Author Topic: New Patheos Column: "Loop of Brighid" (Read 8033 times)

Gilbride · « **on:** January 03, 2013, 10:52:34 am »

Hi everyone,

I'm very happy to announce my new column "Loop of Brighid," which will be appearing on the Patheos "Agora" blog every other Thursday. The first one is just a broad intro to Brighid and the different "flavors" of Brigidine veneration, but I'm going to go much more in-depth starting with the next one. Here it is, hope you all enjoy it:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2013/01/what-is-brigidine-paganism/#comments

-Gilbride

Rhyshadow · « **Reply #1 on:** January 03, 2013, 11:33:22 am »

Quote from: Gilbride;88863

Hi everyone,

I'm very happy to announce my new column "Loop of Brighid," which will be appearing on the Patheos "Agora" blog every other Thursday. The first one is just a broad intro to Brighid and the different "flavors" of Brigidine veneration, but I'm going to go much more in-depth starting with the next one. Here it is, hope you all enjoy it:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2013/01/what-is-brigidine-paganism/#comments

-Gilbride

Good start there, I've linked to your author profile and look forward to more on her, as she's one of the two I work the closest with.

Siannan · « **Reply #2 on:** January 03, 2013, 07:41:16 pm »

Quote from: Gilbride;88863

Hi everyone,

I'm very happy to announce my new column "Loop of Brighid," which will be appearing on the Patheos "Agora" blog every other Thursday. The first one is just a broad intro to Brighid and the different "flavors" of Brigidine veneration, but I'm going to go much more in-depth starting with the next one. Here it is, hope you all enjoy it:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2013/01/what-is-brigidine-paganism/#comments

-Gilbride

Looking forward to reading more!!

Emerald · « **Reply #3 on:** January 03, 2013, 07:56:42 pm »

Quote from: Gilbride;88863

Hi everyone,

I'm very happy to announce my new column "Loop of Brighid," which will be appearing on the Patheos "Agora" blog every other Thursday. The first one is just a broad intro to Brighid and the different "flavors" of Brigidine veneration, but I'm going to go much more in-depth starting with the next one. Here it is, hope you all enjoy it:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2013/01/what-is-brigidine-paganism/#comments

-Gilbride

Ooooooooh that was you! I just saw it because Teo Bishop shared it on facebook, then I read it and shared it too. I look forward to seeing more from you.

SunflowerP · « **Reply #4 on:** January 05, 2013, 12:06:28 pm »

Quote from: Gilbride;88863

I'm very happy to announce my new column "Loop of Brighid," which will be appearing on the Patheos "Agora" blog every other Thursday. The first one is just a broad intro to Brighid and the different "flavors" of Brigidine veneration, but I'm going to go much more in-depth starting with the next one. Here it is, hope you all enjoy it:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2013/01/what-is-brigidine-paganism/#comments

Belatedly picking what might be a nit, but I'm fairly sure that the Kildare nuns, however friendly and welcoming they might be to pagan Brigidines, are an instance of a Brigidine organization restricted to Christians only. I mean this in the sense of, to be one of the nuns one must necessarily be Christian; from their website it seems clear that non-Christians are welcome in other aspects of the overall organization. But the way you've phrased it in the article is unclear, and potentially misleading.

Sunflower

Gilbride · « **Reply #5 on:** January 05, 2013, 12:28:58 pm »

Quote from: SunflowerP;89190

But the way you've phrased it in the article is unclear, and potentially misleading.

Sorry, I thought I was clear. Yes, you certainly have to be a nun and thus a Catholic to join their order, but I've seen videos of them blessing visitors in which the nuns referred to Brighid as a goddess and a saint interchangeably. So I meant that they were friendly and open in dealing with those who see Her as a goddess.

SunflowerP · « **Reply #6 on:** January 05, 2013, 02:44:07 pm »

Quote from: Gilbride;89197

Sorry, I thought I was clear. Yes, you certainly have to be a nun and thus a Catholic to join their order, but I've seen videos of them blessing visitors in which the nuns referred to Brighid as a goddess and a saint interchangeably. So I meant that they were friendly and open in dealing with those who see Her as a goddess.

Thing being, immediately before that you say you don't know of any groups that are Christian-only.

Sunflower

Aster Breo · « **Reply #7 on:** January 05, 2013, 03:23:45 pm »

Quote from: SunflowerP;89221

Thing being, immediately before that you say you don't know of any groups that are Christian-only.

Sunflower

I thought that comment was about flame-tending orgs (cills) specifically...?

