The blacksmith's forge was the place where iron was forged to make useful and beautiful objects, and at one time it was also the meeting place for the community; a place to share stories and information, music and jesting; a place where the young men would engage in contests and shows of strength. In ancient times it also had a deeper and more magical significance as a place of initiation and creation.
For me, Brigit's Forge represents the place where I work as a homoeopath and healer and where I research and write about Brigit, Celtic mythology and folklore. I believe that healing, inspiration and creativity are linked, and that the ability to forge is important for bringing our creativity into manifestation.
I draw my faith in the Otherworld, my inspiration, and the strength to cope with the challenges in my life, from Celtic mythology and religion in general and Brigit in particular; they are also the source of much joy. My method is to read and learn as much as I can about them, to go to sacred places in Ireland and Wales, to spend time with land, sea and sky and to let all this seep through and inform my spiritual practice.
This
website is where I hope to share some of what I have learned with
people who have the same interests. I hope also that the website will
become part of a community by linking with other websites and
providing an email facility. I aim to balance more factual
information with nourishment for the spirit and the senses, taking
advantage of this medium to use colour, images and sound where
possible. Touch, smell and taste are three senses I am unable to
provide for! But I have done what I can here to be true to the vision
of the fountain and the five streams in the Land of Promise:
Then
he saw in the enclosure a shining fountain, with five streams
flowing out of it, and the host in turn drinking its water. Nine
hazels of Buan grew over the well. The purple hazels dropped their
nuts into the fountain, and the five salmon which were in the
fountain severed them and sent their husks floating down the stream.
Now the sound of the falling of those streams was more melodious than
any music that men could sing...
"The
fountain which thou sawest [said the warrior], with the five streams
out of it, is the Fountain of Knowledge, and the streams are the five
senses through which knowledge is obtained. And no one will have
knowledge who drinks not a draught out of the fountain itself and out
of the streams. The folk of many arts are those who drink of them both."
[From
Ancient Irish Tales, ed. by Cross and Slover]
Hilaire
Wood
Aberystwyth,
Wales
February
1st, 2000
