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St. Brigid, Druidic Ecumenism,
and the Divine
Feminine 02/3/2024 |
One story tells us Brigid’s mother was a Christian and her father a Druid or spiritual leader in pre-Christian Celtic society. Iona was a sacred site for Druidic pilgrims before St. Columba in the sixth century. The name “Hebrides” means “the islands of Brigid or
Bride.” |
Thus she stands for “a symbol of continuity in the Celtic world between one age of wisdom and the next.” The pre-Christian and Christian merge with Brigid. The Book of Leinster, a twelfth century Irish manuscript, says Brigid was a Druidess or leader in that community to which the oak
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tree was very sacred. With its roots in the earth and its reach for the sky, it “connected heaven and earth.” “Kildare” means “Church of the Oaks” and Brigid saw Christ as her Druid. The pre-Christan earth goddess was “brigid” or the “great one” or “shining one.” Says Newell,
“the earth goddess was the shining or brightness deep in all things.” |
Mural depicting Brigid as both goddess and saint, Dundalk, County Louth. Wikimedia
Commons | Recall that Hildegard of Bingen calls Mary “the ground of being” and Eckhart calls God “the
ground of being.” The “shining” element of being is also the Cosmic Christ. Hildegard and Aquinas talk of the “radiance” in all of being. In the centuries following her death, St. Brigid “took on many of the characteristic of the |
goddess” and was remembered though the ritual of the perpetual fire, a ritual that lasted a thousand years right up to the Protestant reformation when it was extinguished. |
Says Newell, This marked a tragic shift in Ireland’s dominant form of Christianity away from the divine as immanent and feminine toward regarding it solely as masculine and transcendent. |
Surely this parallels the shift in the Hail Mary prayer in the sixteenth century that we discussed in a previous DM and set the pace for the modern era of patriarchal excess. As an abbess in Kildare, Brigid celebrated Mass along with other women. We know this because a synod of bishops
in |
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Rome in 520 denounced the practice as “abominable.” "She had episcopal status in the Celtic world."* |
Queries for Contemplation How does Brigid’s story speak to you and to the patriarchal excess we are trying to move beyond today? |
Responses are welcomed. To add
your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialog, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments
field. |
Hildegard of Bingen, A Saint for Our Times: Unleashing Her Power in the 21st Century
Matthew Fox writes in Hildegard of Bingen about this amazing woman and what we can learn from
her.
In an era when women were marginalized, Hildegard was an outspoken, controversial figure. Yet so visionary was her insight that she was sought out by kings, popes, abbots, and bishops for advice.
“This book gives strong, sterling, and unvarnished evidence that everything – everything – we ourselves become will affect what women
after us may also become….This is a truly marvelous, useful, profound, and creative book.” ~~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism. |
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Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart
Matthew Fox’s comprehensive translation of Meister Eckhart’s sermons is a meeting of true prophets across centuries, resulting in
a spirituality for the new millennium. The holiness of creation, the divine life in each person and the divine power of our creativity, our call to do justice and practice compassion–these are among Eckhart’s themes, brilliantly interpreted and explained for today’s reader.
“The most important book on mysticism in 500 years.” — Madonna Kolbenschlag, author of Kissing Sleeping Beauty
Goodbye. |
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In the Beginning There Was Joy: A Cosmic Celebration for Kids of All Ages
The first book in the Father Fox’s Fantastical Fables series tells the story of the big bang and how humans fit into the awesome, fantastical,
cosmic picture! With artwork curated from illustrators around the world, this book expresses the joy and wonder of all peoples and cultures, planting seeds of respect, cooperation and hope to work together for the healing of our planet.
"Matthew Fox does it again, here for our young ones, who so need a positive, cosmic vision to thrive, or even survive, in a sad
time." - Father Richard Rohr, Author of The Universal Christ
"Matthew Fox offers a resounding affirmation of what our souls have always suspected: we are made for joy." - Mirabai Starr, Author of God of Love and Wild Mercy Receive a 20% discount when you buy this and one other book from Matthew Fox’s store! Use Promo Code 20% at checkout. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar
HERE |
SPECIAL EVENT: 5-DAY WORKSHOP IN AQUINAS’ HOMETOWN OF ORVIETO, ITALY
WITH MATTHEW FOX, MESHI CHAVEZ, AND CLAUDIA PICARDI
JUNE 9-14, 2024
LEARN MORE HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book “The Lotus & The Rose” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, February 15, 4:00-6:00 pm PT. Register HERE. |
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew Fox speaks on "What the Mystics Tell Us About Dying" at the 2024 Symposium on Death and Bereavement Studies. To listen, click the video thumbnail at right. |
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