#Lora o brien

[bean-chaointe]

I realized a few weeks ago that I still had the Irish Pagan School listed on my own resource recommendation list, which hadn't been updated in several years, so that's now fixed.

I recognize the importance of centering native Irish voices in Irish polytheism. However, that doesn't mean supporting a resource that is aggressive, bullying, and uses public shaming, nor which encourages an echo chamber in which those behaviors are actively encouraged and rewarded. The activism that IPS encourages is the kind that's based on guilt-tripping and despair, which isn't sustainable, healthy, or conducive to dismantling anything other than voices which would attempt to contradict it.

Unfortunately, Lora O'Brien has been so influential that many other Morrigan-focused groups have adopted some of her ways. I stopped participating in any online Morrigan groups since before COVID because of this, where bullying is justified as "establishing boundaries" and if you don't like it, it's because you're a "colonizer" and "part of the problem." I'd hoped Jon would help mitigate some of her worst behaviors when they first got together, but except for introducing the Dagda to many people - which is genuinely lovely - that hasn't proven to be the case.

Some of this echo chamber effect has also resulted in some dynamics that I would classify as cultish, although some of it seems to be happening in spaces that she didn't create herself but which have really taken up some of the worst parts of the environment she's fostered. I'm no longer in any IPS groups, so I don't know to what extent this particular dynamic has or hasn't been been directly encouraged.

Anyway, there are other native Irish voices who don't pull this bullshit, and there are plenty of wonderful, native Irish resources with academic studies of Irish lore who aren't tied to shaming and guilting.

#irish pagan school #lora o brien #irish polytheism #hound yells religion

[honoringthor]

Is Fae the Same as Fairy? - Lora O'Brien - the Fairy Fairy in Ireland, w...

#youtube #fea #feary #fairy #folklore #irish folklore #lora o brien #gentry #goodfolk #themselves

[fiagai-cnuasaitheoir]

This is Cultural Appropriation

The version of the wheel of the year we see today was popularised by Wicca which was founded by Gerald Gardener. Who was an English man. Ireland was very badly oppressed by English colonialism. The British slaughtered a lot of Irish people while they were being overtaken. And they are also the reason so many people starved in the famine. The British are also the reason Ireland converted to christianity instead of paganism.

This wheel is a jumbled up mess of a variety of European holidays all merged into one and labelled “Wicca”. This is appropriation as its unacknowledged where all these came from.

Not all European countries are the same and these colonial countries are not entitled to claiming the traditions they colonised.

In Ireland May Day/Bealtaine was still celebrated in certain counties until the last century. But people are still misusing it and mispronouncing it. Pronouncing Samhain “Sam hain” instead of “sow wen”, unaware that it is the Irish word for November. And that Bealtaine is the word for May. In a language still used.

English colonialism is the reason we starved The reason we stopped speaking our language as widely. And a religion popularised by an English man is now using our words without directly crediting the cultures.

And now its further reinforced by the way that people are taking these words out of context. Mixing them up with other European words. Without giving credit to any of the countries they came from.

Its like how people will take chakras from hinduism and sage from native americans and throw some jesus in and just call it “new age spirituality”

(Native people have it even worse than the situation with Irish culture. Native Americans are going through so much shit. Cause people use spirituality as an excuse to just take shit)

You can’t use things without acknowledging the fact that they are from specific cultures.

This is a more Irish accurate wheel of the years. Please acknowledge the cultures you got these words from.

I have more info on the holidays on my page. Lora o brien is another good native resource. Please share this with anyone who uses the wheel of the year.

Other European countries feel free to share a your countries more culturally accurate wheel of the year.

#Wheel of the year #Sabbats #gaeilge #irish #as gaeilge #witch #pagan #green witch #ireland #witchcraft #Wiccan #wicca #beltane #beltaine #foraging #paganism #britain #historic #great britain #northern ireland #imbolc #sabbats #wheel of the year #lammas #ostara #Mabon #yule #Litha #Ostara #cultural apropriation

[swansean]

Introductory Resources for Irish Polytheists

https://youtu.be/X_7OmYLjLlE

A very skilled bard shares some basic stories in a captivating way. A great place to start.

https://bardmythologies.com/

Really palatable introductory character cards and stories, though not always fully faithful to the texts.

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/index_irish.html

Translated texts, which can be intimidating. Good if you want to do some of your own digging.

https://www.teanglann.ie/ga/

(The best) Irish dictionary for pronunciation and translating needs. Google translate cannot save you; there’s also Focloir.ie if you need it

https://www.duchas.ie/en

This is a database of Irish folklore as recorded and reported by Irish folks. Definitely worth a deep dive, especially if you’re not Irish, in order to get a grasp on the way certain elements or stories are treated.

https://loraobrien.ie

Lora O’Brien (and Jon O’Sullivan) is a big deal. She has a lot of awesome books/does interviews/youtubes. If her name is attached, it’s pretty trustworthy information. Her site also links to the following:

https://irishpaganschool.com

Which offers some free introductory courses from time to time (lora o briens site links to a free intro course if you do some digging, and in the month of may they’re offering a free course on the Morrígan).

https://www.dagdabard.com/

This is Jon O’Sullivan’s blog; it’s abt An Dagda, and while it’s not as informative as Lora’s, it can connect you to some Dagda specific resources if you feel so called.

#irish polytheism #dagda #the morrigan #tuatha de lugh #goddess brigid #celtic witch #sea witch #witchy #irish folklore #baby witch

[johannestevans]

I absolutely love writing Julian and Garak because like. a lot of my own work is heavily predicated on different kinds of deception and the interpretation of events people have based off of limited information

it's just... so fun and so satisfying to write

so from Chapter 12 of Interpersonal Studies, Julian Bashir POV, him and Garak playing latrunculo, a Romulan boardgame:

versus Chapter 20, Miles O Brien's POV, watching Julian play latrunculo with Adorak Lora:

to Miles the assumption is that that flirtation is out of Garak and Bashir's weird aggressive-flirtatious relationship

but no. the reason Garak is so turned on and in such a good mood is bc he and Bashir are lying to everyone around the table, and none of them have any idea - and Bashir is enjoying it too

like hhhhhhh this is just. the stuff that's so satisfying and so FUN and so infinitely rewarding to write, it absolutely kills me

#garashir

[honoringthor]

The Sidhe - Exploring Ireland's Fairy Folklore - Lora O'Brien - Irish Pa...

#youtube #sidhe #fairy #gentry #irish folklore #fairy folk #lora o brien #themselves #other crowd