Reading · Into the Circle with Erica O'Reilly

Experience the sacredness held within the voice and tradition of Irish oral storytelling. Enjoy at your leisure - maybe curled up with a warm cuppa tea or held within the wild embrace of the magical natural world that surrounds you.

Mo ghrá go léir / All my love,

Erica

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Before the saint;
She was mother.
Before the monastery;
There was the forge.
Before her prayers;
There was her keen.
Before Brigid of Faughart or Kildare;
There was Brigid of the Tuathe Dé Dannan.
And maybe because
She is known between worlds;
As Pagan and Christian,
As Goddess and Saint;
She continues to resonate,
So deeply,
As woman.
Of heart,
Of spirit,
Of fire,
Of water,
Of womb.

Image Credit: Inspired Stock, “Emergence”.

As someone who lives in Ottawa, Canada; I can attest that the cloaks of winter often linger (a lot) longer here.

However, within the hearth of me, the beginning of February brings promises of renewal with the return of Brigid — as I excitedly prepare to leave out my brat bhríde on Oíche Fhéile Bhríde (Brigid’s Eve, January 31st).

During this past Samhain season, one essential teaching I received was: the importance of ritual and ceremony.

My body needs it. My heart yearns for it. And my spirit alights within it.

And it needn’t be loud, long, or ostentatious. Merely clear and intentional.

So, while the snow may continue to fall outside my window. My spirit prepares for the internal shift that awaits this seasonal threshold. Through the simplicity of tying a red scarf to a city balcony, with prayers for Brigid’s blessing.

In moments such as these, in the sacred ritual of routine, is how I choose to honour the wisdom of the old ways in modern days. It’s how I tend to the threads of my ancestry. It’s how I commune with and make space for spirit.

And when I do, I hear the wisdom of the grandmothers in the natural rhythm of my body and heart. A rhythm that echoes in the pulse and spirit of the land — woven within the marrow of my bones.

So, whether you know her as Goddess or Saint, may Brigid bring you many blessings this Imbolc season.

And as we journey forward, may you always feel the sturdy and wise support of an Cailleach in your corner.

2025 - My city balcony holding my brat bhríde; excitedly anticipating Brigid’s blessing and return.

Being of Irish and French ancestry, I continue to be reverently grateful to the traditional spirits and keepers of the land [past, present, and forth-coming] of the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg People; where I was born and currently reside.

Culture, language, and stories run within the rivers and are held within the stones of landscapes. Míle buíochas, a thousand thanks, for the opportunity to share stories alongside you.