Rowan's Deities

In the Presence of the Goddess

2011-02-21T08:59:00.010-04:00

I've been going through a lot of personal crap the past couple of months, as well as some very good things, too. I've been teaching one of my best friends how to relax & chill out with meditation. He is always complaining that his mind never shuts off, too many things, worries & distractions are constantly running through his head. I also got him into burning candles & incenses as an aid to relaxing. I try to meditate at least once a day, if not, a few times each week to relax myself & connect to the universe.

Last week was a very stressful week, to say the least. So, in order to chill out, take a breather, I decided to do a meditation in my room. Because I was so stressed, I took a nice warm bath beforehand, lit a candle in my room and some sweetgrass incense (I got it last summer at a Pow Wow) and relaxed into my space.

This particular meditation started off different than what I'm used to. I normally go into my usual place and ask for the Goddess' blessing & protection. This time I stepped right into a pool of water and dove under & swam off into the darkness. When I surfaced, after what seemed like a long time underwater, I was in an underground cavern. I had only seen this place before once when I crawled through "Alice's rabbit hole" and talked to a mysterious woman in the shadows. This time I came up out of the water into this cavern and was in a long flowing white gown, a flower garland in my hair and I was completely dry. The water looked black in the darkness of the cave, save for a candle burning on the wall behind me. The air was warm & comforting and I felt at ease, no stress. Then, out of the shadows an old woman in a long black robe stepped out. Her grey hair was long & wavy, her eyes as black as the pool of water in front of me. I felt at ease when I saw Her, no fear. She spoke with a soft voice, giving counsel when I needed it. She listened as I poured my heart out to Her. I knew I was in the presence of the Goddess, for She knew what was troubling me. She knows that I am struggling with my faith, questioning it. She did tell me that it's alright to question things, even my beliefs and not to doubt that which is happening around me. She knew I am feeling a bit disconnected to things and that I need to get myself grounded.

After our talk, I felt better, a little bit relaxed and I dove back into the water and swam back to reality. That night I did a little clearing of people on Facebook that I no longer need in my life or those I really don't talk to really. It was a spiritual cleansing of my "friends" list and it made me feel better.

Charges of the God & Goddess

2010-10-10T17:45:00.004-03:00

I'm not Wiccan, nor do I subscribe to that path, but I do love the Charges that Valiente wrote and I think they are beautiful pieces of poetry. Enjoy!!

Charge of the Goddess

She who is the beauty of the green earth, and the white moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, calls unto thy soul. Arise, and come unto Her. For She is the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. from Her all things proceed, and unto Her all things must return and before Her face, beloved of gods and men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let Her worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are Her rituals. And the...refore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to seek Her, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, then thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, She has been with thee from the beginning; and She is that which is attained at the end of desire.

The Charge of the God

Listen to the words of the Horned God, the Guardian of all things wild and free, and Keeper of the Gates of Death, whose Call all must answer: I am the fire within your heart... The yearning of your Soul. I am the Hunter of Knowledge and th...e Seeker of the Holy Quest I - who stand in the darkness of light am He whom you have called Death. I - the Consort and Mate of Her we adore, call forth to thee. Heed my call beloved ones, come unto me and learn the secrets of death and peace. I am the corn at harvest and the fruit on the trees. I am He who leads you home. Scourge and Flame, Blade and Blood - these are mine and gifts to thee.

Call unto me in the forest wild and on hilltop bare and seek me in the Darkness Bright. I - who have been called; Pan, Herne, Osiris , and Hades, speak to thee in thy search. Come dance and sing; come live and smile, for behold: this is my worship. You are my children and I am thy Father. On swift night wings it is I who lay you at the Mother's feet to be reborn and to return again. Thou who thinks to seek me, know that I am the untamed wind, the fury of storm and passion in your Soul. Seek me with pride and humility, but seek me best with love and strength. For this is my path, and I love not the weak and fearful. Hear my call on long Winter nights and we shall stand together guarding Her Earth as She sleeps.

A Prayer to The Morrigan

2010-08-09T21:49:00.006-03:00

Blessed Morrigan, whose sacred names are three,

I do not pray for strength, for you show me the strength within me.
I do not pray for courage, for I follow you willingly into battle.
I do not pray for wisdom, for you teach me of the Crone within me.
I do not pray for blessings, because I live each day in blessed Magick, following the ways of the wise.
I do not pray for prosperity, for I live in gratitude of the abundance which flows through my life.
I do not pray for love, for love runs like water to me through my family and friends.

I pray to remember these gifts, for in my despair I can lose my way, and lose my awareness that I am a daughter of your ways.
I pray to remember that when I look into my image, your face is reflected there, and I can carry any burden because you live within me.

~Source

The Morrigan

2010-07-22T21:45:00.010-03:00

Name: Morrigan / Morrighan / Morrigu / Morgan / 'Great Queen'/'PhantomQueen'Mor Righ Anu Morrigan or Morrigu Morgan - (MOHR-gahn) from Welsh mor "sea"or mawr "great, big" + can "bright" or cant "circle" or geni "born."

