were said to have reached Ireland in dark clouds through the air, to have alighted on the mountain of Conmaicne Rein, and for three subsequent days to have cast a magickal darkness over the face of the sun iii.

Brighid was the daughter of The Dagda, the "Good God", now revered as the patron God of the Druids, and was said to have been a poetess; her two sisters, also of the same name, were said to have been women of healing and smith-work iv. Her worship, through the ages, has thus focused on her as a triple Goddess of Fire: the fire of poetic inspiration and divination, the fire of healing and fertility, and the fire of metal-working and crafts v.

During the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, fought between the Tuatha and the Fomoire, a people on Ireland when the Tuatha arrived, Brighid's son, Ruadan, was sent to fight, and was killed in battle. Brighid came to bewail her son, and is therefore said to have been the first to engage in caoine (keening) for the death of a loved one, and thus also became the comforter of all mourners vi.

The ancient Irish worship of Brighid was so powerful and so enduring that it was transferred, under Christianity, to St. Brigit, said to have been ban-drui, or a druidess, before her conversion, and who was reported to have been born in 455 A.D. in County Down, to a druid father, known as Dubhtach, who raised her in the ancient ways vii. Her religious community at Kildare, a name based on druidic symbolism, being cill-dara, the Church of the Oak, is still maintained.

In addition, St. Brigit's feastday was grafted onto the ancient pagan festival of Imbolc, held from the eve of January 31st through the day of February 1st, sacred to the Goddess Brighid viii. In Celtic Christian lore, she was further said to have been the midwife and foster-mother of Yeshua, also known as Jesus Christ, and to have been a helper and friend of his mother, Miriam, also known as Mary ix. Her worship has therefore continued uninterrupted in Ireland and throughout the Celtic lands, down through the ages to the present time.

Divination.

Although Brighid is considered the patron Goddess of all divination, the particular form ascribed to her, known as the augury or firth of Brighid, is used to provide portents for the coming season, and to discern information, shamanically, at long distance x. It involves curling the hands to form a "seeing-tube" for discovering lost people or animals, or the health of an absent loved one, and it has evolved in Irish Gaelic usage to the use of the palms of the hands as a "seeing-space" to block out the light and focus the seer.

Brighid, Bringer of Light

The frithir, or seer, undertaking the augury of frith, engages in this form of divination on the first Monday of the quarter, at sunrise, with bare hands and feet, after fasting. Special prayers to Brighid are said while walking deosil (clockwise) around the household, five times three. Then, with blindfolded eyes, the frithir goes to the threshold of the house, placing one hand on either door jamb, and prays that the request for insight be granted. Then, with opened eyes, the frithir looks steadfastly ahead, and notes all that she or he sees xi.

Seeing a person or beast rising up indicates good health, while lying down indicates illness or death. Approaching birds indicate good news. A duck indicates safety for sailors, while a raven indicates death xii.

Another way to invoke Brighid, for purposes of divination, is to fill a cauldron on an altar with water, light white candles, burn incense, and say the following chant:

Open the door to my inner life,
Reveal the past to me.
Open the door to my inner life,
That my way be made free.
Send me the light of your cosmic fire,
Make my path bright clear.
Give me a sign,
That's no will of mine,
To show me your presence is here.

Repeat this three times, over three successive nights, to see divinatory visions in the cauldron xiii.

Healing & Protection.

Brighid's healing powers are represented in the Strength tarot card of the Motherpeace deck, representing the power of the moon, the earth and night-time consciousness, woven together by the serpent, to demonstrate the healing power of "the green", the magickal power that comes directly from the earth and her creatures xiv.

A spell to break the powers of a physical addiction, using meditation on the Strength card, together with the Temperance, Judgement and The World cards, can be done with the following chant:

With these cards,
And with this spell,
Power is drawn,
And power surges through me!
By the power within me, 
I break the chains that bind me!
I break the bonds
Which tie my soul and spirit!
I restore my life to balance!
I am resilient!
I can withstand all that comes my way!
For strength is mine,
And I grow stronger,
And ever yet stronger than before.
By all the powers that be,
I overcome!xv

Brighid, Lady of the Hearth (copyrighted art, source unknown)

Another spell, for general good health, also using the Strength tarot card, as well as the Magician, The World and the Sun cards, involves the following chant:

I call upon the strength of the Earth,
The vitality of the Sun,
And the life force within me!
Power flows through my body.
It purges and purifies all that is harmful.
It imbues every cell of my body with radiant health.
Strength and beauty shine through me.
I honor my body.
I shape my body.
I nourish my body with good food and good thoughts.
My mind and body are in harmony,
And I shall be whole and healthy!
So it is, and so shall it be!
xvi

