Sabbats and Sabbaths

Brigid: The Goddess Behind the Saint

Posted on January 23, 2025 by David Taliesin

St. Brigid is both historical figure and character of folklore and shared more than a name with her Pagan Goddess counterpart. It is through St. Brigid that the clearest glimpse into Brigid the Goddess can be found.—Brigid: History, Mystery, and Magick of the Celtic Goddess, Courtney Weber

If you spend any time researching the subject, there are numerous theories that describe how the Saint and Goddess are connected. The one that resonates with me most strongly these days comes from the excellent research done by Courtney Weber in Brigid: History, Mystery, and Magic of the Celtic Goddess. According to Weber, one of the commonalities between various Celtic cultural traditions was a term for an exalted being: Brig or Brid. It was applied to more than the Goddess, and was also used to refer to women in positions of power in society. One example is a first century Irish lawyer called Brigh which was probably not her name but was a reference to her occupation as a female judge.

When nuns take their vows, they leave their secular name behind and choose a new one. Based on Weber’s work it is possible that the nun in question chose the name Brigid which was quite fitting since she held a powerful position as the founder of the cathedral in Kildare (which was built on top of a Pagan shrine) and abbess of a monastery. She also had a reputation for being generous to the poor and was known for healing miracles and compassionate care for animals.

stbrigcathedral — Cross from St. Brigid’s Cathedral

When Brigid died and was declared a saint, there is no doubt the folklore surrounding her continued to grow. It’s my theory that many of the qualities that were once attributed to the Goddess Brigid became attached to St. Brigid since the worship of the Goddess remained strong in Ireland in spite of Christian attempts to eliminate her. This way, the Celts could have their Goddess in the guise of saint’s clothing. It was a win/win for both sides!

There are others beside myself who believe in this theory. Robert Ellsberg in All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses For Our Time, says “It has been noted that in ancient times Brigid was, in fact, the name of the Celtic sun goddess. This has given rise to the suggestion that in St. Brigid, a nun and abbess of the fifth century, we find the repository of primeval religious memories and traditions. In any case, it seems that with the cult of St. Brigid the Irish people maintained an image of the maternal face of God with which to compliment the more patriarchal religion of St. Patrick and subsequent missionaries.”

Edward C. Sellner in Wisdom of the Celtic Saints, says “These attributes (of the goddess) were eventually identified with Brigit, the saint, whose feast day, February 1, came to be celebrated on the same day as that of the Pagan goddess. Early hagiographers also portray crucial turning points in Brigit’s life and ministry as touched with fire. It is clear that St. Brigit stands on the boundary between Pagan mythology and Christian spirituality.”

In my own personal spiritual practice, Brigid plays a big part as my “go-to” Goddess. I have an icon of her above my altar in the form of St. Brigid to remind me of the connection between my Christian and Pagan paths. For me she is a bridge-builder and reconciler whose healing power might help to bring us all closer together! Hail Brigid, and I wish you all a blessed celebration of Imbolc!

Posted in Brigid, Goddess, Imbolc | Tagged Brigid, Imbolc, St. Brigid | 6 Comments

Brigid’s Garden: A Ritual/Retreat

Posted on January 22, 2025 by David Taliesin

Last year Brigid charged me with writing and sharing this resource. With my beloved holy day of Imbolc coming up, I wanted to repost the link. It’s a collection of stories, prayer and reflection questions on 5 aspects of Brigid. Enjoy! You can find the PDF HERE.

Posted in Brigid, Imbolc, Uncategorized | Tagged Brigid, Imbolc, Kildare | 2 Comments

January Full Moon: Wolf Moon

Posted on January 12, 2025 by David Taliesin

“Wolf is the pathfinder, the forerunner of new ideas who returns to the clan to teach and share medicine. Wolf takes one mate for life and is loyal like a Dog. If you were to keep company with Wolves, you would find an enormous sense of family within the pack, as well as a strong individualistic urge.”—Medicine Cards, Jamie Sams & David Carson

January 13th is the full moon that is known as the Wolf Moon. It’s one of my favorites. Using the information from the Native American Medicine Cards as our guide, there are several questions we can meditate on during this full moon:

At the beginning of this new year, what is the undiscovered territory we are exploring? What boundaries are we crossing? What new knowledge are we assimilating?

If we feel more like a gerbil on a wheel instead of a path-finding wolf, what can we do to push us out of our comfort zones? How do we awaken the Wolf Spirit that lies within?

How well are we balancing the needs of family and friends vs. our own individual needs? Do we need to strengthen our ties with those we love or do we need to learn a little self-care?

