Thank You, Elan! (Brigit Icon)

A couple of months ago a note of great wonder appeared in my inbox.

Elan said she would stitch me one of Donna Amaral's Brigit icons! And so she has. She was wonderful to work with, getting me to think about colour and how I see Brigit, when I wouldn't have considered departing from Donna's original. The result, and the lovely way Elan presented it, is beautiful and moving to receive. Thank you so very much, Elan.

Making Your Own Brighid’s Cross with Jude Lally

Jude Lally gives step by step, image by image instructions in making a Brigit's cross at the Mystery School of the Goddess.

Triple Brigid Talisman by Morpheus Ravenna

Triple Brigid Talisman: Lady of Poetry, Skill, and Fire

$35.00 – $45.00

Description

This talisman honors Brigid, Irish and Scottish Goddess of poetry, healing, smithcraft, fire, and many other bright things. She also called Brig, Brigit, Brid, and is closely related to the Gallo-Brittonic divinities Brigantia and Brigindona.

The name Brigid is thought to derive from the root *brig signifying high or exalted, and is sometimes translated Exalted One. We see this same root in place-names referring to raised hillforts. In Irish and Scottish folklore, Brigid is linked to Saint Brigid and many believe the saint to be a survival of the pre-Christian pagan Goddess. She is often spoken of as a triad, the Three Brigits. She is said to be a midwife and is called upon to bless births of children and animals, to help protect the herds and the milk supply, and for healing. Milk and milk products have a special association with healing and purification in Celtic thought, and She is connected to both. She is associated with craftsmanship, especially blacksmithing, and is seen by many as the embodiment of the fire that heats the forge. She is worshiped at holy wells throughout Ireland, where the upwelling and flowing of waters are also expressions of the deep well of wisdom and its flowing out in the form of inspiration and poetry. Thus, She is also the Lady of poets and poetic inspiration.

The front of this talisman shows Brigid in triple form, the flames of poetic inspiration rising above each of the three faces. She carries a spear and a vessel of milk, reflecting Her role in Celtic warrior culture, as the Goddess who receives the returning warrior bands from their winter raiding, purifying them with milk or butter to wash the warrior’s mark from them and bring them peacefully back into the fold of settled society. Her stance and position within the archway echoes images of Brigantia from Britain. The words here say Duine úallach / Brigit búadach: “Proud lady / Victorious Brigid”.

The back of the talisman displays a triple St. Brigid’s Cross, a folk charm traditionally woven of straw or reeds in honor of the saint and the Goddess. Between its three arms, Her implements are displayed: hammer and anvil as Lady of the Forge; cauldron and flame as Lady of Healing; and harp as Lady of Poetry. These are framed by poetic lines adapted from the Carmina Gadelica: Lasair dhealrach oir / Muime chorr dée / Bride nighinn Daghda; “Radiant flame of gold / Noble foster-mother of Gods / Bride daughter of the Dagda”. (The original lines in the Carmina Gadelica reference Christian ideas associated with St. Brigid; this has been adapted to a more Pagan form).

You may notice a resemblance between the back design of this talisman, and Ian Corrigan’s beautiful Brigid sigil. I respect Ian’s work and certainly wouldn’t copy – this turns out to be one of those divinely inspired synchronicities, as we’ve both arrived at this design independently. You can check out Ian’s books on Brigid and other creations here.

Talisman is etched in 18-gauge copper, in your choice of 1.5″ diameter medallion, or 2″ allowing for much finer detail. Comes strung on a simple natural leather cord.

Our copper talismans are hand etched in small runs with careful attention. Talismans are individually hand-detailed, so each pendant is slightly different and unique. The artist, Morpheus, personally consecrates all the talismans on her altar.

To order.

MORPHEUS RAVENNA

Tattoo Artist, Morrigan Priestess, Spiritworker, and Writer

Making Brigit's Cross with Young Caítlín

Caítlín shows beautifully how to gather your rushes, make, and trim your cross. (All to the tune of a penny whistle.)

There are gadjillions of videos on YouTube demonstrating how to make Brigit's cross, including this silent one by a faceless expert, and this by Una Casey of Faughart. (See previous post.) But despite the odd technical difficulty, I rather like this one.

(Click here to watch on YouTube.)