Father: Aed Ernmas

Associated Deities: Fea (Hateful), Badbh (Fury), Nemon (Venomous), Macha(Battle)

Properties: Goddess of War, Life & Death

Totem Bird: The Carrion Crow

Element: Earth

Associated Sites: Battle-Fields, Plain of Muirthemne (near Dundalk, Co. Louth), River Unshin near Corann (she created the river by urinating)

Realm: The North (Land of the Dead)

Herbs: Mugwort

Trees: Yew : Willow and Blackthorn

Crystals: Clear Quartz

Colors: Red and Black

Offerings: Ale, Crows Feather, Blood {Menstrual Blood} could use raw redmeat and red wine as well

The Morrigan is a goddess of battle, strife, fertility, death, prophecy and passionate love.Her name translates as either "Great Queen" or "Phantom Queen," and both epithets are entirely appropriate for her. The Morrigan appears as both a single goddess and a trio of goddesses. The most common combination who formt he trio are Badb ("Crow"), and either Macha (also connotes "Crow") or Nemain ("Frenzy"). Although membership of the triad varies, sometimes includes Fea, Anann and others. The Morrigan frequently appears in the ornithological guise of a hooded crow. She is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann ("Tribe of the goddess Danu") and she helped defeat the Firbolg at the First Battle of Mag Tuireadh and the Fomorians at the Second Battle of Mag Tuireadh. She is usually seen as a terrifying figure, glossed in medieval Irish manuscripts as equivalent to Alecto of the Furies, or the child-eating monster Lamia, from Greek Mythology (in fact, another text glosses Lamia as"a monster in female form, i.e. a Morrígan"), or the Hebrew demoness Lilith. She is associated with war and death on the battlefield, sometime appearing in the form of a carrion crow, premonitions of doom, and with cattle. She is often considered a war deity comparable with the Germanic Valkyries,although her association with cattle also suggests a role connected with fertility and the land.

Her Role

The 'Phantom Queen,'s role and cult can easily be identified as remains of amatriarchal cult. She has a lot in common with goddesses like Inanna/Ishtar, the Indian Kali or Hecate. The Morrigu is prophetess of all misfortune in battle and has knowledge ofthe fate of humanity. She is also the messenger of death as the dark lady/washer at the ford: Morrigan is seen washing bloody laundry prior to battle by those destined to die. Her personality is associated with the sometimes frightening aspects of female energy. As a protectress she empowers an individual to confront challenges with great personal strength, even against seemingly overwhelming odds. Roman chroniclers reported that Celts went into battle naked, exposing tattoos to summon their magical forces.

The Morrigan is a Celtic Goddess who has been known as the Great Queen, Specter Queen, Supreme War Goddess and Queen of Phantoms, Great Mother, MoonGoddess, Great White Goddess, Queen of the Fairie, Patroness of Priestesses and Witches, and Goddess of Magick. She is a trifold Goddess, a Goddess in three parts, a shape shifter, and a warrior. Yet, the Morrigan Herself seldom actually killed; rather, She used Her power and magick to stir up the warriors She favored and to weaken those She wanted to lose. It was believed that She was the washerwoman who would seen by a lake or river washing out their clothing; whoever saw Her was going to die.

Basically, She is a Goddess of battle, strife and fertility. But like all the Celtic Goddesses, She is not totally evil or good. She is a balance.Like the Greek Goddess Athena, the Morrigan often steps in to wage justifiable war. She is called upon by warriors, and if She agrees with their battle and motives, She aids them.

Remember, war was always important to the Celts; they loved nothing more than a fight, and built whole cities around schools of warfare. They were fierce warriors who even cowed the Romans for a time. Women fought with men at times, and it is reported that Celtic women, when sending their men off to war, told them "Come back carrying your shield or on it." It was the custom to carry the dead home on their shields if at all possible, so in effect the women were saying "win or die".

The Celts looked at nature, saw the fields grow cold and empty, all dead in Winter, and then saw the Earth reawaken and the fields come to life in the Spring. They knew death was necessary for rebirth and worshipped the Morrigan as the one who brought honorable death so there could be rebirth.She was the one who led the armies, the one who brought death, but also life through Her aspect as a fertility Goddess; She was a symbol of life, not never-ending death.

She is not evil, although She is dark. By bringing death, She causes new life. This death causes fertility--look at the idea of composting, if you doubt it--and so She also brings fertility.

(Celtic: Welsh) Sea goddess; Triple Goddess. Names: MORGEN/Morgana/Morgan:(mor, sea; of the sea) Correspondences: Moon/Air/Water Morgen of the Ninefold Sisterhood rules death, rebirth, fate, and the sea. She is a shape-shifting shaman, a witch, and a healer. She and her eight sisters areexpert in magic, medicine, and the arts. They are a triple version of the Triple Goddess who dwell in Avalon, the winterless Isle of Apples. It was to them that King Arthur was taken after his final battle.

