"Waking Charm" Redacted & Refracted by Chris Godwin

                                     

WAKING CHARM

 

THANKS be to You, Brighid,

Who brought me up from last night,

To the gladsome light of this day,

To win wholeness for my soul,

Through my birth You didst tend for me.

Praise be to You, A Bhandia, for ever,

For the blessings You didst bestow on me--

My food, my speech, my work, my health,

And I beseech You

To shield me from blight,

To shield me from ill,

To sain me this night,

And I lowly but mighty,

O Goddess of the mighty!

O Brighid of the hearth!

Give me wisdom along with your grace.

May the High One claim me,

And protect me on sea and on land,

And lead me on from step to step,

To the people of peace of the Everlasting Pasture,

The people of peace of the Everlasting Pasture!

 

 

Redacted and refracted from - Carmina Gadelica (1.41) by Chris Godwin:

Original prayer:

     

      URNUIGH MADUINN [41]

  

       TAING dhut   Iosda Criosda,

   Thug mis a nios o 'n oidhche 'n raoir

   Chon solas soillse an la 'n diugh,

   Chon sonas siorruidh a chosnadh dha m' anam,

   An cion na fal a dhoirt thu dhomh.

 

Cliu dhut fein   a Dhe gu brath,

   An sgath gach agh a bhairig thu orm--

   Mo bhiadh, mo bhriathar, mo ghniomh, mo chail,

   *        *        *        *        *        *

 

'S tha mi   griosad ort

   Mo dhion bho'n olc,

   Mo dhion bho lochd,

   Mo shian an nochd

   'S mi iosal bochd,

   O Dhia nam bochd!

   O Chriosd nan lot!

   Thoir ciall dhomh 'n cois do ghrais.

 

Gun coraich an   Ti Naomha mi,

   Gun comhnaich air muir 's air tir mi,

   'S gun treoraich o ir gu ir mi

   Chon sith na Cathair Shiorruiche,

          Sith na Cathair Shiorruiche.

 

 

        MORNING PRAYER

  

       THANKS be to   Thee, Jesus Christ,

   Who brought'st me up from last night,

   To the gladsome light of this day,

   To win everlasting life for my soul,

   Through the blood Thou didst shed for me.

 

Praise be to   Thee, O God, for ever,

   For the blessings Thou didst bestow on me--

   My food, my speech, my work, my health,

   *        *        *        *        *        *

 

And I beseech   Thee

   To shield me from sin,

   To shield me from ill,

   To sain me this night,

   And I low and poor,

   O God of the poor!

   O Christ of the wounds!

   Give me wisdom along with Thy grace.

 

May the Holy   One claim me,

   And protect me on sea and on land,

   And lead me on from step to step,

   To the peace of the Everlasting City,

          The peace of the Everlasting City!

     

      

Carmina Gadelica, Volume 1, by Alexander Carmichael, [1900], p. 96 -97, at sacred-texts.com

 Chris posted on Facebook this lovely Brigidine redaction of Uirnuigh Maduinn (Morning Prayer) from Vol. 1 of the Carmina Gadelica. 

Image: by Etty Fidele 

“Bride the Aid-Woman” from Carmina Gadelica

Prayer for aid in giving birth, to Bride as midwife:

                                                pg. 176 

BRIDE BAN-CHOBHAIR [71]       

THAINIG thugam cobhair,

Moire gheal is Bride;

Mar a rug Anna Moire,

Mar a rug Moire Criosda,

Mar a rug Eile Eoin Baistidh

Gun mhar-bhith dha dhi,

Cuidich thusa mise ’m asaid,

     Cuidich mi a Bhride!

Mar a gheineadh Criosd am Moire

Comhliont air gach laimh,

Cobhair thusa mise, mhoime,

An gein a thoir bho ’n chnaimh;

’S mar a chomhn thu Oigh an t-solais,

Gun or, gun odh, gun ni,

Comhn orm-sa, ’s mor m’ othrais,

     Comhn orm a Bhride!

pg. 177

BRIDE THE AID-WOMAN 

THERE came to me assistance,

Mary fair and Bride;

As Anna bore Mary,

As Mary bore Christ,

As Eile bore John the Baptist

Without flaw in him,

Aid thou me in mine unbearing,

     Aid me, O Bride!