Brigit's Birthplace: RTÉ Documentary on Faughart, Ireland

From Geolocation

At St. Brigit's Shrine in Faughart, Co. Louth, pilgrims have long come to pray the stations and tie up offerings of cloth in order to leave their troubles behind them. Blathnaid Ní Chofaigh of RTÉ explores the area to learn more about St. Brigit and her cult.

From Brigit of Faughart Festival

An impressive moment in the film is watching local woman, Una Casey, making a rush cross while chatting with Blathnaid--one strong enough to kick to Dundalk without it coming apart.

Cross Making with Una Casey in the County Library

Una has been making Brigit's crosses since childhood, and gives workshops in the craft, above at the County Library, and also at the Brigit of Faughart Festival.

(Click here to watch on YouTube.)

RTÉ Ireland's National Television and Radio Broadcaster (2011)

Hymn to Brigit & Brigit Candle Cross-Stitch

The original version of this hymn is a prayer to God, not Brigit, collected by Alexander Carmichael in the Carmina Gadelica. I came across it in Esther de Waal's book on Celtic Christianity, Every Earthly Blessing, and was much moved by the text. In my efforts to memorize my modified version to use as a prayer on rising each morning, a tune began to attach itself to the phrases. I offer it to you now with a collection of images, mostly from old postcards and archival photos, but also including:

• images from the website of the Brigidine sisters of Australia
• hearth drawings by E. Estyn Evans
• the Solas Bhride hearth (photo by Erynn Laurie)
• Judy Chicago's Saint Bridget plate from The Dinner Party
• my own very humble clay crèche of Brigit, her cow, and the triple flame
• a Brigit candle cross-stitch design by Donna Amaral of the Daughters of the Flame
• a painting of a Renaissance woman blacksmith by Francesca Miller
• a photo of friends drumming around the fire in Haiti
• Mayra Gomez carrying Brigit's flame (from the AFRI website)
• a woman blacksmith in Sulawesi

I include Donna Amaral's cross-stitch pattern here. Please credit her wherever you may use it. Donna was an early and dedicated member of the Daughters of the Flame whose generosity and joy were a great inspiration and support to all who knew her. Her death was a great loss to us all.

I will kindle my fire (Brigit Song)

I will kindle my fire this morning

in the presence of Brigit and her holy women.
Brigit kindle in my heart within
a flame of love to my neighbour
to my foe, to my friend, to my kindred all
to the brave, to the knave, to the thrall.
Without malice, without jealousy
without envy, without fear
without terror of anyone under the sun.

For the original words, collected by Alexander Carmichael, see the Comment section below.

Brigit Quilts

The previous post shows a parish kneeler with a St Brigit design on it. Discovering this craft has led me to search online for quilts made in honour of Brigit. Here is what I found.

From the site of the International Quilt Festival in London, Ontario, this vast and beautiful depiction of Brigit and her world from an unnamed church in Wexford, Ireland. Click on the  photo below for a larger image--it's too complex to take in at this size.

Next, a phoenix-inspired Goddess/Saint Brigit from American fibre artist Catherine Marie, who attempts "to interweave Goddesses into (her) own birthright of Catholicism (a challenge!)."

She says, "St. Brigid and Brigid the Goddess reside together in this large quilt. I depicted her with phoenix feathers, because her eternal fire, though first doused with the turbulent meeting of paganism and Christianity, has been resurrected, presently being tended by the Brigidine sisters of Kildare.

"This quilt was given to a friend who was battling cancer with a courageous and focused resolve.  I was hoping, in my own sense of helplessness, that the quilt could warm her as it’s image reminded all of us that there is a new beginning after the flames.

"I then thought that it could be a good image for a prayer wallhanging.  The work on that wall hanging is covered in an earlier post:  Bridging Paganism and Christianity with Brigit."

Here is the wall hanging:

C. Neely created a small, found-art quilt made from lacy fabric, a holy card and medal, ribbon and buttons--an inspiration for those of us who would like to make our own fabric celebrations of Brigit.

And for the traditional quilter, this lovely "Cross of Saint Brigit" pattern can be found in Colorful Quilts: 12 easy and fun designs by Sharyn Squier Craig, Christiane Meunier, and Others.

