Pagan Events in Ireland – January, February 2019

Just a quick round up this month of some Irish Pagan events that are happening either in Ireland, or online with an interest to/the involvement of Irish Pagans.

NOTICE: Dublin Pub Moot
Barbara says… “We’re still up in the air for a Dublin Pub Moot location, and there is no moot in January… we will be up and running again in Feb in a brand new location, yet to be announced.”

https://www.facebook.com/pg/DublinPubMoot.No1/

6th January (ONGOING, Register Any Time): Learn the Lore – 21 Day Challenge. This free 21 day challenge run by the Irish Pagan School will help you to get an easy start with proper Irish source lore and community discussion. Join at – https://irishpaganschool.com/p/lore-21

10th January: Monthly Pagan Moot in Cork City – an informal event, providing the opportunity to socialise with other people who are interested in Earth based spirituality, Irish folklore, magic and the occult. We are open to people of all gender, sexual orientation and background. If you are 16 or younger, please bring an adult to accompany you. Hosted by the Well of Wisdom Temple (€2 suggested donation), more info at – https://www.facebook.com/events/2244312408947484/

12th January: FLAMEKEEPING/ BRIGIDMAS/ IMBOLG 2019 – Clann Dord Fiann are working each evening from the 12th of January to the 31st with a 20 day devotional work with and to Brigid. As part of the extension of our work to have a public face, we invite others to join this activity if they wish. It is solitary and requires no other involvement (free), more info at – https://www.facebook.com/events/326719824839035/

13th January: The Dagda’s Tools Online Class, with Jon O’Sullivan.
Live Online Class (Sunday 13th Jan) – Learn about the Good God’s tech, and what it means to us. Enroll Now at the Irish Pagan School (€27) – https://irishpaganschool.com/p/dagda-tools

19th January: Anti-Semintism in Paganism Online Class and Discussion Panel. There are many Jewish people who are also pagans, polytheists, and magical practitioners, and others who come from an ethnically Jewish background. Jewish practices, mysticism, and magic have deeply influenced parts of the pagan and occultic communities. Despite participation in and many contributions to the broader pagan and occult discourse, the Jewish community continues to be oppressed and misunderstood. Join us for a conversation about Jews and Judaism, past and present (suggested donation on a sliding scale, non-profit event) – More info at https://www.facebook.com/events/562311290897895/

19th January: The Dead Zoo Tour – (Dublin) Meet Museum Educator, Geraldine Breen, and discover the science and stories behind the collections on display during this free public highlights tour of the Museum of Natural History. More info at – https://www.museum.ie/Visit-Us/Events?id=3955

20th January: Treasures of the National Museum – (Dublin) Take a tour of the iconic treasures in the National Museum, including the ‘Tara’ Brooch and the Ardagh Chalice. More info at – https://www.museum.ie/Visit-Us/Events?id=3974

26th of January: PLR Imbolc Ritual Cork – hosted by Well of Wisdom Temple. Everyone who is genuinely interested is welcome, regardless of background, ethnicity, gender identifiation or sexual orientation. People under 16 are welcome, provided they are accompanied by an adult and they can stay quiet during the meditation. No previous experience with Paganism is required. (€5 suggested donation), more info at – https://www.facebook.com/events/531000037407843/

26th January: Revisiting Brighid & Imbolc – A Year With The Gods Online Conference. Hosted by Land Sea Sky Travel. This is an all-day online conference, held from the States but featuring many Irish presenters, with five presentations and a Bardic closing. The day starts and ends with devotional prayers and offerings to Deity, and also includes giveaways, a chat room, and interactive breaks where you can get to know others in our community. You will also receive a recording of all five presentations and Bardic time after the conference. More info at – https://www.facebook.com/events/282324285765984/

26th January: Recovery Awareness in Spiritual Community Online Class. In this class we will examine substance use and recovery in magical, spiritual, and pagan spaces. We will begin with an overview of what addiction is, discussing causes, triggers, related trauma, myths and biases, and the relationship between substance use and mental health. We will examine the role of leadership in the community and the responsibility to provide safe spaces and we will also focus on tools for providing support to addicts in community spaces (suggested donation on a sliding scale) – More info at – http://transformationreiki.com/events-1/