A simple ritual for this night would be to light a white candle and place a picture or statue of a wolf in front of it. Use this as a meditative image as we reflect on one of the questions I asked above.

Posted in Esbats | Tagged Full Moon, January, Wolf Moon | 1 Comment

La Befana: Ancient Goddess, Santa’s Precursor, or Christmas Witch?

Posted on January 2, 2025 by David Taliesin

I was hooked the first time I heard about her: La Befana, the “Christmas Witch.” The first figure I saw of her while traveling in Italy was an elderly “nonna” (grandmother) who was dressed in peasant clothing with a kerchief around her head. She was riding a broom and had a bag of goodies. What’s not to like about THAT? A friend of mine recently brought me one from Italy that looked like a leftover Halloween witch. She even wore an orange skirt and a pointy hat!

Needless to say, there are many layers of tradition and stories that go into the creation of La Befana. The earliest layer is that some believe she is descended from the Sabine/Roman Goddess Strenia (Strenua), the goddess of the new year year, purification and well-being. She name appears to be the origin of strenae, the gifts Romans exchanged at the beginning of the year as good omens for the coming year. These gifts often included figs, dates and honey. Not surprisingly, several sources say that La Befana brought these same gifts to Italian children in her earliest incarnation. Thus, the tie between the two is rather convincing.

The next layer of La Befana occurs around the 8th century when she began to appear in Italian folklore in connection with the celebration of Epiphany. In fact, her name, most likely comes from the Italian word for Epiphany, “epifania.” If you’ve read my blog you know that the goddess often got adapted and incorporated into Christian theology and practice. (Brigid is the best example.) So it’s not surprising that this most likely occurred here as well.

The story that is told about her is a really weird but delightful one. Here’s one version of the legend:

La Befana lived alone in a house in the hills of Italy. She spent her days cooking and cleaning like all good nonnas do! One night she noticed a bright light in the sky. After some thought, La Befana decided to ignore the light and go back to sleep.
A few days later, a caravan led by Three Wise Men stopped at La Befana’s house to ask for directions to Bethlehem. La Befana offered them hospitality. In return, the Wise Men invited her to come with them to visit Baby Jesus. She declined, saying she had too much work to do. But later she changed her mind.
She then packed a basket with baked goods and gifts for the newborn child. She grabbed her broom (because the new mother would certainly need help cleaning), and tried to catch up with the Wise Men.
After she had walked a long distance angels appeared to her and gave her the gift of flight. So she hopped on her broom and continued to search for the Christ Child. She is still searching to this very day, and every Epiphany, she visits homes throughout Italy, giving gifts to every child she finds along the way. Over time, she has come to realize that the Christ Child can be found in all children, so her search is not in vain.

Her final layer is the more modern folklore tradition that may be somewhat freed of its Christian adaptation. La Befana visits all the children of Italy on Epiphany Eve (January 5) by magically sliding down the chimney on her broom. She leaves candy, treats and presents if you’re good, and a lump of coal or black candy if you’re bad. Yeah, I know, that sounds a lot like Santa Claus so she may also be the precursor to the legends surrounding the jolly old man himself! Another tradition is that La Befana also sweeps the floor before she leaves since she is such a good housekeeper.

The final piece of the puzzle is her reputation as the Christmas “witch.” I see no evidence of her being a “Strega” (Italian witch) but am open to any information you have to share. It seems to me that since she rode a broom in early folkloric traditions and has the magical power to slide down a chimney, it’s not surprising that her kerchief became replaced with a pointy witches hat and her face grew more haggardly over time with a big pointy nose. It was bound to happen, but I think this does her a great injustice. It may make sense for retailers to pawn off their Halloween witches as La Befana, but this cheapens her legend and legacy.

I still need to do more research on this topic but you must admit that La Befana is an intriguing woman whose legend is surround by magic and mystery. I don’t think she would have it any other way!

Posted in Epiphany, Goddess | Tagged celtic, Christmas witch, god-dess, Goddess, La Befana, Magic, Witch | Leave a comment

Runes and Hurricane Helene

Posted on November 19, 2024 by David Taliesin

The day before Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina, I drew a rune for guidance which is something I do almost every day. This time I felt compelled to draw two and, wouldn’t you know it, I pulled Algiz and Raidho from the bag. I laughed out loud because I immediately knew what the Divine was trying to tell me: You are protected but, buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. You’re going on a journey and it won’t be a fun one. Little did I know how bumpy the ride was going to be.

Helene tore through our beloved mountains with a fury I have never witnessed. Areas such as the River Arts District, Chimney Rock and downtown Marshall were literally washed away by historic flooding. We were cut off from the rest of the world for about three days with all major roads into Asheville being impassable.

