❤️🔥 Pilgrimage with Saint Gobnait of Ballyvourney. Feast February 11th ❤️🔥
Doing The Rounds with Saint Gobnait
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🐝“In his interesting study of bees, Butler tells us that, in order to gain bees affection persons approaching them should be chaste, cleanly, sweet, sober, quiet and familiar, and there is a popular belief that they have a strong aversion to untruthful people, liars being always liable to be stung by them.” 🐝
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0342, Page 116
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD😇Who was Saint Gobnait of *Ballyvourney?
During the 6th Century, while her family was fighting, Saint Gobnait left her home in County Clare. Setting sail near Galway’s coast, in a *currach, she disembarked at Inis Oírr, the smallest of The Aran Islands to establish a small community of women. One night, an angel appeared to Gobnait in her dreams. “To find your Place of Resurrection, go and find nine white deer,” the angel told her. Leaving Inis Oírr, Gobnait searched in several places all over the Province of Munster, finally discovering her nine white deer sleeping in Ballyvourney, County Cork. After her Recognition Event, she founded a new community of women. Several stories tell of cattle raids on local farms nearby. Gobnait took her beehive in pursuit of the thieves. Releasing her bees they swarmed upon the robbers. Providing this protection, after her mystical experience, she built her abbey caring for her people and all creatures with compassionate hospitality along with expert beekeeping and smithcraft. (*Town of The Beloved)
Despite few primary medieval records of Gobnait’s story, devotees come to follow in her footsteps. Imitating her path to the sacred places where she followed her angel’s instructions. Pilgrims come from all over the world to do Turas Ghobnatan, The Rounds of Gobnait, since at least the early post-medieval period. My invitation encourages you to use your imagination and mindfully walk the pattern emulating her rounds. (*fair-uh, *cur-rah, boat with wooden frame, stretched with animal skin)
🥾Walking Turas, (Journey) with Gobnait:
I invite you to an embodied, meditative walk with Saint Gobnait of Ballyvourney, County Cork, Ireland. Using your imagination, select a route for “Doing the Rounds,” sunwise, clockwise (*deasil) with Gobnait imitating what is done in Ireland. You may choose to stroll around a tree in your own backyard, taking five days, one for each of the following stations. The pattern is circular to help shift us out of the confines of linear routines. Give yourself time to prepare and schedule when you want to do your Tura, journey. Allow my pictures and commentaries to aid your meditations, adapting as needed. I plan to go for a walk at a local park as the weather allows. Where and when will your pilgrimage be? Choose a place where you will have cell phone reception to refer to this blog. (*des-shall)
🌃Starting with A Dream: A visionary angelic encounter started Gobnait’s pilgrimage to her place of Resurrection. I propose intentionally daydreaming about what you desire for a situation, relationship, or goal for your pilgrimage. Ask The Spirit and Saint Gobnait to give you a Recognition Event. Invite Divine Presence to address, reveal and accompany you with guidance, instilling confidence as you create and walk your designated pattern discerning what you are searching for. Pay attention to any helpful gifts and tools that Spirit reveals to you now and each stage of the way. In Celtic understanding, dreaming is like a doorway to a Thin Place that calls us to enlarge and expand our intentions for our life’s journey.
🎒Materials: Your cell phone, two bottles of water, honey in honor of Gobnait’s bees, crackers to spread honey, journal, one long ribbon or bandana, at least five biodegradable strips of organic cloth (*Clooties) to tie on a tree branch near each station. At least five natural items to leave as gifts of gratitude. Seven, short written prayers or readings unless memorized (suggestions below). The pictures you take of each of your stations will help you for reflection afterward.
(*Clooties are ribbons tied to trees, usually hawthorns in gratitude for blessings received)
💦Bless your materials:
O Sacred Three, Bless with me dedicating all my pieces for our Tura Journey. Bless my desire to walk with Thee and Saint Gobnait of Ballyvourney. Amen
⭕Traditional, Doing The Rounds: Customary Pilgrims will intentionally approach each of the spiritual stations with reverence. Take time, pay attention to the location with your senses and how you feel, make notes. While walking around the station, one, three or seven times, prayers are recited aloud. Repetitive prayer might sound like Gobnait’s buzzing bees. The Traditional Prayers are Seven Prayers of Jesus, Seven Hail Marys and Seven Glorias followed by One Apostles’ Creed.
Below, find some inclusive prayers to add to what you choose for your pattern.
👣Beginning your walk. Station One: Your spot is______________ in honor of the little island of Inis Oírr.
