A Journey Inward | Healing the Self Abandonment Wound
Course Four
Awakening Bealtaine
Embracing Our Authentic Power - A Celebration of Granuaile - Pirate Queen of the Irish Seas
This course is the first course in the five-part A Journey Inward series.
It can be taken as part of the course series or standalone.
This is a self-paced, reflective online course
You are invited to move slowly, to pause when needed, and to return to the material in your own time.
The work is offered with care, spaciousness, and respect for each person’s pace and inner world.
An Invitation
We explore the transformative power of anger and how the energy produced from anger can support us in finding and discovering our boundaries, guide us in taking up space in the world and begin to stand in our Authentic Power. We introduce the concept of inner marriage and the uniting power of our inner feminine and masculine sides.
Rooted in Irish Myth & Ancestral Memory
This work is grounded in Irish mythology and Folklore— not as story alone, but as a living language of the psyche.
Across cultures, myth has served as a language for inner experience — offering images and stories that reflect the psychological journeys of loss, exile, return, and restoration. In Irish mythology and folklore, themes of separation, wandering, and homecoming echo the inner movements of self-abandonment and return.
In A Journey Inward, myth, image, and symbol are not approached as stories to be learned, but as mirrors of the inner life — helping us recognise, feel, and re-inhabit parts of ourselves that may have gone quiet or unseen.
This is not about learning mythology. It is about deepening your relationship with your own inner symbolic life and remembering yourself through it.
The Heart of This Course
At the heart of this course is the archetypal presence of Gráinne (Granuaile)—a figure of fierce feminine sovereignty, courage, and unapologetic self-possession. Within Irish mythology and folklore, Gráinne embodies the spark of life that refuses confinement, the force that calls us to step beyond limitation and reclaim our authentic power.
Bealtaine marks the Celtic threshold into the bright half of the year, a time when the fires of vitality, creativity, and desire begin to rise again within the land. In this course, the symbolism of Bealtaine and the spirit of Gráinne guide us into a deeper exploration of power, boundaries, and the restoration of life force.
Together, we explore how the self-abandonment wound can distance us from our authentic voice, dull our creative vitality, and weaken our connection to our own inner authority. With the support of myth, ritual, poetry, and reflection, this course invites us to rekindle the inner fire of courage, reconnect with our embodied sense of self, and step more fully into the vitality and generative power of life.
Join Eileen on a journey inward. Together, we will explore, through the work of Psychotherapy, Depth Psychology and Irish Mythology, how we can step into our authentic power through uniting our own inner masculine and feminine principles.
Themes We Explore Together
Themes explored include:
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The symbolism of Bealtaine as a threshold in the Celtic year, marking the passage from the dark half into the light half, and inviting us into a deeper relationship with vitality, growth, and authentic expression.
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The meaning of bright fire within the Bealtaine tradition, and how fire can be understood as a force of purification, courage, passion, and transformation in both the outer world and the inner life.
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The archetypal presence of Granuaile / Gráinne as a figure of fierce feminine sovereignty, boldness, leadership, and unapologetic self-possession, and how her story can support a return to authentic power.
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The way the wounded masculine and feminine can disrupt our sense of wholeness, and how the divine masculine and feminine may be cultivated “in marriage” to support grounded presence, inner union, and authentic growth.
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The relationship between self-abandonment, anger, boundaries, and power, and how learning to honour anger as an affirmative force can help restore dignity, clarity, and self-trust.
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The return of life force, desire, and eros in the season of Bealtaine, and how this reawakening can guide us toward greater aliveness, creative energy, and participation in our own becoming.
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The role of Irish mythology, folklore, poetry, music, and landscape in awakening imagination and supporting a more soulful, symbolic understanding of our inner world.
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The invitation of this course to step into authentic power, reclaim presence in the body, and cultivate a more courageous and embodied relationship with self, story, and transformation.
You are invited to meet these themes gently, listening for what stirs in your own inner world.
This course is for you if…
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You feel drawn to the archetypal presence of Gráinne, a figure of fierce feminine sovereignty, courage, and independence, and are curious about how her story may illuminate your own relationship with power, boundaries, and authenticity.
