Irish and Gnostic Prayers

Some of these are from books, others from various Internet sources.

Blessing
The blessing of Mary and the blessing of God,
The blessing of the sun and moon on their road,
Of the man in the east and the man in the west,
And my blessing with thee, and be thou blest.

Rune of Hospitality
I saw a stranger yestreen;
I put food in the eating place,
drink in the drinking place,
music in the listening place,
and in the name of the Triune
he blessed myself and my house,
my cattle and my dear ones, and the lark said in her song
often, often, often,
goes the Christ in the stranger's guise,
often, often, often,
goes the Christ in the stranger's guise.
 
 Prayer to Brigid
O Brigid, Mary of the Gael,
May thy protection never fail.
Spread thy mantle over me,
Where’re I pass, where’re I be.

Blessing Prayer of Brigid
May Brigid bless the house wherein you dwell
Bless every fireside, every wall and floor;
Bless every heart that beats beneath its roof;
And every tongue and mind for evermore;
Bless every hand that toils to bring joy
And every foot that walks its portals through.
This is my wish today, my constant prayer
May Brigid bless the house that shelters you.
 
From the Rosary of Mary Magdalene
What binds us is slain, what surrounds us is destroyed, all desire is gone, ignorance is dead.  We are free to remember eternity.  We shall rest in Silence for all ages and aeons.  Amen.

Variations of St. Patrick's Rune

Both of these come from the "Florentine: Lives of the Saints" series book called Saint Patrick.

Variation 1:

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of the wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth,

Firmmess of the rock.

Variation 2:

For my shield this day I call:

Heaven’s might,

Sun’s brightness,

Moon’s whiteness,

Fire’s glory,

Lightning’s swiftness,

Wind’s wildness,

Ocean’s depth,

Earth’s solidity,

Rock’s immobility.

The Secret of Kells

For anyone who hasn't seen it, The Secret of Kells (spoiler alert in this link) is a wonderful animated fictional tale about the origins of the Book of Kells. The cinematography is beautiful and contains many references to the pagan religions that existed in Ireland before Christianity. Pay attention to Pangur Bán, the cat with two differently-colored eyes, and then check out the poem Pangur Bán, originally written in the margins of a manuscript in Old Irish. A popular translation can be found here.

Irish Blessings: Well-Known and Obscure

Taken from a compilation of Irish Blessings, edited by Ashley Shannon.

Anonymous 14th century Irish poet
I am of Ireland
And of the holy land of Ireland
Good sir I pray of ye
For saintly charity
Come dance with me
In Ireland.

Blessing
May you always have these blessings...
A soft breeze when summer comes,
A warm fireside in winter,
And always the warm, soft smile of a friend.

Blessing
May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow;
May the soft winds freshen your spirit;
May the sunshine brighten your heart;
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you;
And may God enfold you in the mantle of his love.

Blessing
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
Slow to make enemies,
And quick to make friends.
But rich or poor, quick or slow,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

Blessing
May the roof above us never fall in,
And may the friends gathered below it never fall out.

House Blessing
Bless the four corners of this house,
And be the lintel blessed.
Bless the hearth,
    And bless the board, 
          And bless each place of rest.
And bless the door that opens
To strangers as to kin,
And bless each shining window
    That lets the sunlight in.
Bless the oak tree overhead,
    Bless every sturdy wall,
And may the peace of God above
Be always on us all.

Humorous Friend Blessing
May those who love us, love us.
And those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if he doesn't turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we may know them by their limping!

St. Brigid's Blessing (Brigid of Kildare)
God bless the poor,
God bless the sick,
God bless the human race;
God bless our food,
God bless our drink
And our homes, 
O God, embrace.

Journey Blessing
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Blessing
May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.

Gaelic Prayer
Deep peace of the running waves to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the smiling stars to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you.
Deep peace of the son of Peace to you.

Humorous Blessing
May you have the hindsight to know where you've been,
The foresight to know where you're going,
And the insight to know when you're going too far!

Blessing
May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.


And my favorite...
May the Good Lord take a liking to you...but not too soon! 

 

The Dead Sea Scrolls

For anyone interested in ancient manuscripts, I have just discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls.  I am currently reading the version that can be found here on Goodreads.  I am specifically interested in the cryptic scripts that were discovered, including one that turned out to be a simple substitution cipher.  For anyone interested in the historical foundations of Judaism and Christianity, this book is a must-read.  I will probably be busy with it for awhile.  Messages can be sent to my cat, who will forward them to me as soon as I give her a "kee treat."

Religious Tolerance

Bullheaded Black Remembers Alexander is a great new book by J. L. Taylor illustrating religious thought during the time of Alexander the Great.  The author does a brilliant job of tying in religious tolerance questions of the time with current issues today.

Link to Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1709165.Bullheaded_Black_Remembers_Alexander

Pagan Judaism

I have just finished reading a book about pagan Judaism (sometimes called Jewitchery) called Magickal Judaism by Jennifer Hunter.  This is a thorough overview of the history of Judaism with connection to its pagan roots. While I was sometimes confused by the intricacies of Jewish belief, this is simply as a result of my own ignorance and not a reflection on the quality of the book. I enjoyed the inclusion of Jewish-Pagan rituals and prayers, as well as the diverse opinions the author included. I recommend this book to anyone with basic knowledge of Judaism or Paganism who is curious about various Jewish-Pagan practices.

Link to Goodreads: Magickal Judaism