(Leaving Inis Oírr, pictured above) For me, this will be the parking lot where my path begins. Where is your first spot?
In prayer, name what you desire. Ask The Spirit and Saint Gobnait to accompany you while seeking your Recognition Event. Mindfully, pay attention to any helpful gifts and tools that are being revealed to you now. When Saint Gobnait boarded her little boat, she was leaving the smallest island and heading toward the much larger island of Ireland. Likewise, you are leaving something smaller behind in search of your Place of Resurrection, seeking an enlarged and expanded sense of your situation, relationship or goal. Notice how you feel and what senses you can use to encounter this site. Take a picture.
⭕Doing The Rounds: Walking sunwise/clockwise around (once, three or seven times) praying the prayers or readings you prepared. Pause for reflection then ask permission of the tree before tying a clootie, leaving a natural gift as you desire. Trees are steadfast standing ones providing portals to the otherworld below, the trunks are companions in our realm and the branches reach up to the heavens.
Make some notes in your journal then move on.
🚪Crossing The Threshold to The Pilgrimage Path: Gobnait had to get out of her boat and set foot on the main island of Ireland. I am leaving the paved parking lot and setting foot onto the path of my pilgrimage. What is your Threshold?
Pause at your Threshold between the domestic and the wild paths on your way. Take some deep breaths. Journal about this Threshold to your Tura journey. Take a picture. If you wish, bow, and say the date and time while stepping over your threshold with awareness of The Spirit and Gobnait’s presence with you.
Several stories account for Gobnait finding some white deer of different numbers as she was searching for her angel appointed nine deer. Notice if you see something that looks close to what you are looking for but not quite right along the way as important clues to discernment.
Station Two: _________________ (your spot) in honor of the Statue of St Gobnait, Ballyvourney, carved by Séamus Murphy. Once you have arrived at your station, look at the picture of this statue on your phone. What do you see while slowly looking at: the entire statue, her face & eyes, her veil, her cloak, dress, feet and hands? Notice the bees under her feet. In Celtic Spirituality, bees are mystical messengers between realms. How does the statue and your encounter with her cause you to feel? Are there any body sensations inside you to notice?
Prayer at this statue: Greet Saint Gobnait and make your bold request of her. Next, pray this traditional statue prayer or your own. May God bless you, O Holy Gobnait, May Mary bless you and I bless you too, To you I come complaining and asking about my situation, relationship, goal or need. I boldly request you, for God’s sake, to grant and show me a cure and solution. Pause to notice how this is moving in you? Journal. 📖
⭕ Do The Rounds: While walking sunwise around the station that you chose, recite your pattern prayers aloud. At the end ask permission of the tree before tying your clootie and leaving your natural gift. Take a picture of your station and journal before moving on.
Station Three: _______________(your spot) in honor of Saint Gobnait’s Home (*baile).
Once you arrive at your station, look at the picture of Gobnait’s House on your phone. What comes to your mind while slowly moving your eyes around the picture: the entry slabs, the circular wall, the grass growing on the wall and the center? Allow the circular shape to encompass you like Saint Gobnait’s arms approaching with warmth welcoming you into her home. Imagine the sounds and smells of this busy kitchen in her time. Envision crossing the threshold saying; God Bless all here and Gobnait welcoming (fáilte) you while serving you something with honey on it. Enjoy your honey filled snack. Have a conversation with Gobnait in her kitchen. Thank her for her hospitality before leaving. (*ball-uh,*fall-cha)
Pause to notice how this is moving in you? Excavations at this site show parts of a wooden house and iron objects. The word Gobnait comes from ‘gabha’ meaning ‘smith’ indicating her smithcraft in her name.
⭕ Do The Rounds
Station Four: _____________(your spot) in honor of Gobnait’s House Well. Looking at the picture of this well, what do you notice? Look at the layers of slabs including the canopy, the step toward the water, the slab with mugs on it, and the green plants growing. Imagine stepping down to fetch some water in one of the cups. Get out your bottle of holy well water and your ribbon/ bandana. Ask Gobnait and The Spirit to bless your water with healing and thirst quenching properties. Drink some of the Holy Water paying attention as it goes down your throat. Pour a little on your ribbon or bandana and your clootie. Asking for healing and direction, place the wet cloth on your forehead, your neck, wrists and heart. Wait until you are home if it’s too cold for the wet cloth. Pause to notice how this experience is moving in you.