Wonderfully, Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur hosts a blog dedicated to saintly quilt patterns, and offers a free download of the St. Brigit block below:

Tina Cockburn made a lovely Saint Brigit's quilt:

Angie Quinby has a number of Imbolc quilt blocks at this link.

... There were more yet! Just dig around and you will find them.

Oh! How could I forget this one, by Barrie Maguire?

Parish Kneelers--Works of Art for Prayer

Perhaps everyone else in the world has always known of them, but I discovered the world of parish kneelers only recently, at St James Anglican Church in Vancouver, BC. Their small side chapel has about forty burnished oak chairs, each with a small stool tucked in underneath them. They aren't footstools, they are kneelers--pulled out when needed and pushed out of sight when not.

Each one has a beautiful hand-stitched emblem over the padded top. Inspired by these, I looked on the internet to see if I could find any stitched in honour of St Brigit. I found this one (actually two of the same pattern):

Both may be seen in person at All Saints Church, Monk Sherborne, Hampshire, in the south of England.

The site which displays this and many other Welsh and English kneelers--Parish Kneelers--is a clear labour of love. There you can learn how to make your own, where to find others, and so on. You can even upload photos of your own kneelers, should you make them.

Enjoy!

Imbolc Craft Idea from Homeschooling Mum

Have a look at Ten kids and a Dog : The days in the life of a large, Catholic, homeschooling family. Specifically the Imbolc posting which features this lovely craft:

Cross Stitch Pattern: Brigit's Cross

If you are moved to do some Brigit-style stitchery, you can get a pattern for a B's cross for $3.99 USD from "everythingstitches" on Etsy: Saint Briget's Cross Cross Stitch Pattern.

SAINT BRIGETS CROSS GODDESS BRIGIT CROSS CROSS STITCH CHART

$3.99 USD

1 in stock

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Description

SAINT BRIGETS CROSS GODDESS BRIGIT CROSS CROSS STITCH CHART

Beautiful design in cross stitch for your pleasure.
Stitch count 150X148 will make a finished design approx. 10 3/4" inches, if stitched on 14 count fabric or material, or approx. 8 1/3" inches if stitched on 18 count fabric or material.


I also have this as a smaller design if you wanted to make ornaments. Please ask if interested and I will put it up for you.

Make a lovely holiday decoration, pillow, quilt square.

Naturally smaller count fabric makes a smaller piece.
This would make not only a great stitched piece, but a lovely piece of Mosaic art.
Would be lovely on Aida cloth or any even weave.

PLEASE NOTE: Actual charts and chart image are clearer then it is coming out here, And the chart is fairly large for my poor eyes and to help us all read them with out trouble :) Also, larger designs may come on multiple pages for easier viewing. And may have a more of colours then expected.

Piece comes as a PDF with in 24 hours of cleared payment.
Comes with colour chart and symbols, and the image shown here, on pattern sheet plus colour sheet for DMC colours, However if you prefer J & P Coats I can change the codes sheet for you, please email before hand though, thanks.

Thank you for looking.
These images are antique and found, scanned, cleaned and arranged by me.
WATERMARK IS WILL NOT COME WITH CHART DOWNLOAD

Purchase of this item entitles you to use the images for crafts and artwork, You are not entitled to reproduce the images in original form for redistribution or resale to others. Thank you for looking, I look forward to doing business with

Added on Oct 10, 2009

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Brigid's Cloaks

Below find info on Sara Jane Kingston's Brigid's Cloaks and other items related to the cloaks, including art, communities, a children's book... She also has a Brigit meditation CD available: http://www.brigidscloak.com/meditations.html

Sara Jane Kingston began making Brigid's Cloaks for sale last year after discovering their value as spiritual tools. You can make your own or order one from her, or from the Catholic Brigidine sisters at Solas Bhride in Kildare, Ireland.

A snippet of her story:

Brigid's CloakTraditionally, the brat bhríde, or Brigid's Cloak, was laid outside before sunset on the eve of Brigid's feastday, 1st February, and brought back in before sunrise.

Blessed by Brigid, ancient Spring goddess and saint, the dew which fell that night imbued the cloth with powers of healing and protection which lasted throughout the year.

Brigid's Cross, now usually associated with the 5th-century Christian saint, was made annually from straw or rushes and hung above the door. In pre-Christian times, it was probably a sun symbol and celebrated the power of the goddess to bring back the light at the Celtic feast of Imbolc. It holds the promise of fertility and abundance...

