Feb 26 2025 61 mins 2
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OUR STORY
Saoirse has lost everything except for her dog, Bear. As they wander through The Burren of County Clare, a rainstorm hits and they seek shelter in the caves. Along their journey, they meet Macha, the Morrigan, Brigid, and the Cailleach.
Originally told at the Ottawa Fringe Festival in 2023, Erica’s story invites listeners to remember the wisdom of the body, the power of the voice, and the magic of the spirit.
OUR GUEST
Erica O’Reilly is KnotWork’s 2025 “Storyteller in Residence.” She’ll join us regularly with tales from her extensive repertoire.
A sacred storyteller, spiritual counsellor, Depth Hypnosis practitioner, and ordained minister (through the Sacred Stream Foundation; in Berkeley, California), Erica is dedicated to creating spaces where souls feel seen, held, and heard. She believes deeply in the wisdom of the human body and spirit; and the powerful medicine of storytelling.
Erica’s Into the Circle Theatre project honors the tradition of the seanchaí in a modern context. Through the inspirations and weaving of Irish culture, history, folklore, and mythology, Into the Circle Theatre shares hallowed tales of women, focusing on the reclamation of their embodied wisdom and sovereign power.
She also shares her creative voice regularly on her Substack, Weavings of the Wise & Embodied. Subscribe to her newsletter to follow her current work in progress, De thír mo mháithreacha: Of the Land of my Mothers.
OUR CONVERSATION
- A story about both safety and freedom. The heroine’s name, Saoirse, means freedom in Irish.
- The heroine's journey is one of reclamation and remembering.
- Seeing with what previous KnotWork guest Jen Murphy calls “the otherworldly eye”
- Allowing stories to work you over time before you tell it. Tad Hargrave, in his Substack, On Culture Making, talks about courting stories.
- An experience telling this story at the Ottawa Fringe Festival in 2023 that speaks to how interpret women’s rage in this culture.
- An exploration of the four goddesses who appear in this story: Macha, Morrigan, Brigid, and the Cailleach
Music at the start of the show is by Beth Sweeney and Billy Hardy: billyandbeth.com
WORK WITH MARISA
- 1:1 Writing Coaching: If you are working on a spiritual memoir or wellness professional or a creative entrepreneur who wants to use stories to build your business, book a free consultation with Marisa. Learn more at writingcoachmarisa.com
- Learn about our global writing communities, the Authors’ Knot and the Writers’ Knot: www.marisagoudy.com/writing-groups
- Find more of Marisa's writing and get a copy of her book, The Sovereignty Knot: www.marisagoudy.com