Legend has it that he remains there with them, still healing. Morgen was envisioned with wings, or as a sea sprite, but she may have originated as a death and otherworld goddess. Some scholars associate her with the MORRIGAN,or with MODRON. Morgen is said to be Merlin's wife, or the Lady of the Lake,in some traditions. During the Christian Era she devolved into Morgan leFay, the manipulative sorceress of Arthurian legends. Invoke Morgen for enchantment, shamanism, witchcraft, healing, youth, immortality, art, music,shape shifting, lunar magic, and herbal cures.

The Morrigan was the High Queen and goddess of the Tuatha De Dannen, who watched over the welfare and warfare of that fairy folk while they against the Firbolg people for the soil of Ireland. The Morrigan was not one goddess, but a trinity. she was a single spirit of fierce intent, possessing at least three different names and a trio of separate selves:

Macha, they called her when she worked magic with the blood of the slain.

Badb, they named her when she took a giantess' form and warned soldiers of their fortunes on the eve of war.

And they knew her also as the shape-shifting Neman.

All three were wont to slide into the flapping black bodies of carrion crows to haunt battlefields, hungry for the morsels they filched from torn and broken bodies when the fray was done.

Sometimes referred to (in her entirety) as an Badb Catha, meaning "the battle crow."

~Source

My Newest Deity

2010-07-20T22:00:00.003-03:00

A little while ago, during one of my meditations, a new figure emerged for me. Even though she didn't reveal herself to me in a visual sense, I had a strong feeling that I knew who She was: The Morrigan.

I know she has many names (the Morrigan, Morrigu, Morrigan La Fey, etc) and she has been subtly letting me know about her. I would see crows everywhere, even where there shouldn't be any birds. I came upon her when I read The Mists of Avalon, then while reading the Magic Treehouse books for my son, where one of the story's protagonist is Morgan la Fey. *Note* I am still learning about the Deity and her many aspects. I have been a little confused as to who she really is, a Celtic War Goddess or Queen of the Faeries, but I am still trying to decipher all this. For some reason, even though I am getting a lot of references to Morrigan La Fey, I feel a connection to The Morrigan.

Because of this, I have been exploring more about discovering my Shadow Self and performing Dark Moon rituals to banish unwanted things out of my life, as well as meditations to further my knowledge of this Goddess. I find her to be a very helpful Deity for me. I show her the respect she deserves, not using her for my own devices. My study of her is ongoing. As I learn more about her, I will post.

Blessings
Rowan

Meeting my Animal Totem

2010-03-29T18:03:00.002-03:00

So, yesterday I had my first Shamanic Journey yesterday to meet my Totem Animal. I went to a friend's place with another friend for my journey. After having a light lunch of soup, we got ready and put on some really good drumming. I laid down on my blanket in my usual meditation position, closed my eyes and let the rhythm of the drumming take me over.

I entered into my meditative state by my usual means, by going through a doorway and descending down. I was in a murky swamp-like place. There was fog all around, close to the ground. It reminded me of what you would see in a movie. I could hear all sorts of sounds, the ground squishing under my feet. My quest was to meet my Totem so I asked the fist animal I encountered, a huge green snake with red eyes. He said no, he wasn't who I was looking for. I kept on walking when I saw a beautiful snowy white owl, like Hedwig. I asked her, but she wasn't. Next I saw to my right a lion & his lioness lounging. I had a feeling they weren't mine so I kept on walking. I saw a huge hawk soaring above me, so I asked him. He said no, but that I was on the right track. I kept walking til I came to a huge tree where up in the branches was a huge, brown Great Horned Owl. He spoke before I could ask my question, "I believe you're looking for me." I was floored!! This owl was talking to me. I asked if he had a name, not knowing if names are a common thing with Totems. Instead of telling me verbally, I saw his name, as if it was being written in a book, Asra.

He told me to come inside the tree he was perched on. I saw that down by the base of the tree an opening. When I went in, I was in a cave with a fire burning in the center. Asra wasn't there, liked I had hoped, but instead there was a man sitting by the fire. I knew who the man was, as he was someone I once knew & cared for. I asked why he was there, where was Asra?? He smiled & answered that this was my journey & that I had to figure it out. I could hear the drumming grow faster, a cue to wrap things up. I started running back to where I began.

I wrote what I saw in my journal and we all shared our experiences. I didn't feel comfortable telling my friends that the man I saw was a past relationship. But, as I thought more about it when I got home, that was silly thinking. I think it may have been a guide manifesting itself as someone I knew?? I don't know. Now, since I don't know too much about owls, I'll be Googling.

Bright Blessings
)O(

A Ritual for Freya

2009-11-05T08:09:00.004-04:00

To bring Freya into your life, enjoy a breakfast of cereal with strawberries (her sacred fruit), or share a dessert of chocolate covered strawberries with your lover; wear gold clothing or jewelry, an amber necklace or keep a small swatch of gold fabric on you so you can connect with Freya throughout your day.