...As a child I had loved the story of how, when St. Brigid went to the King of Leinster looking for some land on which to build a church, he had tried to put her off by saying that he would give her as much land as her cloak would cover. Not to be daunted, Brigid asked four of her nuns to each take a corner of her cloak and as they began to walk, the cloak began to stretch in size until it was large enough to cover a substantial piece of land. The King, true to his promise gave her the land and she built her first church there. This seemingly miraculous power over land of the 5th-century Christian saint in this story holds the resonance of the more ancient Brigid, the great Celtic Land Goddess.

As I work in healing through the energy field, I used the symbol of Brigid's Cloak as a starting point to allow people to connect into seeing their own "energy cloaks" or auras by imagining that they were wearing a cloak and seeing what it was like. Was it old and frayed, heavy or light? What material was it made of - what sort of texture, or textures? And the colours - were they bright or dark or a mixture?

Go to Sara Jane's site at http://www.brigidscloak.com/ for more of her story. If you would prefer to make your own Brat Bhride, go wild--the possibilities are endless! Don't forget their use as healing tools. A cloak may be cut into smaller pieces and distributed to those in need of blessings once it has been used in ritual. Or the entire cloth laid over a sick person to aid in her recovery.

Many other sites refer to Brigid's Cloak.

• for a simply beautiful painting of Brigid's Cloak as the land of Eire, go to Barrie MacGuire's listing at http://www.maguiregallery.com/barrie/brigidscloak.htm. Barrie is also a quilter, and has included a video of his paintings of quilted Ireland. Go to his homepage to view it. http://www.maguiregallery.com/barrie/barrie.htm
• "St. Brigid's Cloak" a prayer circle for Christian women flame-keepers, dedicated to keeping the fire of St. Brigid of Ireland burning bright in the world today. Local members in Las Vegas, Nevada have an annual St. Brigid's Food Drive for the Poor in November and December.
• "Brigid's Cloak", a children's book by Bryce Milligan, published by WhipperSnapper Books.
• The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Inc says of St. Brigid's Mantle: "In very traditional homes, two devout practices are still observed on the Eve of St. Brigid's Feast Day (February 1st). A strip of cloth called "brat Bhride" (Brigid's mantle) is hung outside the door. A loaf of oat bread baked in the shape of a cross and a sheaf of straw are left on the windowsill. For on that night, Brigid travels through the land with her red-eared cow bestowing blessings on those who keep the old ways."
• Sr. Mary Minehan of Solas Bhride says, "I also remember my mother having an ulcer on her leg. A customer told her to leave out a piece of cloth on the eve of Brigid’s feast. There was a belief that St. Brigid left her curative powers on the cloth on the eve of the feast day. I can’t remember if it cured mam’s sore leg but I remember the faith and belief she had in Brigid. I have learnt since that the cloth is called the Brat Bríde. The custom is being revived in Kildare, so my earliest memories are of Brigid the protector, Brigid the healer."
  

Sweet Blessings on you all this Beautiful Bealtaine!

Briget's Crosses & Biddy Boys

Although generally this blog is for referring to other sites, books, etc. to do with Brigit, I would like to add a few notes on Brigit's Crosses from the book Irish Folkways by E.Estyn Evans (Routledge, London and New York, 1957, 1988). This book is an excellent resource and is considered the classic reference for information on folk-customs and tools.

To the left is a drawing taken from pg. 269 of this book. Fig. 1-7 are Brigit's crosses, and Fig. 12 is a Brigit's Girdle. The other figures provide comparision with other cultures. Figure 3, the three-armed cross, is made with 9 stranded plaits (pg. 210).

From the book:

"The blessed Bridie was a cowherd and is therefore associated with cattle and with such flowers as the dandelion--the Plant of Bride--yielding a milky juice which was believed to nourish the young lambs in spring. St. Briget's Feast was very popular and many superstitious practices, more or less Christianized, cling to the preparations made on St.Briget's Eve, the last day of January. On that day rushes are fashiuoned into protective charms known as Briget's Crosses, a name which illustrates how the church has won over pagan symbols, for the 'crosses' take the form of either swastikas or lozenges, and comparative evidence suggests that they are magic symbols of suns or eyes. A three-legged swastika, presumably an old form, is reserved for the byre: its shape may be compared with the Celtic triskele.