27th January: Make a St. Brigid’s Cross – (Mayo) Join the members of the Education team to learn more about the history, customs and traditions around St. Brigid’s Day and make your very own St. Brigid’s Cross. More info at – https://www.museum.ie/Visit-Us/Events?id=3925

27th January: 10 Steps to Irish Paganism Online Class, with Lora O’Brien. Live Online Class on Sunday 27th January – a simple, step by step class; covering the main topics you need to get started. Enroll Now
at the Irish Pagan School (€17) – https://irishpaganschool.com/p/10steps/

30th January: Waterford Pagan Pub Moot – Last Wednesday of every month, a social gathering for those interested in earth-based spirituality, or who identify as Pagan. Discussion and networking in safe space, and a bit o’ craic. No cost to join us, but throwing a few quid in the community fund is welcome. More info at – https://www.facebook.com/groups/waterfordmoot/

6th February: The Wexford Moot continues in 2019 on the first Wednesday of every month in Murphy’s Barn Wexford (free)… See Pagan Moot Wexford FB page for information on Moots and events – https://www.facebook.com/PaganMoot-Wexford-200226263368501/

21st February: Cork Moot – An Spailpín Fánach, Cork City. NB One week later than usual to avoid Valentine’s Day :
https://www.facebook.com/events/808276926200274/

Click Here for more on Ireland’s PLR Moots happening around the country each month.

Meditation Resources

Having at least a basic, regular meditation practice has been proven to be good for your health, but is also an effective way to boost the focus and visualisation skills needed for many Pagan magical and spiritual activities.

With that in mind, here are some Meditation resources to get you started, or help improve, your own practice.

Meditation for Beginners: A Quick Start Guide on Learning How to Meditate

– 2014, by Jenny Chase.
Meditation is the most powerful mind and body hack available. It will improve your health, wealth and relationships. Meditation is the age old art of purely focusing your mind and attention on one area. The practice of doing this has an almost endless list of beneficial impacts on your mind and body. With the incredible benefits that meditation offers it is no surprise that it has spread throughout every culture of the world. For centuries people of all different backgrounds have been using meditation to better their life and health. From businesses gurus to prisoners and from celebrities to monks – people from all walks of life have adopted meditation.

But what are the benefits? What makes meditation so powerful? Well, meditation has been shown to: Increase creativity Increase ability to focus and concentrate Reduce stress, anxiety and high blood pressure Increase levels of happiness and contentment Increase energy levels As well as many, many more incredible things. This book is the guide to helping you reap those benefits. It is a complete beginner’s guide covering everything from the neuroscience of meditation all the way to walking you through your first ever meditation So, if you’ve ever wanted to learn to meditate… grab this book now.

Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body

– 2017, by Daniel Goleman & Richard J. Davidson.
Two New York Times–bestselling authors unveil new research showing what meditation can really do for the brain.

In the last twenty years, meditation and mindfulness have gone from being kind of cool to becoming an omnipresent Band-Aid for fixing everything from your weight to your relationship to your achievement level. Unveiling here the kind of cutting-edge research that has made them giants in their fields, Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson show us the truth about what meditation can really do for us, as well as exactly how to get the most out of it.

Sweeping away common misconceptions and neuromythology to open readers’ eyes to the ways data has been distorted to sell mind-training methods, the authors demonstrate that beyond the pleasant states mental exercises can produce, the real payoffs are the lasting personality traits that can result. But short daily doses will not get us to the highest level of lasting positive change—even if we continue for years—without specific additions. More than sheer hours, we need smart practice, including crucial ingredients such as targeted feedback from a master teacher and a more spacious, less attached view of the self, all of which are missing in widespread versions of mind training. The authors also reveal the latest data from Davidson’s own lab that point to a new methodology for developing a broader array of mind-training methods with larger implications for how we can derive the greatest benefits from the practice.

Exciting, compelling, and grounded in new research, this is one of those rare books that has the power to change us at the deepest level.

We hope that’s helpful!

Comment below with your favourite Meditation resources?

Pagan Moots in Ireland

Pagan Moots are regular (usually on the same day each month) social and educational meet-ups, and they are for anyone who is already thinking of themselves as ‘Pagan’ – or some variation ther-of! – or for people who are completely new to this and just want to pop in and see who’s involved locally, and what it’s all about.