Freya is the Goddess of the harvest; send a prayer to her and you will be sure to have a successful growing season. For those who are seeking inspiration in writing, painting or other artistic endeavors, Freya is the one to call on. She can also be called on for matters of love, beauty, enchantments, witchcraft, wisdom, and magic.

RITUAL

When you need more passion in you life try this Freya ritual.

Altar: Decorate with red cloth and red candles. Have incense of sage or sandalwood burning on your altar and/or rub your candles with these oils, additionally you can burn sage herbs in a cauldron. You may also want to wear Gold jewelry or clothing or have a piece of Amber or Tiger Eye on your altar as well.

You will also need colored ribbon or cord…one of these should be red to represent Freya and passion, the others should be colors that you associate with your need…for example, yellow for creativity, pink for a better love life, blue for the ability to speak about matters that mean the most to you, etc.

Cast your circle and call in the four quarters to help you:

Greetings Powers of Earth, I invite you to join me in this time within a time, this space within a space to help me harvest more passion into my life.

Greetings Powers of Air, I invite you to join me in this time within a time, this space within a space to help me find creative ways to gather more passion into my life.

Greetings Powers of Fire, I invite you to join me in this time within a time, this space within a space to help me remember passion brings much needed changes into a stagnant life.

Greetings Powers of Water, I invite you to join me in this time within a time, this space within a space to talk to me in dreams in visions on how to bring passion into my life.

Stand in the center of your circle and call upon Freya, the Queen of the Valkyries:

"Great Goddess Freya,
I call upon you in this time within a time,
this space within a space to bring more passion to my endeavors.
You are the beautiful Aesir Goddess,
the Goddess of love, fertility, magic and passion. "

Sit or kneel before your altar and tie a knot at the top of your cords to bind them together, the cords can be big enough to wear as a sash around your waist or small enough to wear as a bracelet. Begin to braid the cords together as you focus on the aspect of your life that you need more passion in. While you're braiding, say the following chant: Oh lady Freya, Goddess of love and fertility, please send your passion into me.

When you're done braiding, offer your finished braid up to Freya…place it on your waist, neck, crown or wrist and dance and hum to raise your energy. At the right time send your energy out into the universe and cry Passion!

Ground and center. Thank Freya for coming into your circle and sending you her gift of passion. Acknowledge and thank the four quarters: Greetings Powers of Earth: I humbly and gratefully accept your assistance in this time within a time, this space within in space as you helped to harvest more passion into my life. Blessed be. Greetings Powers of Air: I humbly and gratefully accept your assistance in this time within a time, this space within in space as you helped to gather more passion into my life. Blessed be. Greetings Powers of Fire: I humbly and gratefully accept your assistance in this time within a time, this space within in space as you helped to bring more passion into my life. Blessed be. Greetings Powers of Water: I humbly and gratefully accept your assistance in this time within a time, this space within in space as you helped to open up my subconscious mind to opportunities to have more passion into my life. Blessed be. Open your circle and enjoy the gift of Passion from the beautiful Goddess Freya.
~~ Source: White Moon Gallery

The Myth of Rhiannon

2009-11-03T23:42:00.003-04:00

Rhiannon, the Celtic goddess of the moon was a Welsh goddess. The goddess Rhiannon's name meant “Divine Queen” of the fairies. In her myths, Rhiannon was promised in marriage to an older man she found repugnant. Defying her family’s wishes that Rhiannon, like other Celtic goddesses, declined to marry one of her "own kind".

Instead, the goddess Rhiannon chose the mortal Prince Pwyll (pronounced Poo-ul or translated as Paul) as her future husband. Rhiannon appeared to Pwyll one afternoon while he stood with his companions on a great grass-covered mound in the deep forest surrounding his castle. These mounds, called Tors, were thought to be magical places, perhaps covering the entrance to the otherworld beneath the earth. It was thought that those who stood upon them would become enchanted, so most people avoided them.

So it is no surprise that the young prince was enchanted by the vision of the beautiful young goddess Rhiannon, who was dressed in glittering gold as she galloped by on her powerful white horse. Rhiannon rode by without sparing him even a glance. Pwyll was intrigued and enraptured, and his companions were understandably concerned.

Ignoring the protest of his friends, Pwyll sent his servant off riding his swiftest horse to catch her and asked her to return to meet the prince. But the servant soon returned and reported that she rode so swiftly that it seemed her horse’s feet scarcely touched the ground and that he could not even follow her to learn where she went.

The next day, ignoring his friends’ advice, Pwyll returned alone to the mound and, once more, the Celtic goddess appeared. Mounted on his horse, Pwyll pursued her but could not overtake her. Although his horse ran even faster than Rhiannon's, the distance between them always remained the same. Finally, after his horse began to tremble with exhaustion, he stopped and called out for her to wait. And Rhiannon did.

