Healing Goddesses of the Celtic Lands

Brigid and Sirona

The primary healing goddess in Ireland is Brigid, Christianized as Saint Brigid. She is the Goddess of Spring and her feast day is February 1st. Sirona is Goddess of Healing and Fertility in Celtic Gaul, which is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy. Sirona was worshipped right across Western and Central Europe, and was later adopted by the Romans. Her symbols are the snake of healing and a basket of eggs symbolizing fertility. It's likely that both Brigid and Sirona are avatars of the pre-IndoEuropean Great Goddess of Europe. Interestingly, the etymology of the word Sirona goes back to the proto-Celtic word for "star," and the etymology of the word Brigid goes back to a proto-Celtic verb meaning "to rise."

It's an interesting question why so many people, today, feel they cannot find the answers they need in modern philosophy and science. It may even be that people blame the modernist emphasis on individual desire as the root cause of the problems that now afflict society. More or less everyone now agrees that rampant consumerism is destroying the planet, but at the same time, corporations are spending billions of dollars every year promoting the consumerist mindset. We are told we can save the environment by buying more electric vehicles, by buying more environmentally friendly coffee, and more green mobile phones. It seems the only way we can save the planet - is by buying more stuff.

The consumerist frenzy is not only destroying the planet, but families and communities. As people become locked into a mindset of assessing their own value and the value of others according to what brands they possess, there is no space left for family and community. Individual choice and satisfaction are all that matter. Once people get into this consumerist mindset, they may feel that working with family and community is just a waste of time, because it doesn't get them more money to buy more consumer commodities. They may even come to believe that meaning in their lives comes from the brands they choose to consume. Given that most consumer commodities, these days, become "old" and "outdated" almost as soon as you buy them, people who depend of them for meaning in their lives may find they live in a constant state of anxiety, hoping that the next commodity they buy will give them the identity, status and happiness they crave - only to face the same disappointment, dissatisfaction, and anxiety they faced after buying the last wonder-commodity. Almost everyone today knows someone who fits this description. Indeed, most people have found themselves in this terrible position at some time in their lives. This may explain why there is a new openness to explore more native and organic ways of understanding the world and creating meaning.

Many people feel that bringing the wisdom of the Celtic goddesses, particularly the goddesses of healing, into their lives is not in contradiction with Christianity. Indeed, Christianity in Ireland always incorporated Celtic beliefs into its own rituals rather than trying to fight them. Brigid was the most important Druidic goddess, and now she is Ireland's most important female Christian saint. One thing that attracts people today, especially young people, is that devotion to the Celtic goddesses is always communal in nature. Of course, one can set up a little altar in one's home and practice meditation, but this is not the Celtic way of doing things. Family and community are first and foremost for the Celts. And this is true of every traditional human society. Meaning is not to be found in buying the latest iPhone or Air Max trainers, but in the work one does to build family and community. In the help one gives to others without seeking material reward.

In this sense, we can say that Brigid and Sirona are ideas - or ways of doing things - ways of creating meaning.  If it is our ability to create genuine meaning that is broken, then Brigid and Sirona may offer the healing we need.