If you’re interested in attending a Pagan Life Rites moot, they’re held at various locations around the country:

• Belfast Pagan Moot
• Cork Pagan Moot
• Dublin Pub Moot
• Midlands Moot
• Tipperary Moot
• Waterford Moot
• PaganMoot Wexford

(Pagan Moot listings are correct at the time of publication.)

Besides the latest Pagan Moot info, you’ll find details of other events and seasonal rituals happening in Ireland through our Pagan Life Rites Facebook Page.

Irish Pagan Reading List

Reading List for Celtic and Irish Pagans

• Dáithí Ó hÓgáin: “The Sacred Isle: Belief And Religion In Pre Christian Ireland”
• Alexander Carmichael: “Carmina Gadelica”
• Barry Cunliffe: “The Celts: A Very Short Introduction”
• Morgan Daimler: “Gods and Goddesses of Ireland”
• Miranda Green: “Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend”
• Ronald Hutton: “The Druids”
• Lora O’Brien: “A Practical Guide to Irish Spirituality”
• Luke Eastwood: “A Druid’s Primer”
• Alexei Kondratiev: “The Apple Branch”
• Ronald Hutton: “The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles”
• Daithí Ó hÓgáin: “The Lore of Ireland – An Encyclopaedia of Myth, Legend and Romance”
• Lora O’Brien: “Tales of Old Ireland – Retold”
• John Paul Patton: “The Poet’s Ogam – A Living Magical Tradition”

A quick update from us

It’s been a while since we have last posted any news, but that doesn’t mean we have been idle. We have been dealing with the boring administrative things that keep our organisation going.

We have said a farewell to some Clergy Members, who have moved on to newer things, and, as a result, couldn’t give the commitment required to the obligations of being a Pagan Life Rites Clergy Member. However, we would like to give them our thanks for the hard work and input that they have put into the organisation and the hard work that they have done on your behalf, and we wish them well.

We also welcome a new Clergy Member, Anna Coote, and know that she will be a valuable addition to the Clergy Membership.

We are accepting new membership applications at the moment, which will close on the Autumn Equinox, so if you think you have something to offer to the Pagan community as a Clergy Member, please send us an email expressing your interest to info@paganliferites.org, with the subject line Clergy Application.

Closing Date for Clergy Membership Applications

We have been welcoming new clergy membership applications since March, and have had a very good response.

If you wish to become a Clergy Member of Pagan Life Rites, then please send us an email at info@paganliferites.org, and we will send you an application form. Please have a look at our Membership page to see the criteria for applying.

All completed applications must be received by us no later than June 15th, 2017, in order to be considered for Clergy Membership this year. We will not consider any further applications after that date until the Spring Equinox 2018.

Census 2016 shows at least 40.5% increase in persons of Pagan faiths!

In the lead up to Census 2016, Pagan Life Rites ran a social media campaign which encouraged those from various Pagan traditions to simply declare “Pagan” in the “Other” box for the question on religion. This was to unify our community under one descriptor to more easily demonstrate the number of people in our community who self-declare in the Census. For reasons of prejudice, privacy and family, there will also be some who will not self-declare on the Census (within the “Not Stated” category) so the figures in this report as outlined below may not be fully representative of the size of our community. There may also be persons of Pagan faith who may not define their spiritual path as a “religion” and so may opt for the “No Religion” category, which means that not all of those opting for this descriptor in the Census are Atheists or Humanists.

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In today’s report focusing on the data for this question we can see that there is a 39.1% increase in the number of people who opted for “Other Religion.” This brings the total number of this cohort to 97,700. The top three counties for this category are Dublin (122,079 / 24%), Cork (23.958 / 29.2%), and Galway (12,601 / 27.7%) with Kildare following close behind.

If you go to the data tables and run reports for religion selecting “Pagan/Pantheist” you will find that the total number of those who identified as such has increased by 40.5% bringing the total number to 2,645, an increase of 762 declarations. 1,913 of these were Irish nationals with UK nationals being the next largest cohort to declare (340). 1,209 were male (43% increase since 2011) and 1,436 were female (38.3% increase since 2011).

While a county breakdown for “Pagan/Pantheist” is not yet available from the CSO, the figures do show that our community is slightly larger than the Jewish community which currently sits at 2,557 declarations. We can also see that declarations of Catholicism have dropped from the 2011 figure of 84.2% to 78.3% in 2016. Of interest to us, given the above, are declarations of “No Religion” which have increased by 73.6% – meaning this cohort now represents almost 10% of the population – and the “Not Stated” category which has increased by 71.8%.