When Pwyll drew close she teased him gently, telling him that it would have been much kinder to his horse had he simply called out instead of chasing her. The goddess Rhiannon then let him know that she had come to find him, seeking his love.

Pwyll welcomed this for the very sight of this beautiful Celtic goddess had tugged at his heart, and he reached for her reins to guide her to his kingdom. But Rhiannon smiled tenderly and shook her head, telling him that they must wait a year and that then she would marry him. In the next moment, the goddess Rhiannon simply disappeared from him into the deep forest.

Rhiannon returned one year later, dressed as before, to greet Pwyll on the Tor. He was accompanied by a troop of his own men, as befitted a prince on his wedding day. Speaking no words, Rhiannon turned her horse and gestured for the men to follow her into the tangled woods. Although fearful, they complied. As they rode the trees suddenly parted before them, clearing a path, then closing in behind them when they passed.

Soon they entered a clearing and were joined by a flock of small songbirds that swooped playfully in the air around Rhiannon’s head. At the sound of their beautiful caroling all fear and worry suddenly left the men. Before long they arrived at her father’s palace, a stunning site that was surrounded by a lake. The castle, unlike any they had ever seen, was built not of wood or stone, but of silvery crystal. It spires soared into the heavens.

After the wedding a great feast was held to celebrate the marriage of the goddess. Rhiannon’s family and people were both welcoming and merry, but a quarrel broke out at the festivities. It was said that the man she’d once been promised to marry was making a scene, arguing that she should not be allowed to marry outside her own people.

Rhiannon slipped away from her husband’s side to deal with the situation as discreetly as she could . . . using a bit of magic, she turned the persistent suitor into a badger and caught him in a bag which she tied close and threw into the lake. Unfortunately, he managed to escape and later returned to cause great havoc in Rhiannon's life.

The next day Rhiannon left with Pwyll and his men to go to Wales as his princess. When they emerged from the forest and the trees closed behind them, Rhiannon took a moment to glance lovingly behind her. She knew that the entrance to the fairy kingdom was now closed and that she could never return to her childhood home. But she didn’t pause for long and seemed to have no regret.

Rhiannon was welcomed by her husband’s people and admired for her great beauty and her lovely singing. However, when two full years had passed without her becoming pregnant with an heir to the throne, the question of her bloodline, her “fitness” to be queen began to be raised.

Fortunately, in the next year she delivered a fine and healthy son. This baby, however, was to become the source of great sorrow for Rhiannon and Pwyll.

As was the custom then, six women servants had been assigned to stay with Rhiannon in her lying-in quarters to help her care for the infant. Although the servants were supposed to work in shifts tending to the baby throughout the night so that the goddess Rhiannon could sleep and regain her strength after having given birth, one evening they all fell asleep on the job.

When they woke to find the cradle empty, they were fearful they would be punished severely for their carelessness. They devised a plan to cast the blame on the goddess Rhiannon, who was, after all, an outsider, not really one of their own people. Killing a puppy, they smeared its blood on the sleeping Rhiannon and scattered its bones around her bed. Sounding the alarm, they accused the goddess of eating her own child.

Although Rhiannon swore her innocence, Pwyll, suffering from his own shock and grief and faced with the anger of his advisers and the people, did not come strongly to her defense, saying only that he would not divorce her and asking only that her life be spared. Rhiannon’s punishment was announced.

For the next seven years the goddess Rhiannon was to sit by the castle gate, bent under the heavy weight of a horse collar, greeting guests with the story of her crime and offering to carry them on her back into the castle.

Rhiannon bore her humiliating punishment without complaint. Through the bitter cold of winters and the dusty heat of four summers, she endured with quiet acceptance. Her courage was such that few accepted her offer to transport them into the castle. Respect for her began to spread throughout the country as travelers talked of the wretched punishment and the dignity with which the goddess Rhiannon bore her suffering.

In the fall of the fourth year three strangers appeared at the gate—a well-dressed nobleman, his wife, and a young boy. Rhiannon rose to greet them saying, “Lord, I am here to carry each of you into the Prince’s court, for I have killed my only child and this is my punishment.” The man, his wife, and the child dismounted.

While the man lifted the surprised Rhiannon onto his horse, the boy handed her a piece of an infant’s gown. Rhiannon saw that it was cloth that had been woven by her own hands. The boy then smiled at her, and she recognized that he had the eyes of his father, Pwyll.

Soon the story was told. Four years earlier, during a great storm, the nobleman had been called to the field to help a mare in labor, when he heard the infant’s cries and found him lying abandoned. He and his wife took the baby in, raising him as if he were their own.

When the rumors of the goddess Rhiannon’s fate had reached his ears, the farmer realized what had happened and set out at once to return the child to his parents. Most legends suggest that the badger actually was the enraged suitor that Rhiannon had rejected who had escaped and taken his revenge by kidnapping Rhiannon's infant son.

