St. Brigid's flame in the Market Square in Kildaretown. The flame monument was unveiled on February 1, 2006, by Ireland's President of that time, Mary McAleese. Photo and text courtesy of Elizabeth Guerra-Walker.
Early in my Brigid journey, I wondered if I should have picked a different Goddess to devote so much of my spiritual journey to, perhaps one more obscure so I wouldn't be just one more drop in a Brigid ocean. It seemed as though everywhere I went, I ran into self-described daughters and sons of Brigid—among Pagans, Christians, and more. Brigid was everywhere. Was I only following a trend? Should I have done more searching before claiming this Goddess as my own personal guide? Would I have found deeper mysteries and greater knowledge in a lesser-known Goddess? In time, that didn't matter. I grew to love the breadth, depth, and myriad of ways Brigid is revered and the fact that I was part of something so big and beautiful, the expanse of how she continues to be worshipped.
Brigid is a litany: the Healer, the Smith, the Mother, the Dawn, the Warrior, the Poet. Most of all, she is permanent. Will we eventually see incarnations of Brigid colonizing space?
Probably. Will time look back on her as part of the inspiration for a green-technology revolution? It's quite possible. If anything, this book has hopefully revealed just how much life and spirit continues to be poured into Brigid and through her, how much is then rebirthed into the world. Brigid did not fade and become revitalized. She adapted. She holds too tight on the corner of humanity's soul to be simply whipped away by the winds of time. She has become part of our collective soul's fabric, certainly growing even stronger with the centuries.
First and always, she is a Goddess of life. This doesn't mean that working with her will always be pleasant. Life has war, pain, the sometimes-difficult journey of healing, the sweat and frustration and even failures of work and loss. Even death itself is an integral part of life. But even so, life also contains joy, laughter, astounding beauty, the thrill of accomplishment—a glorious mixture of all and then some.
Your Brigid journey will be much the same. Take the tough moments with laughter, savor the gentle gems. Keep record of the synchronistic moments as they arise. Brigid has no blanket code of conduct. How she will speak to and manifest for you will be unique to you, alone. It is my hope that this book has provided some tools to connect mysterious dots and point out a few doorways. It will be up to you to approach these doorways and see what patterns these dots actually make. Above all:
May your forge be ever ready
May your hammer be ever strong
May each dawn bring you new hope
May your armor be always prepared
May Her White Cow be at your side
Wherever your journey take you across this green Earth,
May Brigid always light the way.
Blessed be your journey, friend. Thank you for reading.