In The Cailleach Conspiracy, you’ll learn self-reliance and discernment from the Cailleach and wisdom and problem-solving from the Bean Feasa.

The Cailleach is the ancient world-building supernatural female of Irish tradition and mythology. She is elemental in every sense of the word, a builder of the landscape, a tester of human beings, and a prodigious walker.

Like her, the Bean Feasa or “woman of wisdom,” is often on the move. She is in many ways a human reflection of the Cailleach’s mythic energy. People tell stories about her that show her as wise, intuitive, discerning, and especially skillful at lateral thinking and problem solving. She is seen as a resource, as a restorer of balance and harmony. She is sometimes fierce and sometimes delivers difficult but necessary truth. She is deeply attuned to seasons and cycles and to the communities she serves with her gifts.

In this course, we’ll endeavor to become more like her.

We’ll enter into a “conspiracy” with the mythic energy of the world-building Cailleach, and in so doing, we’ll become a conspiracy ourselves of wise women and men. The best part of our time together will be the excellent company of wise, kind, funny, soulful human beings – including YOU.

How the course works

Each Monday, you’ll receive a video lesson and storytelling.

On Wednesday, I’ll send you a note with some ideas to try on and a good question or two to ponder.

On Sunday, we’ll gather for fun, art-making, creativity, and imagination practice. This is where you’ll really “meet” these two powerful female figures.

At the end of each weekly gathering I’ll pose an optional dare based on the week’s theme. These doable dares will help us act upon what we’re learning about and from the Cailleach and the bean feasa. I’ll invite you to write to me to let me know how it goes for you – and I’ll write back with encouragement, appreciation, and ideas.

At the end of our time, I will send you a pdf of all the materials from the course: a rich trove of folklore, mythology, and tradition.

Root & Belong

Move & Explore

Build & Create

Repair & Restore

Know & Tell

Tend & Flourish

What’s Included

• Each Monday, you’ll receive a video lesson and storytelling from Kate
• Each Wednesday, Kate will write you a little note with questions to mull and ideas to try on
• Each Sunday, we’ll gather online for learning, creativity, imagination practice, and conversation
• You’re also invited to engage in a one-on-one correspondence with Kate centered around a weekly dare
• At the end of the course, you’ll receive a pdf booklet with all the traditional tales and materials used in the course

Our Dates

We meet on Sundays, 4:00-5:30 pm, EST:

• Week One ~ Root & Belong: January 15
• Week Two ~ Move & Explore: January 22
• Week Three ~ Build & Create: January 29
• Week Four ~Repair & Restore: February 5
• Week Five ~ Know & Tell: February 12
• Week Six ~ Tend & Flourish: February 26

(Please note that we won’t meet on February 19)

Tradition is meant to be a vital, inspiring, and useful part of our lives – not something tucked away in a dusty old book.

I approach the study and teaching of Celtic wisdom from two angles:  as a scholar with a PhD in Celtic Studies from Harvard University and as a singer and storyteller who weaves authentic tradition into performances at libraries, schools, and cultural centers. 

I am committed to creating powerful learning experiences for my students to help them integrate intellectual learning with emotional, social, and spiritual growth.

My belief is that Celtic wisdom is here to help us grow and to create lives of joy, connection, and blessing.

FAQ

Do I need to know a Celtic language or to be of Celtic descent to take part?

Not at all! While you will certainly learn giota beag Gaeilge – a little bit of Irish – no previous experience of Irish (or Welsh, for that matter) is necessary. People of all backgrounds, races, and identities are warmly welcome to join us.

How and when do the gatherings take place?

We meet on Zoom over six Sunday late afternoons: 15, 22, and 29 January and 5, 12, and 26 February, 4:00-5:30 pm EST. You’ll receive a link for each week’s gathering twice – in a note on Wednesday and again on Sunday afternoon.

If I have to miss a session, will you provide a recording?

Yes, everything will be recorded and available to you on a private and secure site. Only members of the course will have access to the recordings.

Any other policies I should know?

I don’t offer refunds. Before you purchase, if you’d like to get a better sense of my teaching style, you might enjoy sampling some of the videos on my YouTube channel or browsing my blog. You can also take a look at all of my free offerings and books on the Free Teaching & Gifts page.

In a nutshell

• 9 January – 26 February 2023
• Weekly teaching and storytelling video
• Weekly Wednesday note
• Weekly live gathering on Zoom
• Invitation to correspond with Kate
• A pdf of course materials at the end of the course