#BlackLivesMatter

As a spiritual community, we pray with our families and our broader communities for peace, healing and justice in these times of crisis and pain.

The horrific injustices being faced by our loved ones who are people of colour have created an emergency situation for us in the USA and for many of us worldwide. As people of faith – whatever faith – basic human rights are non-negotiable: the right to not be shot dead in the street, or in a nightclub; the right to have clean water to drink and fresh air to breathe. As an organisation, and as a community, we pray for peace, we pray for healing.

We pray for justice.

Slàinte Mhath,
Gaol Naofa
An Chomhairle Ghaol Naofa – The Gaol Naofa Council
An Chuallacht Ghaol Naofa – Community of Sacred Kinship

September 26, 2016

New video and article: Daily Rites in Gaelic Polytheism

Since we started our Youtube channel in 2014 we’ve received a great response to the videos we’ve made so far, and after a wee break since our last video (a good six months ago now) we figured it’s high time for another one. Our last video took a look at Offerings in Gaelic Polytheism, so this time around we’ve decided to carry on with the introductory theme with our latest effort, Daily Rites in Gaelic Polytheism:

The video offers a brief overview of the kinds of rites and practices Gaelic Polytheists can incorporate into their daily lives – and we want to stress that these are things that can be done, not that they have to be done. To go hand in hand with this new video, we’ve decided to update our Daily Rites page here on the website. This new version has been substantially revised and updated by Kathryn Price NicDhàna, and the prayers we outline are now offered in both Gaelic and English. The prayers included in our updated article are completely different from the original article, which were written by Gaol Naofa’s founder Tomás Flannabhra; for those of you who would prefer to stick with them, we’ve moved the original version of the article to an archive page here. Whichever version of our Daily Rites article you prefer, we consider the video to be a companion piece to it. You might also find the Daily Practices section over on Tairis useful, along with our Offerings article and video, and our Children and Family in Gaelic Polytheism piece.

As always we hope you enjoy the new video and article, and please feel free to share them wherever you like. Slàinte mhath! 

April 11, 2016

Where is Manannán?

On January 21st news broke of a terrible act of desecration: A statue of Manannán mac Lir, which had been situated at the Gortmore viewing point, near Limavady in Co. Derry, since 2013, had been stolen. The thieves had used power tools to remove the statue of Manannán from its base, and in its place they had left a large wooden cross inscribed with the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

The statue was installed by the local council as part of a myth and heritage trail, and it is – or was – one of five such sculptures in the area. To some people the statue was a popular place to visit and take photographs, while to others it was a place of pilgrimmage, and a celebration of the area’s history, heritage, and culture. To us as Gaelic Polytheists, the statue of Manannán was beautiful and sacred, and its theft – and the apparently religious motivations behind it – has shocked, saddened, and angered so many of us.

In the past week, messages of support and solidarity have been pouring in to a group set up to celebrate the statue and help raise awareness of its theft, and the story has gained international attention of truly staggering proportions, in both the mainstream press and more specialised news outlets such as The Wild Hunt, who approached us for comment on the story. Although as yet no news of the statue’s whereabouts has emerged, or who may be responsible for the theft, we are still hoping and praying for justice and the safe return of Manannán mac Lir to the Limavady area. As long as the statue is being talked about, as long as awareness is being raised and spread, there is hope that justice will be done.

As we told The Wild Hunt, Gaol Naofa has been covering the story closely on our Facebook page as the search continues, and we have been producing memes to share and posting resources for those who might be looking for some inspiration in their own spiritual work to help return the statue, including traditional songs and prayers. We have now created a new page here on the Gaol Naofa website to host all of the images in one place, which you can find in the Resources section of our Library.

Like so many people who’ve been shocked and appalled by the actions of the individuals responsible for the theft, we want to do what we can to support the community of Limavady (and others who’ve been deeply saddened by this act of desecration) and would like to help in whatever way we can as the search continues. As part of that, we’ve now produced a new video, which discusses the theft and outlines a prayer that’s been specially written for the occasion, and has lyrics to a traditional song for you to sing:

We invite you to join your voices with us in singing him home!

A Mhanannáin, A Mhanannáin,
Son of the Sea, we are calling you home.
Son of the Sea, we are calling you home.

January 30, 2015