Pwyll and his people quickly recognized the boy for Pwyll and Rhiannon’s son. The goddess Rhiannon was restored to her honor and her place beside her husband. Although she had suffered immensely at their hands, Rhiannon, goddess of noble traits, saw that they were ashamed and was filled with forgiveness and understanding.

In some versions of the legend, Rhiannon was the Celtic goddess who later became Vivienne, best known as the Lady of the Lake. She was the Celtic goddess who gave Arthur the sword Excalibur, empowering him to become King in the legends of Camelot.

~~ Courtesy of goddessgift.com

My Encounter with a new Deity

2009-10-23T19:14:00.000-03:00

Ok, the other night I was under a lot of stress, due to things going on in my personal life. To try to calm down, I took a nice warm bath, complete with sea salt & oils. After the bath I went into my room, lit some Patchouli incense (my fav) and a single white candle. I got into my usual meditation pose and proceeded to ground myself.

As I was asking for the Goddess' guidance, I had a song pop into my head. Normally I don't use music as I meditate and I was focused on my task. The song, Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon". I've never had something so strong pop into my head like that before. It was like as if the radio was on full blast on my nightstand. I haven't heard that song in a while, so I was a bit floored, to say the least.

Through my 3rd eye I had a vision of a woman in rich cloaks standing at the end of my bed, smiling at me. She had long, flowing, strawberry blonde hair. Then I heard her voice in my head, speaking to me that things will be alright. That I shouldn't worry about my son and what he's going through at school. She also reassured me about my journey & that They are all looking out for me. I felt so at peace listening to her words of encouragement. She also gave me some advice about being so rigid during my solo rituals...lighten up. I laughed, she did too. She also said that within the next few days, a gift will come to me from her. I don't know what this can be. I'm not one for surprises, being a Capricorn & all, I have to know everything. She knows that Lady Freyja is my Patron Goddess, but she is also one of mine as well, that I can call on her, too, if needed.

Ok, after my meditation ended, I felt a lot calmer & more focused. Since I don't know too much of Rhiannon, I Googled her & her myths. I also asked my friend, Suzanne about her. She's going to tell me about her next time we talk.

So, that was my encounter with a new Deity. I thought it was cool.

)O( Blessed Be,
Rowan

The Triple Goddess

2009-10-22T18:36:00.000-03:00

The Horned God Chant

2009-09-30T18:52:00.000-03:00

Invocation to Freyja

2009-09-30T13:42:00.000-03:00

Freyja,
Golden one,
Exquisite, beautiful, and charming,
You open me
And set me free.

Fruitful and sexy,
You give of yourself
Without hesitation,
Without bounds,
Knowing the love of all.

Mail-clad and strong,
You gather the warriors
Of your choice,
Honoring their sacrifice
In your hall of hosts.

Secretive and sly,
You divine the future,
Bending will,
Bending fate,
Bending wyrd.

O Golden Lady,
Lady most blessed,
Teach me your skills.
Honor me with your gifts.
Allow me to become one with you.

So I may fly.

Prayer to Freyja

2009-09-30T13:38:00.000-03:00

Great Goddess, Mistress of cats,
Lady of love, beautiful Vana-Goddess,
Fulfill my greatest needs, O glorious one.

Teach me the magic I need.
Give me a glimpse of your deep wisdom.

Teach me in dreams. Enrich my life.

O Lady, you are Golden-Tears of Asgard
Lady of love, beautiful Vana-Goddess,
You are the Shape-shifter, the Sayer,
The Independent One.

Give me the strength and the magic I need.

Prayer to Cernunnos

2009-09-29T21:46:00.000-03:00

God of the green,
Lord of the forest,
I offer you my sacrifice.
I ask you for your blessing.

You are the man in the trees,
the green man of the woods,
who brings life to the dawning spring.
You are the deer in rut,
mighty Horned One,
who roams the autumn woods,
the hunter circling round the oak,
the antlers of the wild stag,
and the lifeblood that spills upon
the ground each season.

God of the green,
Lord of the forest,
I offer you my sacrifice.
I ask you for your blessing.

My Patron God - Cernunnos

2009-09-29T21:41:00.001-03:00

Cernunnos is a horned god found in Celtic mythology. He is connected with male animals, particularly the stag in rut, and this has led him to be associated with fertility and produce. Depictions of Cernunnos are found in many parts of the British Isles and western Europe. He is often portrayed with a beard and wild, shaggy hair -- he is, after all, the lord of the forest.

With his mighty antlers, Cernunnos is a protector of the forest and master of the hunt. He is a god of vegetation and trees in his aspect as the Green Man, and a god of lust and fertility when connected with Pan, the Greek satyr. In some traditions, he is seen as a god of death and dying, and takes time to comfort the dead by singing to them on their way to the spirit world.

