Brigid in Ireland - 5 Week Course
Weekly Online Classes - Learn about Brigid, Irish Goddess & Saint, with a native Irish devotee and practitioner.
ENROLLMENT CLOSED ON WEDNESDAY 12TH FEBRUARY 2020.
Unfortunately, you have missed this deadline, so please join the waiting list for first news of the next course here - https://lora-o-brien-irish-pagan-school.ck.page/6b...
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We get a lot of questions about Brigid, at the Irish Pagan School. People ask us:
- -- What is the actual historical lore (as far as we know anyway) and what is nonsense?
- -- How do native folks relate to her in their working of magic?
- -- What do daily practices look like from a native context?
- -- How is Brigid honored on a day-to-day basis, not just on Imbolc?
We've all seen how wrong this can go, with new-agey pages and websites that make all sorts of claims but have no facts or evidence... just re-hashed garbage information to wade through regarding honouring Brigid.
So, we decided to work with an expert, a lifelong scholar and devotee of Brigid in Ireland, to get you some authentic answers, and provide insight on her origins, her connections with the land and seasons, her aspects, and how she is honoured in our living practice in Ireland.
Cormac’s glossary gives us three Brigids, one of poetry, healing and smithing:
Brigit i.e. a poetess, daughter of the Dagda. This is Brigit the female sage, or woman of wisdom, i.e. Brigit the goddess whom poets adored, because very great and very famous was her protecting care. It is therefore they call her goddess of poets by this name. Whose sisters were Brigit the female physician [woman of leechcraft,] Brigit the female smith [woman of smithwork] ; from whose names with all Irishmen a goddess was called Brigit. Brigit, then, breo-aigit, breo-shaigit, ‘a fiery arrow’.
But who are these three Brigids? Is there one, or three, or three sisters, or three-in-one? What can we learn from her/them?
Each session will include a simple ceremony or prayer/devotional, a teaching presentation on the topic, a Guided Meditation, some homework/further study, and Q&A discussion time during the live classes, which will also be recorded and available in the curriculum a few days afterwards.
(Please expect to spend 90 minutes to 2 hours on these course materials and sessions per week, plus further research and repeating the Meditations as needed.)
Session 1: Brigid in the Irish Lore
Where does she appear and how reliable are these sources? What can we tell from the snippets we see? How does this relate to later Brigid stories from Christian lore?
(Includes Simple Opening Ceremony)
Session 2: Brigid the Poet
What was the role of a poet in Iron Age Ireland? How do we translate this to the modern world? What work do we need to do ourselves to acknowledge, honour and learn more about Brigid as poet?
Session 3: Brigid the Healer
Well, a healer would appear to be a healer no matter what the time period we consider, right? Or, do we need to look deeper at the role of healing in mythology and see how this role comes about... to understand better why Brigid would need to be highlighted as a “female physician” as opposed to “physician”?
Session 4: Brigid the Smith
Now, smithing is not as popular these days as it used to be, but how important were smiths in the Iron Age or in succeeding ages? What was their role and how does this affect our work with Brigid today?
Session 5: Brigid Here & Now
A final session to take a look at Brigid in modern Ireland, how she is looked at, how she has endured, where is she now? Where will you take your studies next – what work will you be assigned by her? What more do you want to find out?
(Includes Simple Closing Ceremony)
Learn the history and heritage of this fascinating Irish Goddess (and Saint), from the perspective of someone who has grown up immersed in the vibrant culture of knowing and honouring her, and developed that into a personal practice firmly grounded in the authentic Irish traditions.
This course will give you an excellent foundation in Brigid's place in the lore of Ireland, and how best to work with her authentically and respectfully... wherever you are in the world.
{PLEASE NOTE}
This pricing is valid for this course material only - you get lifetime access to these materials, but your access is not going to transfer to any future versions. (We used to do that, but things are getting too unwieldy to run that way anymore, with 4,598+ students currently enrolled at the Irish Pagan School!)
Your Instructor
Orlagh currently describes herself as a Pagan Catholic. Her main relationship in the Irish Pantheon is with Brighid, in whatever form She chooses to present Herself. Orlagh runs a group on Facebook dedicated to Brighid - called Brigid's Forge at https://www.facebook.com/groups/318562765289760/ and is involved with women's circles in various ways. She practices reiki & reflexology for fun; and by day, she masquerades as an engineer. Learn More at https://mybrigidsforge.wordpress.com/
- Dr Frank Malone, Delaware USA
Frequently Asked Questions
"Honestly, I stumbled onto the Brigid's Forge FB group not too long ago. I find Orlagh to be knowledgeable, and more than happy to share that knowledge. She's involved in the group, and doesn't, that I have seen, treat anyone as though their questions are silly. Instead she treats each person with respect. I quite appreciate that."
- Lauren B, USA