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You sense that the self-abandonment wound may be shaping how you express yourself, set boundaries, or trust your own voice, and you are seeking a deeper understanding of these patterns.
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You recognise that suppressed anger, self-doubt, or fear of conflict may be limiting your sense of vitality or creative expression, and you want to explore how these energies can be reclaimed in healthy and constructive ways.
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You feel called to reconnect with a stronger sense of inner authority and personal power, learning how to stand more fully in your truth while remaining grounded and compassionate.
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You are drawn to exploring healing and transformation through Irish mythology, folklore, poetry, and ritual, and are curious about how these ancestral traditions can guide inner change.
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You feel ready to step across a threshold of renewal, rekindling your creative life force and cultivating a deeper sense of vitality, courage, and authentic self-expression.
You will learn…
In this course, you will explore how the archetypal energy of Gráinne and the seasonal turning point of Bealtaine illuminate the themes of vitality, courage, and authentic power. Through reflection, mythic exploration, and embodied awareness, you will deepen your understanding of the self-abandonment wound and how it can distance you from your voice, boundaries, and life force. You will learn how to recognise patterns of self-criticism, suppressed anger, and disconnection that may have shaped your relationship with power, and begin cultivating a more grounded sense of inner authority and self-trust. Drawing on Irish mythology, poetry, ritual, and the wisdom of the Celtic landscape, the course supports you in rekindling creative energy, strengthening your connection to the body, and stepping more fully into a life lived with presence, vitality, and authenticity.
What is included?
This course is educational and reflective in nature and is offered as a supportive complement to personal or therapeutic work.
A Self-Paced Online Course you can return to at any time
100+ Minutes of Immersive Video Content
50+ Page Companion E-Workbook for reflection and integration
Space for journaling, contemplation, and embodied listening
Instant access with unlimited lifetime availability
CPD Certification for Irish Professionals
A Depth Psychology Experience Rooted in the Irish Mythology
+ bonus gift | SUMMER SOLSTICE Meditation (30 minutes) interwoven with the Irish language
Awakening Bealtaine online course is an immersive, embodied journey of soul and psyche, weaving sweeping images of Irish Landscape, myth, folklore, music, poetry and ritual to support a return to your inner world and soul self.
Begin the Journey
What A Journey Inward Participants have said...
About
Eileen Ní Shuilleabháin
BSocSc, MA Social Work, MA Psychotherapy, Dip Supervision, Dip Jungian Psychology, Certified Coach (WCI)
I am a Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapist, Supervisor, and Personal Development Coach with over 20 years of experience. I work internationally and am dual-located in the US and Ireland (in Northern Nevada and on the West Coast of Ireland, in Connemara). I work from a Jungian and depth-oriented perspective, integrating Jungian Psychology, Psychodynamic and somatic therapies.
I grew up in Connemara, a wild and rugged landscape on the Atlantic coast of Ireland. Oscar Wilde famously said of the region, “Connemara is a savage beauty”. I grew up in a small, rural Gaeilge (Irish) speaking community where Gaeilge is my first language, and is still spoken today in people's homes. This area was a major centre for the work of the Irish Folklore Commission, recording endangered folklore, mythology, sean-nós (old-style) songs, and oral literature. I have been greatly influenced by the wild physical landscape and immersed in those ancient songs, stories, customs, myths, legends, and music since childhood.
My work interweaves the Gaelic (Irish) World and Otherworld with Jungian Depth Psychology. The Gaelic world, with its symbols, language, myth, folklore, literature and heritage, becomes a doorway through which you can enter and explore your own inner landscape. I desire to share with you a felt sense of that ancient culture and spirit and, as a Psychotherapist, support how that connection can nourish and guide you on your personal development journey.
A Journey Inward Course Series
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Embodiment, Soul and the Celtic Spirit
Healing the Wounds of the Abandoning Self
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The Cailleach's Descent to the Underworld
Crossing the Dark Seas of Loss into Strange Country
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Resting Under Brigid’s Mantle
Cultivating Sanctuary and Self Compassion in Daily Life
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Awakening Bealtaine
Embracing Our Authentic Power
A Celebration of Granuaile -
Celebrating the Harvest at Lúnasa
Taking Your Seat at the Banquet of Life