Keening ag caoineadh

We always get what we need,

In the depths of grief,

The aching heart receives,

The expansion of light,

To awaken the love,

The chamber burst open,

Through torrenting floods,

A veil sweeps aside,

Our view no longer obscured,

The mists of time disperse at once and

our relenting sorrow cured.

The Keening Woman or Bean Chaointe is a woman who would lament or grieve for the souls of the dead on passing. It was common throughout Ireland and was central to the culture of Irish women.

“A highly articulate tradition of women’s poetry”

Angela Bourke 

Messengers would be sent from far and wide to find Keening women, and these women would perform laments at wakes and funerals. Keening had a powerful ritual component, to help the souls travel from the land of the living to the land of the dead.

Today Keening is used as a means to release deep seated grief in the womb, heart and throat. It is a powerful cleansing ritual that liberates mind, body and soul and is a deep initiation into your own power focusing on the centers of womb, heart and throat.

If you feel called to the Keen and are interested in exploring grief, rage and primal sound schedule an Exploratory Grief and Keening session.