In Margaret Murray's 1931 book, God of the Witches, she posits that Herne the Hunter is a manifestation of Cernunnos. Because he is found only in Berkshire, and not in the rest of the Windsor Forest area, Herne is considered a "localized" god -- and could indeed be the Berkshire interpretation of Cernunnos. During the Elizabethan age, Cernunnos appears as Herne in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor. He also embodies fealty to the realm, and guardianship of royalty.

In some traditions of Wicca, the cycle of seasons follows the relationship between the Horned God -- Cernunnos -- and the Goddess. During the fall, the Horned God dies, as the vegetation and land goes dormant, and in the spring, at Imbolc, he is resurrected to impregnate the fertile goddess of the land. However, this relationship is a relatively new Neopagan concept, and there is no scholarly evidence to indicate that ancient peoples might have celebrated this "marriage" of the Horned God and a mother goddess.

Because of his horns (and the occasional depiction of a large, erect phallus) Cernunnos has often been misinterpreted by fundamentalists as a symbol of Satan. Certainly, at times, the Christian church has pointed to the Pagan following of Cernunnos as "devil worship." This is in part due to nineteenth century paintings of Satan which included large, ram-like horns much like those of Cernunnos.

Today, many Pagan and Wiccan traditions honor Cernunnos as an aspect of the God, the embodiment of masculine energy and fertility and power.

2009-09-25T18:25:00.000-03:00

Goddess of sex, battle, and pleasure, most beautiful and desirable of white-armed women, Freyja was sister to the male fertility god Freyr. Freyja had unusual parity with Odin, for they divided the heroic dead amongst themselves. Half went to live eternally in Odin's hall, and half in Freyja's hall Sessrumnir- and the goddess got first pick.

As befits a goddess, Freyja owned potent magical equipment. Like Frigg, she possessed a falcon skin, which when pulled over her shoulders, allowed her to take the form of that raptor.This also provided a useful disguise when needed - important to a goddess whose personage made her instantly recognisable.

Freyja's most wonderful adornment was her necklace (or possibly a jewelled belt), Brisingamen.It was crafted by four dwarfs, and was of exceptional beauty.Freyja so longed for it that she consented to spend one night each in the arms of its makers as her payment.This was a just recompense in the eyes of the goddess, for as the necklace was the finest of all things the dwarfs could produce, the utter summation of their skill, why not repay them with an equally precious example of her love-art?

Freyja always wished to give her love freely.Her beauty and desirability often attracted the attention of those she did not want, such as the giant who offered to build an impregnable defensive wall around Asgard, the dwelling of the gods, in exchange for taking Freyja away as his wife. The goddess knew nothing of this agreement, and her outraged indignation at being so wagered grew the greater as the wall grew taller. Never believing they would have to forfeit Freyja, the gods grew more and more uneasy in their wager, until Loki ,who had urged the agreement, was forced to utilise his trickster ability to the fullest.

Three animals are associated with Freyja. She is pulled about in a cart to which two cats are harnessed. Their sinuous beauty and comfort-loving nature recall one side of the goddess. The other two animals are direct symbols of sexuality and strength.

Her golden-bristled boar is called Battle Swine (Hildisvini), and recalls her role as the receiver of heroic dead. Battle helmets topped with iron and bronze images of boars have been found throughout England and Scandinavia, for the boar's savage and cunning nature was widely revered. The other animal is the mare, associated with night, unbridled sexuality, and dangerous magical power. To "ride the night-mare" meant then, as now, to have bad dreams.

My Matron Goddess

2009-09-25T18:21:00.000-03:00

In Norse mythology, Freya is a goddess of love and fertility, and the most beautiful and propitious of the goddesses. She is the patron goddess of crops and birth, the symbol of sensuality and was called upon in matters of love. She loves music, spring and flowers, and is particularly fond of the elves (faeries). Freya is one of the foremost goddesses of the Vanir.

She is the daughter of the god Njord, and the sister of Freyr. Later she married the mysterious god Od (probably another form of Odin), who disappeared. When she mourned for her lost husband, her tears changed into gold.

Her attributes are the precious necklace of the Brisings, which she obtained by sleeping with four dwarfs, a cloak (or skin) of bird feathers, which allows its wearer to change into a falcon, and a chariot pulled by two cats. She owns Hildesvini ("battle boar") which is actually her human lover Ottar in disguise. Her chambermaid is Fulla. Freya lives in the beautiful palace Folkvang ("field of folk"), a place where love songs are always played, and her hall is Sessrumnir. She divides the slain warriors with Odin: one half goes to her palace, while the other half goes to Vahalla. Women also go to her hall.

Freyja's Symbolism:

Freyja is often depicted as a blonde Goddess wearing a Viking Helmut and carrying a sword.

She rode a chariot driven by two blue cats given to her by Thor. Other myths say she rode upon Hildisvini a battle swine who is a symbol of fertility and a protective talisman for those going to war.

She had a cloak of feathers that enabled her to fly in the form of a raven.

As a fertility Goddess she is linked to the full moon.

This Goddess is associated with the runes, the wheel of fortune and other forms of divination.

