Review: Pagan Portals—Irish Paganism: Reconstructing Irish Polytheism by Morgan Daimler

Daimler, Morgan. Pagan Portals—Irish Paganism: Reconstructing Irish Polytheism (2015) Moon Books.

An excellent primer on Celtic Reconstructionism and the deities and beliefs of ancient Ireland.

 (Also mentioned, Daimler, Morgan, Tales of the Tuatha Dé Danann; Daimler, Morgan, Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann; Laurie, Erynn Rowan, Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom; and NicDhàna, Laurie, Vermeers and Lambert ní Dhoireann, The CR FAQ — An Introduction to Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism.)

So why is this book on a Brigit blog? Because, and I truly do believe this, whatever our background or spiritual leanings, the more we understand about the world Brigit emerged from and the world which embraces her now, the deeper our connection with her will become. 

Pagan Portals—Irish Paganism: Reconstructing Irish Polytheism is another short book by Morgan Daimler that gets straight to the point—a clear, comprehensive manual that dusts away cobwebs and guides the reader in helpful directions. The other such by her that I have reviewed (favourably) was Pagan Portals— Brigid: Meeting the Celtic Goddess of Poetry, Forge, and Healing Well.

By its nature, the present book cannot be as precisely tuned as the Brigit book; its topic is much vaster and its page count similar. Not difficult. Daimler still manages to identify key topics and dispatch them creditably. There are times when I wished for more detail—also not difficult. She footnotes beautifully so that the reader can consult elsewhere for that fleshing out. To attempt to put all the rich detail possible into this book would have defeated its purpose. For clarity on what is a deep and rambling topic, with dozens of possible interpretations of the materials, Daimler’s choice of a smooth outline and spare prose is perfect.

Irish Paganism: Reconstructing Irish Polytheism contains quick, nicely referenced notes on what Celtic Reconstructionism is and isn’t, basic beliefs, deities, spirits, holy days, an Irish Polytheistic approach to ritual, magic and mysticism, and so on.

I read it, without planning to, at the same time as Daimler’s pair of palm-sized bilingual (Irish and English) booklets, Treasures of the Tuatha  Dé Danann and Tales of the Tuatha  Dé Danann. She has selected key passages from Irish myths and translated them here. I found reading these booklets in tandem with  Irish Paganism: Reconstructing Irish Polytheism helped illuminate the character of some of the deities, as well as the sense of story and Otherworld from an Old Irish point of view.

A nice follow-up would be Erynn Rowan Laurie’s Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom, which goes into greater detail on many of the above elements, including what CR is, its ethics, and approach to ritual, as well as homing in on texts and traditions that illuminate the various letters of the ogam alphabet. This yields a practical tool for the type of spirituality Daimler offers us here in broad strokes. Daimler herself gives a list of readings to turn to next, including the CR: FAQ, which I would agree is an important book for getting a grasp on what CR encompasses and aspires to.

Not every aspect of the book worked for me. Most particularly, I wish Moon Books would get a good copy editor and not let errors slip by (though I admit there are not many, and the layout can’t be faulted). Recalling that a book like this is ideal for beginners, a glossary with new words and terms, or the word listed with the page where it is defined, would be a good compromise in a short book where there is no index, and would be easy enough to add to the pronunciation page. There are times, too, when ancient and modern, Pagan and Christian are subtly blurred, such that they don’t completely reflect reality and can cause confusion.

As one who doesn’t do a lot that would be termed magical, myself, I found Daimler’s description of the place of magic in the daily life of our ancestors and the nuts and bolts of how Irish spells might be constructed quite illuminating. And finally, her discussion of cultural appropriation, with a rare and valuable explanation of what the term exactly means and when it is and isn’t a bad or good thing, was extremely valuable to me. Clearly, though this book would make a great introduction to someone newly interested in Irish Polytheism or Celtic Reconstructionism generally, it has gems on offer, too, for those who have been involved in the movement for some time.

I look forward to reading my next book by Morgan!

Brigit Music Downloads

Passing the time in iTunes (always a dangerous course of action, I understand) I popped "Brigit" in the search field and discovered fellow Canadian Bruce Mitchell's album New Earth Goddess, with its track, "Brigit". A sample tells me this is a rich and rumbling instrumental track. You can find it in various places besides iTunes, but I will give you that link and if you want CDBaby (which is down at the moment) or some other thing you will find it there, too. $0.99 will get you the song. For a review of the album by New Age Music World, pop over here.

For a lighter and more skipping instrumental track by the same name, try Ruaidhri's "Brigit" on his album Celtic Goddess. Also $0.99,

In a much gravellier, grittier vein, the song "Brigit's Cross" by Steve Von Till on his The Grave is a Grim Horse doesn't have a huge amount to do with Brigit but it does protest the primacy of the pre-Christian religion. I liked it. Here is a link to a YouTube rendering, and below are the lyrics. It, too, is $0.99 on iTunes.

Enjoy!

Artist: Steve Von Till

Album: A Grave Is a Grim Horse

Steve Von Till – Brigit's Cross

Holy man,

Don’t waste your breath on me

I don’t seek what you lost

We don’t need your superstition

Keep your poison out of our well

It’s bitter to the taste

We’ve been drinkin’ here

For thousands of years

I left my blessing

On the Brigit’s cross

Our old ways are as snakes

That live deep in the clay

No man with a crooked stick

Can drive them away

He drove our gods into the sea

At least so they say

Let me tell you friend

We’ve given up your ghost

I left my blessing

On the Brigit’s cross

I live my days by the quartered wheel

Woven from the straw

Harvest gold

Reflects the sun

I left my blessing

On the Brigit’s cross

Engaged Brigidism

Apart from my devotion to Brigit and my interest in Irish mythology generally, I have a Buddhist practice in the tradition of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. So I am well exposed to the idea of engaged Buddhism, a movement begun by our teacher and his student friends as they attempted to come to grips with living as monastics in a country at war in the 1960s.

To quote Wikipedia (and who better?)

Engaged Buddhism refers to Buddhists who are seeking ways to apply the insights from meditation practice and dharma teachings to situations of social, political, environmental, and economic suffering and injustice. 

It has long struck me that the stories of Saint Brigit often have to do with defying injustice, particularly around marginalized people such as lepers, the poor, and the mentally ill, as well as the liberation of slaves and the protection of fugitives. If that is so, it seems we are invited to follow the lead of the Catholic Brigidine Sisters and bring elements of peaceful social justice into our practice as lay or NeoPagan Brigidines.

This has a broad scope, as broad as the aspects of both saint and goddesses Brigit. Various possibilities come to mind. Generosity, in terms of donation of time or money or skills, of caring listening to suffering people, come instantly to mind. I have recently looked into volunteering with refugees in response to the awful situation faced by such people in many countries. To me that can be seen as under the auspices of Brigit healer, or Brigit hospitaller, or even Brigit smith, as a means of strengthening the bonds of our community and our world.

In the name of Brigit poet I sent a small financial donation to Story Archaeology today. These women are tireless in their researches into Irish mythology, brilliant in their understanding, scintillating in insight, and entertaining to read on their website and listen to on their podcasts. They aren't getting paid for the bulk of their work, yet they are giving a gift of inestimable worth. I am grateful to have discovered them and grateful that I have the opportunity to help.

You can donate to them via this link. No amount is too small to let them know you appreciate their contribution.

I would be interested to hear of others' engaged Brigidine activities.