Away with the Faeries

Been in Ireland over the summer and had a great time with family. I carefully visited a fairy fort near my parents house. I came bearing roses & other garden flowers. Fairy forts are seen as entrances to the world of Tuatha De Danann, peoples of the Goddess Danu, also known as the "Good People".

A neighbor told me a story about a mean landowner, Mrs. Burns, who purposefully disrespected the ring fort to show the superstitious people in the village how foolish they were. She danced in the middle of the ring, stomping and shouting. She was struck down and was in a wheelchair the rest of her life.

Eostre

In honor of the Anglo-Saxon Goddess Eostre (say ESS-trah), the Spring/vernal equinox was named Ostara. When the Saxons invaded Britain, they introduced Eostre and the traditions that honor her to the Celts, who later adopted her into their own pantheon. Her name means "moving with the waxing sun."

Around the time of the Spring Equinox, animals would start to give birth or going into their "estrus" cycle, so named after the goddess. The ancient Celts, who lived in a close symbiotic relationship with their livestock, celebrated the return of life with a festival in her name. Eostre is seen as Spring personified. To the Celts, she is the goddess of rebirth, new beginnings and fertility. Her symbols include the "sun cross," the egg, the rabbit, flowers and baskets. The legend of the Easter bunny originally started as a story of offerings in her name. A small rabbit came across and egg at the beginning of Spring. He was hungry after the long winter and wanted very badly to eat the egg. But instead, he decorated the egg and gave it to Eostre as an offering.

Wolf Moon

Have you ever thought about the Wolf Moon?

January 10th is the full moon this month. As the full moon is always in the sign opposite the of the sun, the full moon is in Cancer, (while the sun is in Capricorn). So it's a great Sabbat to create ritual around hearth, home, family, and anything sensual. Cancer is also ruled by the breast, so a health ritual for anyone suffering from breast cancer would be appropriate.

It is also known as the Wolf Moon. Wolves, Jackals and Dogs have been associated with death, reincarnation, and funerary customs and often guarded the gates to the underworld. Dormarth the wolf was the Celtic guardian of Death's Door. In Ireland, two dogs guarded the gate of Death, the Moonland Emania. Since so many died in the dead of winter when survival depended on your hearth fire and your food stored from the harvest, naming this full moon the Wolf Moon makes sense.

So, honor the wolf. Howl at the moon. And give thanks for your family, home and all that you have. You have survived the winter, the days are getting longer and spring is on it's way.

The rising of the Crone

In the Celtic world there is a Crone Goddess, worshiped for her role in the balance of the seasons. Her name is The Cailleach. She is the Winter Sun, mother to Dia Greine, the Celtic Sun Goddess, who as daughter blossoms in the spring. They emerge as the season change, revolving in a cycle syncopated to the seasons.

The Caileach emerges as a central figure in the Samhain Rituals. She connects us with our ancestors, reaching through the veil to bring us face to face with our own mortality. On the threshold of the dark half of the year, she offers lessons about the darkness.

At Samhain, we learn to embrace separation and death. We allow to die that which is no longer useful to us. We clear away debris, anything that is no longer relevant. We let the fields of our inner landscape lie fallow. By doing so, we align ourselves with the cosmic cycle of death and rebirth.

Celtic Goddess: Rhiannon

The Welsh Goddess of the moon and inspiration. Her name means is either "Maid of Annwn" or a variant of Rigatona, "Great Queen". Her name comes from the Welsh word Rhiain, which means "maiden."

She is Queen of the Faeries, the Goddess of fertility and rebirth, transformation, wisdom, and magic. Goddess of ethereal beauty, she was born with the first moonrise. She is the Muse of poets, source of artistic inspiration, she was worshiped outside amidst the trees at woodland alters and underneath the Moonlight.

She continues to inspire artists like Fleetwood Mac. Here is a link to their song Rhiannon

Rhiannon is said to possess three magical marvelous birds that can wake the dead, or lull the living to sleep. These birds can heal the sick and wounded with their sweet songs. Often three birds appear together in Celtic legends, as a symbol of the triple Goddess. Here is the song Three Birds of Rhiannon by Stevie Nicks.