So, I was perusing the Facebook Pagan Blog Project page after writing my post on Keys last week and I saw this post titled “Keeper of the Flame” and learned a bit about Brigid/St. Brigid and her eternal flame over the years. I am now thinking of ordering a candle from the order linked to for my own altar, because I think that would be lovely.
Why did this catch my attention and what does it mean? Good question!
The reason this caught my eye is, when I was in high school and delving into pagan communities back on AOL (don’t do the math), people were very into titles and rankings. The pagan community still is very into titles and rankings, but that’s an entirely different post. Anyways, one of the titles I secretly gave myself was “Keeper of the Flame.” My reasoning was because I was (and still am) a fairly strong empath.
Traditionally, emotions are associated with water, but to me at the time, they seemed more akin to fire. Anger, passion, and love, of course, are all associated with fire, but I felt that depression, sadness, and despair represented the devastation that fire left behind very accurately. Being a stronger empath, I was able to not only feel other people’s emotions, but also to influence them, sometimes at will, but mostly by mood. So I felt that it was my duty to kind of manage the emotions around me.
So, doing some research around the internet and in some of my books today and I learned that Brigid was the goddess of the forge, fire, and inspiration. From Ord Brighideach International:
The Three-Fold Fire of Brighid
Fire in the forge that
shapes and tempers.Fire of the hearth that
nourishes and heals.Fire in the head that
incites and inspires.
Very broadly, you can see that Brigid keeps watch over the home, health of the family, the creation of weapons and armor, and the arts – poetry, song, storytelling, and music, among others. She is also linked to healing, the Otherworld, peace, and reconciliation. She is also said to have two sisters, both of whom are named Brigid as well, making her a triple goddess. These things altogether make her very much an Earth goddess and I can see a lot of connections in my own life.
In her worship and appreciation, people keep fires lit for her for days at a time, or even at all times with multiple people taking shifts to watch over it. It used to be, and it is again, that priestesses (or nuns), 19 in number, would take turns watching over a sacred fire, each taking one day as a shift. The 20th day, the goddess herself was expected to tend the flame. The people who tend these flames are known as Keepers of the Flame, or Flamekeepers.
I’m a shaman, responsible for the care and feeding of my people, including their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Matters of the home, hearth, craftsmanship, and arts are very traditional areas for shamans to specialize in. I can see a lot of ways where Brigid could have a very positive influence on my life and I fully plan to work more closely with this Goddess – who knows, I may earn the title of Keeper of the Flame after all.
I’ll keep you updated!
I would love to hear what experiences you have working with Brigid or even how other goddesses may have played a role in your life.
