Tending Brigid's Flame: Awaken to the Celtic Goddess of Hearth, Temple, and Forge

Tending Brigid’s Flame is fueled by a personal, heartfelt connection to the Irish Goddess and Saint. Lunea Weatherstone and 12 contributors discuss their worship of Brigid tenderly like she is an old friend, a mother, a guide, or an anchor in the storm.  The chatty style of writing is like sitting down with a girlfriend over tea.  With respectful views towards those who worship her as a Catholic saint, the book is targeted primarily to Druids, Goddess worshippers and Wiccans.  I got a glimpse into how Brigid is seen by those who adore her.

As a Goddess of midwifery and also of battle, the hearth and the forge, Brigid’s appeal is not limited to any one gender. The personal relationship of the author with Brigid is strongly influenced by women’s spirituality.  The book has a decidedly feminine energy and emotional intimacy.  Some of the wording is clearly for and about women only making me ask how a male blacksmith, chef or soldier might relate.  I am not sure if the author feels this is best left to the men to explore or if she sees serious Brigid worship as a strictly female endeavor.

Brigid worship from ancient times was carried over into Catholic sainthood.  Aspects of her worship blur the line between Pagan and Catholic such as prayers to Brigid and making Brigid rosaries.  The book suggests a wide variety of ways to honor her with flame tending, Imbolc rituals, poetry, song, meditation and metalsmithing. There doesn’t seem to be a standard, right way to worship so take what works for you and be creative. 

One thing that I found difficult is that without more historical context, Brigid is very much open to interpretation. This makes her wildly popular and appealing to those who want to shape her image to suit modern tastes.  It also makes it harder to picture her as the ancients did and know what they truly thought and how she influenced them.  The book only touches on other members of the Celtic pantheon so we come to know the nature of Brigid very well and some of her myths without understanding her larger role in relation to other Celtic Gods.  The author proposes that Brigid may be the daughter of the Morrigan but there isn’t enough background to give someone new to Celtic mythology an idea of what difference this might make.

Lunea Weatherstone is a long time devotee.  This work is really a loving homage to Brigid.  Tending Brigid’s Flame is a good starting point to build a relationship with this deity. 

~review by Larissa Carlson

Author: Lunea Weatherstone
Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015
pp. 288, $17.99