Brighid can also be called upon to provide a blanket of protection through a shielding ritual, after having cast a magick circle and having invoked the Goddess. Visualize the creation of a full-body shield around you, and pray to the Goddess, as follows:

Blessed Lady Brighid,
Loving mother, protectress and warrioress,
Whose energies blaze with the heat of the sacred fire,
I ask that a part of your divine essence
Now enter and remain in my shield,
That I may carry with me always
The sacred protection of your loving care.
Help this shield to deflect 
The ill-will of my enemies
And others who wish me harm
Both physically and psychologically.
Be my shield and my strength,
My comfort in times of need.
Wrap your loving arms around me
Through the power of this shield.
Enter it now!
xvii

Using the cane of a blackberry vine as your casting, invoking and pointing tool makes this ritual particularly effective, as it is sacred to Brighid, and represents prosperity and protection xviii.

© Brighid by Gail Donovan

Creative Inspiration. Brighid is also worshipped as the mother of creative and poetic inspiration. One way to encourage your creative muse is to induce an altered state, through meditation. This can be done by closing your eyes, breathing rhythmically and slowly, slowing your thoughts, quieting your mind, centering your spirit, and then, with your mind, calling out to the Goddess Brighid, valiant and faithful protectress, inspirer of all creative endeavors, and ask her blessing upon your work. Feel her approval. Accept her blessing. Feel her protective energy come to you, as sure and as safe as if you had just been placed in the arms of a loving mother xix. Arise, slowly emerge into regular consciousness, light a candle as a reminder of her fires of inspiration, and get to work!

General Magickal Work & Invocation.

Brighid, also known as Bridget, Brigit, Bride, Brigindo, Brigantia and Brittania, represents the ultimate mother Goddess. She can be invoked for magickal workings involving fertility, creative inspiration and healing, and has also been worshipped as a warrioress, a protectress, a guardian of children, a slayer of serpents, a sovereign, a Goddess of agriculture, animal husbandry, crafting and music, and a fire and sun Goddess. She is also called upon for assistance in childbirth, in all forms of fire magick, in protections spells for the land, and in workings to help you take control of your own being, and to inspire those who look up to you. Her correspondences are fire, blackberries, wells, milk, shields, lambs, the heart, the lioness and the Empress and Strength tarot cards. Her colors are red and white, and an altar dedicated to her should always have a burning flame in her honor xx.

© St. Brigid of Ireland by Richard King

I have written the following invocation to Brighid, for power, strength of will, inspiration and healing:

The Fires of Brighid
By
Kerritwyn
)0(

Your fire, my focus,
Your fire, I see,
Your brightness, my power,
Your power, in me.

Your fire, my purpose,
Your fire, so pure,
Firm up my resolve,
Make my purpose endure.

Your fire, so dazzling,
Your fire, so bright,
Inspire my efforts,
Fill me with delight.

Your fire, it fills me,
Each cell shines with light,
Your fire, it heals me,
The dark, and the bright.

Great Brighid, my Goddess,
Your fire fills my heart,
I live in your beauty,
Your wisdom, your art.

Please stay with me always,
The spark of my way,
To guide me and teach me,
Oh queen of the Fey,
To know that I name thee
My honor's desire,
My signpost, my touchstone,
My Goddess of Fire.

Notes.

i. Rees, Alwyn and Brinley, Celtic Heritage, Thamesand Hudson Ltd., London, U.K., 1998, p. 26.
ii. Ibid., p. 29.
iii. Ibid., pp. 29-30.
iv. Ibid., p. 30.
v. Ellis, Peter Berresford, The Druids, William B.Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI., 1998, p.47.
vi. Ibid. fn. 1, p. 37.
vii. Ibid., fn. v., p. 102.
viii. Ibid. fn. v., pp. 102-103.
ix. Matthews, Caitlin and John, The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom, Element Books, Victoria, Australia, 1996, p. 245.
x. Id.
xi. Ibid., p. 246.
xii. Ibid., pp. 236-247.
xiii. Conway, D. J., Celtic Magic, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN., 1998, p. 167.
xiv. Noble, Vicki, Motherpeace: A Way to the Goddess Through Myth, Art and Tarot, HarperCollins, New York,N.Y., 1983, pp. 89-90.
xv. Renee, Janina, Tarot Spells, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN., 1999, pp. 19-22.
xvi. Ibid., pp. 153-155. 
xvii. McCoy, Edain, Celtic Myth and Magic, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN., 1998, pp. 44-45.
xviii. Ibid., p. 71.
xviiii. Ibid., pp. 125-126.
xx. Ibid., pp. 186-187.

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