The Northern Lights were said to be caused by her traveling through the night's sky with the Valkyries.

Sacred Animals: Cats and wild pigs.

Sacred Birds: Ravens, falcon and swans

Sacred Plants: Cowslip, daisies, mistletoe and primrose.

Sacred Crystals: Amber.

Sacred Food: Strawberries

Sacred Day: Friday

Freyja inspires all sacred poetry, love, beauty, animals, sex, enchantments, witchcraft, wealth, trances, wisdom, magick, writing and protection

My Triple Goddess

2009-03-26T09:36:00.000-03:00

Guardian Deity: CERRIDWEN

Other Names: CARIDWEN / CERIDWEN/ CREIDDYLAD / CREUDYLAD / CORDELLIA/ Cerridwen / Cereduin / Keridwen and Kerridwen.

How to pronounce Cerridwen? (Ker-RID-Wen). Other spellings of her name include

Location: (Welsh, Scottish)

Description: Moon Goddess, Great Mother; Grain Goddess. Goddess of Nature

Areas of Influence: Her name is derived the Celtic word cerru meaning cauldron which like the Goddess herself, symbolizes the transformative power of magic, wisdom, rebirth and creative inspiration. She was also keeper of the cauldron. For these reasons she is seen as a Patron Goddess of witches and wizards. She is also associated with the moon, fertility, science, prophecy and poetry.

Rules Over: Death, nature, fertility, regeneration, inspiration, magick, science, astrology, herbs, poetry, music, art, spells, knowledge, wisdom, past lives, divination

Welsh Bards called themselves Cerrdorion (sons of Cerridwen). The Bard, Taliesin, founder of their craft was said to be born of Cerridwen and to have tasted a potent from her magick cauldron of inspiration. In her magickal cauldron, she made a potion called greal (from which the word Grail most likely came from). The potion was made from six plants for inspiration and knowledge. Her symbol was a white sow.

Origins and Genealogy: She Married Tegid Voeland and was mother to three children: Creirwy, Morfan and Taliesin. There is no mention of her own origins in the surviving myths

Strengths: Wise, powerful and resourceful.

Weaknesses: She tries to interfere in her children's lives.

Symbolism: The Cauldron and the dark moon are associated with this Goddess.

Sacred Animals: This Goddess often transformed into a white sow to address her people. In her myths she also shape shifted into a greyhound and an otter

Sacred Birds: Hawks and hens.

Sacred Plants: Corn.

Ceridwen’s Myth: The Goddess uses her knowledge of magic and herbs to create a potion to transform her ugly son Morfan into a wise boy. The potion needs to be boiled in her cauldron for a year and a day. She leaves her servant Gwion in charge of the mixture until one day when he accidentally spilt three drops on his hand and licked it off, empowering him with the brews knowledge and power. Frightened of the Goddesses reaction he turned himself into a rabbit. Cerridwen gave chase in the form of a greyhound. He then became a fish and jumped into a river and she became an otter. He turned into a bird and she followed as a hawk. Eventually Gwion transformed into a grain of corn and is eaten by the Goddess who had become a hen. The grain took seed in her womb, and nine moons later, she gave birth to the Taliesin. She is unable to kill the child, instead she wraps him up in a leather bag and sets him out to sea. He survives and becomes the famous Welsh poet Taliesin

Cerridwen's Archetypes:

The Crone: The Crone represents the wise old woman whose child bearing days are behind her. Other associations with this Archetype include: compassion, transformation, healing and bawdiness death and endings. She is the respected older woman or grandparent at the heart of family who enjoys life and sharing her experience. Unfortunately the word Crone or Hag often has negative connotations as many wise woman and midwives were persecuted as witches in the middle ages. Shadow Crone is the bitter, old woman who has failed to learn from her life. She blames all her failings and unhappiness on a society that no longer respects the elders. As a result she becomes increasingly isolated and fearful. Cerridwen is often depicted as a Crone Goddess as she is wise and due to her associations with transformation and rebirth.

The Shape-shifter: The Shape Shifter has the ability to change her physical appearance. They are also able to adapt easily to different environments by altering there behavior. Shadow Shape Shifter is fickle, lacking conviction and constantly reinventing themselves like politicians to appeal to most people. Cerridwen has the power to transform herself into many different creatures. As well as being regarded as a Crone Goddess she is also said to represent the Mother and Maiden aspects of the Triple Goddess.

How To Work With These Archetypes:

The Crone: This maybe one of your Archetypes if you have gained wisdom, learning from your mistakes and showing a willingness to adapt to changing circumstances. You are experiencing the Crone's shadow if you have become rigid in your beliefs and have become stuck in a rut having lost all ability to let those areas of your life go that no longer serve you.

The Shape-shifter: The shape-shifter is a useful archetype to have if you need to be flexible or perform lots of different roles. The shadow side asks whether your chameleon like tendencies reflect a deep insecurity and inability to commit to any particular path.