The Goddess has no body on earth but ours.
The Goddess has no hands on earth but ours.
Ours are the eyes through which she
Streams compassion to the world.
Ours are the hands with which she
Is to bless all beings.
May we have the grace to know this mystery,
The courage to give ourselves to it entirely,
And the strength to enact its truth in the world.
The Goddess has no hands on earth but ours.
Ours are the eyes through which she
Streams compassion to the world.
Ours are the hands with which she
Is to bless all beings.
May we have the grace to know this mystery,
The courage to give ourselves to it entirely,
And the strength to enact its truth in the world.
These words inspired by Teresa of Avila very simply describe my
personal theology. My experience of the Divine is that she, he, it is in
everything and everything is in he, she, it. That means both the snow drop and
the tree creeper; the hope and the despair.
I do not require or expect
any member to share my belief; I respect your right to whatever is your truth.
Indeed I am proud that the FOI does not require any tenet of belief of its
members except to acknowledge their need to, in Olivia’s words, experience a
closer communion with feminine divinity and the agreement to abide by the
manifesto’s values.
The FOI was founded by visionaries who recognised
that one of its most important tasks was to heal and return the world to
wholeness through sacred being and sacred doing. The fellowship and sacred
meeting within the FOI’s Festivals and liturgy fuel hope and energise the heart
in the face of challenges inherent in working for transformation in these
chaotic and confusing times.
Indeed peace and passion walk hand in hand;
joy and heartbreak are just a whisper apart. The FOI has much work to do. I hope
we do not get distracted by internal strife so that we lose sight of what we are
here to do; which is to serve the Goddess. We also need to practice the path of
compassion that we believe in; to foster reconciliation where there is a true
‘dropping of the knife’. Please join in the silent time of prayer and
contemplation on Sundays at five pm for peace and reconciliation in the world
and our own community.
The FOI is its members and priesthood. One well
of inspiration and strength comes from the Temple and sacred waters deep in the
Foundation Centre in Clonegal, Eire; tended by members of the Circle of Brigid
who also hold its regular festivals. The fellowship needs to be deeply embedded
in the real world; nurtured, informed and inspired by spirit and acting with
truth, beauty and kindness.
a tree creeper scurries up a tree trunk
We stand by Brigid’s forge, poised to transform;
feeding the flame to bring bright
