The Tyrian Story

On the Feast of St. James, June 25th 2000, at the turn of the millennium, two young men, Stephen Celeste and Marvin Robinson and two wise women, Evelyn Hunt and Dagmar Celeste founded the Tyrian network as an inter-spiritual learning community to awaken the artist, healer, and peacemaker in each of us.

Our dream was to simply gather on the American North Coast a community of artists and healers, family and friends, peacemakers and other compassionate companions willing to build, plant, learn & grow together.

The first Tyrian sponsored gathering was a “Bonfire Ritual” that took place at the turn of the Millenium, during the 2000 Autumn Equinox at Himmelblau House. A few hardy, enthusiastic supporters came and helped us clear space for new things to come and dedicated the Bridie Blue Barn as the symbolic center and headquarters of the Tyrian network.

St. Brigid

They placed the organization under the guardianship of St. Brigid, the patroness of Ireland as well as the ancient Brighid, the “High One”, who creates, heals and guides her lands in peace. The Celtic Brighid was not only patron of the arts, midwifery, farming, wood & metalworking but she was first and foremost a visionary community builder. Therefore Tyrian, following in her footsteps plans not only to provide opportunities to celebrate and learn at our inner city Oasis but continues to dream about developing Singing Cedars as a community of Creatives on the 10 acres surrounding Himmelblau House on the NE shores of Kelleys Island. We dedicated that venture to Brigid the Saint, as well as Brighid, the great triple goddess of the Celtic people, who appeared as Brigantia in Northern England, Bride in Scotland, Brigandu in Brittany. She became most famous as Brigid of Kildare who is venerated as the patron Saint of Ireland.

Many legends are told about Brigid. Her mantle was said to be the color of “Tyrian” purple and when spread at the order of her bishop to determine the size of land he was going to gift her with, it grew until it covered such a large territory that she became the most powerful abbess in all of Ireland. Furthermore when bishop Mel celebrated her installation as the abbess of Kildare he used the wrong formula and consecrated her a bishop instead and she remained a validly ordained bishop for the rest of her days. As such we claim her together with Saint Therese as patron saint of all those women called to ordination especially those still denied access to this sacrament by their churches as well as those still denied full participation in other religious and spiritual communities.

Some say that there are three Brigids: one in charge of poetry and inspiration, who invented the Ogham alphabet, one in charge of healing and midwifery, and the third in charge of the hearth fire, smithies and other crafts. This indicates the separate aspects of her threefold nature of maiden, mother and crone. In keeping with this trinitarian spirit of the Irish trifolium, Tyrian’s mission is three fold as well. Together we endeavor to empower creativity, healing and peace making.

According to Buckminster Fuller’s world map  Lake Erie and the otrher 4 Great Lakes are located at the heart of our fragile planet and are the largest freshwater resource on our planet. Therefore because of the importance of “Living Water” in addition to the many faces of Brigid we also feel linked to the “Woman At The Well” for our Ohio City Oasis on the corner of John and 44th (John 4:4) and to Lydia the Tyrian dyed cloth merchant who gathered women for worship by the river. (Acts:16/14) http://www.newadvent.org/bible/act016.htm for our overall Tyrian organization. In keeping with the inter-spiritual purpose of the Tyrian network we also call on the protection of the Hindu goddess Kali and Avalokitesvara/Guanyin , the Buddhist godess of mercy and compassion.