Brigid's Mantle

Long ago, the story goes, Brigid flung out her mantle over the world. Beneath its shelter, the Earth and its people could find healing, insight, and growth. This legend, shared by both Celtic Pagans and Celtic Christians, makes the point that a mantle is not a box, a small rigid container meant to keep some things inside while excluding others. Instead, a mantle is wide, flexible, inclusive. Using this as their central metaphor, the authors-one a Pagan healer and the other a Christian minister-engage in a dialogue that is ultimately about what it means to be spiritual, to be a person of faith. While the authors affirm that very real differences separate Paganism and Christianity, they affirm that shared points of understanding can be found under "Brigid's Mantle." With Brigid, as both a Pagan Goddess and a Christian saint, at the center of their dialogue, the authors first provide the historical foundation for the Celtic culture, past and present. They build on this a concept of Celtic spirituality that embraces the arts, Nature, the supernatural world, compassion for those in need, and gender equality.