"The lozenge-shaped charms have their counterparts in many parts of the world. The Huichols of Mexico make similar charms of wool mounted on a bamboo frame: knwon as 'god's-eyes', they bring good health and long life to children (F. Toor, A Treasury of Mexican Folkways (1947), pg. 72). A CAlifornian Indian charm made of grass or rushes is very similar. In the Old World similar magic 'squares' have a wide distribution, in Europe, Africa, Tibet, Burma, Assam and Indonesia, and farther afield iin Melanesia, Polynesia and Australia. Among the Nagas of Assam the squares, made of coloured thread, are placed on the graves of women and protect them against evil spirits (H. E. Kaufmann, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 73 (1943), 101, 106.) In Sweden and Estonia straw squares are strung up as Christmas decorations and tied to the straw masks worn during Christmas games (Fig. 10).

"Briget's Crosses are believed to protect the house and the livestock from harm and from fire*. No evil spirit could pass the charm, which was therefore hung above the door of house and byre. The rushes must be pulled, not cut, on St. Briget's Eve, and care must be taken to fashion the crosses from left to right, with the sun. As a rule they are left in position until replaced the following year, though I have seen byres with many crosses thrust into the underthatch, the decaying accumulation of annual offerings. In Co. Galway similar crosses made of wood or straw were also placed in the rafters at Hallowe'en, and the discovery of a partly burnt rush cross which had been deposited in a megalith in Co. Limerick points to a more general cult of the 'cross' (S. P. O'Riordain, North Munster Antiquarian Journal, 1 (1936), 36. For a study of Briget's Crosses in Co. Armagh, see T. G. F. Paterson, Ulster Journal of Archaeology, 8 (1945), 43-48). A 'love-knot' of similar shape, fashioned out of sedge leaves, is known from South Wales."

Evans goes on to add that:

"It was popularly believed that the saint wandered through the countryside on the eve of her feast day. Bread was left on the doorstep, and in some districts it was the custom to place it by the fire so that Bridie might come in and rest. Sometimes the last sheaf of harvest was used for the purpose. In south-western Ireland a doll made of straw--or decorated churn-staff--was carried from house to house by 'Biddy Boys', wearing straw masks such as are used by mummers and by strawboys at weddings, and singing songs in honour of the saint. They would solicit gifts and end the day in jollification. The evening was celebrated by a supper of pancakes taken from a plate laid on a rush cross, and as on the other quarter-days prognositcations were made.

"A ribbon or piece of cloth exposed on St. Briget's Eve became endowed with curative powers. It was believed that no work which involved the turning of a wheel should take place on the saint's day. The placing of a periwinkle in each corner of the kitchen likewise hints at a remote pre-agriculatural origin for the festival, but it came to be associated with the pastoral promise of spring, of warmth, new grass, lambs and milk. It is said that the saint placed her foot in water on her feast day so that on that day it begins to warm up each year."

* "The crosses would have blessed the thrashing as well as the cattle." (pg. 215)

Knitting Brigit's Mantle

for those of us who are gifted in knitting (or have the patience to become so--as i do not!), Alice Starmore has written about the art and craft of the Aran sweater (Ireland's Gaelic-speaking western islands being the Aran isles) in her book Aran Knitting. a lovely Brigidine example of this is found in Pamela's House of Blues blog. (besides knitting a beautiful blue St. Brigit's sweater, pamela raises Blue Bearded Collies.)

Ecstasy Forge

Contemporary American "energy artist" Catherine Jo Morgan makes art to offer psychic energy - that energy of full, vibrant aliveness. She makes iron sculptures that center on vessel forms, saying that vessels are ideal for holding and releasing energy. Her current "Energy Transformer" sculptures bring paper and iron into harmony, using copper mesh as a kind of mediator. The copper mesh adds a warm glow to balance the painted paper and iron. Crystal spheres seem to draw and transform energy. Bright metal and swarovski crystal beads enhance each piece

Catherine has named her power hammer, a 25-lb. Little Giant, Brigid, for the goddess of blacksmithing. She has painted a whirl of flames on the hammer. Have a look at her site to see Brigid in all her fiery glory.