When help arrived, they found a city that was already working hard to rescue trapped people, cut downed trees and share whatever resource we had with those who needed them the most. This storm brought the people of Asheville together in a way I have never seen before. Whatever differences we had were not important anymore. We were neighbors helping neighbors and, with the help of an amazing number of volunteers and professionals from across the country, we have slowly but surely begun to reclaim our city and our lives.

I share this story with you because it helped me to understand Algiz in a new way. Yes, it’s a rune of Divine protection but this protection might also come in human form. Depending on where this rune falls in a reading, the Divine might be calling us to lend a helping hand to someone who really needs it. Conversely, it might also be a challenge for us to be vulnerable enough to accept help from others.

If you have any thoughts on this, I’d be interested in what you have to say. Please leave a comment and share your experience of Algiz. I’ll be back to posting regularly soon.

Blessed be! David

Posted in Norse/Germanic Spirituality, Runes | Tagged Algiz, Raidho | 1 Comment

I Survived Hurricane Helene

Posted on October 14, 2024 by David Taliesin

Hello Everyone,

I will have lots more to share but for now I wanted you to know that I’m alive and doing okay in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene that ravaged my beautiful city of Asheville and the surrounding communities, My house is OK. My family is OK. As you can imagine I’m just struggling like everyone else here to make sure I have the basic necessities of life and also help others who are far worse off than I.

I’m learning lots of lessons and I’ll be back to share some of them with all of you. Keep sending positive vibes to me and donate wherever you can to help us recover. A great local organization with boots on the ground is Beloved Asheville. I promise not a penny you donate to them will be wasted.

Blessings, David Taliesin

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Fehu: Prosperity In All Of Its Forms

Posted on August 28, 2024 by David Taliesin

Fehu is the first rune in Freya’s Aett. Therefore, in some ways, it can be seen as a rune of beginnings. The traditional interpretation of this rune is wealth and abundance and is often associated with cattle. Keywords that come to mind are success, prosperity, good luck and fertility. Depending on where Fehu falls in a reading, it may mean that prosperity of some sort is coming your way. However, this new source of wealth may not be monetary, it may be spiritual as well.

This past week we had a bit of a shake up in the place where I work. In seeking clarification for the kind of energy I needed to bring into this chaotic week, Fehu appeared. It helped me to understand this rune in a new way as I applied it to the situation I’m facing. It is a new beginning. Things have been cleared out of the way so that new sources of “wealth” in terms of knowledge, spirituality, etc. can blossom and grow. This, in the end, may also bring material wealth with it, but the call is to share the knowledge I’ve accumulated over time with others, and this will lead to new streams of prosperity. Does that make sense?

The other thing about Fehu is that the wealth we accumulate, in whatever form it comes, is not meant to be hoarded. It is always meant to be shared for the blessing and benefit of others. This was especially important in Viking times when life was hard and resources were sometimes scarce. The very survival of the village depended on everyone sharing with others out of the abundance of whatever they had.

While studying the runes, I wrote a series to rune poems to help me understand their meaning. Here’s what I came up with for Fehu.

David Taliesin Rune Poem:
The joyful abundance of FEHU:
Wealth given to me is a gift shared with you.
The horn of plenty cannot be contained,
But overflows for everyone’s gain.

Posted in Norse/Germanic Spirituality, Runes | Tagged abuncance, Fehu, norse, rune | Leave a comment

Story of the Green Corn Woman

Posted on August 25, 2024 by David Taliesin

This is my version of the story that was taught to me by a Cherokee elder. There are many variations of this legend out there. It is often told during the Green Corn Festival, an annual ceremony practiced among various Native American peoples including the Cherokee. It is associated with the beginning of the yearly corn harvest. Historically, it involved a first fruits rite in which the community would sacrifice the first of the green corn to ensure the rest of the crop would be successful. The Green Corn Ceremony typically occurs in late July–August, determined locally by the ripening of the corn crops. Enjoy!

There once was an old woman who was raising her two grandsons. They loved to eat deer, rabbit, and quail but corn was their absolute favorite food. It didn’t matter how their grandmother fixed it. They absolutely loved it: Corn soup, corn stew, cornbread, roasted corn. They simply couldn’t get enough of it.

One day the two grandsons began to wonder, “Where does Grandmother get all that corn?” Grandmother overheard their conversation and told them, “You do not need to know where it comes from. Simply enjoy the gift.”

The next day, grandmother went into the smokehouse which was always locked. The curiosity of the two boys got the best of them. They tiptoed toward the smokehouse as quietly as they could and found a place where they could sneak a peak inside. What they saw astonished and amazed them.