⭕ Do The Rounds: After doing your pattern, pour a little of your Holy Water on the ground near the tree you selected to heal Mother Earth and journal before moving on.
Station Five: ______________(your spot) in honor of Saint Gobnait’s Church.
Look at the picture of the church on your phone. Walking into a church should feel like returning to the womb of Divine Love. Dab a little of your water to bless yourself as you imaginatively cross the threshold into Gobnait’s Church. Talk with her about what you notice from: the far entry door appearing to have another stone wall behind it. Ask her about the difference between most of the stone walls and the archway? Ask about the doorway on the right wall? Converse with Gobnait about how the medieval nave looks ruinous yet still alluring. Inquire about the people buried under the gravestones. Finally, discuss how the roof has disappeared giving an open air experience of being inside yet the walls are still standing. What is moving in you at her church? What feelings are you having? Do you notice any body sensations? Journal.
⭕ Do The Rounds:
🚪Cross The Threshold of Return: On the last day of your Turas Ghobnatan, Rounds with Saint Gobnait, pause before crossing the doorway of your house. Ask Saint Gobnait and The Spirit to cross this threshold with you revealing, addressing loving presence and guidance in your return from pilgrimage. Boldly remind them of your desire, relationship and situation that you need healing and resolution for and walk through your door. In your own way express gratitude for their companionship on this journey.
🕯️Returning from Pilgrimage:
Light a candle. Review your pictures and journal. Select any mementos (statues, pictures, candles, beads etc) of gratitude that you might have left at each station for your sacred space. Journal as you wish. Return to your sacred space as often as you find meaningful.
🤔“The Fourth Day” Spiritual Practices and retreats can be wonderful and life changing. However, there can be days and times of let down after spiritual highs. Saint Gobnait probably did not have angels messaging her and nine deer appearing every day. Spirit moves and acts with mystery.
Conclusion: What about this experience of Doing The Rounds with Gobnait was attractive to you? What about this experience was frustrating to you? What was unattractive to you? What was it like transferring a pilgrimage from Ireland to where you live? How does it feel to recognize Holy Places are as close as your own backyard? Do you wish to continue with Saint Gobnait as a spiritual companion? Do you wish to incorporate Doing The Rounds as part of your spiritual practice?
📷About the Photos: The first photo was taken by me when leaving Inis Oírr and heading back to the big island of Ireland in 2023. The rest of the pictures were taken by myself or my mother in Ballyvourney in 2001.
Suggested Prayers
All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. -Julian of Norwich (1342-1416) O Sacred Three, Encompass us With Your Compassion. Be Our Protection from indifference. Surround us with Generosity. Be Our Refuge from any stinginess. Embrace us with Wisdom. Be Our Sanctuary from misunderstandings. Encircle us with Hospitality. Be Our Guard from unfriendliness. O Sacred Three, Be Our Secure Shelter, Forever Enveloping us in Your *Croí, heart. May it be so! (*cree) Karen Kerrigan Beloved of the Elements’, North, East, South and West guarding, In every direction, Naofa bean feasa* Breathes forth encompassing. With The Eagle of the The Air, The Otter of the Land, The Salmon of The Sea protecting, Revealing in all your creatures, Christ surrounds companioning, Right Here, Right Now and Forever. May it be so! (*my translation to mean Sacred Wise Woman or Sophia Spirit) (*nay-fa ban fasa) By Karen Kerrigan chuile mo croí * Pulse of My Heart Circulate Wholeness throughout Our World Community Detoxify from dividedness. Circulate Collaboration Detoxify from opposition Circulate Peace-ableness Detoxify from violence Circulate Hospitality Detoxify from hostility Chuile mo croí* Pulse of My Heart Circulate fáilte* Welcome! Detoxify us from shunning. Flow New Trust through Our World Community May it be so! (*cushla mu cree, *fall-cha) Karen Kerrigan The Aramaic Prayer of Jesus (“The Lord's Prayer”) by Neil Douglas-Klotz)
In special memory of my mother who went with me to Ireland in 2001. I imagine my mother in Gobnait's Kitchen enjoying a mug of Mead. Saint Gobnait was by far my mother's favorite Celtic Woman Saint that we learned about! In Loving Memory of and surrounded by My Four Irish Great-Grandmothers. Beannachtai’, Blessings, Karen Kerrigan, ARCWP
“If we want to reap the harvest of peace and justice in the future, we will have to sow the seeds of non-violence, here and now, in the present.” (Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Irish Peace Nobel Laureate)