This post will be brief. I am thinking of the various ways that I have heard practitioners describe their relationships to God, Goddess, Gods, or sacred figures across trads. I notice that there are two basic axises… at least as far as I can tell.

One spectrum runs from Self to Distant Other, with Other somewhere in the middle. On one end of that spectrum, you have people who see deity as shaping their identity in some way. They want to emulate that deity, live up to their ideals, dress in their sacred symbols, etc. On the other end of the spectrum, you have practitioners who see deities as abstract forces of nature.

The other spectrum runs from Independence to Servitude, with Dependency of some kind in the middle. On the one end of the spectrum, you have witches who relate to deities like the postman, those who relate to deity…

In honor of the first anniversary of Clann Bhride, we are pleased to announce the beginning of our very own Flamekeeping Cill. Flamekeeping is a Brigidine devotional practice that takes place over a 20-day cycle. Members of the Cill are assigned one shift during each cycle, which then repeats itself after the twentieth day. This ground is intended to grow Clann Bhride’s community and help devotees deepen their relationship with Brighid.

Is there a literal fire?

Traditionally, the fire at St. Brigit’s abbey in Kildare was tended round the clock by nineteen women, with Brigit Herself said to watch over the flames every twentieth day. Few of us now have the opportunity to tend a large source of fire such as that found in a fireplace or fire pit, so using a candle, lantern, or oil burner in modern Flamekeeping is certainly acceptable. Ideally one would light this fire for…