Click on the image above for full conference details

Midwifing the Soul. Re-envisioning Keening Through Story, Art, and Ritual. 

 The request of a dying friend to keen over her body began a personal inquiry exploring both the role of the keening woman and how the practice was carried out. Historically, keening became so controversial that it was purposely erased. This presentation explores my journey to reclaim this female-led ancestral tradition, from exploratory keening circles inviting participants to bring their grief into sacredness. The use of art and ritual provides tools to explore grief and challenge cultural norms on dying while inspiring the discovery of the cathartic and transformational potential inherent in this ancient liminal practice. 

An Introduction to Keening (self study)

• The history of keening

• Exploring the role of the Bean Chaointe, the Keening Woman

• Addressing the erasure of keening

• A modern interpretation of keening

• Creating a personal keening ritual for your own intention

The Old Antlered One - A Winter Solstice gathering

Sunday 17th December . 7.30-9.30 UK / 2.30-4.30 US Eastern

An online gathering celebrating the winter solstice with stories of the Ancestral Mothers of Scotland

• The story of the Old Antlered One. A great skeletal antlered being who brought the mona and sun into orbit and brought life to the land

• The story of She Who Runs With the Herd - a trance journey with mask making

• Gesture of Ritual - considering life, death and rebirth

Samhain Keening Circle. Sat 28th Oct

A Samhain Keening Circle. Create an ancestor altar as we honor our blood & bone ancestors, plus those adopted ancestors. ur ancestors are also those beings who once walked the land such as Bear, Auroch and Reindeer (in Scotland).

• Dive deep into the season with 2 stories of the Cailleach. We will begin with her journey to the Whirlpool of Corryvrecken as she washes her plaid in the cauldron

• The Keening circle invites what needs to be grieved and expressed

• Take your place within the circle of women who pack up the stones of the Shrine of the Cailleach for the winter

• Plus art projects, ritual and a BONUS of full instructions on making a Cailleach peg doll

Keening Our Animal Kin - A free community Circle . Saturday 26th August 7-8 PM UK / 2-3 PM US Eastern

• Create a collage representing aspects of your grief

• A keening circle

• Community group to share your story

Keening With the Mothers

Sunday 9th July. 7-9 PM UK / 2-4 PM US Eastern

A Keening Circle to honor your mother - from the Great Mother to your biological or the elders you have adopted to be mother figures as well as Mother Earth.

• In a society that is both death-denying and grief-phobic keening is a radical act, we are reclaiming old traditions for modern needs.

• Art projects - Create a simple yet powerful Mothers Shrine

• Plus access to my ‘An Introduction to Keening’ course

Reclaiming Our Selkie Skin 11th June

A workshop exploring the depths of the Selkie story, with:

• Folklore from Orkney, Faroe Isles, Iceland and Ireland

• The story of Cee-al from the Path of the Ancestral Mothers

• A keening circle

• Selke Skin art project

Create Your Own Keening Circle. Southern Hemisphere

Sunday 21st May 11am UK / Perth 6 PM / Adelaide 7.30 PM / Sydney 8 PM

Would you like to make space for grief and grieving for others? In this online workshop I’ll share the steps I use in creating a keening circle. In this online class I’ll share:

• The framework I use

• Lots of ideas for ritual

• Curating the musical journey - I’ll also give you a playlist

• Full details of a ‘Soul Shrine’ art project for you to use

• Co-create ideas of rituals with others in the class

Create Your Own Keening Circle / April

Rescheduled for Sun 30th April

7-9 UK/ 2-4 US Eastern

Would you like to make space for grief and grieving for others? In this online workshop

I’ll share the steps I use in creating a keening circle. In this online class I’ll share:

• The framework I use

• Lots of ideas for ritual

• Curating the musical journey - I’ll also give you a playlist

• Full details of a ‘Soul Shrine’ art project for you to use

• Co-create ideas of rituals with others in the class

The Old Antlered One - A Winter Solstice Gathering

Sunday 18th Dec, 7.30 - 9.30 UK GMT / 2.30 - 4.30 East Coast US

Stories from the Path of the Ancestral Mothers of Scotland:

• The Old Antlered One - the tale of a great skeletal antlered figure who brought the land into being 

• She Who Runs with the Herd - The origin story of the Sisterhood of the Antlers and the women of the clan who followed the herds into the lands which became known as Scotland. 

  Trance dance - Download the template and create a mask to wear for a between the worlds journey

Antlered Oracle Doll

Making an oracle doll with antler or stick - with paper scrolls 

Keening with the Cailleach

Join me for a rather special keening circle as we use two folklore stories as a way of honoring and engaging with our grief

• Folklore stories

• Keening circle

• Cailleach as midwife

• Create a Cailleach oracle doll

Radical Doll Making Through the Deep of the Year

Radical Doll Making in the Dark of the Year is a 6 session course for nature-rooted women to explore their creativity to honor the festivals of the dark of the year through doll making and ritual. Consciously take the path of descent, time in the deep and then our return in spring.

• Make 6 unique dolls

• Tell your story through doll making

• Folklore stories

• Tales of the Ancestral Mothers of Scotland

Lunastal Keening Circle

Join me to celebrate the Gaelic harvest festival

• Harvest Stories of the Cailleach

• The tale of Talieasker from the Path of the Ancestral Mothers of Scotland

• A Keening circle to honor our grief for current and future climate catastrophe

• Make a Cailleach harvest doll to be looked after until spring

Keening With the Big Women

Sunday 12th June. UK 7 pm, US Eastern 2 pm

A gathering to hear stories of Scottish warriors - from Scatatch to the Queen of Moidart’s warriors and my own initiation by the Big Women

• A Keening Circle - bring however your are feeling - from rage to overwhelm, grief and frustration

• Time Out of Patriarchy - Considering how you use your shield, and emnbody your own Big Woman

Spring Equinox Retreat Sunday 20th March, 1-4 pm, Eastern

On the Path of the Ancestral Mothers of Scotland we honor Breejah and her connection to Bear. An afternoon retreat to sink into the energies of the season & explore our symbolic leaving winters cave and returning to the world

• Story, ritual & art

• Bear trance posture

• Guided meditation

Climate Coaching Alliance - Global Conversation

Monday 5th March.

Celtic Cultural Activism. Keening in the Face of Ecological Grief with Jude Lally. This is the 4th Climate Coaching Global Conversation with 1700+ members over 6 continents. In the face of the climate and ecological emergency we are a global community of coaches, coaching psychologists and aligned professionals learning how respond in our personal and professional capacity. It is free to join the CCA and free to attend this years Global Conversation.

Celtic Soul Prayer Beads

• Would you like to build, or deepen your personal practicing using Celtic Soul Prayer Beads?

• In this workshop you’ll learn the symbolism of each bead, different ways to usethe set as well as writing your own and using prayers and chants.

• You’ll learn the origin of this prayer bead set and their roots in honoring the Ancestral Mothers of Scotland.

• Guided meditations offering the experience of different ways to use the set - inspired by the Ancestral Mothers of Scotland and music

Scottish Goddess Conference - Sep 17th 2021

Cailleach Doll Making and Creative Rituals Inspired by Folklore and Place

Make a simple Cailleach doll with twigs and fabric plus ritual ideas inspired by folklore. As an artist, Jude uses dolls as a vessel for story. Her dolls are filled with connection with place and themes of folklore offer a focus to build relationship.As inspiration for ritual ideas using your doll, we will consider the Cailleach as the last sheaf of the harvest, and her Cauldron (the Whirlpool of Corryvrecken).