There was a big reed basket on the floor of the smokehouse. When their grandmother stepped into it, she started to dance and corn began to fall from the folds of her garments until the basket was full of beautiful green ears of corn. The boys gasped when they saw the sight and hoped their grandmother did not hear them outside of the smokehouse. They left quietly and went about their day, talking about the miraculous sight they had seen.

That night, when they sat down for dinner, Grandmother asked them a question, “Do you have something to tell me?” The two boys knew they had been caught and so they confessed to their grandmother what they had witnessed earlier in the day.

“My dear grandsons, you saw something you should not have seen. And because of this, I will now grow frail and you will need to take care of me just like I have taken care of you. Then, one day, I will die and you will bury me in a special place that I will show you. I will also teach you how to prepare the place of my burial.”

The boys didn’t know what to say. Their hearts were sad. The next day, their grandmother took them out to a level field and showed them how to build a fence around the field to keep out predators. She taught them how to remove rocks, tree stumps and weeds, and hoe the soil until it was nice and smooth. She also told them that, one day, they would teach others everything she was teaching them.

When the project was finished, grandmother began to get weaker and weaker. The boys took loving care of her until she died. Then they buried her body in the special field they had prepared. They also began to wonder how they would survive without her and where they would get the corn from now that she was gone.

Several weeks later, a miracle happened. Green shoots began to appear in the field where their grandmother was buried. These shoots grew tall as they were warmed by the summer sun and began to spout ears of corn. When harvest time came, the boys stored some in the smokehouse and reserved enough kernels to plant them in the spring. They also took these kernels to all the Indian nations and taught them everything their grandmother had taught them: how to cultivate the land and how to plant the kernels so they would have corn to eat as well. And this is how we receive the gift of corn to this very day.

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain. But if i dieds it bears much fruit.” Gospel of John

Posted in Lughnasadh | Tagged Cherokee, corn, green, woman | Leave a comment

Urban Crow Oracle

Posted on August 18, 2024 by David Taliesin

I am super picky about my tarot and oracle decks. I’ve tried a number of them that I thought would serve me well but ended up gifting them to others. The one oracle deck that stands heads above the rest for me is the Urban Crow Oracle by M.J. Cullinane. I’ve always had a special affinity for crows and a family of them lives in a giant evergreen ewe tree in my front yard. For me, they’ve always been the bringers of magic and hidden wisdom so this deck was a no-brainer for me to check out.

What sealed the deal was the simplicity of the deck’s design that contains 54 cards with one or two words on the bottom of each. The rest of each card is filled with vivid artwork of crows as they live and thrive in a urban setting. I often use this deck as a one card draw to know what I need to be on the lookout for in the coming week. This deck never fails to provide me with the insight I need. I also sometimes use it in conjunction with tarot and rune readings as well.

As some of my readers know, I work in a metaphysical bookstore with a large selection of decks. Choosing the right one is an intensely personal decision. Although I do make recommendations based on what kinds of images the customer feels drawn to, I always tell them to trust their instinct. When you feel the “pull” toward a certain deck, then definitely look it up online to see a sample off the images from it. That should help you decide if it’s the right deck for you.

The true test of any deck, however, is how you feel when you use it. If you’re drawn to crow imagery (any fans of Huginn and Muninn out there?) then definitely give this one a try. The imagery here will both surprise and delight you.

Posted in Tarot | Tagged crow, deck, Divination, oracle, urban | Leave a comment

Gebo: Balanced Exchange

Posted on August 12, 2024 by David Taliesin

Last week I drew a card from the Urban Crow Oracle by M.J. Cullinane. It’s my favorite oracle deck and I often consult it to get a sense of what I need to focus on in the coming week. The card I drew was Self-Interest which I have actually never drawn before. Seeking clarification, I reached into my Rune bag and out came Gebo. Taking these two together, I understood what the Divine was trying to tell me: I was extending myself too much and needed to focus on my own needs and goals in the coming week.

Traditionally, Gebo symbolizes the giving and receiving of gifts. When it appears in a reading it’s always good to ask ourselves if our relationships are in balance. Are we spreading ourselves too thin or are we too preoccupied with our own wants and desires? Either extreme is not healthy. Life is about balance and we will be happier and more satisfied with our lives if we learn this important lesson.

While studying the runes, I wrote a series to rune poems to help me understand their meaning. Here’s what I came up with for Gebo.

David Taliesin Rune Poem:
Equal exchange is rune GEBO.
Be generous with everyone you know.
Find balance in relationships
For this is the holiest of gifts.

Posted in Norse/Germanic Spirituality, Runes | Tagged Gebo, Runes | 2 Comments