Lunaea Weatherstone - Tending Brigid’s Flame: Awaken to the Celtic Goddess of Hearth, Temple, and Forge

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Tending Brigids Flame: Awaken to the Celtic Goddess of Hearth, Temple, and Forge 2015 by Lunaea Weatherstone.

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First e-book edition 2015

E-book ISBN: 9780738746760

Cover art: iStockphoto.com/40422502/Chunhai Cao
iStockphoto.com/1818768/2create
Shutterstock/187562690/3drenderings
Shutterstock/76704451/earthvector
Shutterstock/150972005/enterlinedesign

Cover design: Kevin R. Brown

Interior illustrations: Wen Hsu

Imbolc 2004 Lisa Thiel used by permission.

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Llewellyn Publications

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Manufactured in the United States of America

Dedicated to the late Patricia Monaghan,
for her generous encouragement in the early days of this book
and for years of friendship and inspiration.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Joanna Powell Colbert and Ellen Lorenzi-Prince for encouragement like a breath blowing embers into flame.

Thanks to Elysia Gallo of Llewellyn Worldwide for helping make my dream come true.

Thanks to editor Andrea Neff. Virgo authors are the worst , and I felt safe and well cared for in your hands.

Thanks to Kim Diane of Ord Brighideach, Kathy Jones of the Glastonbury Goddess Temple, and especially Mael Brigde of Daughters of the Flame for connections, resources, and support.

Thanks to Domi OBrien for translation help. Any errors in the Irish are mine, not hers!

Grateful blessings to the nineteen wisewomen who so generously added their voices to honor Brigid: Wendy Alford, Jenny Beale, Sharon Blackie, Joanna Powell Colbert, Jen Delyth, Pat Fish, Selena Fox, Mara Freeman, Erynn Rowan Laurie, Ellen Lorenzi-Prince, Mael Brigde, Margie McArthur, Mickie Mueller, Domi OBrien, Rebecca Reeder, Susan Smith, Ruth Temple, Lisa Thiel, and Marvelle Thompson.

Sln abhaile , Dennise Brown; I will make good use of what you bequeathed me.

Finally, thanks to Mickie, Dan, and Pj for kitchen-testing the beer. Slinte!

Contents

: Invoking Brigid

: The Source of the Flame

: Hearth: The Welcoming Flame

: Temple: The Devotional Flame

: Forge: The Transforming Flame

: Tending Your Flame

Prologue

Invoking Brigid

A match flares to life, and a womans voice speaks:

In Brigids name, I light my flame

Alone at her kitchen table, she tenderly applies match to candle,
and the twilight-darkening room is illuminated in a golden glow.

Brigid is my protector, Brigid is my maker of song

Lifting a cup in a ritual gesture,
she sips pure sweet milk in grateful communion.

Brigid is my sword and my shield, Brigid is my guide

Who is this Brigid so lovingly invoked? To her devotees worldwide, she is goddess, saint, muse, and spirit companion. Brigid crosses the borders of theology, appealing to those who worship in both grove and church, circle and convent. She brings with her the traditions of the past, evolving naturally into the living faith of the present and beyond.

The rekindling of interest in Celtic spirituality in recent years has its roots in many sources: widening acceptance for diversity of beliefs, increased respect for earth-centered traditions, and a longing for connection with ancestral ways. Celtic spirituality is very much an earthly path, connected to the daily and seasonal cycles of time, as well as the timelessness of poetry, creativity, and magic. The supernatural and the mystical have never been lost. The Celtic tradition honors many deities, both local spirits of a particular place and those who bless a wider realm of universal understanding. Of these holy ones, Brigid shines brightest. Her influence is invoked to bless all aspects of life, from midwifery to metalcraft.

I am a priestess and flamekeeper vowed to Brigid. The purpose of this book is to present her as a fiery force in the world today, specifically as an inspiration in the lives of women. Modern devotion to Brigid is a combination of tradition and revision, and thats as it should be, though perhaps its more accurate to say add-vision rather than revision. I encourage youand Brigid encourages you!to add your own lore to the store of knowledge about this goddess who encompasses so much. New aspects of the divine will always be revealed, and faith will always evolve to stay alive and relevant.

I offer ways to weave a daily relationship with Brigid, to bring her into your home, your work, your creativity, and your soul. Some of these are traditional and some are intuitive, drawn from my own experience of knowing Brigid and listening for her guidance. What we know about Brigid isnt written in stoneor rather, it isnt written just in stone. It is written in stone, water, and wind. It is written in flame.

My Journey to Brigid

My thoughts, my words,

My deeds, my desires,

My will, my wonder:

I offer all in gratefulness.

Having a close relationship with the Goddess is a deeply personal and subjective thing. She comes to you in the form that speaks to your heart. She shows you how your life is meant to unfold. This book is about finding out who Brigid is for you , so it seems right to begin with who Brigid is for me.

As a teacher of goddess-centered spirituality, Ive often watched women search in a conscious way to find a matron goddess. The Goddess, it is said, has 10,000 names, and all her myriad aspects can be bewildering. The idea of having one particular aspect of the Great Goddess who walks beside you on your path is empowering and mystical. For some women, the call is immediate and clear: a goddesss name is spoken and a deep echo of that name resounds within the soul. For others, different goddesses step forward at different stages of the womans life. Artemis leads a young woman warrior into righteous activism. Yemaya sings lullabies in harmony with a new mother. Cerridwen brings wisdom and vision to the transformations of maturity. Inanna stands at the gate of the underworld when the time comes to drop the veils and release the earthly.