*“For the 2016 Census, the religion breakdown has been expanded. In 2011 the religions with a 0 figure were included in the Other Stated Religion category. The CSO attempts to capture and code all responses and have published any categories where there were 30 or more responses in 2016.”

Data Tables: http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Database/eirestat/Summary%20Results%20Part%201/Summary%20Results%20Part%201_statbank.asp?SP=Summary%20Results%20Part%201&Planguage=0

Report chapter on religion: http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/population/2017/Chapter_8_Religion.pdf

Pagan Life Rites now listed on ActiveLink.ie

Pagan Life Rites now sits alongside many other Civil Society Organisations listed on the Irish Links Directory of www.activelink.ie.

To find us there, simply hover over the “Irish Links” menu tab and select the “Civil Liberties-Human Rights” option from the drop-down and you will find the listing below on Page 3.

Please see: http://www.activelink.ie/content/irish-links/civil-liberties-human-rights/pagan-life-rites-Ireland

Much gratitude to the folks at ActiveLink!

Election of new Board

The new Board of Pagan Life Rites was elected on 31^st March. According to our Constitution, the Board is rotated annually and made up of four elected Regional Officers. We thank our previous Board members, Francis Devenney, Lora O’Brien, Fionnuala O’Regan and Vinnie Woods for their year of service and dedication. We welcome our new Board members, Sophia Boann, Barbara Lee, Kristian Märkus and Gavin Morrison. The outgoing Board members continue to serve as Regional Officers and Clergy members.

URGENT REMINDER! DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS TO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CLOSES MONDAY, MARCH 20TH

URGENT REMINDER!

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS TO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CLOSES MONDAY, MARCH 20TH

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The Minister for Education, Richard Bruton T.D., had extended the deadline to March 20th for receipt of submissions to the consultation process which shall assess the role of religion in schools with a view to considering changes.

In January the Minister had invited submissions from key stakeholders, affected or interested parties as part of a broad consultation process. This was initially open for a four-week period, however, to allow for as many submissions as possible, the deadline was extended and will now close on Monday, March 20th.

Pagan Life Rites fully supports the following demand for the repeal of subsection 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act, 2010, which currently permits State schools to use baptism as a mechanism for preferential enrolment. This is a breach of human rights and contravenes Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act, 2014, which compels all public bodies to implement Public Sector Duty, promote equality and eliminate discrimination.

This is your last chance to have a say in this consultation process. Please feel free to craft your own submission or copy and paste the template letter below and submit to: admissions_religion@education.gov.ie.

Speech: http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Speeches/2017-Speeches/SP2017-16-01.html

Submission deadline extension: http://www.education.ie/en/Parents/Information/School-Enrolment/Role-of-Religion-in-School-Admissions.html

START:

To: admissions_religion@education.gov.ie

CC: richard_bruton@education.gov.ie

Subject: Submission concerning the Baptism Barrier

Dear Minister Bruton,

Please accept my submission to the consultation on the Role of Religion in School Admissions.

I want all children to have equal access to their local publicly-funded schools and I want religion to have zero bearing in admission policy and practice. It is not acceptable in a modern, pluralist society that parents feel they have to baptise their child to ensure access to a publicly-funded school.

I believe that the only equality and children’s rights option is option 4(i). Repeal subsection 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act, 2010, in respect of publicly-funded schools.

This is possible by amending subsection 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act, 2010.

I strongly recommended that you, as Minister for Education and Skills, take this opportunity to remove all religious barriers from school admission policy and practice.

Consultation Paper specific issues:

A. The removal of the Baptism Barrier would be of benefit to families and children of the many minority religions, Irish indigenous traditions, and those of no religion, as it would increase their ability to gain entry to their local publicly-funded schools regardless of its denomination.

B. I have seen strong constitutional advice from leading constitutional experts that shows option 4(i) is possible.

C. I believe option 4(i) would be the simplest to implement.

D. Option 4(i) is the simplest approach that does not impact any of the issues outlined in the consultation.

Allowing schools to use baptism as a mechanism for preferential enrolment is a breach of the human rights of your service users. Your department is legally obliged to act in accordance with Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act, 2014, which compels all public bodies to implement Public Sector Duty, promote equality and eliminate discrimination.

Yours sincerely,

END