About Bríd Shine – Spiritual Midwife
“In old Celtic times in Ireland there was a concept known as the ‘Spiritual Midwife’- a person who was called upon to preside over births and deaths. Working closely with the fairy realm, the spiritual midwife helped birth new souls into the world and helped old souls’ birth back into the world of spirit. These midwives used a variety of healing practices and were skilled at transforming fear and facilitating peaceful life transitions.”
~ John ODonohue
Hello, my name is Bríd.
Whether you are facing a life limiting illness, death, dying or bereavement, these stages of your life can bring challenges.
I can be present with you along these unknown and uncharted paths in your life.
As I tell you my story, I hope you’ll come to understand a little about who I am, the work I am here to do, and how I can help you.
I grew up on the southwest coast of Ireland
…in close proximity to the wild Atlantic Ocean, a land steeped in Celtic tradition.
Inspired by my Celtic ancestors, I take a philosophical and spiritual approach to all of life’s transitions, be they birth or death.
In my younger years I worked as a Registered Midwife and Public Health Nurse in both hospital and community settings all around Dublin city, Ireland. I garnered much firsthand experience being present with many families around the time of birth, celebrating with them new life. I was also present with many families around the time of death, and spent ten years working in that cruel paradox of supporting families who experienced death at the time of birth. I bring this rich experience of compassionate care to the counselling relationship.
“Work is love made visible”
~Kahil Gibran
My own life’s path did not follow the conventional journey.
Losses occurred in my younger adult life, pushing me onto what is often referred to as ‘the spiritual path’. This is what shaped me. While none of us willingly raise our hands to seek ‘spiritual growth’, it is always the invitation we are being offered in overcoming life challenges.
My journey began in 2007 on a 10-day retreat with the Buddhist teacher and author of “The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying” at a retreat centre in Ireland.
Soon thereafter I began a series of training programmes in spiritual care of the dying at this Tibetan Buddhist training centre. I took time out from Dublin city and fulltime work, choosing instead to live by the sea on the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the most westerly point on the map of Europe.
It was from here that my healing journey began.
I travelled as a seeker, to spiritual retreat centres across the US and Europe, in search of wisdom.
Teachers whom I met that inspired me are endless, but feature Tibetan Buddhist monks, Indian Gurus, Kryia Yoga masters, Mindfulness legends such as Thich Nhat Hanh and John Kabat Zinn, and many powerful healers, mainly women from the four corners of the island of Ireland. During this time, I was introduced to our rich heritage of poets, philosophers, and spiritual guides in Ireland, in particular the writings of the late John O’Donohue on Celtic spirituality.
I trained as a mindfulness meditation teacher and certified in many healing modalities.
I am a Reiki and Seicheim Master of the Terra Mai Reiki lineage, as well as a certified Pure Energy healer. I have also been initiated to level two of the Kryia Yoga meditation practice, having been inspired by the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda.
Buddhist philosophy with emphasis on reflecting the impermanent nature of life, and the desire to alleviate human suffering through compassion, presence and the practice of loving kindness all spoke to me in a profound way.
And as my path unfolded, my destiny became clear.
I would take all my life lessons and learned teachings and use them as foundation for my new work.
I undertook a Master of Science degree in Bereavement Studies and began a decade of work in perinatal loss. I spent ten years providing grief counselling to families who were anticipating the birth of a baby with a short life expectancy or grieving the death of their baby. This was a time of deep immersion in my work, one that enriched my life both personally and professionally. Deep human connections unfolded in this area of specialized work for which I have few words. It is an area of care that remains very close to my heart.
In 2020 I followed the promptings of my heart, leaving my homeland to begin a whole new life chapter on Vancouver Island, Canada. Since moving here I have been richly engaged in care of the dying through my work as a hospice counsellor. I am deeply grateful to Spirit for calling me here to do this work, as my heart has been richly rewarded in those whom I have met and shared care of, at their life’s end.
Moving home and country did not come without its own new grief and felt losses. To support myself on this ever-evolving spiritual path, and to connect with this rich land and ancestry, I have undertaken a certificate in shamanic healing through the Medicine Circle on Salt Spring island, having committed to the advanced shamanic healing programme at a later date.
I have come to Canada with deep reverence, respect, and gratitude to the Indigenous People of these lands. I continue to seek blessings through ritual and ceremony to honor the ancestors of the First Nations people, upon whose land I have come to work, and whose people I hope to serve.
I am based in the Cowichan Valley where I live with my husband Kim.
This is who I am. This is the path that I have travelled. This is my authentic self.
Formal Training:
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who we truly are”
~ Carl Jung