~ Aster

Gilbride · « **Reply #8 on:** January 05, 2013, 04:04:44 pm »

Quote from: Aster Breo;89224

I thought that comment was about flame-tending orgs (cills) specifically...?

Yes, it was referring to flame-tending cills specifically:

"Smaller flamekeeping groups or “cills” may restrict membership to women only, or to pagans only. As far as I know, no such organization is restricted to Christians only or men only."

SunflowerP · « **Reply #9 on:** January 05, 2013, 06:06:20 pm »

Quote from: Gilbride;89231

Yes, it was referring to flame-tending cills specifically:

"Smaller flamekeeping groups or “cills” may restrict membership to women only, or to pagans only. As far as I know, no such organization is restricted to Christians only or men only."

Well, I did say I was picking nits; I found the phrasing a bit confusing.

Though - do the Kildare nuns not tend a flame? Or not use the term "cill"? (Genuinely asking; I don't really know and I didn't find anything on their site that explicitly says they do use the term.)

Sunflower

Juni · « **Reply #10 on:** January 05, 2013, 08:03:37 pm »

Quote from: SunflowerP;89247

Well, I did say I was picking nits; I found the phrasing a bit confusing.

Though - do the Kildare nuns not tend a flame? Or not use the term "cill"? (Genuinely asking; I don't really know and I didn't find anything on their site that explicitly says they do use the term.)

Sunflower

They do tend a flame, but they don't appear to call themselves a cill or church- they're a revival of the early 19th century Order of St. Brigid, and they seem to consistently refer to themselves as an Order.

Quote

The largest flamekeeping organization is the Ord Brighideach, which welcomes both Christians and pagans, men and women. Smaller flamekeeping groups or “cills” may restrict membership to women only, or to pagans only. As far as I know, no such organization is restricted to Christians only or men only.

I do find the phrasing awkward here, as it implies that a) cill is an alternate word for a flamekeeping group, when it's merely the Irish word for church and b) that the Order of St. Brigid is somehow not a cill (even if it's not their choice term) because membership is restricted to Christians only. Just because they're willing to offer their blessings, etc. to non-Christians doesn't change the fact that their internal makeup isn't wholly Christian.

Also, can anyone recommend an edition/source for Cormac's Glossary? I'd never heard that bit about her name being used for any goddess before (well, from a reputable source, anyway- newage books will say anything!)

Gilbride · « **Reply #11 on:** January 05, 2013, 09:32:54 pm »

Quote from: SunflowerP;89247

Though - do the Kildare nuns not tend a flame? Or not use the term "cill"? (Genuinely asking; I don't really know and I didn't find anything on their site that explicitly says they do use the term.)

Yes, they do tend a flame, but it's one continuous flame- they don't have 19 people taking turns, so it just didn't occur to me that people might see them as the same type of order as Ord Brighideach or the Cauldron Cill.

Gilbride · « **Reply #12 on:** January 05, 2013, 09:37:40 pm »

Quote from: Juni;89257

Also, can anyone recommend an edition/source for Cormac's Glossary? I'd never heard that bit about her name being used for any goddess before (well, from a reputable source, anyway- newage books will say anything!)

This question was raised by someone on Patheos, here is what I replied:

Sean O Duinn's recent work "The Rites of Brigid: Goddess and Saint" quotes what I think is the Kuno Meyer translation of Sanas Cormaic on page 60: "From these names, the name Brigid used to be given to almost every Irish goddess." Whitley Stokes, for comparison, translates the same phrase as "from whose names with all Irishmen a goddess was called Brigit."

He then replied that O Duinn's translations weren't always reliable, but I'm pretty sure it's actually Kuno Meyer's translation based on the citation in O Duinn. However, it's certainly possible that the Stokes translation is more accurate.

Juni · « **Reply #13 on:** January 05, 2013, 09:45:38 pm »

Quote from: Gilbride;89285

This question was raised by someone on Patheos, here is what I replied:

Sean O Duinn's recent work "The Rites of Brigid: Goddess and Saint" quotes what I think is the Kuno Meyer translation of Sanas Cormaic on page 60: "From these names, the name Brigid used to be given to almost every Irish goddess." Whitley Stokes, for comparison, translates the same phrase as "from whose names with all Irishmen a goddess was called Brigit."

He then replied that O Duinn's translations weren't always reliable, but I'm pretty sure it's actually Kuno Meyer's translation based on the citation in O Duinn. However, it's certainly possible that the Stokes translation is more accurate.

Ah, thank you! Sorry to make you repeat yourself- I must have missed it.