As Christ was conceived of Mary

Full perfect on every hand,

Assist thou me, foster-mother,

The conception to bring from the bone;

And as thou didst aid the Virgin of joy,

Without gold, without corn, without kine,

Aid thou me, great is my sickness,

     Aid me, O Bride!

Carmina Gadelica, Volume 1, by Alexander Carmichael, [1900], at sacred-texts.com

Image:  'B&W nude pregnant woman,' by Laura Benvenuti. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

“Eolas An Deididh - Toothache Charm” from Carmina Gadelica

The following text is from the Carmina Gadelica:

Eolas An Deididh [126] Toothache Charm

The teeth of ancient human skeletons found in stone coffins and other enclosures, and without enclosures, are usually good and complete. This is in marked contrast to the teeth of modern human remains, which are generally much impaired if not wholly absent. But there must have been toothache and even artificial teeth in ancient times, as indicated by the mummies in Egypt and the toothache charms and toothache wells in the Highlands. One toothache charm and one toothache well must suffice to illustrate this. The toothache well is in the island of North Uist. It is situated 195 feet above the sea, at the foot of a hill 757 feet high, and nearly three miles in the moorland from the nearest townland. The place is called 'Cluidh-airidh,' shieling fold, while the well is variously known as 'Tobar Chuidh-airidh,' well of the shieling fold, 'Tobar an deididh,' well of the toothache, 'Tobar na cnoidh,' well of the worm, and 'Tobar cnuimh fhiacail,' well of the tooth worm, from a belief that toothache is caused by a worm in the tooth.

The general name of the well is 'Tobar Chuidh-airidh,' well of the shieling fold, to distinguish it from other healing wells throughout the Isles. The pilgrim suffering from toothache must not speak, nor eat, nor drink, after beginning the pilgrimage, till after three draughts of the well of Cuidh-airidh are drunk in name of God, and in name of Christ, and in name of Spirit.

Some persons profess to derive no relief, some profess to derive partial relief, and some profess to derive complete relief from toothache after drinking the water of the well of Cuidh-airidh.

TOOTHACHE CHARM

The incantation put by lovely Bride  

Before the thumb of the Mother of God,

On lint, on wort, on hemp.

For worm, for venom, for teeth.

The worm that tortured me.

In the teeth of my head,

Hell hard by my teeth,

The teeth of hell distressing me.

************************

The teeth of hell close to me;

As long as I myself shall last

May my teeth last in my head.

Variants—

On lint, on comb, on agony.

On sea, on ocean, on coast.

On water, on lakes, on marshes

[Incantation or prayer.]

Carmina Gadelica – Hymns and Incantations Vol. II, ed. Alexander Carmichael (1900), pg. 10-11.

Image: "A broken upper front tooth showing the pink of the pulp," by James Heilman, MD This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

The Descent of Brighid (redacted by Erynn R. Laurie)

The Descent of Brighid

(redacted by Erynn R. Laurie)

Every day and every night

That I say the descent of Brighid,

Daughter of Daghda

Mother of the Three Gods,

Anamchara,

Guide in darkness,

Ever-flaming star,

I shall not be killed, I shall not be harried,

I shall not be put in cell, I shall not be wounded,

Neither shall She leave me in forgetfulness.

No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn me,

No lake, no water, nor sea shall drown me,

No arrow of fairy nor dart of spirit shall wound me,

And I under the mantle of Holy Brighid.

Brighid to enfold me

Brighid to surround me

Brighid to comfort me

Brighid is my light and everlasting life,

Body to body, form to form, breath to breath,

Throughout all time and eternity.

While doing this Erynn flicks water to the cardinal directions, the sky and the earth, and draws the ringed cross on her breast.

Original: from Carmina Gadelica, Alexander Carmichael.

Image: Brooks's Comet of 902 (i.). (Drawn by W. R. Brooks.) Public Domain.