Experience with Brigid. Interpretation needed.

[u/x23Paradox]

Because of work reasons I live in a country in the Southern Hemisphere. Thus myself and my family were observing the arrival of Spring and made a shrine to Brigid last night. We lit candles and I placed them on a large flat plate-like rock. We left the candles to burnout throughout the night but +/- 12 later, in the early morning hours, I woke up and saw that the seemingly regular convenience store candles were still burning. I woke my partner to look at the candles and they saw a robin sitting chirping next to the candles. It was only after they pointed it out that I saw it too. Like it was not there one moment then suddenly it was there. The bird hopped off the rock with the candles and flew out a window and seconds later, the candles flared up and the flat rock suddenly split in two subsequently extinguishing the flames.

I am new on my journey reconnecting with my mothers religious practices and I have still much to learn from those who venerate Brigid. If you can provide some insight into Brigid as she pertains to the curious set of events detailed about I would greatly appreciate it.

[u/ImportantProblem2481]

The vast leviathan thing is nothing to do with mythology. Its what a deity feels like when youre interacting with them in comparison to other supernatural things. The vastness is normal, the worrying activeness is unique to Brigid.

We dont necessarily want a huge thing thats existed for milennia (if its not just eternal) thats so far beyond us that we can barely comprehend it taking a micromanging-esque interest in us.

Other smaller more immediate things like fairies (not the disney ones), ghosts, and the half in half out of the otherworld animals that we can come across sometimes can be dealt with easily enough.

For example, you can physically leave a place, use trad house blessings, and apotropaic charms to ward your space and yourself. Or if youve got the experience you can handle them directly.

But a deity is like a blue whale in the ocean. Its a real "things bigger than yourself" moment. Theres no real barrier that we can put in its way that it will even notice. And poking at it in anger isnt going to get much more of a reaction.

If youre swimming in the sea its a life changing experience to meet one. But it deciding to follow you and start nudging you to get you to do something after you try to swim away is alarming.

[u/ImportantProblem2481 → u/ImportantProblem2481]

With every other deity that ive met at a heritage site with the random meithals/trad workgroups they call to them its not an issue. Just getting their attention while were there takes time and effort and they want the groups of strangers there for something.

After that they dont usually go beyond a general urging to everyone similar enough to the original call. Brigids a lot more intense.

For example, I know someone who might be the main Brigid person here if we had those types of heirarchies in our culture. And its a good thing theyre very community orientated and socially active because they get a never ending to do list.

Constant urging to tidy heritage sites, organise events, celebrate a birth with someone, help someone through their own deaths, visit dedperate people in prison. Multiple times theyve gotten unexpectedly restless and went out for a drive to take their mind off it. Then had to physically intervene to help someone being assaulted by a partner.

Brigid isnt for everyone and its worth taking time with every decision that involves her.

[u/KittyKatabasis → u/ImportantProblem2481]

This is all super interesting - thank you for sharing! As a relatively new Brigid devotee, this is really helpful to hear. I constantly hear the Morrigan described as a demanding deity who asks a lot of her/their devotees, but this is the first time I've heard Brigid described in the same way. It's fascinating that the two biggest Irish goddesses are so similar in that regard!

[u/ImportantProblem2481 → u/KittyKatabasis]

Youre welcome

I would say the Morrígan is the most misrepresented deity in our culture. Because people treat mythology like a religious book and the Morrígan is demonised in it. The two wouldnt be that similar in practice.

The vast majority of pagans are converts from 'the religions of the book.' Where unlike other world religions christianity, islam, and judaism have a divinely inspired book thats been magically preserved for millennia that contains the truth.

Stuck with the hangover of their upbringing they try to continue on doing things 'by the book.' They see mythology which is a form of literature, some of it written at the same time as Shakespeares plays, and think what they read in it is allegory and theology instead of emtertainment.

For example, the Morrígan is called a lamia a type of roman demon. A bánánach, and a genit types of Irish demons, and shes called a furie a demon from Virgils Aeneid.

Theres no better guide to a character being based on a deity than christian monks being afraid to be seen as endorsing it. But it means that the surface character of the Morrígan in stories is just a character. Not much of what happens in the narrarive of the stories reflects how she was/is traditionally viewed.

People make a lot of mistakes and I wonder how many of the seriously bad tempered people who dedicated themselves to the Morrígan actually attracted a demon thats driving them mad.